City & region guides
China, city by city
Choose which places earn your limited days, how long to give each, and the booking details that change the route. We check official information and state what has not been field-tested.
Beijing
Empire-scale sights and the hutongs hiding between them.
Shanghai
Art-deco Bund, a skyline from the future, and great coffee.
Suzhou
Classical gardens, canal lanes, and a softer Jiangnan rhythm.
Hangzhou
West Lake at sunrise, temples in the hills, and tea-field walks.
Huangshan
Choose Tangkou, your gate direction and cable-car tickets before a mountain day.
Sanya
China’s tropical beach escape, best when you choose the right bay.
Chengdu
Pandas at dawn, peppercorns, and the slowest teahouses in the country.
Guangzhou
Old Cantonese neighborhoods, an expansive riverfront, and a city plan that leaves time for yum cha.
Shenzhen
A district-first guide to Futian, Huaqiangbei, Nanshan and the Hong Kong border choices between them.
Kunming
Green Lake, Dianchi and the southern flower-market route without repeatedly crossing the city.
Nanjing
Ming walls, lake walks, republican-era streets and one complete day on Zhongshan Mountain.
Qingdao
Red-roofed old streets, linked coastal walks and a separate decision for Laoshan.
Harbin
A season-first route for the historic center, Songhua River and the winter ice parks.
Changsha
Route the mountain, museum and Xiang River without spending the trip in food-shop queues.
Luoyang
Protect a full heritage day for Longmen, then connect the museum, old city and illuminated gates.
Wuhan
Group Wuchang, East Lake and Hankou so the trip is spent exploring rather than recrossing the Yangtze.
Xiamen
Reserve Gulangyu first, then divide the old city, south coast and one Huandao Road section across the trip.
Tianjin
Connect the Five Great Avenues, former concession streets and the Haihe without confusing the distant stations and districts.
Urumqi
Use two days for the museum, Red Hill and Grand Bazaar, then protect a separate day for Tianchi.
Dunhuang
Mogao cave art, desert light, and a trip that must be built around the fixed cave ticket.
Pingyao
A complete walled county city, merchant banking history, and lanes best seen after day-trippers leave.
Datong
Give Yungang and Hanging Temple separate days, with the right ticket for each.
Xi'an
Terracotta Army by day, the Muslim Quarter grills by night.
Guilin & Yangshuo
Karst peaks, slow river drifts, and bike-able backroads.
Yunnan
Old towns, rice terraces, snow peaks, and air that smells of pine.
Dali
Erhai Lake, Xizhou, old-town evenings, and how not to waste a lake day.
Lijiang
Old-town atmosphere, Baisha breathing room, and Jade Dragon altitude planning.
Shangri-La
Songzanlin, Dukezong, Napa Lake, and the altitude rules that matter.
Cross-border extensions
Hong Kong & Macao
Plan these as separate entry jurisdictions. Pick your arrival point before buying a train or ferry ticket.
Go one level deeper
Detailed guides inside each city
Use these when the city decision is already made and you need a practical answer for one stop.
More cities are being added as we get back on the ground. First, sort out the basics: visas & entry, getting online, mobile payments, and when to go.