Start with a city guide if you know your main stop. Otherwise, compare eight regions and the routes within them.
Each named place is a route option. Night counts are planning allowances. Use a linked guide for its visit or booking decision; place your actual arrival and return around the chosen base before adding another region.
Start with a capital visit, an old-town and temple route, a coastal stay, or a grassland journey. Those are different trips even when they share a place on a map of the north.
Beijing 北京 · Tianjin 天津 · Chengde 承德
Beijing has the densest mix of imperial sites, neighbourhoods and a Great Wall outing. Tianjin changes the pace to a port city; Chengde puts the Summer Resort and temples at the centre.
Allow: 3–4 nights in Beijing; allow 1–2 nights for Tianjin or three Chengde nights for the full Resort-and-temple plan.Before booking: Use the actual PEK, PKX or named rail arrival; give Chengde its own station pair and nights.
How to connect: Keep Beijing as a base for its city sights. Add Tianjin for a second urban stop, or make Chengde a separate stay rather than counting it as another Beijing sight.
Datong 大同 · Pingyao 平遥 · Taiyuan 太原
Choose Shanxi for Buddhist sculpture, preserved town streets and older architecture. Datong and Pingyao offer different kinds of heritage; Taiyuan can serve as the route's arrival or transfer base.
Allow: Four nights for Datong and Pingyao; six with a compact two-night Taiyuan stop, or seven for the full three-night Taiyuan plan. These totals use a compact two-night Pingyao stay: a full town day; add Shuanglin only if arrival or departure leaves a half-day with confirmed available halls and return. For both outer temples on a separate road-loop day, add a third Pingyao night after confirming their available views and return.Before booking: Read the issued Datong, Taiyuan and Pingyao station names and each final hotel leg before chaining bases.
How to connect: Work through Shanxi as a sequence of stops. Decide whether you want both Datong and Pingyao before adding Beijing or another province.
Qingdao 青岛 · Jinan 济南 · Qufu 曲阜 · Mount Tai 泰山
Shandong is a choice between coast and beer-city streets, spring-city and Confucian heritage, and a mountain ascent. Each changes the amount of moving and walking.
Allow: Qingdao needs around three nights for two city days; Jinan needs three nights for two complete central-city blocks, while Jinan (1) and Tai'an (2) are a compact springs-and-mountain branch; Qufu can use two nights for the Three Kong.Before booking: Choose coast, springs and mountain, or Confucian heritage before booking the actual arrival and exit.
How to connect: Give each chosen branch its own gateway, last local ride and return. Qingdao and Mount Tai need distinct bases.
Hohhot 呼和浩特 · Xilingol 锡林郭勒 · Hulunbuir 呼伦贝尔
Hohhot gives a city and nearby grassland edge; eastern Xilingol's Ulagai and Hulunbuir's Morgele meadow need distinct rural gateways and returns.
Allow: Allow around three nights for one Hohhot, Hailar–Morgele or Holingol–Ulagai base; wider grassland circuits need more nights and their own route.Before booking: Read the actual Hohhot, Hailar or Holingol terminal on your ticket, then confirm the chosen site's season, last road leg and return.
How to connect: Choose one branch before booking. Ulagai requires its own eastern Xilingol gateway and nights.
Route decision: For a first northern route, choose Beijing plus one neighbouring thread. A heritage-focused trip can instead give Shanxi its own sequence; coast and grassland each merit a different set of bases. Compare North China routes, overnight bases and return legs →
Liaoning · Jilin · Heilongjiang
Northeast China
Northeast China offers city history, coast, mountain nature and winter-focused places. Choose dates and bases around one of those purposes.
Shenyang 沈阳 · Dalian 大连
Shenyang suits imperial and industrial history; Dalian turns the trip toward the coast. They make a Liaoning city pair if you want both themes.
Allow: Roughly two nights per city if pairing them, with a transfer between bases.Before booking: Choose which city is the inbound end and which is the outbound end.
How to connect:
Use them as separate city stays and decide which one is the arrival or departure end.
Next step:
Use this pair to shortlist cities, then confirm both hotels and the dated intercity and departure legs; detailed city guides are not yet published here.
Changbai Mountain 长白山 · Jilin City 吉林市 · Yanji 延吉
Changbai Mountain is an outdoor destination with its own access and weather decisions. Jilin City and Yanji offer different city and food stops around a Jilin route.
Allow: 3–5 nights for the mountain and one Jilin city, including a weather spare.Before booking: Choose the Changbai Mountain entrance and overnight base; keep access subject to weather.
How to connect:
Set the mountain base and a weather margin before adding city stops; keep a full mountain day.
Next step:
Select the park entrance and overnight town, then confirm its current opening, final road leg and return before adding Jilin City or Yanji.
Harbin 哈尔滨 · Yabuli 亚布力 · Mohe 漠河
Harbin is an urban winter anchor; Yabuli is a ski-oriented choice; Mohe is a far-north journey. Snow activities and event dates require fresh checks.
Allow: 2–3 Harbin nights; give Yabuli or Mohe separate transport and overnight time.Before booking: Confirm the event or ski season and the outward and return rail or air legs for a distant branch.
How to connect:
Choose Harbin city time, skiing or the far north. Give Mohe a separate travel block.
Next step:
Check the event or ski operator for your dates and price the complete outward and return journey before reserving a remote stay.
Route decision: Pick a Liaoning city pair, a Jilin mountain-and-city route, or a Heilongjiang winter route. Then verify the season-specific opening and transport before fixing dates.
Shanghai · Jiangsu · Zhejiang · Anhui · Fujian
East Coast & Lower Yangtze
This region offers an easy-to-understand city-and-garden corridor, but Huangshan's mountain bases and Fujian's coast and inland villages change the shape of the trip.
Shanghai brings riverfront districts; Suzhou gardens and canals; Hangzhou a lake-centred stay; Nanjing a larger history and museum focus.
Allow: 6–8 nights for two or three cities, each with its own hotel and transfer.Before booking: Use the airport or station on the issued ticket for the first city, then reserve a base in each chosen stop.
How to connect: Choose two or three cities that answer different interests. Reserve a city stay for each rather than using Shanghai as the assumed base for every stop.
Choose Huangshan for granite peaks, one Yi County village for Huizhou lanes, Hefei for an urban museum, Jiuhuashan for temples, Shexian for an old prefectural city, or Bozhou for northern medicine and old-city heritage.
Allow: Three Tangkou nights for a mountain day and weather hold, or two nights at one village, city or temple base.Before booking: Match the issued rail station to its actual last leg and return: Huangshan North/South Gate or Shexian, Yixian East/village, Hefei South/museum, Jiuhuashan Station/visitor centre, or Bozhou South/old city.
How to connect: Start with one 2–3-night base and protect its return. A second Anhui direction needs another block and a confirmed station pair, scenic or local transfer, and exit.
Xiamen 厦门 · Gulangyu 鼓浪屿 · Quanzhou 泉州
Xiamen is a coastal city base, Gulangyu is a ferry-dependent island visit, and Quanzhou rewards time for its port history and streets.
Allow: About three Xiamen nights; add Quanzhou time only if the second city earns a stay.Before booking: Check a dated Gulangyu ferry departure and actual mainland return before buying the island visit.
How to connect: A short Fujian coast route can join the cities. Fit the island visit around a booked outbound ferry and a usable mainland return.
Fujian Tulou 福建土楼 · Wuyi Mountain 武夷山
Tulou villages are inland cultural stops; Wuyi Mountain is a landscape and tea-area stay. Neither is the same task as choosing a coastal city.
Allow: 2–3 nights in one chosen inland base; a second branch adds another transfer and stay.Before booking: Name the exact tulou cluster or Wuyi entrance, plus the road or rail leg back to a useful base.
How to connect: Select a specific village area or mountain base and its way in and out before attaching it to Xiamen or another Fujian city.
Route decision: For a first eastern trip, Shanghai with one or two Jiangsu/Zhejiang stops keeps a coherent corridor. Put Huangshan or Fujian into the plan only when you can give that branch its own base and travel day. Compare East Coast routes and overnight bases →
Henan · Hubei · Hunan · Jiangxi
Central China & Middle Yangtze
The middle of China contains several strong routes: ancient capitals, a river corridor, mountain scenery, and craft or village stays. Choose a thread before counting cities.
Choose Luoyang for Longmen's Buddhist carving and a museum day; switch to Dengfeng for Shaolin, Anyang for Shang archaeology, Kaifeng for a Song-themed city, or Yuntai for gorges. Each is a separate Henan first stay.
Allow: Three Luoyang nights by default, or two nights in one other named base; each is a separate first stay.Before booking: Match the issued rail station to the local visitor gate and secure the reverse: Luoyang Longmen, Zhengzhou East, Anyang East, Kaifeng North or Xiuwu West/Jiaozuo.
How to connect: Choose one hotel base and confirm its station-to-site and site-to-station legs. Add a second Henan base only with new nights and a dated intercity transfer.
Wuhan 武汉 · Yichang 宜昌 · Three Gorges 三峡
Wuhan is a city and transport anchor. Yichang changes the trip toward the Yangtze and gorge landscape.
Allow: 2–3 Wuhan nights; give Yichang or the gorges another travel stage.Before booking: For a gorge trip, name the actual embarkation and exit and whether the product is river or land.
How to connect:
Decide whether the river is a full route component before extending a Wuhan city stay to Yichang.
Next step:
Name a river or land product, its boarding point and exit, then verify the operator's current dates before adding Yichang nights.
Changsha 长沙 · Zhangjiajie 张家界 · Fenghuang 凤凰古城
Changsha adds city and food time; Zhangjiajie is a mountain stay built around Wulingyuan and Tianmen; Fenghuang is a different old-town stop.
Allow: 5–7 nights for the two or three stops you select, including Zhangjiajie weather space.Before booking: Protect the Zhangjiajie mountain base and weather margin, then verify the Fenghuang transfer and overnight.
How to connect: Give Zhangjiajie its own bases and weather margin. Add Fenghuang only after allowing for the transfer and an overnight choice.
Jingdezhen 景德镇 · Wuyuan 婺源 · Mount Sanqing 三清山
Jiangxi can be a ceramics and village route, with a mountain branch for travelers who want hiking or viewpoints.
Allow: 3–4 nights for crafts and villages; a mountain stop needs its own base and time.Before booking: Check any festival or season motive, Sanqing entrance and way back before adding the mountain.
How to connect:
Choose the craft-and-village pair or the mountain focus first; avoid assigning all three to one hurried day.
Next step:
Choose either the ceramics-and-village base or a Sanqing mountain entrance, then confirm its local transfer and dated return.
Route decision: A Hunan route can connect city, mountain and old town, but Zhangjiajie is its own multi-day anchor. Henan history, Hubei river travel and Jiangxi crafts work better as distinct route choices.
Guangdong · Guangxi · Hainan
South China
A Pearl River city route, Guangxi's karst, coast and border-side landscapes, and Hainan's beaches answer different holiday questions. Climate, boats and border-side outings need date-specific checks.
Guangzhou 广州 · Shenzhen 深圳 · Chaozhou 潮州
Guangzhou and Shenzhen form a major-city pair with different food and contemporary-city interests. Chaozhou makes cuisine and older streets a more focused stop.
Allow: 3–4 nights for two selected city bases; replace one, rather than stacking all three.Before booking: Match the issued Guangzhou or Shenzhen airport or rail station to the hotel; Chaozhou needs its own stop.
How to connect:
Use Guangzhou–Shenzhen for a two-city urban route, or spend the extra stop on Chaozhou and the eastern Guangdong coast.
Next step:
Choose two city bases and confirm the station-to-hotel and intercity legs. If Chaozhou is the priority, replace Guangzhou or Shenzhen within this allowance.
Guilin is the northern gateway; Yangshuo shifts the focus to Li River countryside; Longji adds a separate terrace and village road branch. A first landscape plan can give Guilin and Yangshuo two nights each, then add a Guilin exit night if needed.
Allow: Two nights in Guilin and two in Yangshuo; exchange a countryside block for one Longji village.Before booking: Use the actual Guilin cruise pier or road departure, Yangshuo arrival point and return night.
How to connect: Choose Guilin–Yangshuo or replace countryside time with one Longji village. Budget a separate road leg and night for Longji; use the booked cruise pier, return road ride and departure point.
Nanning can be a city stay or southwest road gateway; Detian is a border-side waterfall trip. Beihai is a mainland coast base, while Weizhou needs a weather-dependent ferry and a mainland return night.
Allow: 3–4 nights for either the Nanning road branch or the Beihai sea branch.Before booking: For Detian, check the 240-hour transit stay area; for Weizhou, secure both ferries and a mainland return.
How to connect: Give Nanning–Detian or Beihai–Weizhou three to four nights as separate choices. Secure the return coach or both ferries; Detian lies outside the NIA-listed Guangxi area for 240-hour visa-free transit, so that entry basis cannot carry this road branch.
Haikou 海口 · Sanya 三亚 · Wanning 万宁
Haikou is a northern Hainan city entry; Sanya centres a southern beach stay; Wanning offers a different stretch of coast.
Allow: 3–5 nights in one Hainan coast base; add the cross-island move only if it earns a new stay.Before booking: Use the actual Haikou or Sanya airport or rail end and a hotel on the chosen coast.
How to connect:
Choose the coast that fits your stay, then decide whether a cross-island transfer earns its time.
Next step:
Pick one coast and hotel first; check its actual airport or station transfer before deciding whether another island base is worth the move.
Route decision: Pick a Guangdong city-and-food route, one Guangxi branch—karst and terraces, border-side road travel or coast and island—or a Hainan coast stay. Joining all three regions turns a holiday into several long transfers. Compare Guangxi's karst, coast and border-side routes →
The southwest spans big-city food, mountain parks, karst and highland journeys. Chengdu or Kunming can be an entry point, but neither makes every destination nearby.
Chengdu 成都 · Leshan 乐山 · Chongqing 重庆
Chengdu combines pandas and city life, Leshan is a separate Buddha outing, and Chongqing is a hilly river city with its own layout.
Allow: Three Chengdu nights; Leshan consumes a protected day. Allow three Chongqing nights for two full city days, or use a compact two-night stay for one full city day.Before booking: Use the issued rail station and hotel for a Leshan return; a Chongqing stay is a separate city change.
How to connect: Build Chengdu city time first; add Leshan as a deliberate excursion or Chongqing as a second city stay.
Jiuzhaigou 九寨沟 · Huanglong 黄龙 · Mount Emei 峨眉山
These Sichuan landscapes are distinct destinations with their own bases, elevation or walking demands. Pick the one that matches the scenery and effort you want.
Allow: 2–3 nights for one landscape, including access and a weather margin; price its actual legs before committing.Before booking: Confirm the park ticket, elevation and walking fit, and last land or rail leg to and from one site.
How to connect:
Give the chosen park its own travel block and arrange access, weather margin and return around its current operator conditions.
Next step:
Select one park and a nearby overnight base, then use its current operator notice for admission, elevation, last transfer and return.
Guiyang 贵阳 · Huangguoshu 黄果树 · Libo 荔波
Guizhou pairs a city gateway with waterfalls and karst. Kaili and nearby villages are another cultural branch.
Allow: 3–5 nights for Guiyang and one waterfall or southern karst branch.Before booking: Choose the park gateway and return for Huangguoshu or Libo before joining both.
How to connect:
Choose a western waterfall branch or a southern karst-and-village branch before joining multiple sites.
Next step:
Choose Huangguoshu or Libo, not both by default; confirm its gateway, park date and return to the same or next hotel.
Kunming 昆明 · Dali 大理 · Lijiang 丽江
Yunnan's cities can form a multi-stop route, while Xishuangbanna and Shangri-La lead toward very different climates and elevations.
Allow: Four nights for Kunming’s central walk, Dianchi and Stone Forest. A 6–8-night three-city spine needs the shorter Kunming option or fewer stops.Before booking: Use the actual Kunming airport or rail arrival and protect each hotel change; elevation differs by stop.
How to connect:
Use Kunming–Dali–Lijiang as one possible spine. Add a southern or highland branch only after checking the extra travel and local conditions.
Next step:
Fix the first arrival and final departure, then price each dated city-to-city leg and hotel change before keeping all three stops.
Route decision: For a first southwest route, choose either a Sichuan–Chongqing city pair or a Yunnan multi-stop journey. Add a mountain park or Guizhou only when its access, bases and return have been checked for that branch.
Shaanxi · Gansu · Qinghai · Ningxia
Northwest China
Choose between Xi’an heritage, the Gansu corridor, Qinghai's lake country and Ningxia's Yellow River and desert-edge landscapes. The Silk Road route here ends in Gansu; Qinghai and Ningxia call for separate plans.
Xi’an 西安 · Mount Hua 华山
Xi’an is an archaeology and walled-city stay. Mount Hua changes the trip to a mountain outing with a very different physical and weather profile.
Allow: Plan three Xi’an nights to protect two full sightseeing days. Two nights work only when your actual arrival and departure still leave two full days; reserve another full day or a mountain overnight if Mount Hua is central to the trip.Before booking: Verify Mount Hua’s booked entrance and a usable late return or mountain night.
How to connect: Set Xi’an's city days first; add Mount Hua only if the mountain is a priority and you can plan its access separately.
The Gansu corridor moves from a gateway city to Danxia landscape, frontier history and the Mogao Caves area.
Allow: About 7–9 nights for a true multi-stop corridor; cut endpoints when time shrinks.Before booking: Book Mogao access before fixing Dunhuang dates, then verify issued station pairs and Danxia’s final road leg.
How to connect: Travel the corridor in sequence and choose which stops deserve nights. Zhangye's city base and Danxia visit are separate decisions.
Xining 西宁 · Qinghai Lake 青海湖 · Yinchuan 银川
Qinghai points toward highland lake travel; Ningxia toward the Yellow River and desert-edge sites. Each needs its own gateway and local route.
Allow: About 3–4 nights for either a Qinghai or Ningxia trip, then verify its own return.Before booking: Check elevation and season for the lake, or the real river and desert road return around Yinchuan.
How to connect:
Choose Qinghai's lake country or Ningxia's river and desert-edge sites as a trip in its own right; check altitude and seasonal access where relevant.
Next step:
Choose Xining or Yinchuan as the gateway, then check seasonal site access, the final road leg and its return before fixing nights.
Route decision: For a Silk Road trip, start in Xi’an and give the Gansu corridor its own nights; end that thread in Gansu. Choose Qinghai or Ningxia as a separate trip with its own arrival and return. Compare Gansu's Hexi Corridor route and alternatives →
Hong Kong SAR · Macau SAR · mainland connections
Hong Kong & Macau crossings
Use this branch to plan a crossing or a mainland–SAR combined route. Hong Kong, Macau and mainland re-entry each have their own admission decision.
Hong Kong 香港 ↔ mainland
Use a Hong Kong crossing when a mainland route connects through the SAR and the crossing direction matters to your entry conditions.
Allow: A separate crossing and transfer block in the combined itinerary; set any stop duration only after checking the actual transport.Before booking: Check Hong Kong entry for your passport, the chosen port or flight, and mainland re-entry if returning.
How to connect: Identify the exact mainland–Hong Kong connection and its direction before fixing the adjacent mainland city days.
Macau 澳门 ↔ mainland
Use a Macau crossing when a Pearl River Delta route connects through the SAR and requires a separate border decision.
Allow: A separate port and transfer block in the combined itinerary; allow time for each border step before setting mainland visits.Before booking: Check Macau admission, the chosen port and its direction, then mainland re-entry if returning.
How to connect: Map the Macau–mainland crossing onto the adjoining Pearl River Delta leg before fixing onward transport.
Route decision: For a mainland–SAR combination, check each jurisdiction's current entry conditions for your passport and direction, the specific port and onward connection, and any mainland re-entry before booking the route.
Go deeper
Different places, different experiences
Beijing and Xi’an both open a door into Chinese history: Beijing through imperial buildings, gardens and the Great Wall; Xi’an through archaeology and an ancient walled city. Shanghai shifts the focus to river views and urban neighbourhoods. Chengdu pairs pandas with tea and Sichuan city life. Zhangjiajie makes the mountain landscape the reason to travel.
Beijing is in the north, Shanghai on the east coast, Xi’an inland to the west, Chengdu farther southwest and Zhangjiajie in Hunan. They are separate stays, so choose a few that belong in your trip and account for the journeys between them.
Follow the Forbidden City’s courtyards, look across its roofs from Jingshan, and step into the hutong lanes around the lakes. The Summer Palace and a Great Wall outing bring gardens and mountain scenery into a capital-city visit.
Choose Beijing for imperial architecture on a grand scale, with quieter lanes and gardens between the major sights.
The central palace area, western gardens and Great Wall are different outings; build the stay around the places you most want to see.
The Bund’s historic waterfront faces the towers of Lujiazui. Away from the river, Yu Garden offers a closer world of rocks, ponds and pavilions, while Wukang and Anfu Roads invite a walk through tree-lined streets.
Choose Shanghai for architecture across eras, neighbourhood walks, art and the changing view from the two riverbanks.
Group nearby streets and sights, and leave an evening for the river. A water town, Suzhou or Disney needs its own place in the itinerary.
The Terracotta Warriors make the scale of the Qin imperial tomb tangible. Back in Xi’an, the City Wall and history collections offer different views of an ancient capital, with the city’s streets and meals filling the time between them.
Choose Xi’an when archaeology is a main interest. The army outside the city and the museums within it tell different parts of the story.
Treat the Terracotta Warriors in Lintong as a separate outing from the central city; choose museum time to match your interests.
A panda visit is one part of Chengdu. Leave room for tea in People’s Park, the Three Kingdoms history of Wuhou Shrine and a Sichuan meal. Sanxingdui’s ancient bronzes and Leshan’s riverside Buddha offer very different excursions.
Choose Chengdu for the contrast between a panda outing and slower city time, with a nearby cultural trip if it fits.
Keep the Panda Base, city sights and an excursion as distinct blocks rather than treating all of Sichuan as a day trip.
Wulingyuan’s tall rock pillars rise from forested valleys. Tianmen Mountain is a separate landscape, with cliff-side paths and its great natural opening. This is a stay shaped by time outdoors and the view through changing cloud.
Choose Zhangjiajie when mountain scenery is a reason for the trip, and you can give it more than a hurried stop between cities.
Wulingyuan and Tianmen use different bases and entrances. Compare the walking involved and leave room for weather before booking the sequence.
River terraces, hillside streets and old-city layers
Hongyadong's riverside facade, Chaotianmen's river meeting and upper Jiefangbei streets reveal different heights of the same city. Museums, a cableway and a west-side park change the pace.
Choose Chongqing for a city shaped by two rivers and steep streets, with two full days based above the river in Jiefangbei.
Group places by riverbank and height. Dazu and Wulong each need their own outward journey and protected return.
Yulong River countryside and Xingping's Li River bend
A Yangshuo town bed keeps meals and coaches close. Yulong River villages suit quieter mornings, while Xingping has its own river reach and the railway station on that side.
Choose Yangshuo for limestone scenery, a countryside day and a base that fits the river product and actual departure.
Start with two nights around town or Yulong. Give Xingping another block when its landscape or station earns the move.
A city guide helps you understand one place. An itinerary brings your stops, transfers and overnight bases together. Choose your main experiences before deciding how many places to add.