Destinations
Where to go in China on a first trip
For a first trip, two or three cities is plenty: Beijing and Shanghai are the usual pair, and Xi'an or Chengdu makes a good third if you want the Terracotta Army or the pandas. High-speed trains link all eight cities below, with legs like Chengdu to Chongqing in about an hour and Beijing to Shanghai in 4.5 to 6 hours. For the longest hops, such as Harbin to Chengdu, a domestic flight usually makes more sense.
Beijing
Imperial palaces and the Great Wall
- Stay3-4 days
- BestApr-May, Sep-Oct
The Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven sit in the center, and restored stretches of the Great Wall are 1 to 2 hours away by road. Between the big sights are hutong lanes, courtyard houses and Peking duck.
Don't miss
- Forbidden City (book ahead with passport)
- Great Wall at Mutianyu
- Hutongs around Shichahai
- Temple of Heaven early morning
- Peking duck dinner
Getting there
High-speed trains from Shanghai take 4.5 to 6 hours (the fastest 4 hours 18 minutes), and from Xi'an 4 to 6 hours. International flights land at Capital (PEK) or Daxing (PKX) airport.
Local tip: As of October 2026, the Forbidden City is closed on Mondays (except public holidays) and sells no same-day tickets. Each day's tickets go on sale at 8 pm Beijing time seven days ahead, on the museum's official site or WeChat mini program; book with the passport you'll show at the gate.
Shanghai
The Bund, Pudong skyline and water towns
- Stay2-3 days
- BestApr-May, Oct-Nov
Early-20th-century banks and hotels on the Bund face the Pudong skyscrapers across the Huangpu River, with plane-tree streets in the former French Concession behind them. It's also an easy base for day trips to Suzhou and Hangzhou by fast train.
Don't miss
- The Bund after dark
- Former French Concession on foot
- Yu Garden and the old town
- Shanghai Museum East (closed Tuesdays)
- Suzhou day trip by train
Getting there
Most international flights land at Pudong (PVG). High-speed trains reach Suzhou in about 30 minutes, Hangzhou in about an hour (the fastest 45 minutes) and Beijing in 4.5 to 6 hours.
Local tip: See the Bund soon after dark: in winter the landscape lighting on both banks normally switches off at 10 pm, and at 11 pm in summer and on public holidays.
Xi'an
Terracotta Army and a bikeable city wall
- Stay2-3 days
- BestMar-May, Sep-Nov
The Terracotta Army, about 40 km northeast of the center, is the headline sight. The 13.7 km Ming-era city wall, the Muslim Quarter's food streets and the Shaanxi History Museum fill the rest of a visit.
Don't miss
- Terracotta Army (book with passport)
- Cycling the city wall
- Muslim Quarter food streets
- Shaanxi History Museum
- Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Getting there
High-speed trains reach Xi'an North from Beijing in 4 to 6 hours (the fastest about 4 hours 10 minutes) and from Chengdu in 3 to 4.5 hours. For the Terracotta Army, take Metro Line 9 to Huaqingchi, then a local bus or a short taxi ride.
Local tip: The Shaanxi History Museum is free, but as of October 2026 tickets are released only through its official WeChat account, at 5 pm Beijing time five days ahead, and popular days go fast. Foreign visitors book with a passport and bring it to the gate.
Chengdu
Giant pandas, hotpot and teahouse afternoons
- Stay2-3 days
- BestMar-May, Sep-Nov
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is the big draw. The rest of a visit goes to Sichuan food (hotpot, mapo tofu, dan dan noodles) and long afternoons in teahouses such as the one in People's Park.
Don't miss
- Panda Base at opening time
- Hotpot and Sichuan street food
- Tea in People's Park
- Sichuan opera face-changing
- Leshan Giant Buddha day trip
Getting there
High-speed trains from Chongqing take 1 to 1.5 hours (the fastest about 1 hour) and from Xi'an 3 to 4.5 hours. Since mid-2025 the fastest trains to Zhangjiajie take just under 4 hours.
Local tip: Be at the Panda Base when it opens (7:30 am March to October, 8 am November to February): the pandas feed and move around in the morning and are mostly asleep by mid-afternoon. As of October 2026 you must book the ¥55 (about $8) ticket online in your passport name, then use the passport lane at the gate.
Guilin and Yangshuo
Karst peaks along the Li River
- Stay3-4 days
- BestApr-May, Sep-Oct
Limestone karst peaks line the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo, about 65 km apart by road. The classic plan is to cruise downriver to Yangshuo, then use it as a base for cycling and bamboo rafting in the countryside.
Don't miss
- Li River cruise to Yangshuo
- Cycling Yangshuo's countryside
- Bamboo raft on the Yulong River
- Longji rice terraces day trip
Getting there
High-speed trains reach Guilin from Guangzhou in about 2 to 3 hours and from Hong Kong West Kowloon in about 3 hours. Yangshuo is 1 to 1.5 hours from Guilin by road, or 20 to 40 minutes by train to Yangshuo station, which is still about 50 minutes by taxi from town.
Local tip: The Li River cruise runs one way, Guilin to Yangshuo, and takes about 4 hours, so book your Yangshuo hotel for that night. In the dry season, usually January to March, low water often cuts it to a shorter round trip from Yangdi, with a road transfer from Guilin.
Zhangjiajie
Sandstone pillar forests and cliff walkways
- Stay3 days
- BestApr-May, Sep-Nov
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, part of the Wulingyuan World Heritage area, is a maze of sheer sandstone pillars linked by trails, cable cars and the Bailong cliff elevator. Tianmen Mountain, on the edge of the city, adds glass cliff walkways and a natural arch reached by 999 steps.
Don't miss
- Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain
- Golden Whip Stream walk
- Bailong Elevator
- Tianmen Mountain glass walkways
- Grand Canyon glass bridge
Getting there
High-speed trains reach Zhangjiajie West from Changsha in about 2 to 3 hours and, since mid-2025, from Chongqing East in as little as 2 hours. The forest park's east gate is in Wulingyuan town, 30 to 35 km from the station, so stay there on park days.
Local tip: The long Tianmen Mountain cableway from downtown stopped running on October 13, 2026 for an upgrade, with no reopening date announced. Until it reopens only Route C is sold: a free shuttle to the mountain gate, then the shorter Tianmen Cave cableway up.
Harbin
Ice sculptures, Russian-style streets, serious cold
- Stay2-3 days
- BestLate Dec-Feb
Each winter the city builds Ice and Snow World, a park of lit-up buildings made from ice and snow that covered 1.2 million square meters last season. In town, Central Street and the onion-domed Saint Sophia Cathedral show Harbin's Russian-influenced architecture.
Don't miss
- Ice and Snow World at dusk
- Sun Island Snow Sculpture Expo
- Central Street and Saint Sophia Cathedral
- Siberian Tiger Park
Getting there
The fastest high-speed trains from Beijing Chaoyang take about 4.5 hours; slower ones take up to 6.5 hours.
Local tip: At Ice and Snow World, arrive around 3 pm to see the sculptures in daylight before the lights come on (4:30 pm last season). January nights average about -24°C (-11°F), so keep your phone and a power bank in an inside pocket; batteries drain fast in that cold.
Chongqing
Hillside city of monorails and hotpot
- Stay2-3 days
- BestMar-May, Oct-Nov
Chongqing is built on steep hills where the Jialing River meets the Yangtze, so streets stack on top of each other and the Line 2 monorail runs through floors 6 to 8 of an apartment block at Liziba. It is also known for fiery, numbing hotpot.
Don't miss
- Hongyadong lit up at night
- Liziba station viewing platform (free)
- Yangtze River Cableway
- Chongqing hotpot
- Wulong Karst day trip
Getting there
High-speed trains from Chengdu take 1 to 1.5 hours (the fastest about 1 hour), and the fastest from Zhangjiajie about 2 hours. The city has three main stations, North, West and the newer East, so check which one your ticket uses.
Local tip: Hongyadong is an 11-level cliffside complex: level 11 opens onto Cangbai Road at street level near Jiefangbei, while level 1 sits on the riverside road. Arrive at the top after dark, when the lights are on, and walk down.
Sources
We checked these in October 2026. Train times and ticket rules change, so confirm on 12306 and the official sites.
- Palace Museum official ticketing: booking rules and prices
- Shanghai Museum East: visitor information (official)
- Shanghai Landscaping and City Appearance Bureau: summer lighting hours (2024 notice)
- Shanghai Bendibao: official National Day 2025 lighting notice (hours extended by 1 hour)
- Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum (official)
- Shaanxi History Museum (official)
- Beijing News: Shaanxi History Museum switches to 5-day ticket release (January 2025)
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (official)
- Chengdu Bendibao: Panda Base tickets and entry rules (August 2026)
- National Railway Administration: Chongqing East-Qianjiang high-speed line opens (June 2025)
- Rednet: Tianmen Mountain cableway suspended from October 13, 2026
- Xinhua: 27th Harbin Ice and Snow World opens December 17, 2025
- Xinhua: Harbin Ice and Snow World closes for the season on February 21, 2026
- Liziba station (Wikipedia)
- China Railway 12306: official timetables (check before booking)
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