Itinerary · 21 days · balanced

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

Three weeks across China: the classic eastern cities, a Yunnan highland loop, and a Silk Road extension through Gansu into the northwest — covering the range of what China actually contains.

Image pending

TBD. TBD

Twenty-one days allows you to move from the intensely populated eastern megacities through the Yunnan highlands and into the vast northwest of Gansu, where the Silk Road fortresses, Buddhist cave temples and desert dunes feel nothing like anywhere else in the country. The route runs east to west in the final week, finishing with a flight home from Dunhuang or back to Xi'an.

Day by day

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.
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
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.
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.
Day 5 · xian
Terracotta Army
Full day at the Terracotta Army site and Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum museum.
Attractions: terracotta-army
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.
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
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.
Day 9 · kunming
Stone Forest
Full day trip to the Stone Forest — dramatic karst pillars 90km southeast of Kunming.
Attractions: stone-forest
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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)

Backpacker	¥4500
Mid-range	¥11000
Comfortable	¥25000

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

Cities covered

Attractions covered

Verified May 2026

Day by day

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.

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

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.

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.

Day 5 · xian

Terracotta Army

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

Attractions: terracotta-army

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.

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

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.

Day 9 · kunming

Stone Forest

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

Attractions: stone-forest

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Day 21 · dunhuang

Depart Dunhuang

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

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