Beijing to Inner Mongolia by Rail, 10 days

Day by day

1. Day 1 · beijing

   Beijing — Great Wall at Juyong Pass, Forbidden City

   Start in Beijing. Juyong Pass Great Wall (居庸关) — on the Beijing–Zhangjiakou rail line, one of the most fortified passes on the entire Wall system, with Buddhist stone sculptures on the carriageway arch. Forbidden City afternoon for imperial context before the rail journey north.

   Attractions: forbidden-city, great-wall-badaling

   Stay in: Beijing.

2. Day 2 · zhangjiakou

   HSR to Zhangjiakou, Guanyinshan, Old Town

   Morning HSR on the 2019 Beijing–Zhangjiakou line (30 min) — the world's first 350km/h line with automatic driving technology. Zhangjiakou old town (张家口堡子里) — a Ming garrison town with courtyard residences and the 2022 Winter Olympics biathlon and cross-country venues nearby.

   Stay in: Zhangjiakou.

   HSR Beijing North → Zhangjiakou, 55 min, ¥130.

3. Day 3 · hohhot

   Train to Hohhot, Dazhao Temple, evening

   Morning train west to Hohhot (3h). Dazhao Lamasery — the oldest surviving Mongolian Buddhist temple in Hohhot, with silver-cast Buddhist figures. Evening walk in the old Mongolian quarter.

   Stay in: Hohhot.

   Train Zhangjiakou → Hohhot, 3h, ¥80.

4. Day 4 · hohhot

   Inner Mongolia Museum, Wudang Lamasery

   Inner Mongolia Museum: Neolithic pottery from the red mountain culture, Mongolian saddles and armour, and geological exhibits. Afternoon bus to Wudang Lamasery (120km) — a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the hills north of Hohhot.

   Stay in: Hohhot.

5. Day 5 · hohhot

   Gegentala Grassland, yurt camp

   Drive north 120km to Gegentala grassland camp. Horse riding on open steppe; Mongolian throat-singing performance. Dinner in a yurt: hand-stripped lamb and airag (fermented mare's milk).

   Stay in: Grassland yurt camp.

6. Day 6 · hohhot

   Return to Hohhot, Mongolian food market

   Morning on the steppe. Return to Hohhot. Afternoon in the Mongolian food and dairy market — cumin lamb skewers, Mongolian cheese and curd.

   Stay in: Hohhot.

   Road transfer camp → Hohhot, 1.5h.

7. Day 7 · duolun

   Road to Duolun, Xanadu ruins

   Road east to Duolun (多伦) — crossing the plateau edge. Xanadu (元上都, Yuán Shàngdū) UNESCO World Heritage ruins 27km north of Duolun: the summer capital of Kublai Khan, now earth mounds and archaeologically excavated foundations on the open grassland, with the Luan River valley below.

   Stay in: Duolun or Zhenglan Banner.

   Road Hohhot → Duolun, 4–5h.

8. Day 8 · duolun

   Duolun Lake, grassland plateau landscape

   Duolun Lake wetlands — a significant bird reserve on the edge of the Inner Mongolian plateau. The landscape changes character here: drier and more open than the western grasslands. Drive south toward Chengde direction.

   Stay in: Duolun or transfer.

9. Day 9 · chengde

   Drive to Chengde, Bishu Shanzhuang

   Road south to Chengde (承德). The Bishu Shanzhuang (避暑山庄) — the Qing imperial summer resort, a walled garden complex larger than the Summer Palace in Beijing. The outer temples, most notably the Puning Temple with its 22m wooden Guanyin statue.

   Stay in: Chengde.

   Road Duolun → Chengde, 3h.

10. Day 10 · beijing

    HSR back to Beijing, departure

    Morning visit to the Putuo Zongcheng Temple (Qing miniature of the Potala Palace). Afternoon HSR back to Beijing for departure.

    HSR Chengde → Beijing, 2h, ¥150.

Budget guide (CNY per day)

Per person 10 days. Xanadu ruins entry ¥50. Chengde mountain resort ¥145. Puning Temple ¥90. Grassland yurt camp full-board ¥400–700/night. Road transfers approximately ¥1,500 total.