Where to go
Best cities to visit in China
China is big enough that the wrong cities can cost you days on trains. Answer five questions and get the places that fit your dates and interests, plus a route you can open as an itinerary. Or skip down to the full list.
Question 1 of 5
How many days do you have?
The best places to visit in China
Ranked by how much there is to see, then by how easy the place is to reach. Each guide has best months, a daily budget and how to get there.
#1 · Beijing
Beijing
The capital that makes every other first stop feel small.
- Best time
- April to May and September to October
- Mid-range
- about ¥650 a day
#2 · Hong Kong
Hong Kong
A different visa, a different currency, and a skyline unlike anywhere else on the itinerary.
- Best time
- October to December
- Mid-range
- about ¥750 a day
#3 · Macau
Macau
Portuguese colonial streets and the casino skyline of Asia's Las Vegas, an hour from Hong Kong.
- Best time
- October to December for mild, dry weather
- Mid-range
- about ¥700 a day
#4 · Shanghai
Shanghai
China's most cosmopolitan city. Colonial-era Bund facades facing a futuristic Pudong skyline.
- Best time
- March to May and September to November
- Mid-range
- about ¥650 a day
#5 · Sichuan
Chengdu
Pandas, hotpot, and the most laid-back big city in China.
- Best time
- March to June and September to November
- Mid-range
- about ¥450 a day
#6 · Chongqing
Chongqing
A vertical, fog-shrouded megacity built into a mountainside, and China's spiciest food.
- Best time
- March to May and October to November
- Mid-range
- about ¥400 a day
#7 · Shaanxi
Xi'an
Home to 8,000 terracotta soldiers and China's most complete ancient city wall.
- Best time
- March to May and September to November
- Mid-range
- about ¥450 a day
#8 · Fujian
Xiamen
A palm-lined coastal city, and Gulangyu Island's car-free colonial streets a ferry ride away.
- Best time
- March to June and September to November
- Mid-range
- about ¥600 a day
#9 · Shanxi
Datong
The Northern Wei capital, home to the UNESCO-listed Yungang Grottoes.
- Best time
- April to June and September to October
- Mid-range
- about ¥500 a day
#10 · Guangxi
Guilin
The karst-mountain scenery on the back of the 20-yuan note.
- Best time
- April to October for river cruises and mist-wrapped peaks, though summer brings rain and…
- Mid-range
- about ¥600 a day
#11 · Hunan
Zhangjiajie
The sandstone pillars that inspired Avatar's floating mountains.
- Best time
- April to June and September to October, when the pillars are most likely to emerge from m…
- Mid-range
- about ¥500 a day
#12 · Sichuan
Emeishan
One of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains, and a genuine multi-day trek.
- Best time
- May to June and September to October
- Mid-range
- about ¥420 a day
Want more? Browse every destination or copy a ready-made 2-week route.
Questions travelers ask
Most first trips start with Beijing for the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, Xi'an for the Terracotta Army, and Shanghai for the skyline and food. Chengdu is the usual add-on for pandas and Sichuan cooking. The quiz above narrows this down using your dates and interests.
Three to five. A long high-speed train ride takes a good part of a day once you count getting to the station and checking in, so each extra city costs you time in the others. The quiz picks a number of stops from your trip length and pace.
April to May and September to October suit most of the country: mild weather and clear skies. Avoid the first week of October, when Golden Week fills trains and hotels, and the humid summer months in the south. Each city guide has its own best months.
Each city is scored on how well it fits your interests, how comfortable the weather is in your month, whether your trip is long enough for it, your daily budget and whether you have been to China before. Interest and season ratings were drafted by an AI model and checked by a person. The route builder then picks cities that sit close together.