Every good first China trip is built on the same spine: Beijing – Xi'an – Shanghai, linked by high-speed rail. With 7 days you ride that spine and see the headline China. With 10, you add a landscape (Guilin) or pandas (Chengdu). With 14 — the sweet spot — you do the full classic without ever rushing. Here are all three, day by day.
In this guide
1. How many days do you need?
| Days | What fits | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 5–6 | Two cities (Beijing + Shanghai or Xi'an) | A taster — works as a stopover, see our 240-hour visa-free rules |
| 7 | Beijing · Xi'an · Shanghai | The essentials, brisk but real |
| 10 | Triangle + Guilin or Chengdu | Adds the "wow" landscape or pandas |
| 14 | Triangle + Guilin + Chengdu (or Yangtze) | The classic first trip, properly paced |
| 21+ | + Yunnan, Zhangjiajie, Xinjiang… | For returners and deep-divers |
2. 7 days — the Golden Triangle
Three cities, two bullet trains, every headline sight. Fly into Beijing, out of Shanghai (or reverse — see the FAQ).
| Day | Where | The plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beijing | Arrive, settle in, evening around Qianmen or a welcome duck dinner |
| 2 | Beijing | Tiananmen → Forbidden City → Jingshan sunset viewpoint |
| 3 | Beijing | Great Wall at Mutianyu early, hutongs in the late afternoon |
| 4 | → Xi'an | Morning bullet train (4.5h), city walls by bike, Muslim Quarter at night |
| 5 | Xi'an | Terracotta Army half-day, afternoon train or flight to Shanghai |
| 6 | Shanghai | The Bund, ferry across, Shanghai Tower, French Concession evening |
| 7 | Shanghai | Yu Garden and Old City morning, depart |
Full city detail: Beijing in 3 days · Shanghai in 3 days.
3. 10 days — add landscape or pandas
Keep the triangle, then choose your fourth stop:
- Option A — Guilin & Yangshuo (nature): Days 5–7 become a Li River cruise past the karst peaks, cycling through rice paddies, and a night in Yangshuo before flying to Shanghai. China's most famous landscape.
- Option B — Chengdu (pandas & food): From Xi'an it's only 3 hours by rail. Two days for the panda base at feeding time, Sichuan's teahouses and a proper hotpot, then fly to Shanghai.
| Day | Option A — Guilin | Option B — Chengdu |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | Beijing (3 nights, Wall on day 3) → bullet train to Xi'an | |
| 5 | Terracotta Army → fly to Guilin | Terracotta Army → 3h rail to Chengdu |
| 6 | Li River cruise → Yangshuo | Panda base early, teahouse afternoon |
| 7 | Yangshuo countryside by bike | Sichuan food day, People's Park |
| 8 | Fly to Shanghai | Fly to Shanghai |
| 9–10 | Shanghai — Bund, skyline, French Concession, Yu Garden | |
4. 14 days — the full classic
The itinerary most first-timers are happiest with: everything above, nothing rushed, plus a water-town day. This is the shape of our signature 12-day Classic China journey (from US$3,280) with two extra breathing days.
| Days | Where | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | Beijing | Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, hutongs, duck |
| 5–6 | Xi'an | Terracotta Army, city walls by bike, Muslim Quarter |
| 7–8 | Chengdu | Pandas at feeding time, teahouses, hotpot night |
| 9–11 | Guilin & Yangshuo | Li River cruise, karst sunsets, countryside cycling |
| 12–14 | Shanghai | The Bund & skyline, French Concession, Zhujiajiao water town, depart |
Prefer rivers to peaks? Swap Guilin for a 3-night Yangtze cruise through the Three Gorges (board in Chongqing after Chengdu) — same days, different China. Your designer prices both versions side by side, free. Design my trip →
5. How to choose & adjust
- Traveling with kids? Choose the Chengdu option — pandas beat karst for under-12s — and slow every city by half a day.
- Photographers — Guilin option, and time it for April–May or September–October light (see when to go).
- Food-first? Chengdu is non-negotiable; add a Chengdu→Chongqing day for hotpot's spiritual home. Start with our region-by-region food map.
- Second trip to China? Skip the triangle entirely — Yunnan (7 days) or Zhangjiajie + Chongqing (6 days) make superb standalone routes.
- Jet-lag insurance: never plan the Great Wall for day 1 — put it on day 3, when your body clock has landed.
6. Trains, costs & timing
- Getting around: bullet trains connect every stop — Beijing–Xi'an 4.5h, Xi'an–Chengdu 3h, Beijing–Shanghai 4.5h. Book with your passport; our rail guide walks you through it.
- Budget: independent mid-range travelers spend about US$120–200 per person per day; fully private with guide, driver and 4–5★ hotels runs US$250–450. Full numbers in the cost guide.
- When to go: April–May and September–October are prime for every route above; avoid the first weeks of May and October (national holidays).
- Entry: many nationalities can even do the 7-day route visa-free under the 240-hour transit policy if arriving from and departing to different countries.
Want this built around you? Send us your days, dates and interests — a designer returns a day-by-day route with an honest price within one working day. Free, no obligation. Design my itinerary →