This is the canonical first-time-in-China itinerary — three megacities, each with a distinct identity. Beijing is the imperial city: the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and the Temple of Heaven represent 600 years of dynastic power concentrated in one urban landscape. Xi'an was the capital before Beijing — the Terracotta Army was buried here in 210 BCE, the Silk Road began here, and the city wall is one of the most intact in the world. Shanghai is modern China: the colonial waterfront, the Pudong towers, the French Concession, and the most forward-looking restaurant and arts scene in the country. The HSR from Beijing to Xi'an takes 4h 30m; from Xi'an to Shanghai, 6 hours. Seven days is enough for the headline sights without rushing — but two weeks is more comfortable. If a week is the window available, this itinerary works.

Day by day

Day 1 · beijing

Arrival and Tiananmen / Forbidden City

Land at PEK (Capital Airport, Terminal 3) or PKX (Daxing Airport). Airport Express from PEK reaches Dongzhimen Station in 25 minutes (¥25); from Dongzhimen, metro to the hotel. Check in near Wangfujing or Qianmen — walking distance of the imperial core. Afternoon: Tiananmen Square (the world's largest public square; free; the flag-raising ceremony at dawn is the most attended, but the square is interesting at any time) and the National Museum of China on the square's eastern side (free, largest museum in the world, outstanding history collection).

Attractions: tiananmen-square, national-museum-china

Stay in: Wangfujing or Qianmen

Day 2 · beijing

Forbidden City and Jingshan

Pre-booked online tickets for the Forbidden City (booking opens 7 days ahead; tickets sell out, especially on weekends and public holidays). Enter through the Meridian Gate (south); follow the central axis through the three main ceremonial halls (Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central Harmony, Hall of Preserved Harmony) and into the residential courts and Imperial Garden. The Palace Museum holds 1.8 million objects; the rotating exhibitions are in the side wings. Exit north into Jingshan Park and climb to the Wanshu Pavilion for the aerial view — this is the best single photograph in Beijing. Afternoon in Beihai Park.

Attractions: forbidden-city

Day 3 · beijing

Great Wall day

Hired car to Mutianyu section of the Great Wall (90 minutes from central Beijing, ¥600–¥900 round trip with waiting time). The Mutianyu section is 2 km of restored wall with 22 watchtowers — the best-maintained section open to visitors, less crowded than Badaling. Cable car ascent (¥140 return); toboggan descent (¥60 [VERIFY]). Aim to be on the wall by 10am. Return to Beijing by 3pm. Evening Peking duck dinner — Quanjude (traditional, founded 1864) or Da Dong (modern, less sauce-heavy version) are the standard recommendations.

Attractions: great-wall-mutianyu

Hired car ¥600–¥900 with wait. Or organised group tour ¥300–¥500 per person.

Day 4 · xian

HSR to Xi'an, evening Muslim Quarter

Morning HSR from Beijing West Station to Xi'an North (4h 30m, ¥515 G-class second class). Arrive early afternoon. Taxi from Xi'an North HSR station to the old city centre (20 minutes, ¥25). The 14 km city wall has bicycle hire at the South Gate (Yongningmen) — a 1.5-hour circuit on top of the wall puts the city's scale into perspective. Dinner in the Muslim Quarter (Huimin Jie / Beiyuanmen): the Beiyuanmen food street runs 500m from the Great Mosque gate and is most atmospheric after dark.

Attractions: xian-city-wall, muslim-quarter-xian

Stay in: Inside the Xi'an City Wall, near the South Gate (Yongningmen).

G-class HSR ¥515 second class.

Day 5 · xian

Terracotta Army

Taxi or tour bus to the Terracotta Army (Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum Site Museum), 40 km east of Xi'an. Allow a half-day: Pit 1 (the main hall with over 6,000 individually modelled soldiers in formation), Pit 2 (cavalry and archers, partially excavated), Pit 3 (the command structure, smallest pit), and the Bronze Chariots Museum. Return to the city by noon. Afternoon: Shaanxi History Museum (Shaanxi Lishi Bowuguan) — one of China's four best provincial museums, with an extraordinary Tang-dynasty gold and silver collection. Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the musical fountain show in the south plaza for the evening.

Attractions: terracotta-army, big-wild-goose-pagoda, shaanxi-history-museum

Day 6 · shanghai

HSR to Shanghai, the Bund at dusk

Morning HSR from Xi'an North to Shanghai Hongqiao (6 hours, ¥670 G-class second class — one of China's longest non-stop HSR routes). Arrive mid-afternoon at Hongqiao, transfer to hotel. Walk to the Bund as the sun sets and the Pudong lights come on across the river — the juxtaposition of the 1920s colonial facades (now bank offices and luxury hotels) and the 21st-century skyline is the defining Shanghai visual. Dinner in the French Concession: Yongkang Road, Wukang Road, or Xintiandi all work.

Attractions: the-bund, french-concession

Stay in: The Bund / People's Square, or French Concession.

G-class HSR ¥670 second class.

Day 7 · shanghai

Yu Garden, Pudong, departure

Morning at Yu Garden (豫园) — a 5-hectare Ming-dynasty private garden, surrounded by a bazaar of small shops selling traditional crafts and food. Arrive by 9am to beat the coach groups. Cross the Huangpu River to Pudong: the pedestrian sightseeing tunnel or the public ferry from the Bund (¥2). The Shanghai Tower (632m, second tallest in the world) observation deck is the most vertigo-inducing vantage point in Shanghai; the Sky Walk at 546m gives outdoor exposure on the building's exterior. Depart from Pudong International Airport (PVG) for international connections.

Attractions: yu-garden, shanghai-tower

Per day per person. Total HSR fares: ¥515 (Beijing–Xi'an) + ¥670 (Xi'an–Shanghai) = ¥1,185. Forbidden City ¥60. Terracotta Army ¥120. Great Wall cable car ¥140.

Backpacker	¥700
Mid-range	¥1500
Comfortable	¥3500

One week China classics — Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai