Three weeks deep — adds Yunnan and Tibet

Day by day

1. Day 1 · beijing

   Arrival

   Arrive at PEK or PKX. Check in near Tiananmen — the Qianmen or Wangfujing areas are most convenient for the first two days. Brief evening walk to Tiananmen Square (free, open until 10pm) for orientation.

   Attractions: tiananmen-square

2. Day 2 · beijing

   Forbidden City

   Book Forbidden City tickets online at least 3 days in advance — they sell out frequently. Enter via Tiananmen Gate in the morning; exit north into Jingshan Park for the aerial view. Afternoon in Beihai Park or the Nanluoguxiang hutong area. Evening Peking duck dinner.

   Attractions: forbidden-city

3. Day 3 · beijing

   Great Wall

   Hired car to Mutianyu (90 minutes each way, ¥600–¥900 round trip). Cable car up, toboggan down — the toboggan run alongside the wall is the most memorable exit. Return to Beijing by 4pm. Evening in the 798 Art District if energy allows.

   Attractions: great-wall-mutianyu

4. Day 4 · beijing

   Temple of Heaven, 798, hutongs

   Morning at the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan Park) — the circular Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is the defining Beijing image after the Forbidden City; the Circular Mound Altar is geometrically significant. Afternoon at the 798 Art District in Dashanzi — a former East German-designed factory complex now containing dozens of commercial galleries and the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art. Evening hutong walk around Shichahai.

   Attractions: temple-of-heaven, 798-art-district

5. Day 5 · xian

   HSR to Xi'an

   Morning HSR from Beijing West to Xi'an North (4.5 hours, ¥515). Arrive mid-afternoon. The City Wall bicycle circuit takes 1.5 hours — the best way to appreciate the wall's scale. Evening Muslim Quarter food street: roujiamo, paomo soup, persimmon cakes, cumin lamb skewers.

   Attractions: xian-city-wall

   HSR Beijing West → Xi'an North, 4.5h, ¥515.

6. Day 6 · xian

   Terracotta Army

   Full morning at the Terracotta Army — Pit 1 (6,000+ soldiers, the main hall), Pit 2 (cavalry and archers), Pit 3 (the command structure), and the Bronze Chariots Museum. Afternoon at the Shaanxi History Museum and Big Wild Goose Pagoda fountain show.

   Attractions: terracotta-army

7. Day 7 · chengdu

   Fly to Chengdu, Wuhou Shrine

   Short domestic flight Xi'an → Chengdu (1 hour, ¥600–¥1,000). Afternoon at Wuhou Shrine and the adjacent Jinli Street food-and-craft pedestrian area. Chengdu evening means hot pot — the Sichuan format (numbing-spicy, with a dozen component plates) is the local default.

   Attractions: wuhou-shrine

   Domestic flight, ~1h.

8. Day 8 · chengdu

   Panda Base, Leshan

   Pre-7am departure for the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base — the pandas are active from 7–10am before their mid-morning sleep. Return by noon. Afternoon HSR to Leshan (1 hour) for the Giant Buddha (Dafo) — a 71m Tang-dynasty Buddha carved into the cliff face at the confluence of three rivers. The Buddha has been viewed from the water (by boat) and from the cliff staircase; the boat view shows the full scale better.

   Attractions: panda-base-chengdu, leshan-giant-buddha

9. Day 9 · kunming

   Fly to Kunming, Stone Forest

   Domestic flight Chengdu → Kunming (1 hour, ¥500–¥900). Arrive Kunming and take a taxi or bus 90 km to the Stone Forest (Shilin) — 270 million-year-old limestone pinnacles, some 30m tall. Return to Kunming by evening. Green Lake Park area for dinner.

   Attractions: stone-forest

   Domestic flight, ~1h.

10. Day 10 · dali

    HSR to Dali, Erhai Lake

    High-speed rail Kunming South → Dali (2 hours, ¥90–¥150). Dali Old Town (Dayan Ancient City) and the Bai architecture. Afternoon on the Erhai Lake shore or cycling the lakeside road north to Xizhou. The Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, 3 km north of the old town gate, are the defining skyline image of Dali.

    Attractions: dali-three-pagodas

11. Day 11 · lijiang

    HSR to Lijiang, Old Town

    Rail Dali → Lijiang (1 hour, ¥60–¥80). Lijiang Dayan Old Town (UNESCO) is the most visited Naxi settlement — cobblestone lanes, running-water channels, traditional wooden shopfronts, and the Black Dragon Pool park. Check in inside or adjacent to the old town. Evening walk through the market square area.

    Attractions: lijiang-old-town

12. Day 12 · lijiang

    Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

    The Glacier Park cable car reaches 4,506m above sea level on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Book through the hotel or tourism office in advance — tickets are limited and sell out. The altitude is genuinely challenging; walk slowly and don't stay more than 1–2 hours at the top. The mountain's ice-spire peaks and the cloud-sea view from the glacier park are the visual culmination of the Yunnan section.

    Attractions: jade-dragon-snow-mountain

13. Day 13 · lhasa

    Fly to Lhasa, rest day

    Domestic flight from Lijiang or Kunming to Lhasa (LXA). The Tibet Travel Permit and a licensed agency arrange this flight connection. Arrive Lhasa mid-afternoon. Check in to hotel in the Old Town near the Barkhor — this location is mandatory for the days that follow. Rest completely today; the altitude (3,656m) requires it. Drink water, avoid alcohol, take altitude medication if prescribed.

    Stay in: Old Town near the Barkhor

    Domestic flight; permit and licensed agency required.

14. Day 14 · lhasa

    Jokhang and Barkhor

    Walk the Barkhor pilgrim circuit — the kora around the Jokhang Temple that is continuously walked by Tibetan pilgrims prostrating and spinning prayer wheels. Visit the Jokhang Temple interior (the holiest Tibetan Buddhist temple, containing the Jowo Rinpoche statue). Afternoon rest is advisable — altitude adjustment continues through day 2.

    Attractions: jokhang-temple

15. Day 15 · lhasa

    Potala Palace

    Timed permit entry to the Potala Palace — arranged through the agency in advance. The palace's Red Palace contains the funerary stupas of past Dalai Lamas; the White Palace contains the administrative and residential quarters. The 118-step climb from the courtyard is slow at altitude; the interior is dim and crowded but the scale of the chapel spaces is extraordinary.

    Attractions: potala-palace

16. Day 16 · lhasa

    Drepung Monastery and free time

    Drepung Monastery west of Lhasa was once the world's largest monastery. Afternoon free — Norbulingka (summer palace) garden, or the traditional medicine hospital and market in the Barkhor area. Evening at a Tibetan restaurant near the old town.

    Attractions: drepung-monastery

17. Day 17 · shanghai

    Fly to Shanghai

    Early morning flight from Lhasa Gonggar to Shanghai. The flight typically routes via Chengdu or Xi'an; allow a connection buffer of 2 hours. Arrive Shanghai afternoon; transfer to hotel in the French Concession or near the Bund. Evening walk along the Bund waterfront.

    Domestic flight, typically via Chengdu. ~5h total travel.

18. Day 18 · shanghai

    Bund, French Concession

    Morning Bund walk (the historic waterfront colonnade on the Huangpu River's west bank; the Pudong towers across the river provide the 21st-century counterpoint). Afternoon in the French Concession — Wukang Mansion at the junction of 10 streets, Fuxing Park, the former Sun Yat-sen residence. Evening dinner on Xintiandi.

    Attractions: the-bund, french-concession

19. Day 19 · shanghai

    Pudong

    Cross the Huangpu River to Pudong by the pedestrian sightseeing tunnel or ferry from the Bund. Shanghai Tower observation deck at 546m (indoor) is the second tallest building in China. The Shanghai Museum's second branch, the Shanghai Museum East (东馆), opened on People's Square in 2023 and houses the ship-model collection and trade history galleries.

    Attractions: shanghai-tower, shanghai-museum

20. Day 20 · shanghai

    Day trip to Suzhou or Hangzhou

    HSR from Shanghai Hongqiao to Suzhou (25 minutes, ¥30) for the classical gardens — the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Lingering Garden, or the Master of Nets Garden; pick two and go deep rather than rushing through all. Or HSR to Hangzhou (45 minutes, ¥80) for West Lake and the China National Tea Museum. Return to Shanghai by evening.

    Attractions: humble-administrators-garden

21. Day 21 · shanghai

    Departure

    Transfer to Pudong International Airport (PVG). Allow 3 hours before international departure time; check visa exit requirements before arrival at the airport if this is a multi-entry visa trip.

Budget guide (CNY per day)

Per day per person average across 21 days. Tibet 4-day agency package ¥3,500–¥6,000 per person additional. Domestic flights Xi'an→Chengdu, Chengdu→Kunming, Lijiang→Lhasa, Lhasa→Shanghai add ¥3,000–¥5,000 total.