I did the 240-hour transit visa and visited 5 cities in 10 days. Here's the real cost breakdown.

ChinaTravelMemo

My friend Lucas from Amsterdam is obsessed with optimization. When he heard about China's 240-hour visa-free transit, he treated it like a challenge: how many cities can you squeeze into 10 days without losing your mind?

He did it. Five cities. Ten days. And he tracked every single yuan.

The route:

Day 1: Land in Beijing.
Day 2-3: Beijing (Forbidden City, Great Wall, hutongs)
Day 4: Morning HSR to Xi'an (4.5 hours). Afternoon: Terracotta Warriors.
Day 5: Xi'an (city wall, Muslim Quarter, dumpling feast)
Day 6: Morning HSR to Chengdu (3 hours). Afternoon: pandas.
Day 7: Chengdu (hot pot, tea houses, People's Park)
Day 8: Morning HSR to Chongqing (1.5 hours). Afternoon: Hongya Cave at night.
Day 9: Chongqing (maglev, spicy noodles, Yangtze River view)
Day 10: Morning HSR to Shanghai (8 hours). Fly out at midnight.

The cost breakdown:

Expense	Cost (CNY)	Notes
Beijing hostel (2 nights)	¥260	¥130/night
Xi'an hotel (2 nights)	¥360	¥180/night
Chengdu hostel (2 nights)	¥220	¥110/night
Chongqing hotel (1 night)	¥200	Near Jiefangbei
Shanghai hostel (1 night)	¥150	Near People's Square
HSR tickets (4 legs)	¥1,180	2nd class, Trip.com
Metro/subway	¥180	~¥15-20/day
Food	¥1,500	¥150/day
Attractions	¥400	Wall, Warriors, pandas
Didi/taxis	¥200	Short trips
Misc	¥150	Water, snacks

Total: ¥4,800 (~$660 USD) for 10 days. Not including international flights.

What worked:
• Booking HSR 15 days ahead - never missed a train
• Staying near metro stations
• Eating where locals eat
• Alipay with foreign card - worked 95% of time

What didn't:
• 8-hour HSR Chongqing to Shanghai was exhausting. Should have flown (¥400, 2.5 hrs).
• Didn't book Forbidden City in advance. Sold out.
• 20kg backpack between cities. Travel lighter.

Key 240h rules:
• Must enter and exit through different countries. Lucas: Beijing in, Shanghai out.
• Move freely within 24 provinces. No city limit.
• Passport IS your HSR ticket. No printing.
• Book on Trip.com or 12306 with passport number.

Lucas: "Five cities, 3,000 km, $660. In Europe that would cost triple and take twice as long."

Anyone else done a multi-city transit trip?