Destinations in China — where to go
Three cities, three completely different Chinas — where to go and how many days each one earns.
China's three essential first-time stops are Beijing (imperial history, the Great Wall, 3–4 days), Shanghai (futuristic skyline, colonial-era streets, 2–3 days), and Xi'an (the Terracotta Army, 1–2 days). They connect easily by China's excellent high-speed rail network. A first-timer's route of Beijing → Xi'an → Shanghai over 10–12 days covers the country's headline sights without feeling rushed.
China does not do "small." Every city on this list is itself a metro area bigger than most countries, packed with enough history, food, and sheer scale to fill a trip on its own. The trick is picking two or three that complement each other rather than trying to see the whole country in ten days — here's every major first-timer destination, with an honest read on how much time it actually deserves.
Everyone locks in flights and hotels for the Beijing–Xi'an–Shanghai route months ahead, then panics when a search for train tickets on 12306 comes back empty. That's not a bug — China's high-speed rail tickets don't actually go on sale until 15 days before departure, released at 14:00 Beijing time, so no amount of early planning gets you a confirmed G-train seat any sooner than that. The unhurried move: get your 12306 account's passport verification done early (it can take up to three working days and isn't time-restricted), then just wait for the 15-day window to open instead of assuming something's wrong. Only during Chinese New Year or National Day is it worth setting an actual alarm for release time — the rest of the year, the seats show up right on schedule.
Beijing
3–4 days, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and 800 years of capital-city history.
Shanghai
2–3 days, a futuristic skyline, and the gentlest introduction to China.
Xi'an
1–2 days for one of the ancient world's genuine wonders, plus phenomenal street food.
Guilin & Yangshuo
2-3 days for the karst-peak scenery that looks fake in photos and isn't.
Chengdu
2-3 days for pandas, fiery hot pot, and China's most laid-back big city.
Zhangjiajie
2-3 days among the real-life floating mountains that inspired Avatar.
Hangzhou
A 45-minute train from Shanghai to one of China's most famous lakes.
Suzhou
The classical-garden city, a 25-minute bullet train from Shanghai.
Lijiang & Shangri-La
3-5 days for Yunnan's old towns, snow peaks, and Tibetan-influenced highlands.