01
North China
45 min–1h 15mDirect train
30–40 minDirect train
Choose places before routes
Choose the China cities that fit your trip.
Start with what each destination genuinely offers: its defining experiences, realistic stay, nearby extensions and connection to the next city. Then build your own order instead of accepting a generic route.
Compare all 9 destinations- Destinations
- 9
- Reviewed connections
- 9
- Planner size
- 2–4 cities
Build a sensible city order
Choose 2–4 cities in the order you want to visit.
Add cities, then move them up or down. Each leg shows an editorially reviewed planning estimate when one is available—not a live timetable or seat search.
Reviewed train connections
City connections at a glance
Selected cities are numbered. Reviewed legs in your order are highlighted; unreviewed pairs are explained in the transport section below.
Route diagram, not a geographic map. Cities are grouped by useful travel corridors; spacing does not represent distance or exact location. Lines show reviewed connections, not railway tracks. Times are reviewed station-to-station planning ranges, not live schedules.
4h 20m–6hBeijing ↔ Shanghai
02
Yangtze Delta
25–35 minDirect train
45 min–1h 20mDirect train
Also direct
1h 10m–2hSuzhou ↔ Hangzhou
6h 55m–8hShanghai ↔ Guangzhou
03
South China
2–3hDirect train
30 min–1h 5mDirect train
Your city order
No cities selected yet.
Start with the places, not a pre-written route.
Add the first city you genuinely want to experience, then add the next.
Nine distinct experiences
Compare what each place adds to the trip.
A destination page explains the character, trade-offs, signature sights and useful nearby extensions before you commit nights to it.
01East China
Shanghai
上海China's sharpest contrast of historic treaty-port streets, contemporary skyline and everyday lane life.
- Recommended stay
- 2–5 nights · 3 ideal
- Best for
- first arrivals in China · architecture walks
Signature experiences
Decide if Shanghai fits - The Bund
- Yuyuan Garden
- Wukang Road and the former French Concession
02Jiangsu, East China
Suzhou
苏州A lived-in canal city where classical gardens reward slow looking rather than checklist sightseeing.
- Recommended stay
- 1–3 nights · 2 ideal
- Best for
- classical garden design · canal walks
Signature experiences
Decide if Suzhou fits - Humble Administrator's Garden
- Suzhou Museum
- Pingjiang Road Historic District
03Zhejiang, East China
Hangzhou
杭州A lake-and-hills city where landscape, tea culture and Southern Song history are part of the urban fabric.
- Recommended stay
- 1–4 nights · 2 ideal
- Best for
- landscape walks · tea culture
Signature experiences
Decide if Hangzhou fits - West Lake
- Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak
- Longjing tea country
04North China
Beijing
北京China's imperial and political capital, with monumental axial planning, courtyard neighborhoods and Great Wall access.
- Recommended stay
- 3–6 nights · 4 ideal
- Best for
- first-time China history · imperial architecture
Signature experiences
Decide if Beijing fits - Forbidden City / Palace Museum
- Temple of Heaven
- Summer Palace
05North China
Tianjin
天津A Haihe port city of former concession streets, vernacular crafts, comic storytelling and distinctive local food, about 30 minutes from Beijing by rail.
- Recommended stay
- 0–2 nights · 1 ideal
- Best for
- modern Chinese urban history · architecture walks
Signature experiences
Decide if Tianjin fits - Italian Style Area
- Ancient Culture Street
- Haihe riverfront
06Hebei, North China
Chengde
承德A Qing imperial summer capital where a vast landscape palace and outlying Tibetan Buddhist temples form one World Heritage ensemble.
- Recommended stay
- 1–3 nights · 2 ideal
- Best for
- Qing history · imperial landscapes
Signature experiences
Decide if Chengde fits - Chengde Mountain Resort
- Putuo Zongcheng and Xumi Fushou temples
- Puning Temple
07Guangdong, South China
South china
A two-millennia trading city where Cantonese food, Lingnan craft and a modern Pearl River skyline coexist.
- Recommended stay
- 2–5 nights · 3 ideal
- Best for
- Cantonese food · Lingnan architecture
Signature experiences
Decide if Guangzhou fits - Chen Clan Ancestral Hall
- Shamian Historical District
- Nanyue King Museum — King's Tomb
08Guangdong, South China
Shenzhen
深圳A young design-and-technology metropolis with a long coastline, migrant food culture and older walled settlements beneath the skyline.
- Recommended stay
- 1–4 nights · 2 ideal
- Best for
- contemporary architecture · design and creative districts
Signature experiences
Decide if Shenzhen fits - Shenzhen Bay Park
- Nantou Ancient Town
- OCT-LOFT Creative Culture Park
09Guangxi, South China
Guilin & Yangshuo
桂林与阳朔A multi-day karst landscape cluster linking Guilin city, the Li River corridor, Yangshuo countryside and Longji rice terraces.
- Recommended stay
- 2–5 nights · 3 ideal
- Best for
- karst landscapes · river journeys
Signature experiences
Decide if Guilin & Yangshuo fits - Li River core cruise
- Yulong River countryside
- Longji Rice Terraces