First trip to China: 14-day route I'd build today

If a friend asked me to plan their first two weeks in China today, this is the route I'd give them. It assumes they've never been, they're physically capable of long days of walking, and they want to see headline cultural sites without an over-packed schedule.

The route

**Days 1–4: Beijing.** Land at PEK. Hotel in Wangfujing or Qianmen. - Day 1 evening: walk Tiananmen, settle, dumplings. - Day 2: Forbidden City (book online ahead) + Jingshan + Beihai. Half-day at the National Museum. - Day 3: Mutianyu Wall by hired car. Half-day at the wall, drive back, Peking duck dinner. - Day 4: Temple of Heaven morning, then hutongs around Houhai, then 798 in late afternoon.

**Days 5–7: Xi'an.** HSR Beijing West to Xi'an North, 4h 30m morning. - Day 5 afternoon: Xi'an City Wall by bike, Muslim Quarter dinner. - Day 6: Terracotta Army (full half day). Big Wild Goose Pagoda evening. - Day 7: Shaanxi History Museum morning, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, late afternoon flight to Chengdu.

**Days 8–10: Chengdu and Sichuan.** Fly Xi'an → Chengdu (~2h 30m gate-to-gate). - Day 8: settle, Wuhou Shrine + Jinli Street evening. - Day 9: Panda Base early (open 7:30am, go at opening). Afternoon Leshan Giant Buddha day-trip by HSR. - Day 10: Mt Qingcheng + Dujiangyan, full day. Sichuan hot pot evening.

**Days 11–13: Guilin / Yangshuo.** Fly Chengdu → Guilin (~2h). - Day 11: bus to Yangshuo (~90 min), settle, West Street evening. - Day 12: Yulong River bamboo rafting morning, cycling afternoon. - Day 13: Li River cruise back to Guilin (4 hours), afternoon flight to Shanghai.

Day 14: Shanghai. Bund + Yu Garden morning, French Concession afternoon, depart from PVG evening (or stay one extra night for Shanghai Tower and Shanghai Museum).

Why these cities

Beijing for the imperial cultural core. The Forbidden City, Wall and Temple of Heaven anchor what 'China' means historically.

Xi'an for the deeper history layer. The Terracotta Army is one of the great archaeological sites of the world. The Muslim Quarter gives a cultural counterpoint.

Chengdu and Sichuan for the southwest cultural shift. Pandas, food, mountains. Easier than Yunnan or Tibet for first-timers but with the regional-culture flavour those places offer.

Guilin / Yangshuo for the landscape. The karst mountains are unlike anywhere else in the country and break up the city-heavy first 10 days.

Shanghai for the modern China contrast. Skyline, Western architecture, the Pudong-Bund juxtaposition.

Why not other places

• Hangzhou + Suzhou + Nanjing: lovely, but 14 days doesn't fit the eastern-China classical-gardens loop without compromising the headline list. Save for a second trip.
• Tibet: requires permits, altitude acclimatisation, and substantial logistics — not for a first trip.
• Yunnan loop (Lijiang, Dali, Shangri-La): wonderful but takes 8+ days alone. Save for trip two.
• Hong Kong + Macau: separate jurisdiction, separate vibe, deserves its own 4-day trip rather than a tacked-on day.

The pacing

This is a moderately-paced itinerary. Each city gets enough days to see the headline sights without rushing — typically 2-3 nights — but the transitions are real. Five inter-city moves in 14 days is a lot. If you want a calmer trip, drop Guilin/Yangshuo and add a day each to the other cities, or drop Xi'an (heretical but valid for shorter trips).

Costs

A mid-range version of this trip costs: - **Hotels**: ¥600–¥1,200/night × 13 nights = ¥8,000–¥16,000. - **Inter-city transport**: ¥4,000–¥6,000 (HSR + 2 domestic flights). - **Food**: ¥150–¥300/day × 14 = ¥2,000–¥4,000. - **Sights and activities**: ¥1,500–¥3,000. - **Local transport (metro, taxis)**: ¥500–¥1,000.

Total per person: ¥16,000–¥30,000 (~USD $2,200–$4,200) excluding international flights.

Visa

If you're from a country covered by the 30-day visa-free entry (most of the EU, UK, Australia, NZ, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, plus a growing list), no visa needed. Otherwise the standard L visa.

What to do differently

• More time in fewer places: cut Xi'an or Guilin if you'd rather have 5 days each in 3 cities.
• Add Hong Kong: tack on 4 days at the end if you have 18 total.
• Add a Yangtze cruise: 3 days from Chongqing to Yichang through the Three Gorges, replaces Guilin/Yangshuo.
• Train more, fly less: HSR Beijing → Xi'an → Chengdu is achievable (12+ hours total over two days); cuts cost and feels more like the country.

This is the route I'd build today. Adjust to taste.