Planning a trip to China? This classic 10-day China itinerary takes you through the country’s most vibrant cities and historic sites, including Shanghai, Beijing, and Xi’an. Discover iconic landmarks such as the Great Wall, Forbidden City, the Bund, and the Terracotta Warriors, while experiencing vibrant city life, ancient history, and delicious local cuisine. This travel guide provides a detailed route, essential tips, and must-see attractions to help you make the most of your adventure in China, and is best-suited for those on a time crunch in Mainland China.
When should you travel to China?
In my opinion, the best time to travel to China is during spring, especially after Chinese New Year and before the Dragon Boat Festival, to avoid peak holiday crowds. Spring offers pleasant weather, blooming flowers, and fewer tourists compared to the busy summer season. Of course, if your only time available is summer, you should still go! China’s top attractions can be enjoyed year-round, making any season a great time to explore this diverse country.
Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China
Day 1-2: Shanghai Highlights
Begin your journey in Shanghai, a city blending modern skyscrapers with rich history. Shanghai is a perfect starting point to your China trip because there are a ton of international flights to Shanghai and it's a good way to "ease yourself in" to China.
Local Shanghai folks are known throughout the rest of China as a bit stuck up and very proud of their local dialect. However, Shanghai is also very foreigner-friendly, and since parts of it used to be divided up by foreign powers during and after the Qing dynasty, there are lots of competing architecture and styles of food to enjoy.
Top Activities
The French Quarter: Tianzifang and Xintiandi
The French Quarter of Shanghai is, unsurprisingly, the area of Shanghai that had previously been colonized by the French. Two popular shopping and cultural areas here are Tianzifang and Xintiandi, both featuring winding alleys, unique artwork, and boutique shops. While each offers a distinct experience, Tianzifang stands out for its artistic vibe and eclectic shops, making it my top recommendation if you have limited time.
The Bund
View of Shanghai from the Bund, including the famous TV tower.
The Bund is the old British part of Shanghai, and features the famous TV tower that Shanghai is so well known for. I recommend coming here at night, after spending the day elsewhere. It's gorgeous when it's lit up. You can stroll up Nanjing Road to get to the Bund; it's always crowded, but still fun. You can also go up the Shanghai tower here, which is the second tallest building in the world.
YuYuan Garden and Surrounding Streets
YuYuan Garden, the only surviving Ming Dynasty garden in Shanghai, is conveniently located near the Bund. Start your day exploring YuYuan’s classical architecture and tranquil pathways, then stroll to the Bund for iconic city views. The surrounding pedestrian streets are also very interesting, making this area a must-visit. Be prepared for crowds, as YuYuan Garden is popular with both locals and tourists year-round.
Shanghai Old Street: Fangbang Road
Shanghai Old Street was one of my favorite parts of Shanghai, but many of the old buildings were abandoned and seemed to be set for demolition, so I'm not sure how much longer it will be around. I honestly thought I was in the wrong area at first, but the traditional Chinese architecture is stunning, even though some of the buildings have fallen into disrepair. Wandering the deserted back streets in such a crowded city was such a pleasure. Apparently, this part of the city used to be where lots of movies were filmed in the early 1900s.
A fascinating juxtaposition of buildings on Fangbang Road
YuYuan Garden
Shanghai Extension Option: Huangshan or, in English, Yellow Mountain, is an easy day trip from Shanghai by high speed train. You can visit China Highlights for more information about Huangshan. If you're in decent physical shape, a day trip is likely all you need. If you'd rather take it easy, there are some hotels on the mountain you can stay at, or you can stay in the nearby town. When the weather's nice, you can also usually camp out near the top of the mountain.
Day 3: Day Trip to Suzhou or Hangzhou
On your third day, take a day trip to either Suzhou or Hangzhou, both easily accessible by high-speed train from Shanghai. Suzhou, known as the "Venice of China," and Hangzhou, a much larger city that houses the famous Xihu, or West Lake, are both viable day trip options. If you have to choose one, I'd choose Suzhou, but that's based on my own preference. Both are lovely in different ways.
Suzhou Highlights
One of the best things you can do in Suzhou is to wander the streets in Pinjiang district and cross the many bridges over the water. You can also take a boat ride for pretty cheap (180 yuan when I went), although the ride isn't too long, around 40 minutes, and just goes up and down the main canal.
Suzhou also is home to the Humble Administrator's Garden (70 yuan admission), close to the Suzhou Museum (free). I went to both during winter, so it wasn't as beautiful as it would be during spring and summer, but they are still worth a visit. If anything, the museum was too large, but you can always skip what you're not interested in.
Lodging Tip: Guanqian street is the newer section of Suzhou, and features many sprawling malls. There are lots of well-priced hotels and hostels here, so it's a convenient area to stay. My friends and I stayed at Ming Ya Youth Hostel, and had no problems there.
A boat ride in Suzhou
The famous West Lake in Hangzhou
Hangzhou Highlights
The main attraction in Hangzhou is Xihu, or West Lake, as well as the nearby Wing Hefang street, which is a great area for souvenirs and situated next to Wu Hill. There are Chinese folklore stories about Xihu, the most famous being about the white snake. Situated on the lake is the beautiful Leifeng pagoda, where you can enter for about 40 yuan. There are also lots of small hikes around Xihu, including Jade Emperor Hill and Mount Fenghuang. We chose to hike Jade Emperor Hill; my friend and I walked to the entrance from the lake area, and proceeded to climb. The hike was pretty short and decent, but didn't have great views from the top, so if you're in a rush you can feel free to skip.
Additional Options in Hangzhou: Another famous option in Hangzhou is to hike the Meijiawu tea plantation. You can also check out Wuzhe water town, which is about 50 miles from Hangzhou and very famous in China.
Day 4-7: Beijing Adventures
Ah, Beijing. The capital of China, home to world-famous landmarks and ancient culture. It does not disappoint.
Top Activities
Dashilan Pedestrian Street
This is where our hostel was located, and it's an awesome area. An easy metro ride from the city, you walk down twisting pedestrian streets. There's lots of beautiful buildings and fun shops. It's a great place to stay and a wonderful place to explore.
The Forbidden City and Jingshan Park
The Forbidden City in Beijing as seen from Jingshan Park
Yes, you all know about the Forbidden City. The poor man's alternative, or, if the Forbidden City is sold out and you don't have tickets, is to hike nearby Jingshan Park, which overlooks the Forbidden City and you can get some nice views of it. This is what we did. Worth it. We did still have to make reservations at Jingshan, and as foreigners we had to call, but it was a very informal system and simple to do. This can be paired easily with Tiananmen Square.
The Great Wall of China
Another must-do in Beijing. If you are short on time, you can go to the Badaling section of the Great Wall, which is the most popular and well-known. If you have more time, I highly suggest taking a two-day hiking trip and hiking the Wild Great Wall, which is the unrestored section. The hike my friend and I did was through Beijing Hikers, and it started on the very old Qi section of the wall, which had been reduced to rubble; proceeded to the unrestored part of the Ming dynasty wall; and then finished at the restored part of the wall at "haohanpo," which, if you talk to a Chinese person, will get you some credit.
Additional Beijing Options: Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, and Yuanmingyuan. The Temple of Heaven is centrally located, but the Summer Palace and Yuanmingyuan are a bit further out, so they either require you to have more time in Beijing, or to hop on one of those tour buses that carts you around the city for the day. They are all worth a visit if you have the time.
Peking roast duck
Lastly, you must try the Peking roast duck (if you aren't vegetarian, that is). You can find Peking roast duck in pretty much any city, but it isn't the same as stuffing it down in the city that it originated from.
Beijing Extension Option: Tianjin is a city that's very close to Beijing, only about an hour and a half by high speed train. You can check out Exploring Tianjin attractions for options to do in Tianjin if you're sticking around the Beijing area for a longer period of time.
Day 8-10: Xi'an and the Terracotta Warriors
Finish your trip in Xi’an, an ancient city known for its historical treasures, most famously the terracotta warriors. Xi'an is great to visit as part of a 10 day China itinerary, not just because of the terracotta warriors, but because it has a completely different vibe to coastal and northern China. If you must go here during a Chinese holiday (which I don't recommend), you can read my tips on surviving Xi'an during a holiday.
Top Activities
Terracotta Warriors
Yes, the classic tourist destination at Xi'an, so of course this is a must-see. Go as early as you can for this attraction to avoid wait times. I also suggest purchasing a guided audio tour (they have ones available in many languages) to add context and information to your trip.
Huaqing Palace
Not far from the terracotta soldiers, Huaqing Palace is beautiful and much less crowded. There is a small hill, Lishan, you can climb up, or you can just hang around and view the beautiful rooms of the palace and outdoor gardens. If you took the bus to the terracotta warriors, you can take the same bus (306- can also take 307) to Huaqing Palace on the way back to Xi'an.
Muslim Food Corridor
A great option for foodies (and really everyone), the Muslim food corridor in Xi'an not only has delicious food, but has beautiful architecture and is a pleasure to walk through (so long as you don't go during a holiday, seriously). Make sure to try biang biang mian, a type of thick noodle dish, and rou jia mo, or the Chinese hamburger.
Xian Extension Options: Huashan is one of the many sacred mountains in China. Either you will love or hate that it has a cable car option, but if you're only able to be there for one day, then it is worth it to try to take the cable car. You can still do lots of hiking at the top to get to the "five peaks" of Huashan. However, if you can and enjoy hiking, take two days and take your time. I knew one coworker who was able to zip up and down all in one day without the cable car, but he seemed to be an exception and not the norm.
In addition to Huashan, the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, although almost a 5 hour drive from Xi'an, are only 1.5 hours away by high-speed train! You can find more information here through China Travel Guide about a day trip to Longmen grottoes from Xi'an.
And you're off again!
And there you have it- your 10 day China itinerary is complete. If you want to consider other areas in China beyond this itinerary, I recommend you check out my following blog posts, or you can go to the China Homepage for all posts:
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