First-timer China — 14 days with Yunnan loop

Day by day

1. Day 1 · beijing

   Arrival, Forbidden City

   Arrive Beijing PEK or PKX. Pre-booked Forbidden City tickets for mid-afternoon. Evening at Nanluoguxiang hutong.

   Attractions: forbidden-city, nanluoguxiang

   Stay in: Wangfujing or Dongcheng.

2. Day 2 · beijing

   Great Wall at Mutianyu

   Hired car to Mutianyu. Three to four hours on the wall. Back in Beijing by 3pm. Temple of Heaven late afternoon. Peking duck dinner.

   Attractions: great-wall-mutianyu, temple-of-heaven

3. Day 3 · beijing

   Summer Palace, Lama Temple

   Morning Summer Palace — Long Corridor and Kunming Lake. Afternoon Lama Temple. Evening travel to Xi'an by HSR or overnight train.

   Attractions: summer-palace, lama-temple

   Evening HSR to Xi'an, 4h 30m, ¥515. Or Z-train overnight ¥300 sleeper.

4. Day 4 · xian

   City Wall, Shaanxi History Museum

   Arrive morning. Bicycle on the City Wall circuit. Afternoon Shaanxi History Museum (book online). Muslim Quarter for dinner.

   Attractions: xian-city-wall, shaanxi-history-museum

   Stay in: Inside the old city walls.

5. Day 5 · xian

   Terracotta Army

   Full morning at the Terracotta Army site. Afternoon: Small Wild Goose Pagoda. Evening departure to Chengdu by high-speed train.

   Attractions: terracotta-army, small-wild-goose-pagoda

   HSR Xi'an → Chengdu East, 3h 30m, ¥465.

6. Day 6 · chengdu

   Panda Base, Jinsha Museum

   Early Chengdu Panda Base (arrive before 9am for feeding). Afternoon: Jinsha Site Museum — Bronze Age Shu civilisation artefacts. Hot-pot dinner.

   Attractions: panda-base-chengdu, jinsha-site-museum

   Stay in: Jinli or Kuanzhai Xiangzi area.

7. Day 7 · chengdu

   Wenshu Monastery, Kuanzhai Xiangzi

   Leisurely morning at Wenshu Monastery. Afternoon in the Wide and Narrow Alley (Kuanzhai Xiangzi) — tea houses, Sichuan snacks, craft shops. Evening flight to Kunming.

   Attractions: wenshu-monastery

   Flight CTU → KMG, approx 1h, ¥300–500.

8. Day 8 · kunming

   Stone Forest day trip

   Morning rest and orientation in Kunming (the 'Spring City', mild year-round). Afternoon bus or driver to the Stone Forest (Shilin) — 90km southeast, remarkable limestone karst formations at ground level. Return to Kunming for the night.

   Attractions: stone-forest

   Stay in: Kunming city centre near Green Lake.

9. Day 9 · dali

   High-speed train to Dali, Three Pagodas

   Morning HSR Kunming → Dali (2h, ¥120). Arrive late morning. Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple after lunch. Wander the cobbled lanes of Dali Old Town. Erhai lakefront at sunset.

   Attractions: dali-three-pagodas

   Stay in: Dali Old Town — guesthouses on Renmin Lu or Fuxing Lu.

   HSR Kunming → Dali, 2h, ¥120.

10. Day 10 · lijiang

    Bus to Lijiang, Lijiang Old Town

    Morning coach Dali → Lijiang (2.5h, ¥55). Lijiang Old Town is a UNESCO site of cobbled waterways and Naxi architecture at 2,400m elevation. Afternoon: wander the old town canals. Black Dragon Pool in the late afternoon for the jade peak reflection.

    Attractions: lijiang-old-town, black-dragon-pool-lijiang

    Stay in: Lijiang Old Town — near the central market square.

    Coach Dali → Lijiang, 2.5h, ¥55.

11. Day 11 · lijiang

    Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

    Day trip to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (cable car to 4,506m; hire a down jacket at the top). Tiger Leaping Gorge viewpoint on the return if time allows. Back in Lijiang for dinner at a Naxi restaurant.

    Attractions: jade-dragon-snow-mountain, tiger-leaping-gorge

12. Day 12 · shanghai

    Fly Lijiang to Shanghai, the Bund

    Morning flight LJG → PVG (3h). Arrive mid-afternoon. Check in and walk the Bund in the early evening as the Pudong towers illuminate. French Concession dinner.

    Attractions: the-bund, french-concession

    Stay in: French Concession or near the Bund.

    Flight LJG → PVG, approx 3h, ¥600–900.

13. Day 13 · shanghai

    Yu Garden, Tianzifang, Shanghai Tower

    Morning Yu Garden and Old Town. Afternoon Tianzifang for coffee and boutiques. Late afternoon: Shanghai Tower observation deck. Riverside dinner at a restaurant on the Bund.

    Attractions: yu-garden, tianzifang, shanghai-tower

14. Day 14 · shanghai

    Jade Buddha Temple, M50, departure

    Morning: Jade Buddha Temple. A walk down Moganshan Road to the M50 art district. Lunch in Jing'an. Transfer to PVG for departure.

    Attractions: jade-buddha-temple-shanghai, m50-art-district

Budget guide (CNY per day)

Per person total 14 days including domestic flights (approx ¥2,500) and HSR. International flights excluded.