China Made Easy
China Made Easy – How to Plan the Trip of a Lifetime on Your Own
The practical guide to planning China without tour agencies, packages or stress. A ready-made 16-day itinerary, day by day.
Does China call to you, but the language, the trains, the payments and the blocked apps put you off? This guide comes from a trip I planned entirely on my own, with everything you need in hand and nothing left to chance.
I'm Alessandro Ippati, a travel and tech content creator. For the last couple of years China has been my biggest passion. Here I hand you the exact route I took, along with everything I wish I had known before leaving.
The trip: 6 cities in 16 days
Shanghai → Chongqing → Leshan → Chengdu → Xi'an → Beijing. All the long journeys are by high-speed train.
What's inside (57 illustrated pages)
- ✅ Day-by-day schedule with timings, transfers and breaks, suitable for families with children too
- ✅ Guides to every stop with photos, fun facts and practical tips: the Bund, Hongya Cave, the Leshan Giant Buddha, the Panda Base, the Terracotta Army, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and much more
- ✅ The best area to stay in each city, for transport and a central location
- ✅ Step-by-step instructions for every train: stations, security checks, platforms
- ✅ Ready-made Chinese texts to show taxi drivers and at stations, with pinyin
- ✅ Approximate costs for tickets and taxis, in yuan and euros
- ✅ Before you go: visa, VPN, eSIM, Alipay and WeChat, must-have apps, small culture shocks
- ✅ Official arrival-form QR code and the warning about power banks needing the CCC mark, or they'll be thrown away at security
- ✅ Final checklist so you forget nothing
- ✅ Links to my videos for every city, so you can see the places for yourself
How I did it all on my own
Hotels, trains and attraction tickets: all booked on Trip.com, along with eSIMs at very good prices. I explain what's worth booking yourself and where a travel agency helps, as with flights and insurance.
Perfect for you if…
- you want to plan China on your own, as a couple, with family or with friends
- you're short on planning time and want a tried-and-tested itinerary
- you want to avoid beginner mistakes, from VPNs to payments
📘 PDF format, to read on your phone or print. Download it now and set off with a guide in your pocket.
Times, prices and entry rules can change: always check them before you travel.