Beijing & Shanghai 2028 Village World Cup Tour
Destinations: Beijing, Shanghai, Rongjiang
Tour Features:
This is the classic China intro done right: two of the country's greatest cities, then the surprise ending in the mountains. You start in Beijing, walking the Forbidden City and the Great Wall; then glide by high-speed rail to Shanghai, with its Bund skyline and world-class museums. The last leg carries you southwest to Guizhou for the 2028 Village Super League World Cup - a non-commercial football carnival in a village stadium, where farmers, teachers and students play before 20,000 singing, drum-beating locals. It is old China, modern China, and grassroots China in one journey.
Best for: First-time visitors from Europe or North America who want the "postcard China" experience plus the football finale.
Entry & Exit: Arrive Beijing (PEK/PKX) · Depart Guiyang (KWE)
Core selling points
- The classic two-city China intro - Beijing and Shanghai are the cities every first-time visitor wants to photograph.
- Great Wall walk at Mutianyu, the most scenic and least crowded restored section.
- From skyscrapers to village stadium - Shanghai's Pudong skyline on day five, 20,000 drumming farmers on day seven: the contrast is the trip's most memorable moment.
- Easy logistics - Beijing and Shanghai are both huge international gateways, so long-haul connections from Europe and North America are abundant.
Practical information
- Best season: the 2028 Village Super League World Cup is expected to run June–August. Beijing and Shanghai are hot and humid in summer, so we recommend morning/evening sightseeing and afternoons indoors; for a cooler trip, ask us about spring or autumn match windows once the official schedule is announced.
- Getting there: fly into Beijing Capital (PEK) or Daxing (PKX); high-speed rail Beijing → Shanghai (~4.5 hours); fly Shanghai → Guiyang or Guilin, then high-speed rail to Rongjiang (~1.5 hours); depart from Guiyang.
- Accommodation: central Beijing (Wangfujing area) · central Shanghai (the Bund or People's Square) · Rongjiang town hotel.
- Good to know: book the Mutianyu Great Wall and Terracotta Army visits well ahead - both sell out weeks in peak season; Shanghai in summer is humid, so pack light breathable clothing and a rain jacket; Rongjiang match days are open-air and lively, with loud cheering - bring earplugs for sensitive children; Peking duck and Shanghai soup dumplings are two meals not to miss.
Optional extensions
- Add Xi'an (+2 days): extend Beijing → Xi'an by high-speed rail (4.5 hours) for the Terracotta Army, before continuing to Shanghai.
- Add Yangshuo (+2 days): before the Rongjiang leg, spend two days on the Li River and Yangshuo karst peaks - Guilin is on the same high-speed rail line to Rongjiang.
- Add Chengdu and pandas (+2 days): swap Shanghai for Chengdu, or add it as a stop between Xi'an and Rongjiang.
Itinerary:
Day 1 - Arrive Beijing. Transfer, hotel check-in, gentle walk on Qianmen street.
Day 2 - The Forbidden City & Tiananmen. Morning at the Palace Museum; afternoon at Jingshan Park for the classic roofscape view; evening on Qianmen Avenue.
Day 3 - The Great Wall. A full day at Mutianyu - cable car up, hike the restored ramparts, cable car down. Evening: Peking duck dinner.
Day 4 - Beijing to Shanghai. Morning high-speed rail south (~4.5 hours) or a short flight. Afternoon: the Bund at sunset and a walk along the Huangpu River.
Day 5 - Shanghai. Morning at the Shanghai Museum (world-class bronzes and ceramics); afternoon Yu Garden and the old town; evening on the Pudong skyline.
Day 6 - Shanghai to Rongjiang. Morning flight to Guiyang or Guilin, then high-speed rail to Rongjiang (~1.5 hours). Evening welcome dinner of Guizhou sour-soup fish.
Day 7 - Rongjiang: Village World Cup match day. Morning walk around the Cun Chao stadium and football town; afternoon/evening in the open-air stands among 20,000 locals - a match, village food, drums and singing.
Day 8 - Rongjiang to Guiyang & Depart. Morning high-speed rail to Guiyang (~1.5 hours), then transfer to Longdongbao Airport for your international flight.
