China city by city
Where to base yourself, how many days each city deserves, and what to eat when you get there. Filter by region, then open a guide.
14 of 14 cities
All cities
Beijing 北京
Six UNESCO World Heritage sites, the best-preserved imperial architecture in China and the most accessible sections of the Great Wall.
Shanghai 上海
China’s most international city: the Bund, art deco neighbourhoods, world-class museums and an hour by train to classical Suzhou and Hangzhou.
Xi’an 西安
Capital of 13 dynasties and the eastern end of the Silk Road: the Terracotta Army, a complete Ming city wall and the Muslim Quarter’s night food.
Chengdu 成都
Pandas, teahouses and some of the best food in China, in a city famous for taking life slowly.
Chongqing 重庆
A vertical mountain city at the meeting of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers: neon-lit cliffs, monorails through buildings and the start of Yangtze cruises.
Guilin & Yangshuo 桂林 · 阳朔
The karst peaks and rivers of northern Guangxi — the gateway to the Li River cruise, Yangshuo’s countryside and the Longji terraces.
Hangzhou 杭州
West Lake’s causeways and pagodas, Longjing tea villages and Lingyin Temple — a city Marco Polo is said to have called the finest in the world.
Suzhou 苏州
Classical gardens, canals and silk — the most refined small-scale beauty in China, half an hour from Shanghai.
Lijiang 丽江
A UNESCO-listed Naxi old town beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and the base for Tiger Leaping Gorge and Shangri-La.
Dali 大理
A Bai-minority walled town between Erhai Lake and the Cangshan range — slower and greener than Lijiang.
Lhasa 拉萨
The Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple and the pilgrim circuits of the Barkhor — at 3,650 m, on a permit-based guided trip.
Harbin 哈尔滨
China’s ice city: the Ice and Snow World, Russian-era Central Street and the Church of St Sophia.
Guangzhou 广州
The home of Cantonese food and dim sum, two thousand years of trading history and an easy gateway between Hong Kong and the rest of China.
Dunhuang 敦煌
A desert oasis on the old Silk Road, home to the Mogao Caves, the singing dunes of Mingsha Shan and Crescent Lake.
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