First Time in China: How to Plan

How many days do you actually have?

Count full days on the ground, not calendar days. A 10-day holiday with long-haul flights on both ends often gives you seven usable days. As a rule: 7–8 days = two bases; 10 days = three bases; 14 days = four or five bases with one internal flight. Adding a city costs at least half a day in transfers plus the energy of packing and checking in. If you have less than a week, pick one region and go deep rather than trying to “see China”.

• 5–7 days: Beijing, or Shanghai + Hangzhou/Suzhou
• 8–10 days: Beijing + Xi’an + Shanghai
• 12–14 days: add Guilin/Yangshuo or Chengdu, or slow down the classic route
• 16+ days: add Yunnan, Zhangjiajie, or Tibet with permits

Choose a route shape, not a list of sights

The classic north-to-south route — Beijing → Xi’an → Guilin/Yangshuo → Shanghai — works because the rail and flight connections are good and each stop changes the mood: imperial capital, ancient capital, karst landscape, modern megacity. The food route — Beijing → Xi’an → Chengdu → Guangzhou — trades scenery for markets and restaurants, ending with Cantonese dim sum. The eastern city route — Shanghai → Suzhou → Hangzhou — is the easiest for a short first trip and the kindest in summer. Pick one shape and resist adding a city because it looks close on the map.

• Classic: Beijing (3) → Xi’an (2) → Guilin/Yangshuo (3) → Shanghai (2)
• Food: Beijing (2) → Xi’an (1) → Chengdu (2) → Guangzhou (2)
• Short/easy: Shanghai (3) → Suzhou (1) → Hangzhou (2)
• Nature: Guilin/Yangshuo + Zhangjiajie, with Shanghai as the gateway

Pace the days

A realistic sightseeing day has two major sights, not five. The Forbidden City plus Jingshan is a full morning; the Great Wall is a full day; the Terracotta Army is a half-day plus an hour each way. Build in one slow morning per three days and one no-plan evening per two. If you are travelling with children or parents, cut the daily sight count by a third. The best moments in China are often unplanned: a neighbourhood breakfast, a park full of dancers, a tea shop out of the rain.

Book in the right order

First the visa or visa-free eligibility, then international flights, then the internal transport spine (trains and any flights), then the sights that sell out, then hotels. Train tickets usually open about 15 days before departure; the Forbidden City and popular museums release timed tickets on their own schedules. Book refundable hotels early and adjust later. Do not book a non-refundable hotel before you have the train or flight that gets you there.

• Visa / entry scheme and passport validity
• International flights into one city and out of another (open-jaw)
• Internal trains and flights
• Timed sights: Forbidden City, museums, Zhangjiajie, Huangshan
• Hotels — refundable where possible

The first 48 hours

Land, get connected, get to the hotel, and eat something within walking distance. Day two should be light: a neighbourhood walk, one major sight, an early dinner. Do not book the Great Wall for the morning after a long-haul flight. If you are in Beijing, start with the Forbidden City and Jingshan; in Shanghai, walk the Bund at dusk and save the museums for a rainy day. The goal is to adjust to the time zone before the ambitious days begin.

What to skip on a first trip

Skip the checklist approach to temples — after the third one, they blur. Skip a day trip to a “water town” that takes three hours each way; Suzhou or Hangzhou is a better use of a day. Skip the expensive “authentic” tourist show unless you specifically want it. Skip trying to see both Beijing and Shanghai in three days. And skip the idea that you must see everything: a first trip is a scouting trip for the next one.