2026-10-06 · 1 min read
A practical route through Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, and Shanghai, plus scenery-first detours to Guilin-Yangshuo, Zhangjiajie, and Yunnan — mapped against 7, 10, and 14-day trip lengths, with sourced notes on what's fixed and what shifts by season.
Pick one or two district clusters a day, pay at the window, and plan around the fees that moved this year. Here are the temples in Kyoto by district, with costs, closures and where to sleep.
Most visited and best are different questions. Here is how to choose a destination by trip type, with UN Tourism arrivals data, a shortlist for each and what to check before you book.
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Yes, for ordinary tourism. The 240-hour visa-free transit only applies to travelers passing through China between two other countries — it doesn't cover a round trip to and from the United States. Confirm current port and timing rules against the US State Department or a Chinese consulate before relying on this figure.
A week covers one region: either the Beijing-Xi'an cultural loop or the Shanghai-Guilin scenery route. Ten days fits the four-city loop — Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Shanghai — with Hangzhou as a day trip. Fourteen days adds Guilin-Yangshuo or Zhangjiajie.
Guilin-Yangshuo suits river cruises and cycling through karst hills. Zhangjiajie suits hiking among sandstone pillars and the Tianmen Mountain glass walkway. Both compete for the same single scenery slot in a standard itinerary.
Yes. Entering Tibet requires a Tibet Travel Permit arranged through a licensed agency, in addition to the standard Chinese visa — it can't be applied for independently. Confirm current rules against official Chinese visa guidance before booking.
No. Student and work visas fall under separate categories with different documentation requirements, outside the scope of a short tourist trip covered in this guide.
Sketch a brief. We come back with an itinerary that reads like a recommendation, not a checklist — and tell you what we’d change about it.
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