Beijing 北京
Imperial landmarks, neighbourhoods, gardens and one separate Great Wall day.
Independent travel in China
Plan your trip to China.
Pick a city and enough full days. Then make entry, payment and your first arrival work.
Choose a city by region
Compare all regions and routes →Every city below has a published guide. Choose a base and usable days there; links to separate stay, transport, sight and day-trip guides appear where they are ready.
North China
Capital landmarks, Shanxi heritage and Shandong's springs or coast call for different bases.
Picrazy2 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Tianjin 天津
Haihe river walks, old streets and museums, with a city stay or Beijing connection.
xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0 Chengde 承德
Mountain Resort and temples, with time for the outlying sights.
Datong 大同
Yungang and old-city temples; keep a Hunyuan outing separate from the city day.
Taiyuan 太原
Jinci, museums and Shanxi food from a practical city base.
xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0 Pingyao 平遥
A walled old town, courtyard stay and separate temple outings.
Jinan 济南
Springs, Daming Lake and a central overnight base.
Qingdao 青岛
Old-town streets, the coast and the city's beer history.
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East Coast & Lower Yangtze
Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian offer different city and coastal stays; allow the transfer between them.
Shanghai 上海
River views, neighbourhoods, museums and a choice between city days and Disney.
KimonBerlin · CC BY-SA 2.0 Nanjing 南京
Historic sites, museum visits and a workable city base.
Suzhou 苏州
Gardens, canals and old-city streets, with the exact rail return protected.
Hangzhou 杭州
West Lake, Lingyin, tea and the old city, arranged across usable city days.
Xiamen 厦门
A mainland base, a protected Gulangyu ferry day and time for the garden and old city.
Quanzhou 泉州
Maritime heritage, temples and Luoyang Bridge, with two full days in the city.
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Central China & Middle Yangtze
Ancient-capital sites and mountain landscapes are separate journeys.
Rongcan Lu · CC0 Luoyang 洛阳
Protect time for Longmen, then choose the palace city, museums and old streets.
Kuruman from Tokyo, Japan · CC BY 2.0 Zhangjiajie 张家界
Separate Wulingyuan’s pillar landscape from Tianmen and allow for weather.
2 detailed guides
South China
Choose between a Guilin city base and Yangshuo countryside before adding river travel.
xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0 Guilin 桂林
A city day and a Li River decision; compare Guilin, Yangshuo and the terrace route.
1 detailed guides
Yangshuo 阳朔
Choose town, the Yulong countryside or Xingping, then fit water, walks and the complete hotel transfer.
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Southwest China
Build from one city base before adding Sichuan, Chongqing or Yunnan travel days.
Chengdu 成都
Pandas, tea and city heritage; choose one extra trip after the city days fit.
Chongqing 重庆
Riverfront views and a layered hill city; distinguish the short city walk from a separate Dazu or Wulong outing.
Kunming 昆明
Green Lake and Dianchi, with a separate Stone Forest choice.
Northwest China
Xi'an's city and archaeology days differ from Dunhuang's booked caves and desert trip.
Virgil Guo · CC BY-SA 4.0 Xi’an 西安
The city wall, museums and a separate Lintong day for the Terracotta Warriors.
N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0 Dunhuang 敦煌
Mogao Caves and desert scenery from a town base.
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First trip to China?
Choose the cities and usable days, establish your entry route, then prepare the first-night essentials.
Give the route enough time
Compare routes →A first trip with two bases
Count full city days, a complete transfer day and separate arrival and departure days.
Eight nights in Beijing and Shanghai›Compare the exact intercity rail journey›Seasons and travel pace
Compare city seasons›Check 2026 holidays and working weekends›Plan for a shorter continuous walk›Find the guide for your next decision.
These topics work together. Open the part of the trip you are planning, or go straight to a specific answer below.
Entry & stayCan I enter and stay in China?
Match the policy to your trip
Compare visa-free, transit and visa routes, then check arrival paperwork and stay conditions.
Explore guides →Itineraries & routesWhere should I go and for how long?Balance dates, stops and budget
Choose the trip window and pace, account for transfer days and compare worked route examples.
Explore guides →DestinationsHow should I plan this place?Choose a base and a workable visit
Use city guides for day counts, accommodation areas, attractions, arrival and departure.
Explore guides →Travel essentialsHow do everyday travel tasks work?Prepare the tools and a backup
Arrange payments, internet, transport and hotels; find practical steps when something fails.
Explore guides →Common travel questions
All guides →Open the answer for the booking or practical task you are working on.
Before you book and before you fly
Compare visa-free entry and transit rules›Check what you need before travelling›Recover when Alipay or WeChat Pay fails›Compare eSIM, local SIM and roaming›Choose where to book China train tickets›Choose where to stay in Beijing›Something has gone wrong
Find the first action for a lost passport, medical problem, payment failure or disrupted journey.
Medical help, contacts and payment›Emergency numbers and what to tell the operator›