The Classic First Trip

经典首次中国行

Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai, linked entirely by high-speed rail, with enough slack built in to actually enjoy them.

Photo: Pixelflake · CC BY-SA 3.0

Length: 14 days
Pace: Moderate
Best season: April–May, September–November
Budget: ¥7,500–10,500 per person

If you have never been to China and you have two weeks, this is the route. It covers the imperial north, the Silk Road's eastern terminus and the modern coastal metropolis, it requires no domestic flights, and every leg is a comfortable half-day on a bullet train. The mistake most first-timers make is compressing it to ten days and adding a fourth city; resist that.

→Day by day

Day 1

Beijing
Land, register at the hotel, and do nothing demanding. Jingshan Park at sunset for the view over the Forbidden City, then dinner in the hutongs.
Day 2

Beijing
Forbidden City on the first morning slot, booked seven days ahead. Afternoon at the Temple of Heaven, then Qianmen for dinner.
Day 3

Great Wall
Mutianyu at opening. Back by mid-afternoon; Peking duck in the evening.
Day 4

Beijing
Summer Palace in the morning, 798 Art District in the afternoon, or a hutong cycling day if you'd rather slow down.
Day 5

Beijing → Xi'an
Morning bullet train, 4h30. Afternoon cycling the city wall, evening in the Muslim Quarter.
Day 6

Xi'an
Terracotta Army — Pits 2 and 3 first, then Pit 1. Huaqing Palace on the way back if you have energy.
Day 7

Xi'an
Shaanxi History Museum (book seven days out), Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and the fountain show at 20:30.
Day 8

Xi'an → Luoyang → Xi'an
Optional day trip to the Longmen Grottoes, 1h30 each way. Or a slow day in Xi'an — both are good calls.
Day 9

Xi'an → Shanghai
Bullet train, 6h. Evening on the Bund.
Day 10

Shanghai
Shanghai Museum in the morning, French Concession walking in the afternoon, Shanghai Tower at dusk.
Day 11

Suzhou
Day trip, 25 minutes each way. Humble Administrator's Garden at 07:30 opening, Suzhou Museum, Pingjiang Road.
Day 12

Hangzhou
Overnight trip. Su Causeway at dawn the next morning; Lingyin Temple; the Impression West Lake show.
Day 13

Hangzhou → Shanghai
Longjing tea villages in the morning, back to Shanghai for the evening. West Bund galleries if you have the appetite.
Day 14

Shanghai
Yu Garden at opening, last shopping, fly out.