China map & itineraries
In case you weren’t aware, the country is massive - absolutely vast. To experience some of the best places to visit in China you’ll need a decent pair of walking shoes – you’ll clock up mileage simply seeing the sights, especially in Beijing where the traffic is horrendous and taxi hops will only add to the pollution. Otherwise, getting from A to B is reasonably straightforward: the collective mileage of China’s well-conditioned roads is over two million miles and the country’s super speedy bullet train has become a tourist experience itself. The only problem you might face is the language barrier, so brush up on your basic Mandarin before you board.
1.
Beijing
2. Chengdu
3. Giant Panda Research Centre
4. Great Wall of China
5. Hong Kong
6. Longji rice terraces
7. Dong villages
8. Terracotta Army
9. Shanghai
10. Xi’an
11. Yangshuo
12. Yangtze river
2. Chengdu
3. Giant Panda Research Centre
4. Great Wall of China
5. Hong Kong
6. Longji rice terraces
7. Dong villages
8. Terracotta Army
9. Shanghai
10. Xi’an
11. Yangshuo
12. Yangtze river
Beijing
1. Beijing
Beijing is not a beautiful place. It’s chaotic and stiflingly smoggy, but if you’re brave and open-minded it represents an adventure of history, of power, and of the future all rolled into one. The Forbidden City, its main attraction, is a mammoth compound of almost 1,000 palaces, museums and pavilions and was the former home of China’s emperors from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing.
Chengdu
2. Chengdu
You don’t go to Chengdu for its natural beauty; it’s a modern city with mediocre weather and a lot of traffic. But it just has a laid-back cheeriness about it that can’t fail to delight. Its urban parks are clean and colourful and the locals, in a decidedly un-Chinese twist, think nothing of kicking back with a cuppa enjoying the teahouse culture that is central to life in the city.
Giant Panda Research Centre
3. Giant Panda Research Centre
We don’t recommend wildlife attractions in China, but the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base just outside Chengdu is the one exception. One of the city’s most popular attractions, it houses over 100 of China’s most famous animal residents in large enclosures tended by dedicated keepers and teams of scientists all working to get these notoriously reluctant bears to breed.
Great Wall of China
4. Great Wall of China
Wriggling its way west over treacherously steep mountains to the dusty Gobi Desert in the east, the Great Wall of China attracts everyone from day trippers to serious trekkers. It’s easy to squeeze the Great Wall into any trip to China thanks to its proximity to Beijing, but the further from the city you go, the more you’ll find your group alone and surrounded only by the spectacular scenery.
Hong Kong
5. Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a little bit fur coat and no knickers: it has an unrelenting drive for money and status powered by its moneyed elite, but many locals work very long days and live in cramped conditions. The flipside? An infectious energy, a surprisingly traditional culture and a cooler, more sophisticated outlook than its mainland contemporaries.
Longji rice terraces
6. Longji rice terraces
The Dragon’s Backbone (Longji) Rice Terraces were carved out of the mountains in Longsheng more than 600 years ago. From above they look like contour lines on a map – or the scales on the curve of a sleeping dragon’s back. In spring, the water-filled terraces glimmer like mirrors and by autumn the rice is golden and ready for harvest by villagers from the surrounding wooden-stilted hamlets.
Dong villages
7. Dong villages
The Dong ethnic group lives in the mountainous landscape of southwestern China. Their wooden villages are small – the largest is home to only 4,000 people – and often feature tall drum towers with elaborately tiered roofs, and fengyuqiao – covered “wind and rain” bridges. Some villages have small guest houses that share home-cooked dishes made with rice from the nearby terraces.
Terracotta Army
8. Terracotta Army
Xi’an of yesteryear was the beginning and end of the Silk Road, a thriving and sophisticated city of commerce, religion and creativity. Marked by an impressive wealth of important sites and relics, notably the Terracotta Army that still stands guard, modern day Xi’an is more traffic and pollution than pomp and procession, but well worth a visit nonetheless.
Shanghai
9. Shanghai
Shanghai is a skyline of soaring high-rises, designer boutiques and Michelin-star dining – but also art deco architecture, boisterous outdoor markets and Buddhist temples. You’ll get the best feel for local life by wandering the narrow and winding lanes (nontangs) of Old Shanghai, learning to make steamed dumplings with a host family or taking a lesson or two of Mandarin Chinese.
Xi’an
10. Xi’an
Once an important city and the final destination at the east end of the Silk Road, Xi’an’s influence has waned since the start of the 10th century. Still, much of the ancient city remains in the shadow of the new, modern metropolis and its Ming-era city walls can be explored with a guided walk or by bicycle. More or less located in central China, it’s also a crossroads for many regional cuisines.
Yangshuo
11. Yangshuo
A world away from China’s built-up cities, Yangshuo is a village flanked by exquisite countryside and jutting karst pyramids carved into the elements by the lapping green waters of the Li River. It can get busy during peak season, but there really aren’t enough superlatives to describe the surrounding scenes of water buffalo grazing and local farmers working their fields wearing conical hats.
Yangtze river
12. Yangtze river
The aquatic equivalent of China’s Great Wall, the Yangtze is a twisting, turning hotbed of scenery and culture that stretches from remote mountain plains through canyon gorges and into fertile regions where other lakes connect. It’s most hair-raising stretch, the Three Gorges, was once unnavigable. Now though, thanks to a dam, it is a beautiful lake for ferrying and cruises.
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Travel Team
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China itineraries
For families:
Beijing > Great Wall: Jinshanling > (sleeper train) Luoyan > (bullet train) Xi’an > Yangshuo > Hong Kong
Great Wall walking:
Beijing > Mutian Yu > Jiankou > Gubeikou > Jinshanling > Taipingzhai > Huangyaguan > Beijing
Photography tour:
Guilin > Longji > Sang Jiang > Yangshuo > Putao village > Huang Yao > Yangshuo > Xing Ping > Guilin
Beijing > Great Wall: Jinshanling > (sleeper train) Luoyan > (bullet train) Xi’an > Yangshuo > Hong Kong
Great Wall walking:
Beijing > Mutian Yu > Jiankou > Gubeikou > Jinshanling > Taipingzhai > Huangyaguan > Beijing
Photography tour:
Guilin > Longji > Sang Jiang > Yangshuo > Putao village > Huang Yao > Yangshuo > Xing Ping > Guilin
Travel times in China
The following times give you a rough idea of the travel times between the main attractions in China
More about China
Our tips on the best time to visit China, month by month, with our cultural pick from the Chinese calendar.
Our China travel guide features everything from advice on food and shopping to a brief history of China.
From Beijing to Chengdu, Shanghai to Xi'an, its cities offer insights into China's past, present and future.
A brief history of China's terracotta army, and the best way to visit the terracotta warriors from Xi'an.
Read our guide to learn how to visit the Great Wall of China, and why the quieter bits speak loudest.
It's in scenes of local life that you’ll get a true picture of what it’s really like to live in Beijing.
Discover the joys of walking in China, including where go on a China hiking holiday.
Cycling is an important part of Chinese culture so it makes perfect sense to explore on two wheels.
Train travel in China is not only an easy option, but also a fantastic way to get to know the country.
The best way to get the most from the Forbidden City is a tour with a knowledgeable local guide.
Tours to rural China let you stay in local communities, to see a side of China that most visitors don’t.
Chinese food is hard to define, because the country is so vast - every region has its own distinct cuisine.
From pandas to kung-fu masters, mud baths and waterfalls, introducing the best family activities in China.
These China travel tips from our expert partners will help you get around easily and safely in China.
China has got tourism problems; we've got the low down on what you can do to travel better in China.
From cycling to walking, exploring Yunnan or the Great Wall, our China travel guides are an indispensable resource.
