Is Two Weeks Enough For China? Size of Chinese Provinces Compared With Europe

Planning Your TripGetting Around

26 Jul

Written By YenKid

The Size of China

Think about this. China is similar in size to Europe. Imagine “doing” all of Europe in 2 weeks. Not really feasible.

Unless you’re only interested in the biggest cities. Which gives you a taster.
Let’s put the size of China into context:
China =
15 times larger than France
19 times larger than Thailand
25 times larger than Japan
39 times larger than UK
Distance between Beijing to Shanghai =~ Paris to Rome
Distance between Beijing to Hong Kong =~ Frankfurt to Istanbul
👉🏻Take a quick look at journey times and prices for your planned journey HERE
Lots of people only think of the famous cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an. So it can give this misconception that China is doable in one trip.
But you’ve barely scratched the surface. China isn’t just about palaces and skyscrapers. It’s not all the same.
China has massive variety across every category imaginable.
Check out my article Which Provinces Should You Visit In China?
What if you have all the time in the world?
Even if you focus on visiting one city in each province, that would still take you over a month. It has 34 provinces, regions, and municipalities.
That assumes you stay at least one day in each city. Which won’t give you time to see much.
Let’s Break It Down. How Big Are The Provinces?
Eastern provinces = similar in size to an average European country
Northern and Western provinces are absolutely gigantic. The 4 biggest are larger than any European country except for Russia.
For example, Inner Mongolia on its own takes at least 2-3 days to drive across from east to west.
It’s quite easy to get burned out from the fatigue of travelling from place to place, even if travelling by plane.
Here are some comparisons of provinces popular with tourists:
Guangdong = ~50% size of Germany
Sichuan = ~size of Spain
Yunnan = ~size of Japan
So, China needs repeat visits. There is a lot of cultural and landscape diversity across the country.
When planning a trip to China, you should isolate the regions you want to visit. Don’t be overwhelmed by considering the entire country, unless you literally have months to explore.
So, how long should you spend? Check out my article
How Long Should I Spend In China On My First Trip? Example Itineraries from a Chinese Traveller
which contains my example itineraries for different durations.
Also check out a few of my two week itineraries here:
Ultimate China Itinerary: My Best 7, 14, 21, 30 Day Guides
BEST Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing Itinerary: 3 Days, 7 Days, 10+ Days
BEST Beijing, Xi’an, Nanjing, Shanghai Itinerary: 3 Days, 7 Days, 10+ Days
BEST Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Guilin Itinerary: 3, 7, 10 Days
BEST Shanghai, Zhangjiajie, Chongqing, Chengdu Itinerary: 2-14 Days
BEST Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, HK Itinerary: 3-10+ Days

How Long Would It Take To Drive The Length of China from North-South

Let’s assume:

start point = Mohe in Heilongjiang (Northern China)
end point = Fangchenggang in Guangxi (Southern China)
Driving Distance = ~4600km
Estimated Journey Time = 46 hours not including rest times and refuelling
Realistically = it’s at least 5 days on the road 🚙

How Long Would It Take To Drive The Length of China from East-West

Let’s assume:

start point = Shanghai (Eastern China)
end point = Kashgar in Xinjiang (Western China)
Driving Distance = ~5100km
Estimated Journey Time = 54 hours not including rest times and refuelling
Realistically = it’s at least 6 days on the road 🚙
Even the plane journey takes 7 hours! ✈️

How Easy Is It To Travel Around China By Land

Most of eastern China is well connected by railways and highways. In most cities, there’s plenty of public transport available.
Broadly speaking, high speed rail has made it a lot easier to travel between cities in the eastern half of the country. It’s about 8 times bigger than France.
Now, imagine the eastern half of China has shrunk to the size of France. That’s what high speed rail has done! 🛤️
👉🏻 Compare journey times between major cities in this article I wrote.

The further west you go, the more difficult the terrain is. That means less transport infrastructure in general.
Railway travel is very much possible between most urban areas but is slower than high speed rail.
If you’re short of time, flights are the only realistic option.
Once you get there, you’ll need to hire a private driver or tour guide to take you to places further out from the city.