China Trip Planner – Build Your Custom Itinerary in 5 Minutes
You know which cities you want to visit. Now you need the actual day-by-day: what to see each morning, where to eat between attractions, how to get from one city to the next, and how many days to spend in each place. The interactive planner (coming soon) handles all of this automatically. Until then, the pre-built itineraries below are ready to copy, customize, and use.
Interactive Itinerary Planner (Coming Soon)
The interactive planner will let you: drag cities onto a timeline → set your pace (fast/moderate/slow) → auto-calculate travel times between cities → get suggested attractions and restaurants for each day. In the meantime, use the sample itineraries below.
Pre-Built Sample Itineraries
Itinerary 1: 3-Day Shanghai Express
| Day | Schedule |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive Shanghai Pudong (PVG). Maglev to city (8 min). Check in. Afternoon: the Bund walk — colonial buildings on one side, Pudong skyline on the other. Evening: rooftop bar at The Captain (Fuzhou Road). Stay: Jing'an or Bund area |
| Day 2 | Morning: Yuyuan Garden & City God Temple (arrive 8:30 AM). Lunch: xiaolongbao at Jia Jia Tang Bao. Afternoon: Former French Concession walk — Wukang Road, Tianzifang alleys. Evening: shengjian bao dinner. Stay: French Concession |
| Day 3 | Morning: Shanghai Tower observation deck (632m, 118th floor). Lunch: scallion oil noodles near the tower. Afternoon: Maglev to PVG. Fly out |
Itinerary 2: 5-Day Beijing + Xi'an Combo
| Day | Schedule |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive Beijing. Afternoon: Tiananmen Square → Forbidden City (book 7 days ahead). Evening: Jingshan Park sunset view over palace rooftops. Peking duck dinner at Siji Minfu. Stay: Wangfujing |
| Day 2 | Full day: Great Wall at Mutianyu (cable car up, toboggan down). Leave 7 AM, back by 2 PM. Late afternoon: Summer Palace. Evening: Ghost Street (簋街) for spicy crawfish. Stay: Wangfujing |
| Day 3 | Morning: Temple of Heaven (tai chi at dawn). Lunch: zhajiangmian. Afternoon: Hutong walk (Nanluoguxiang). Evening: 4.5-hr high-speed train to Xi'an (¥515). Stay: Xi'an Bell Tower area |
| Day 4 | Morning: Terracotta Warriors (arrive 8:30 AM, hire guide ¥150). Lunch: biangbiang noodles. Afternoon: City Wall — rent a bike, ride the full 14 km at sunset. Evening: Muslim Quarter food crawl. Stay: Bell Tower |
| Day 5 | Morning: Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Lunch: yangrou paomo. Fly out from Xi'an Xianyang (XIY) |
Beijing Guide → · Xi'an Guide →
Itinerary 3: 7-Day Classic — Beijing → Xi'an → Shanghai
| Day | City | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beijing | Arrive. Afternoon: Forbidden City. Evening: Jingshan Park. Dinner: Peking duck |
| 2 | Beijing | Full day: Great Wall at Mutianyu. Afternoon: Summer Palace |
| 3 | Beijing → Xi'an | Morning: Temple of Heaven. Afternoon: 4.5-hr high-speed train to Xi'an. Evening: Muslim Quarter |
| 4 | Xi'an | Morning: Terracotta Warriors. Afternoon: City Wall cycling at sunset |
| 5 | Xi'an → Shanghai | Morning: Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Afternoon: 2.5-hr flight to Shanghai. Evening: the Bund |
| 6 | Shanghai | Morning: Yuyuan Garden. Afternoon: French Concession walk. Evening: Shanghai Tower |
| 7 | Shanghai | Morning: free exploration. Fly out from PVG |
Route: Golden Triangle →
Itinerary 4: 10-Day Golden Route + Guilin
| Day | City | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Beijing | Forbidden City, Great Wall, Temple of Heaven. Overnight train to Xi'an |
| 3–4 | Xi'an | Terracotta Warriors, City Wall, Muslim Quarter. Train to Chengdu (3.5 hrs) |
| 5–6 | Chengdu | Panda Base, hot pot, People's Park tea house. Fly to Guilin (2 hrs) |
| 7–8 | Guilin/Yangshuo | Li River cruise, Yangshuo countryside cycling, Yulong River bamboo raft. Fly to Shanghai (2.5 hrs) |
| 9–10 | Shanghai | The Bund, French Concession, Shanghai Tower. Fly out |
Route: 10-Day Golden + Guilin →
Itinerary 5: 14-Day Complete China
| Day | City | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Beijing | Forbidden City, Great Wall (Mutianyu), Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, hutongs. Peking duck dinner. Stay: Wangfujing |
| 4 | Train: Beijing → Xi'an (4.5 hrs) | Morning temple. Afternoon train. Evening: Muslim Quarter food crawl. Stay: Bell Tower |
| 5–6 | Xi'an | Terracotta Warriors, City Wall cycling, Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Biangbiang noodles, roujiamo. Train to Chengdu (3.5 hrs) |
| 7–9 | Chengdu | Panda Base (7:30 AM), Wuhou Shrine, People's Park tea house, Jinli Street. Hot pot, dan dan noodles. Fly to Guilin (2 hrs) |
| 10–11 | Guilin/Yangshuo | Li River cruise, e-scooter countryside, Yulong River bamboo raft. Beer fish dinner. Fly to Shanghai (2.5 hrs) |
| 12–14 | Shanghai | The Bund, French Concession, Shanghai Tower, day trip to Suzhou (25 min train). Xiaolongbao farewell. Fly out |
Full day-by-day: 14-Day Golden Route →
How to Use the Planner
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1. Pick your duration | Start with how many days you have. The itineraries above are organized by length |
| 2. Choose your template | Copy the itinerary closest to your interests. Swap cities as needed |
| 3. Check travel times | All city connections are listed with duration. High-speed trains: book 1–2 weeks ahead |
| 4. Adjust your pace | 2 days per city is fast. 3 days is comfortable. 4+ days is slow travel |
| 5. Book in this order | Flights → hotels → trains → attraction tickets (Forbidden City, Terracotta Warriors first) |
Tips for a Well-Balanced China Itinerary
| Tip | Why |
|---|---|
| Alternate city types | Follow a big city (Beijing) with a smaller one (Xi'an → Chengdu). Prevents megacity fatigue |
| Build in a rest day | Every 3–4 days, have a "zero day" — no planned activities. Sleep in. Sit in a teahouse for 3 hours. These are often the best days |
| Start north, end south (or vice versa) | Beijing → Xi'an → Chengdu → Guilin → Shanghai is the classic sequence — geographic logic without backtracking. Full route → |
| Book flexible middle days | Lock in the first 2–3 days and the last day. Leave the middle flexible — you'll discover things you want to spend more time on |
| Overnight trains save time | A Beijing→Xi'an overnight train (12 hrs) costs half the high-speed fare AND saves a hotel night. Arrive at 7 AM, ready to explore |
| Check opening days | Forbidden City, Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Nanjing Museum: closed Mondays. Plan around closures |
| Fly the long gaps, train the short ones | Train: <6 hours (Beijing–Xi'an, Xi'an–Chengdu). Fly: >6 hours or no direct train (Chengdu–Guilin) |
Frequently Asked Questions
How to plan a trip to China?
Start with your available days. Pick 1 city per 2–3 days (10 days = 3–4 cities). Book in this order: international flights → visa → hotels → domestic trains → attraction tickets. Use the pre-built itineraries above as templates. Full planning guide →
How many days should I spend in each Chinese city?
Beijing: 3–4 days (Forbidden City + Great Wall + Temple of Heaven + hutongs). Shanghai: 2–3 days (Bund + French Concession + maybe Suzhou day trip). Xi'an: 2–3 days (Warriors + City Wall + Muslim Quarter). Chengdu: 2–3 days (Pandas + hot pot + tea house). Guilin/Yangshuo: 2–3 days (Li River + cycling). Smaller cities like Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing: 2 days each.
Is it better to fly or take the train between cities?
Train for trips under 6 hours (Beijing–Xi'an 4.5 hrs, Xi'an–Chengdu 3.5 hrs, Shanghai–Hangzhou 45 min). Trains are downtown-to-downtown, more reliable, and you can work or watch the scenery. Fly for trips over 6 hours or with no direct train (Chengdu–Guilin, Guilin–Shanghai). Airport comparison →