Edinburgh
→
Beijing
from £360 return
About this deal
This is an exceptionally cheap nonstop Hainan Airlines fare from Edinburgh to Beijing, with prices around £360–£362 return through TravelUp and other Skyscanner-listed online travel agencies.
The fare includes a 23 kg checked bag, and there is no connection or self-transfer to worry about. The reference itinerary is 1–9 October 2026.
The big compromise is the return schedule: the flight leaves Beijing at 03:10. That is exactly the sort of departure time I normally try to avoid, and it is the main reason this deal scores much lower than the headline price might suggest.
Route: Edinburgh → Beijing
Flights: Nonstop both ways
Checked baggage: 23 kg included
Fare range: £360–£362 return
Reference stay: 8 nights
see all prepared dates below ↓
Reference flight schedule
Hainan Airlines HU408 · nonstop · 10h10
Edinburgh 12:00 → Beijing Capital 05:10+1
The outbound is perfectly usable: a civilised lunchtime departure from Edinburgh, overnight flight and early-morning arrival in Beijing.
Hainan Airlines HU407 · nonstop · 10h50
Beijing Capital 03:10 → Edinburgh 07:00
The catch: this is a brutal departure time. In practice you will probably be heading to the airport around midnight and sacrificing most of your final night's sleep.
Route map
A simple nonstop Hainan Airlines itinerary in both directions — no connection, airport change or self-transfer.
EDIEdinburghPEKBeijingThe routing itself is excellent. The score is held back almost entirely by the 03:10 return departure.
Fare proof
TravelUp and other online travel agencies were showing the itinerary around £360–£362 return. Always recheck the final provider, fare rules and included baggage before payment.
Fare details
Dino warning: the 03:10 return is the problem. This fare is fantastic on price and routing, but I would not pretend that schedule is comfortable.
Booking options
This is the provider shown in the fare proof. The exact provider list can change, so check the live Skyscanner results and confirm the 23 kg checked bag before paying.
Check reference fare →Do not automatically click the first seller. If another established OTA is only £1–£2 more, compare provider rating, support and change/cancellation conditions before choosing.
Compare vendors →The reference return leaves Beijing at 03:10. Other date combinations may differ, so I would always inspect the exact schedule before paying rather than choosing purely by the lowest fare.
Recheck reference itinerary →I found several September and October combinations around this fare level. Open each exact search to compare the live price, provider and schedule.
Brilliant fare. Brutal return time. £360-ish nonstop to Beijing with 23 kg checked baggage is exceptional value, but the 03:10 return departure is a major quality-of-trip penalty.
Full Dino Score breakdown
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Beijing hotel playbook
Less scrolling. Better areas. Smarter side trips. For the 01–09 October reference trip, I’d spend 4 nights in Beijing and use the rest of the time for one well-chosen extension.
Central, convenient and a very easy base for a first visit. You’re close to the Forbidden City, metro links, restaurants and evening walks.
📍 Best areas to stay
Best all-round first-time base. Central and easy.
Historic atmosphere close to Tiananmen and old streets.
Modern Beijing, restaurants, bars and nightlife.
More character, lakes and traditional neighbourhood feel.
⏳ How long in Beijing?
Too rushed unless you only want headline sights.
Good fast-paced city break.
City highlights + Great Wall without sprinting.
Better for museums, hutongs and slower travel.
🚀 Where to go next in China
Terracotta Army + city walls. Best big add-on for a short China trip.
Perfect contrast: futuristic skyline, Bund and food scene.
Closer, calmer and ideal if you don’t want another flight.
Historic walled-city atmosphere for something very different.
⚠️ Beijing survival kit
Airport rail, metro or established ride-hailing/taxi options.
Payment, translation and maps are much easier when prepared before arrival.
Agree prices before services and be cautious with unsolicited “friendly” invitations.
Look both ways even when you think you have priority.
💰 Dino hotel booking method
What is Karma? Karma is a browser extension that can spot when the same hotel or room is available for less through another booking site. Install it before you start and keep Karma switched on while you search Booking.com so it can compare prices in the background.
Start on Booking.com and choose the area, hotel and exact room you actually want.
Leave the extension active while browsing. If it finds a better matching rate elsewhere, check the alert.
If Karma finds nothing useful, do one final comparison on Trivago before paying.
Great Wall trips, Forbidden City tours, hutong walks, food tours and day trips — browse first, then book only what you really want.
A few useful extras that can make the journey easier, particularly when travelling with restrictive cabin-bag fares, arriving late or needing mobile data as soon as you land.
A useful packing solution when you are trying to fit more clothing
into a restricted cabin bag.
Particularly relevant for travellers using airlines such as
Ryanair and Wizz Air, where baggage dimensions and
additional luggage fees can significantly change the final cost of a
cheap flight.
Compress your clothing and make better use of the space available
inside your luggage.
Arrive with mobile data ready and avoid searching for a local SIM
card or relying on airport Wi-Fi.
Use code XTRA10 for
10% off your first purchase.
Travelling for longer? Saily Ultra includes
30 GB of high-speed data plus unlimited reduced-speed data
,
together with additional travel benefits.
Pre-book your airport transfer before travelling.
Particularly useful for
late-night arrivals, families and travellers with luggage
,
or when arriving somewhere unfamiliar and you would rather have a
driver waiting than search for transport after landing.
Use promo code TPO5 for
5% off your booking.
Valid until 31 December 2026.
Flight deals are only the start. These guides show how I find fares worth booking, which travel tools can make a trip easier and what to consider before protecting your holiday.
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