Short answer
One week: Beijing and Xi'an. The Forbidden City and a Great Wall section in Beijing, then the Terracotta Army in Xi'an. Two cities, one high-speed train, no wasted travel days.
Two weeks: add Chengdu for pandas and Sichuan food, then Shanghai, and finish with Guilin's karst or Yunnan's old towns. This is the route most first-time visitors actually take.
Pick by interest, not by checklist. The seven sections below group what there is to do by the trip you want, and each pick carries the days it needs.
One national rule: mid-September to mid-November is the best weather window everywhere except Harbin, Sanya and Tibet. From 8 October the same conditions continue with far fewer people.
Most pages like this list the same eight landmarks in the same order. This one is organised the way you plan a trip: by what you like doing, and by how many days you have.
Ideas by interest
1. Imperial history
The Ming and Qing core, carried by two cities. Budget five to seven days here; Beijing alone is three before you count the Wall.
Beijing. The Forbidden City (¥60, real-name timed entry), the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace justify the flight on their own. Base in Dongcheng and the hutongs around Nanluoguxiang are a short evening walk. As the rail hub, Beijing is the natural first stop on almost any route.
The Great Wall. Three restored sections are day-trippable from Beijing. Mutianyu (¥40 entry, ¥140 cable car round trip) is the easiest and busiest; Jinshanling is a longer, emptier walk; Simatai runs at night. One full day, two to walk Jinshanling end to end.
Xi'an. The Terracotta Army is the reason to come, and there is no ticket window: entry is real-name and timed, booked on the museum's channels with your passport (¥120 adult, ¥60 students). The 14th-century city wall rents bicycles, and the Muslim Quarter is one of the country's best street-food streets. Two to three days.
Nanjing and Pingyao. Two quieter stops for the imperial story without the crowds. Nanjing was the Ming and then the Republican capital; Pingyao is a complete walled Ming town with no cars inside, ¥180–220 for the through-ticket. Two days each.
2. Food
Chinese food is regional, and the regions are far apart. Pick two of the four below rather than eating the whole country in one trip.
Chengdu. Sichuan's capital and its most food-obsessed city. The hotpot here is a different dish from "Sichuan food" abroad, and the tea houses are where locals spend the afternoon. Order from the QR menu, share everything, expect ¥10–25 a dish. Three days minimum, four with pandas and a day trip to Leshan.
Chongqing. One hour from Chengdu by high-speed rail (¥154), it is hotpot's birthplace and a city built on hills and rivers, so its streets are half bridges. The skyline from Hongya Cave is free and best after dark. One night for the hotpot, two with the Yangtze cable car. Fold it into a Chengdu stop.
Guangzhou. The Cantonese heartland and the best dim sum in the country; yum cha starts before 9 am and the good rooms fill by 10. See the Cantonese food guide. It is also the most useful southern entry point if you fly via Hong Kong or Shenzhen. Two days, three with the Canton Tower.
Xi'an's Muslim Quarter. One long street of stalls behind the Drum Tower: yangrou paomo (lamb soup with torn bread), roujiamo (the original "Chinese burger") and biangbiang noodles. It is a snack crawl, not a meal, and costs under ¥50 to eat well. Half a day, ideally an evening.
3. Mountains and landscapes
Three of the four below need a domestic flight or a long train leg, and all four depend on a clear day. Build in a spare day.
Zhangjiajie. The sandstone pillars behind Avatar's floating mountains. The all-in park ticket is ¥230, covering the eco-buses, lifts and Bailong elevator; Tianmen Mountain, with its glass skywalk, is a separate paid site and day. Two full days for the park, three with Tianmen and the glass bridge. Avoid July and August.
Guilin and Yangshuo. The karst landscape on the ¥20 note. The Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo runs ¥215–360 and takes four to five hours. Better, base in Yangshuo and cycle the Yulong valley — the same scenery without the coach groups. Three days, adding the Longji rice terraces.
Huangshan. Granite peaks above a sea of cloud, with the UNESCO villages of Hongcun and Xidi at the base. Entry is ¥190 and cable cars ¥80–100 each way; see the hiking guide for routes, and a summit hotel buys sunrise. Two days for the mountain, three with the villages; late October and November are clearest.
Jiuzhaigou. Turquoise lakes and waterfalls in northern Sichuan, reached by flight or a long road from Chengdu. Peak-season entry is ¥280 plus ¥90 shuttle, and the park runs a daily cap, so book ahead. Two days, best inside a longer Sichuan route in autumn.
4. Big-city China
Worth building a trip around if you want the modern country rather than the historical one.
Shanghai. The most foreigner-friendly city in China and the easiest landing point: the Bund, the former French Concession, Yu Garden and one of the world's longest metro systems. Rooms near the Bund are expensive; two stops out they are not. Two to three days, and a good first or last stop.
Shenzhen. Forty years old and built as China's tech capital, 35 minutes from Hong Kong by high-speed rail. Come for the museums, coastal parks and electronics markets; it is not a historic city and does not pretend to be. Two days, usually as a Hong Kong add-on.
Hong Kong and Macau. Separate entry zones with their own visa rules, which makes them useful for a multi-stop trip. Hong Kong runs on the MTR and Octopus card; Macau is walkable Portuguese-Chinese. Two days each, and neither substitutes for the mainland.
5. Minority culture and old towns
The southwest and far south, where China's ethnic map and its best-preserved towns sit.
The Yunnan route. Kunming, Dali on Erhai Lake, Lijiang's Naxi old town and Shangri-La on the Tibetan plateau. Bai and Naxi culture, markets and mountain scenery, now linked for much of the way by high-speed rail. Seven to ten days. Note the altitude — Shangri-La sits above 3,000 m. Start with the Yunnan guide.
Lijiang Old Town. A UNESCO Naxi town of canals, cobbles and wooden houses, and the most photographed old town in China. It is also the most commercialised: go early, stay in quieter Shuhe, and day-trip to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (cable cars ¥57–120). See the practical Lijiang guide. Two to three days.
Fujian tulou. The circular rammed-earth communal houses of the Hakka, in the hills west of Xiamen. Two clusters are open, and they work best as a day trip from the city rather than a stay. See the Fujian tulou guide. One full day.
Longji rice terraces. Terraces cut into the hills of Guangxi and farmed by Zhuang and Yao villages, with local women's long hair a village trademark. Base in Ping'an for the classic view or Dazhai for the larger terraces. Best in early summer when the paddies are flooded, or autumn when they turn gold. One to two days, usually added to a Guilin trip.
6. Silk Road and desert
The corridor that ran west from Xi'an: long distances, short best-season windows and the country's best cave art.
Dunhuang and the Mogao Caves. The western end of the Silk Road and its best single stop: 492 painted cave-temples at Mogao, plus the Singing Sand Dunes and Crescent Lake on the edge of the Gobi. Mogao runs a fixed daily quota with two tiers — ¥238 for eight caves and two films, ¥100 for four caves and no films — and sells out, so book weeks ahead. Two to three days.
Urumqi and Xinjiang. China's far west: the Heavenly Lake, the Grand Bazaar and, beyond the city, Kashgar's Sunday livestock market and the edge of the Taklamakan. Distances are continental and the rules for foreign visitors are stricter than elsewhere, so this is a repeat-visitor region. See the Urumqi guide and the Xinjiang province guide. Seven to ten days done properly.
The Silk Road as one route. Xi'an, the Hexi Corridor and Dunhuang in a single line: the cave-temples at Maijishan and Mogao, the Jiayuguan fort at the end of the wall, and the desert at the finish. Late September to mid-October gives clear sky and gold poplars. The 10-day Silk Road itinerary lays out the sequence; the Xi'an to Dunhuang train connects the two ends.
7. Beaches and islands
China is not a beach destination first, but these are real coast and real islands, not riverside parks.
Sanya and Hainan. The tropical south: Yalong Bay for resorts, Dadonghai for budget rooms, Sanya Bay for the sunset. Hainan has its own visa-free entry rules for many nationalities, and November to April is the dry season. See the beaches compared. Four to seven days, and avoid the Lunar New Year week, when prices triple.
Xiamen and Gulangyu. A car-free island of colonial villas and piano museums off the Fujian coast, reached by a short ferry that must be booked ahead — see the Gulangyu guide. The old town of Xiamen itself eats better than the island. Two to three days.
Qingdao. The German-era seaside city: a red-roofed old town, the Tsingtao brewery museum and beaches on the Yellow Sea. It is a domestic summer destination, so mid-May to mid-June or late September is the value window. See the beach guide. Two to three days.
Mount Putuo. A small Buddhist island off Ningbo where pilgrimage and beach sit together, with the sand at Thousand Step Beach doubling as a swim spot. Reached by ferry via Ningbo. Two days, and a good add-on to a Shanghai trip.
Ideas by how many days you have
Five routes, shortest to longest. Open the last column for the day-by-day version.
| Days | The route | Why this one | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Beijing only — Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, one Great Wall day | One city done properly beats two done badly, with no wasted transit day | Beijing in 3 days |
| 5 | Beijing + Xi'an by high-speed rail | The two imperial essentials, four and a half hours apart | 5-day itinerary |
| 7 | Beijing + Xi'an + Shanghai | Adds the modern country; two rail legs, no flights | 7-day itinerary |
| 10 | Beijing + Xi'an + Chengdu + Shanghai | Adds pandas and Sichuan food; one long rail day or a short flight | 10-day itinerary |
| 14 | The 10-day route plus Guilin or Yunnan | Enough time to slow down instead of adding a sixth city | 14-day itinerary |
Things you can skip, unless…
Half of planning a China trip is deciding what not to do. These are the ones we would leave out of a first visit, each with the exception that would change our mind.
Tibet, unless it is the whole point
Foreign visitors need a Tibet Travel Permit and, in practice, an organised tour, so Lhasa cannot be slotted into a two-week loop. It needs its own seven to ten days, and the altitude is a constraint.
Harbin in winter, unless you are there for January
Without the Ice and Snow festival, Harbin is a very cold city with Russian-era architecture and under two days of things to do. Go for the festival, expect −25°C, and make it the trip.
Xinjiang, unless you are a repeat visitor
Vast distances, long flights and stricter foreign-visitor rules than anywhere else on this page. Read the Xinjiang guide, but come back for it once you know how travel in China works.
Shanghai Disneyland, unless you are travelling with children
It costs a full day and a ticket, and it is the one thing in Shanghai you can find in three other countries. Keep the day for the city.
The water towns, unless you have done the cities first
Wuzhen, Zhouzhuang and Xitang are tidy, rebuilt versions of old China, busy with day-trippers by 10 am, and Suzhou's classical gardens cover the same period with fewer coach groups.
Sanya as "China", unless a beach holiday is the point
Sanya is a resort island that could be anywhere tropical, and it prices that way. Come only if a beach holiday is the goal, preferably in November or late April. See the best time for Sanya.
When to do each of these
Two national windows and three holiday weeks decide more than any other choice. Mid-September to mid-November and late March to May suit most of the country; the regions below are the exceptions. Avoid Lunar New Year (16–23 February 2026), Labour Day (1–5 May) and National Day Golden Week (1–7 October).
| Where | Best window | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing and the north | Mid-Sept–late Oct | Dec–Feb; Jul–Aug |
| Xi'an and the centre | Late Mar–May; Sept–Oct | Jul–Aug |
| Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou | Mid-Mar–mid-May; late Sept–late Nov | June plum rain; Aug–Sept |
| Chengdu and Chongqing | Mid-Mar–mid-May; mid-Sept–mid-Nov | Jul–Aug, when Chongqing hits 40°C |
| Yunnan (Kunming, Dali, Lijiang) | Mar–May; Sept–Nov | Jun–Aug wet season |
| Guilin and Guangxi | Apr–May for the mist; Sept–Nov for clarity | Jul–Aug heat and rain |
| Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen | Oct–Dec | Jul–Sept typhoon window |
| Sanya and Hainan | Nov–Apr | Lunar New Year week; summer heat |
| Harbin and the northeast | January for the ice festival; Jul–Aug as a cool escape | The shoulder months |
| Dunhuang and the Silk Road | Late Sept–mid-Oct | Deep winter; summer dust and heat |
| Lhasa and Tibet | Mid-Apr–late May; Sept–late Oct | Jun–Aug monsoon |
Full month-by-month data and the 2026 holiday dates are on best time to visit China.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best things to do in China?
For a first trip: the Forbidden City and a Great Wall section in Beijing, the Terracotta Army in Xi'an, and the Bund in Shanghai. With more time, add Chengdu for pandas and Sichuan food, Zhangjiajie or Guilin for landscapes, and the Yunnan old towns.
How many days do I need in China?
Five days covers Beijing and Xi'an by high-speed rail. Seven adds Shanghai. Ten adds Chengdu and pandas. Fourteen lets you add Guilin or Yunnan without spending the trip in transit. Below five days, use one city and skip the long trains.
What is the best first trip to China?
Beijing and Xi'an in five to seven days, flying into Beijing and out of Xi'an or Shanghai. That covers the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Army and a section of the Great Wall, on one high-speed rail leg of four and a half hours.
Which section of the Great Wall should I visit?
Mutianyu for the easiest and best-restored option, with a cable car up and a toboggan down. Jinshanling for a longer walk with far fewer people. Simatai for night visits. All three are day trips from Beijing, and anything marketed as the Great Wall inside the city is a rebuilt site.
Where can I see pandas in China?
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is the main site. Go at opening, around 7:30 to 9:30 am, when the pandas are active and being fed; by afternoon they sleep. Entry is about ¥55 for adults and bookings are made online in advance. The Dujiangyan base is quieter on holidays.
What are the best things to do in China in winter?
Harbin's Ice and Snow World festival in January is the one thing winter does better than any other season. Elsewhere the south stays mild and dry: Hainan for beaches, Hong Kong and Guangdong for cities, Yunnan for sun. Beijing and Xi'an are cold but quiet and cheap.
Do I need to book attractions in advance in China?
For the big ones, yes. The Forbidden City, the Terracotta Army and the Mogao Caves run real-name timed booking with daily caps, and foreign visitors book with their passport on the official channel. Peak dates can sell out days ahead.
Is it better to travel China by train or by plane?
High-speed rail for anything up to about five hours, which covers Beijing to Xi'an, Beijing to Shanghai and Xi'an to Chengdu. It is punctual, city-centre to city-centre, and second class costs roughly ¥0.45-0.50 per kilometre. Fly only for the long western legs, such as Chengdu to Lhasa or anywhere in Xinjiang.
Related reading
Prices are mainland China retail prices collected from our own city, attraction and transport pages, September–October 2026, converted where relevant at ¥6.70 to the dollar. Ticket figures for the Terracotta Army (¥120/¥60), Mutianyu (¥40 entry, ¥140 cable car round trip), the Chengdu panda base (about ¥55) and the Mogao Caves (¥238/¥100) were cross-checked against official booking channels and current operator listings in October 2026. Best-window and holiday data comes from our season and city guides. Prices and booking rules change with policy and renovation — confirm on the official channel before you book around a specific figure.