The capital concentrates the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and the Summer Palace, all reachable on foot or by metro. Allow three full days, plus a full day for the Great Wall: the Mutianyu section, 1h30 by road, is less crowded than Badaling and has a cable car and a toboggan run. To the northwest, Datong adds the Yungang Buddhist grottoes, 51,000 statues carved in the 5th century.
Former capital of thirteen dynasties, Xi'an is linked to Beijing by a 4h30 high-speed train. The Terracotta Army, 40 minutes to the east, must be booked online and is best visited at opening (8:30 a.m.) to beat the crowds. The 14 km Ming ramparts can be cycled at sunset, and the Muslim Quarter comes alive in the evening around its noodle and skewer stalls.
Shanghai takes two days: the Bund facing the Pudong towers, the French Concession, Yu Garden and the Shanghai Museum. Around it, the Jiangnan region lines up water towns: Suzhou and its classical gardens 25 minutes away by train, Hangzhou and West Lake under an hour. A three to four-day extension is enough to close this cultural triangle before heading west or south.
Chengdu, 3h40 from Xi'an by fast train, is the base for Sichuan. The giant panda research base opens at 7:30 a.m., when the animals feed, and takes half a day. The Leshan Giant Buddha, carved into the cliff and 71 metres tall, is a 1h30 train ride away. The city itself is best experienced in its teahouses and its fiery cuisine.
The karst south holds China's most photographed scenery. The Li River cruise between Guilin and Yangshuo lasts about four hours through a landscape of limestone peaks. From Yangshuo you cycle through the rice fields of the Yulong valley, and the Longji terraces, 2h30 to the north, are green from May to October. Plan three nights so you are not rushing everything.
On the edge of Tibet and Southeast Asia, Yunnan lines up temperate Kunming, the old town of Dali on Erhai Lake, and Lijiang, a maze of canals listed by UNESCO. Tiger Leaping Gorge is a two-day hike. The region needs a week of its own and combines poorly with the north on a first trip: keep it for a second visit or a long circuit.
The network exceeds 45,000 km of high-speed lines and makes domestic flights almost pointless between major cities. Tickets are bought on the 12306 app or via Trip.com, up to 15 days ahead, and your passport is your ticket at the gate. Arrive 40 minutes early: Chinese stations work like airports, with security checks and boarding halls. Beijing-Shanghai: 4h20 for 1,300 km.
