Modern architecture tour — Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, 7 days

Day by day

1. Day 1 · shanghai

   Arrive Shanghai, Pudong skyline

   Arrive PVG. Check in to the French Concession. Afternoon: cross to Pudong on the pedestrian tunnel or ferry. Walk the Lujiazui riverfront: Shanghai Tower (J. Mayer H. / Gensler — 632m, the world's second-tallest building), Shanghai World Financial Centre (KPF — the distinctive trapezoidal opening), Jin Mao Tower (SOM — pagoda proportions in glass and steel). The three towers together form one of the most photographed skyline compositions in the world.

   Attractions: shanghai-tower

   Stay in: French Concession — well placed for both Pudong and central Shanghai.

2. Day 2 · shanghai

   The Bund historic facades, West Bund

   Morning walk the Bund — the 1920s–1930s treaty-port commercial facades facing the Pudong towers create an unintended architectural dialogue. Afternoon: West Bund (Xuhui Binjiang) — the 8.4km riverside arts corridor, including the Long Museum (Atelier Deshaus), the Tank Shanghai complex (repurposed industrial oil tanks) and the West Bund Art Centre (David Chipperfield). The scale of public investment in this riverside park and museum strip is considerable.

   Attractions: the-bund

3. Day 3 · beijing

   HSR to Beijing, CCTV Tower

   Morning G-train Shanghai → Beijing (4h 30m). Check in to Chaoyang or Dongcheng. Afternoon: the CCTV Headquarters (Rem Koolhaas/OMA, 2012) in the CBD — the looping structural frame is most clearly read from Guanghua Road to the south. Walk the surrounding China World Trade Centre area.

   Stay in: Chaoyang or Dongcheng — central for both heritage and contemporary sites.

   G-class HSR ¥553 second class.

4. Day 4 · beijing

   Olympic Park — Bird's Nest, Water Cube

   Olympic Green in the north of the city: the National Stadium (Herzog & de Meuron, 2008 — the Bird's Nest) and the National Aquatics Centre (PTW/Arup, 2008 — now the Ice Cube for curling). The park also holds the National Olympic Sports Centre and the Digital China Hub. The 2022 Winter Olympics reactivated these buildings for ice sports.

5. Day 5 · beijing

   National Museum, National Centre for Performing Arts

   Morning: the National Museum of China on Tiananmen Square (GMP Architects 2011 renovation — the world's largest museum by floor area). Afternoon: the National Centre for Performing Arts (Paul Andreu — a titanium-and-glass dome floating in an artificial lake, nicknamed 'the Egg'). Walk west along Chang'an Boulevard.

   Attractions: national-art-museum-china, capital-museum-beijing

6. Day 6 · guangzhou

   Fly to Guangzhou, Zhujiang New Town

   Morning flight PEK → CAN (2.5h). Arrive Guangzhou. Zhujiang New Town (the Pearl River new town — Guangzhou's planned CBD) contains a cluster of buildings by major international architects within walkable distance: the Guangzhou Opera House (Zaha Hadid, 2010), the Guangdong Museum (Rocco Design Architects, 2010), and the Canton Tower (Mark Hemel/Barbara Kuit, 2010 — 600m, a twisted lattice structure).

   Attractions: canton-tower

   Stay in: Zhujiang New Town or nearby Tianhe district.

   Domestic flight PEK → CAN, 2.5h, ¥500–800.

7. Day 7 · guangzhou

   Chen Clan Academy, departure

   Morning at the Chen Clan Academy (1894) for a counterpoint — the extraordinary density of carved ornament in traditional Lingnan architecture. Walk the Liwan district's older fabric. Fly CAN → home or onward connection.

   Flight CAN → onward connection.

Budget guide (CNY per day)

Per person total 7 days including HSR Beijing (¥553) and domestic flight (¥500–800). Most architectural sites are free to view from the exterior; some have entry fees (Bird's Nest ¥50, National Centre for Performing Arts ¥40). International flights excluded.