In August 2026 we crossed China as a couple: Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Zhangjiajie and Shanghai. We logged every expense, from the long-haul flight to the last bottle of water. Here are the real numbers, line by line. All amounts are in euros and are the total for two people unless stated otherwise.
Cost summary
| Item | Total for two | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| Return long-haul flights (Milan–Beijing, Shanghai–Milan) | €2,744 | €1,372 |
| Hotels (15 nights, 6 hotels) | €1,035 | €518 |
| Tours, tickets and activities | €859 | €429 |
| Shopping and souvenirs | €675 | €337 |
| Food | €506 | €253 |
| Domestic flight Zhangjiajie–Shanghai | €400 | €200 |
| 4 high-speed trains | €366 | €183 |
| Travel insurance | €151 | €76 |
| Local transport (metro, Didi, Maglev) | €140 | €70 |
| eSIM with built-in VPN (Saily) | €36 | – |
| Visa | €0 | €0 |
| Total | €6,911 | about €3,456 |
Flights
The direct Air China flight from Milan Malpensa to Beijing and the return from Shanghai to Milan cost €2,744 for two (€1,372 each). It is by far the biggest item: almost 40% of the trip. For the only leg we did not do by train, Zhangjiajie–Shanghai, we took a €400 domestic flight for two.
The 4 high-speed trains
| Route | Total for two |
|---|---|
| Beijing West → Xi'an North | €167.00 |
| Xi'an North → Chengdu East | €83.50 |
| Chengdu East → Chongqing North | €51.34 |
| Chongqing East → Zhangjiajie West | €58.82 |
| Booking supplement | €5.16 |
| Total | €365.82 |
Hotels: what a night in China costs
Six chain hotels, all central. On average €69 a night for a double room.
| City | Nights | Total | Per night (room) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | 3 | €285 | €95 |
| Xi'an | 3 | €165 | €55 |
| Chengdu | 2 | €120 | €60 |
| Chongqing | 2 | €90 | €45 |
| Zhangjiajie | 3 | €176 | €59 |
| Shanghai | 2 | €199 | €100 |
Beijing and Shanghai were the most expensive cities, Chongqing the cheapest.
Tours and tickets
€859 for two in total. The main items:
- Zhangjiajie 2-day tour: €295, plus €32 for the Glass Bridge and €36 of park extras
- Pandas and the Leshan Giant Buddha: €102
- Great Wall at Mutianyu: €45 transfer and €33 cable car
- Terracotta Army: €73, plus €20 for the VR experience
- Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City: €50
- Shanghai Tower: €46
- Temple of Heaven: €41
- Xi'an city wall: €14 entry and €24 bike hire
- Lama Temple: €18
- Yu Garden: €8
We booked the day tours from Italy before leaving.
Daily spending
- Food: €506 for two over 17 days, about €30 a day for two people. Dumplings, hotpot in Chengdu and Chongqing, Peking duck in Beijing (€39 for two), noodles and the odd station fast food. A hotpot dinner cost us €15–22 for two.
- Local transport: €140 for two, about €8 a day. A metro ride costs a few cents and a Didi ride in town usually €2–9. The priciest was the Didi to Pudong airport (€30). The Shanghai Maglev: €13 for two.
- Shopping: €675 for two on clothes, gifts and souvenirs. The easiest item to cut.
Visa, eSIM and insurance
- Visa: €0. Italian passport holders can enter China visa-free for tourism for up to 30 days, under a policy valid until 31 December 2026. Visa-free rules depend on your nationality, so check the official Chinese embassy website for your country before you go.
- eSIM and VPN: €36 (Saily). The VPN was included in the eSIM: €0 extra.
- Travel insurance: €151 for two.
Where you save (and where you don't)
- Trains instead of planes. We did four of five legs by high-speed train: €366 for two in total, less than a single domestic flight (€400).
- Food and metro are cheap. €30 a day for two fed us well.
- Flights and tours are the big items. The long-haul flight is almost 40% of the total. Zhangjiajie was the most expensive tour.
FAQ
How much does an 18-day trip to China cost?
Ours cost €6,911 for two, about €3,456 each, including long-haul flights and shopping. Without shopping, about €3,118 each.
How much is a hotel in China?
Across our 6 central chain hotels we paid an average of €69 a night for a double room, from €45 in Chongqing to €100 in Shanghai.
How much do you spend per day in China?
About €38 a day for two on food and local transport: €30 to eat and €8 for metro and taxis.
Do you need a visa for China?
As Italian citizens we did not: Italy is covered by a 30-day visa-free policy for tourism valid until 31/12/2026. Rules depend on nationality, so check the official Chinese embassy website for your country.
Train or plane between cities?
We used 4 high-speed trains and one domestic flight, for Zhangjiajie–Shanghai. The 4 trains together cost less than that flight.
Keep your budget in one app
We planned the whole trip, with flights, trains, hotels and tours, in Itinero. Open our 18-day itinerary or get Itinero free on iPhone.
