The arithmetic of a China trip
A city transfer costs half a day door to door, even on high-speed rail: check out, get to the station, security, wait, ride, get to the new hotel, check in. Add a full day for long-haul arrival and a half day for departure.
| Trip length | Realistic cities | Nights per city |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days | 2 cities | 3 + 3 |
| 10 days | 3 cities | 3 + 3 + 2 |
| 14 days | 3–4 cities | 4 + 3 + 3 + 2 |
| 21 days | 5–6 cities | 4 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 2 |
Routes that flow
- The classic triangle — Beijing → Xi’an → Shanghai. Rail the whole way, 4h20 + 6h, all three are worth it.
- The southern arc — Shanghai → Hangzhou → Guilin → Yangshuo → Hong Kong. Scenery and food, exits cleanly.
- The southwest — Chengdu → Chongqing → Guilin. Hotpot, pandas and karst, cheap and compact.
- The Yunnan loop — Kunming → Dali → Lijiang → Shangri-La. Slow, mountainous, best in spring and autumn.
Routes that do not
- Beijing → Shanghai → Guilin → Beijing (you will spend two days in transit)
- Any itinerary with a flight every second day
- Tibet tacked onto a 10-day trip (permits, altitude, and a minimum four-day commitment)
- Xinjiang on a 7-day trip — the distances are continental
Where to slow down
Beijing needs three nights minimum: the Wall is a full day, the Forbidden City plus Tiananmen is most of another, and the hutongs and temples fill the third. Shanghai needs two. Xi’an needs two. Chengdu needs three if you include Leshan.
And build in one day with nothing scheduled. Not because you will be tired — although you will — but because the best things in China are usually the unplanned ones: a tea house, a food street, a market a guide mentions over breakfast.
Season by region
| Region | Best months | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing, Xi’an, north | Apr–May, Sep–Oct | Jan cold, Jul–Aug heat and crowds |
| Shanghai, Hangzhou, east | Mar–May, Oct–Nov | Jun–Jul rains, Aug heat |
| Guilin, Guangxi | Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct | Jul–Aug heat and storms |
| Yunnan | Mar–May, Sep–Nov | Jun–Aug rains |
| Harbin | Dec–Feb (ice), Jul–Aug | Apr mud season, Nov nothing |
| Tibet | May–Oct | Nov–Mar closures and cold |
The blackout dates
Avoid the first week of October (National Day Golden Week), the Spring Festival fortnight, and the first week of May. Prices double, trains sell out at release, and the headline sights hit daily capacity before noon. If your dates are fixed, adjust the itinerary rather than the dates — go to smaller cities during these periods.