First-timer China — 21 days with northwest Silk Road extension

Day by day

1. Day 1 · beijing

   Arrival, Forbidden City

   Arrive Beijing. Pre-booked Forbidden City tickets. Jingshan park roofline view. Qianmen dinner.

   Attractions: forbidden-city, jingshan-park

   Stay in: Wangfujing or Dongcheng.

2. Day 2 · beijing

   Great Wall, Temple of Heaven

   Hired car to Mutianyu Wall. Back by 3pm. Temple of Heaven late afternoon. Peking duck.

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

3. Day 3 · beijing

   Summer Palace, Lama Temple, hutongs

   Summer Palace in the morning. Lama Temple after lunch. Evening hutong walk and evening train to Xi'an.

   Attractions: summer-palace, lama-temple, nanluoguxiang

   Overnight Z-train Beijing → Xi'an, ¥300 hard sleeper.

4. Day 4 · xian

   City Wall, Muslim Quarter

   Arrive morning. Bicycle circuit of the City Wall. Shaanxi History Museum. Muslim Quarter food street dinner.

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

   Stay in: Inside the City Wall.

5. Day 5 · xian

   Terracotta Army

   Full day at the Terracotta Army site and Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum museum.

   Attractions: terracotta-army

6. Day 6 · chengdu

   HSR to Chengdu, Jinli Old Street

   Morning HSR Xi'an → Chengdu (3h 30m). Afternoon settle in. Jinli Old Street for Sichuan snacks.

   Attractions: wenshu-monastery

   Stay in: Jinli or Kuanzhai Xiangzi area.

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

7. Day 7 · chengdu

   Panda Base, hot-pot

   Early Panda Base visit (before 9am). Afternoon at Jinsha Site Museum. Sichuan hot-pot dinner.

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

8. Day 8 · kunming

   Fly to Kunming, Green Lake Park

   Morning flight CTU → KMG (1h). Afternoon at Green Lake Park — red-billed gulls in winter months. Local Yunnan rice noodle dinner.

   Stay in: Kunming city, near Green Lake.

   Flight CTU → KMG, 1h, ¥250–400.

9. Day 9 · kunming

   Stone Forest

   Full day trip to the Stone Forest — dramatic karst pillars 90km southeast of Kunming.

   Attractions: stone-forest

10. Day 10 · dali

    HSR to Dali, Three Pagodas

    Morning HSR (2h). Arrive Dali. Three Pagodas of Chongsheng in the afternoon. Old Town cobbled lanes at dusk.

    Attractions: dali-three-pagodas

    Stay in: Dali Old Town.

    HSR Kunming → Dali, 2h, ¥120.

11. Day 11 · lijiang

    Coach to Lijiang, Old Town wander

    Morning coach (2.5h). Afternoon in Lijiang Old Town — UNESCO-listed Naxi waterway district. Black Dragon Pool at dusk.

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

    Stay in: Lijiang Old Town.

    Coach Dali → Lijiang, 2.5h, ¥55.

12. Day 12 · lijiang

    Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge

    Cable car to 4,506m on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Afternoon viewpoint stop at Tiger Leaping Gorge on the return.

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

13. Day 13 · xian

    Fly to Xi'an, rest day

    Morning flight LJG → XIY (2.5h). Rest afternoon; revisit the Muslim Quarter or the Tang West Market area.

    Attractions: small-wild-goose-pagoda

    Flight LJG → XIY, approx 2.5h.

14. Day 14 · lanzhou

    HSR to Lanzhou, Yellow River promenade

    Morning HSR Xi'an → Lanzhou (3h). Afternoon on the Yellow River waterfront. Hand-pulled beef noodles (lanzhou lamian) for dinner — the local institution.

    Stay in: Lanzhou city centre near Zhongshan Bridge.

    HSR Xi'an → Lanzhou, 3h, ¥240.

15. Day 15 · lanzhou

    Bingling Grottoes boat trip

    Full day excursion by boat from Liujiaxia Reservoir to the Bingling Temple grottoes — carved Buddhas in a riverside cliff. Return Lanzhou by evening.

16. Day 16 · zhangye

    HSR to Zhangye, Danxia rainbow hills

    Morning HSR (3h). Afternoon at the Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park — layered red, orange and purple sandstone hills. Sunset visit is most photogenic.

    Attractions: zhangye-danxia

    Stay in: Zhangye city or guesthouse near the Danxia park.

    HSR Lanzhou → Zhangye, 3h, ¥130.

17. Day 17 · jiayuguan

    HSR to Jiayuguan Pass

    Morning HSR (90 min). Full afternoon at Jiayuguan Fort — the westernmost pass of the Ming Great Wall, where China's known world ended. The desert beyond the gate is striking.

    Attractions: jiayuguan-pass

    Stay in: Jiayuguan city.

    HSR Zhangye → Jiayuguan, 90 min, ¥80.

18. Day 18 · dunhuang

    Train to Dunhuang, Crescent Lake

    Train to Dunhuang (2h from Liuyuan junction). Arrive afternoon. Crescent Lake and Mingsha Sand Dunes at sunset — camel rides available.

    Attractions: crescent-lake-mingsha

    Stay in: Dunhuang city.

    Train to Dunhuang via Liuyuan, approx 2h.

19. Day 19 · dunhuang

    Mogao Caves

    Full morning at the Mogao Cave complex (book months in advance — limited tickets). Afternoon at the Dunhuang Museum. Evening: night market near Shazhou.

    Attractions: mogao-caves

20. Day 20 · dunhuang

    Yumen Pass, Western Qing tombs

    Full-day 4WD excursion to Yumen Pass and Yangguan Fort — Han dynasty frontier ruins in a sand and gravel desert. Back to Dunhuang for a final lamb and flatbread dinner.

21. Day 21 · dunhuang

    Depart Dunhuang

    Fly Dunhuang → Xi'an or Beijing for international connection.

    Flight Dunhuang (DNH) → Xi'an or Beijing.

Budget guide (CNY per day)

Per person total 21 days including domestic flights (approx ¥3,000) and HSR (approx ¥1,500). International flights excluded.