中 China Unfolded 看见中国

China itineraries you can copy

11 min read

How to choose a route

The mistake almost everyone makes is trying to see too much. China is roughly the size of Europe. Ten days does not equal "China" — it equals one region, done well.

  • First visit & history → Beijing + Xi'an
  • First visit & modern China → Shanghai + Hangzhou/Suzhou
  • Food & pandas → Chengdu + Chongqing
  • Landscape & minority cultures → Yunnan + Guizhou
  • Karst mountains → Guilin + Yangshuo
  • Silk Road & desert → Dunhuang + Zhangye
Two-bases ruleSpend at least two nights in every city. One-night stops cost you half a day in checkouts, stations and security queues.

3 days: one city, done properly

Beijing essentials

3 days / 2 nights
  1. Day 1 — Imperial Beijing: Tian'anmen Square → Forbidden City (book ahead) → Jingshan Park for the rooftop view → dinner in a hutong.
  2. Day 2 — The Wall: Mutianyu, early bus or hired car, cable car up and toboggan down. Back for Peking duck.
  3. Day 3 — Temple & gardens: Temple of Heaven at dawn when locals are doing tai chi → Summer Palace → Nanluoguxiang or Sanlitun for the evening.

Shanghai essentials

3 days / 2 nights
  1. Day 1 — The Bund: Bund waterfront → Yu Garden and the old town → Nanjing Road → rooftop bar in Pudong.
  2. Day 2 — Museums & French Concession: Shanghai Museum → Wukang Road plane-tree streets → Tianzifang or Xintiandi.
  3. Day 3 — Old water town: Zhujiajiao or Qibao by metro, back for the Maglev or a Huangpu river cruise.

5 days: two cities, one train ride

Beijing → Xi'an

5 days / 4 nights
  1. Days 1–2: Beijing as above (Forbidden City, Great Wall, Temple of Heaven).
  2. Day 3: morning high-speed train to Xi'an (≈4.5 h). Muslim Quarter for dinner, city wall at sunset.
  3. Day 4: Terracotta Army with a guide, then the Shaanxi History Museum and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
  4. Day 5: cycling the city wall, Han Yang Ling or a food crawl, evening flight or train out.

Shanghai → Hangzhou

5 days / 4 nights
  1. Days 1–2: Shanghai (Bund, museums, concession streets).
  2. Day 3: train to Hangzhou (≈1 h). West Lake by bike, tea villages in the hills.
  3. Day 4: Lingyin Temple, canal district, traditional tea house.
  4. Day 5: Suzhou gardens by fast train (≈30 min) or back to Shanghai for departure.

7 days: the classic triangle

Beijing → Xi'an → Shanghai

7 days / 6 nights
  1. Days 1–3 — Beijing: Forbidden City, Great Wall (Mutianyu), hutongs, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace.
  2. Days 4–5 — Xi'an: train (≈4.5 h). Terracotta Army, city wall by bike, Muslim Quarter food, history museum.
  3. Days 6–7 — Shanghai: flight (≈2.5 h) or overnight train. Bund, Yu Garden, museums, French Concession, departure.

This is the highest-density first trip available, and it works with a normal tourist visa. With the 240-hour transit it also works — but note you must exit to a third country, so build your Shanghai departure as the international leg (Shanghai → Seoul / Tokyo / Hong Kong / Bangkok).

10 days: the 240-hour transit special

Enter Beijing → exit Shanghai (or Hong Kong)

10 days / 9 nights · ★ best for 240h
  1. Days 1–3 — Beijing: Forbidden City, Great Wall, hutongs, Peking duck, Summer Palace.
  2. Day 4: train to Xi'an.
  3. Days 5–6 — Xi'an: Terracotta Army, city wall, Muslim Quarter, Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
  4. Days 7–8 — Hangzhou or Suzhou: West Lake or the classical gardens; a genuinely slower pace.
  5. Days 9–10 — Shanghai: Bund, museums, concession streets, then your international flight out to a third country.
Why open-jaw winsEnter in the north, exit in the south. You never backtrack, and your "onward to a third country" leg becomes the same flight that takes you home via Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong or Bangkok.

Southwest alternative: Chengdu → Yunnan

10 days / 9 nights
  1. Days 1–3 — Chengdu: panda base, Sichuan hotpot, Jinli and Wide & Narrow Alleys, teahouses, day trip to Leshan Giant Buddha.
  2. Days 4–5 — Chongqing: 1.5 h by train. Riverfront skyline, Hongyadong, spicy food, cableway.
  3. Days 6–8 — Yunnan: fly to Kunming, train to Dali (Erhai lake, old town), then Lijiang and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
  4. Days 9–10 — return to Kunming and depart, or continue overland towards Laos or Vietnam if your visa allows.

If you prefer landscapes to cities

Guilin → Yangshuo → Longji

5–6 days
  1. Guilin: Elephant Trunk Hill, river cruises, cave systems.
  2. Yangshuo: the Li River by bamboo raft, cycling through rice paddies, cormorant fishing at dusk.
  3. Longji rice terraces: stay a night in a wooden guesthouse above the terraces.

Zhangye → Dunhuang (Silk Road)

6–7 days
  1. Zhangye: rainbow-coloured Danxia landforms, giant reclining Buddha.
  2. Jiayuguan: the western end of the Great Wall, desert fortress.
  3. Dunhuang: Mogao Caves (book ahead, limited entry), singing sand dunes, camel rides.
Permit regionsTibet, parts of Qinghai, Xinjiang and some border counties need extra permits and, in Tibet's case, an organised tour with a licensed agency. Treat them as a separate trip, not an add-on to a 10-day plan.

Pacing rules that save your trip

  • Two nights minimum per city. One-night stops are how trips become exhausting.
  • One "big" sight per day. The Forbidden City, the Terracotta Army and the Great Wall are each half-day-plus commitments.
  • Schedule nothing on arrival day and nothing before an international flight.
  • Book every train in advance except one flexible day. Leave room for the thing you discover on day three.
  • Eat near the sight, not across town. Lunch is not worth a 40-minute journey.
  • Jet lag is real. The first two mornings should be gentle — parks, teahouses, wandering.

Visa, customs and tax rules change without notice. Always confirm with the National Immigration Administration (NIA) or the Chinese embassy in your country before you book.