How Long Should I Spend In China On My First Trip? Example Itineraries from a Chinese Traveller
My take (as someone has visited 20 countries) 🐼
For most first-timers, China might be a lot to take in compared to other countries. Unless you’re a seasoned traveller who has visiting nearby Asian countries, I recommend starting off with at least 7-10 days. This will give you the chance to savour 3-4 of China’s most iconic destinations and perhaps set yourself up for future trips.
I personally recommend at least 3 full days for Beijing and 2 full days for Shanghai.
But be warned, China is the size of Europe, and has an estimated 700 cities. Nobody can claim to have visited the whole of Europe in 7-10 days. While I am not suggesting that you should consider visiting all of them, even if you take the top 10%, that’s 70 cities.
Almost no one interested in China can resist the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, the Panda Base, and all the unforgettable food. But simply going to the top tourist areas doesn’t really do the city justice, if you ask me!
A lot of people only go to a city for a day or two and get a skewed image. It’s also rare for anyone to like every city they visit (as is the same with everything in life). In some cities, the outer areas are the main highlight! And even though not every city has something mind-blowing or distinctly unique, the surrounding towns, villages, and scenic areas will often have something special to offer. You may prefer the tranquility and beauty of these places. I emphasise variety on long trips. Although similar cities can be amazing on their own, they can feel “the same”, if you’re just visiting city after city. Just the element of “freshness” in travel.
So, if you ever find the main tourist area is not doing it for you, venture out for some rare gems (and you might even be one of the first foreign tourists to discover it).
In any case, China definitely has multiple things to offer for everyone. I’ve grouped key destinations according to interest here. Remember to keep an open mind about the differences and you may well stumble upon some pleasant surprises you never anticipated.
If you consider this a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip, I recommend you stay at least 14 whole days, preferably longer.
I actually know a few people who spent an entire month in China on their first visit. But I know that is conditional on how much time and money you have. If you do plan to do this, you should be prepared for culture shock, especially if you haven’t visited any countries that are wildly different from yours. Most people I know absolutely embraced the local environment, vowing to return soon, but I do know someone who became homesick after a week.
How to split your time ⏳
To get deeper into how to split your time in China, I’ve laid down some examples below. 👇🏻
This is my recommendation on how you should distribute the time for specific periods. Obviously, it depends on your interests and some cities will definitely need more time - so do some detailed research on the attractions you want to visit in each city.
You should always remember to include rest days if you’re staying over a week, as from personal experience, travel fatigue can creep up on you. If you’re visiting China with specific goals in mind, like climbing the Great Wall or seeing pandas up close, then the amount of days you need is more clearly defined. However, if you’re visiting more than 3-4 attractions in one day, then the time needed at each attraction becomes less clear. Some people only need 1 hour at one attraction, while others might need 3 hours. Don’t forget to include buffer time in case there are any unexpected delays.
If you have less than 2 weeks and want to visit regions in Western China, I suggest you dedicate the whole trip to those regions. The distances are simply massive, and you will have to take a lot of flights or long-distance trains if you were to do both Western and Eastern China.
My suggested itineraries according to the time you have (examples) 👣
1 day stopover - The city you fly into only - see the main sights. It’s definitely not enough for any of the major cities, but if that’s all you have, at least it gives you a taster.
2-3 days - Great for visiting one major city and a nearby city or a village. I wouldn’t take transport to anywhere that takes more than 2 hours of your time.
2 days in one city ➡️ 1 day in one city/village
e.g. Day 1 - Shanghai ➡️ Day 2 - Shanghai ➡️ Day 3 - Suzhou
5-7 days - A decent length to visit at least 2 major cities, with 1-2 villages or scenic areas.
3 days in one city ➡️ 2 days in one city ➡️ 2 days to 1 city or 2 villages
e.g. Day 1 - Beijing ➡️ Day 2 - Great Wall ➡️ Day 3 - Beijing ➡️ Day 4 - train to Xi’an/Day in Xi’an
➡️ Day 5 - Xi’an ➡️ Day 6 - Xi’an/Train to Chengdu ➡️ Day 6 - Chengdu ➡️ Day 7 - Chengdu ➡️ Day 8 - departure
10 day transit - Perfect for visiting at least 3 cities. You have to watch the time limit on the transit visa though.
3 days in one city ➡️ 2 days in one city ➡️ 2 day in one city ➡️ 1 day to cover transport (4hrs+3hrs+3hrs+2hrs), 1 days in 1 city, 1 day as backup
e.g. Day 1 - Beijing ➡️ Day 2 - Great Wall ➡️ Day 3 - Beijing
➡️ Day 4 - Train to Nanjing/Day in Nanjing ➡️ Day 5 - Nanjing
➡️ Day 6 - Train to Shanghai/Day in Shanghai ➡️ Day 7 - Shanghai ➡️ Day 8 - Shanghai
➡️ Day 9 - Train to Suzhou/Day in Suzhou ➡️ Day 10 - departure
2 weeks - This would allow you to visit 4-5 cities in different provinces. A well-balanced taster of history, culture, architecture, scenic areas, and food.
1 adjustment day, 3 days in one city, 2 days in one city, 2 days in one city, 1 day in one city, 1 day to cover transport, 2 days in 2 villages, 2 day in 1 scenic area
e.g. Day 1 - Beijing ➡️ Day 2 - Great Wall ➡️ Day 3 - Beijing ➡️ Day 4 - Beijing + train to Xi’an
➡️ Day 5 - Xi’an ➡️ Day 6 - Xi’an ➡️ Day 6 - Train to Chengdu/Day in Chengdu ➡️ Day 7 - Chengdu ➡️ Day 8 - Chengdu
➡️ Day 9 - Train to Chongqing/Day in Chongqing ➡️ Day 10 - Chongqing ➡️ Day 11 - Chongqing village
➡️ Day 12 - Train to Zhangjiajie/Day in Zhangjiajie ➡️ Day 13 - Zhangjiajie ➡️ Day 14 - backup/departure
4 weeks - Enough time to visit parts of southern and northern China. You’ll have travelled through 9 provincial areas which is still only ~25% of the country.
6-7 cities (2 cities x3 days, 3 cities x2 days, 2 cities x1 day) + 3 transport days + 2 rest days + 4-5 towns/villages (x1 day) + 5 days in scenic areas
e.g. Day 1 - Hong Kong ➡️ Day 2 - Hong Kong ➡️ Day 3 - Hong Kong ➡️ Day 4 - Train to Shenzhen/Day in Shenzhen
➡️ Day 5 - Train in Guangzhou/Day in Guangzhou ➡️ Day 6 - Guangzhou ➡️ Day 7 - Train to Yangshuo/Day in Yangshuo ➡️ Day 8 - Yangshuo ➡️ Day 9 - Guilin
➡️ Day 10 - Guilin/Train to Chongqing ➡️ Day 11 - Chongqing ➡️ Day 12 - Chongqing village
➡️ Day 13 - Train to Zhangjiajie/Day in Zhangjiajie ➡️ Day 14 - Zhangjiajie ➡️ Day 15 - Zhangjiajie
➡️ Day 16 - Train to Chengdu/Evening in Chengdu ➡️ Day 17 - Chengdu ➡️ Day 18 - Chengdu ➡️ Day 19 - Chengdu village
➡️ Day 20 - Train to Xi’an/Day in Xi’an ➡️ Day 21 - Xi’an ➡️ Day 22 - Xi’an ➡️ Day 23 - Train to Pingyao/Day in Pingyao
➡️ Day 24 - Pingyao/Train to Beijing ➡️ Day 25 - Beijing➡️ Day 26 - Beijing➡️ Day 27 - Beijing ➡️ Day 28 - backup/departure
For more itinerary ideas, see my Where to Visit page and my selected China itineraries for 2025.
