Solo female travelling in China without a guide

Solo travel in China

Despite so many people saying I was crazy for even contemplating this given I don’t speak mandarin and due to some bias from the media, I went ahead with my China trip and I loved it. I flew with Air France from Edinburgh to Paris then Paris to Beijing.

I booked a car to get me from the airport and opted to stay at the foot of Mutianyu Great Wall. That was probably one of the best decisions I made! I was on the wall early morning and hiked up to the highest point. I completely missed the crowds who were arriving from Beijing as I was leaving. What else is lovely about staying in Mutianyu Great Wall Hotel is that, come 5pm and it’s so peaceful The hotel also gives you unlimited free access to the wall and you get discounts for cable car which was amazing. A back injury prevented me from going on the toboggan ride down though.

I then flew to Zhangjiajie. I stayed in the lovely hotel Manyuan Resort Hotel in Wulingyuan with a tub on the balcony! To only had two full days but the first day I spent on the glass bridge with a wander around the Grand Canyon. Day 2, I spent at avatar mountains and golden whip stream. The hotel not only booked all the tickets, they helped me with an itinerary. Most hotels do this from what I understand. Facial recognition is your ticket once you scan your passport at the gate - it really speeded things up. It wasn’t busy because it was through the week. It also rained a lot but there are people selling raincoats on the gate and it made it much more atmospheric.

I moved on to Howdy smart hotel Chengdu near Chunxi Road and spent time at the Giant Panda Breeding and research centre. I did have concerns if it was ethical given I won’t even go to zoos, but I was comfortable with it. I didn’t get up to the red pandas because I couldn’t figure out how to use the buses. It’s a huge area and there is a lot of walking. I spent the rest of the time in Chengdu just wandering aroind. There are just so many things to explore. I went to the temple and had an amazing vegetable hot pot. Chengdu is vibrant!

After this, I flew back to Beijing. I have to say it was my least favourite place. I’m not a huge fan of big cities though. I did stay in the amazing Guipi courtyard hotel on a Hutong. It was lovely. I had tickets for Tiananmen Square and Forbidden city. This is where I messed up. Two hours waiting in a huddle of people in 32 degrees. When I finally got to the front, I had no idea where to go. The security was immense. I ended up not going to either. Very frustrating and my poorly back got hurt due to the crowd surging forward.

I cannot wait to go back!

Post by Amanda Rut | Jul 1, 2025