How should a first-time traveller plan China without overpacking it?
For most first trips, spend four or five nights in Beijing, two or three in Xi’an and three or four in Shanghai. Add Chengdu, Guilin or another region only when you have at least two weeks. Set up payments, trains, maps, translation and internet access before flying.
Full answer
China is too large for a first trip to feel complete.
That is not a problem. The best plan is to choose one part of the country and give the main stops enough time.
Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai make a clear first route.
Beijing
Give Beijing four or five nights.
The city is large, and the major sights need time. The Forbidden City and Tiananmen area can use most of a day. The Great Wall should have a day of its own. The Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, parks, hutongs and museums fill the remaining time easily.
Beijing is also better when the trip includes ordinary mornings. Parks fill with people exercising, singing and playing games. A small breakfast shop or an evening walk through a hutong can be as memorable as another grand building.
Xi’an
Spend two or three nights in Xi’an.
The Terracotta Army takes much of a day once transport is included. Keep another day for the city walls, the historic centre and food around the Muslim Quarter and nearby streets.
Do not arrive late, visit the warriors the next morning and leave immediately. Xi’an deserves at least one evening.
Shanghai
Spend three or four nights in Shanghai when you enjoy large cities.
The Bund and Pudong skyline are the obvious first view, but the city becomes more interesting at street level. Walk through older neighbourhoods, eat breakfast somewhere busy, visit a market or museum and return to the river after dark.
Travellers mainly interested in imperial history and mountains may shorten Shanghai and use the time elsewhere.
Add one other area
Chengdu suits travellers who want Sichuan food, tea houses and a more relaxed city. The panda base can be included, but the city itself is worth several days.
Guilin and Yangshuo suit travellers who want rivers and limestone scenery. Stay long enough to leave the airport road behind and see the countryside early or late in the day.
Yunnan is not a quick side trip. Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and the higher country can fill two weeks by themselves. Choose Yunnan as the main trip when mountains, old towns and slower overland travel matter more than the eastern cities.
Zhangjiajie or Huangshan require careful planning around weather, crowds and transport. Choose one mountain area, not several.
A sensible two-week route
- four or five nights in Beijing;
- two or three nights in Xi’an;
- three or four nights in Shanghai;
- two or three nights in Chengdu, Guilin or another addition;
- time around the international flights and main train journeys.
A fast train can still involve a long ride to the station, security, passport checks and another journey after arrival. Treat each city change as most of a day.
Prepare before you fly
Make sure you can:
- pay with at least one mobile-payment app;
- access a second card or some cash;
- book or manage train tickets;
- translate a menu or address;
- find the hotel on a map;
- use the internet services you need.
Save hotel and station names in Chinese. Keep booking details available offline.
What to leave out
Leave out a city added only because the train is fast. Leave out a mountain area reached through several changes for one useful day. Leave out a second region when the first one is already being rushed.
China is easier to return to than it is to cross in one holiday.