China

The short version

China is planned in legs, not in loops. Beijing to Xi’an is about four and a half hours on a fast train, Xi’an to Chengdu three to four, Chengdu to Shanghai most of a day or a two-hour flight — so a fortnight comfortably holds three cities and a fourth only if you are willing to spend two more afternoons in stations. The first real decision is not which sights to see but how many times you are prepared to move, and the second is whether your dates collide with Spring Festival, May Day or the National Day week, when domestic demand runs at a scale no budget negotiates around.

Pick a region

Three ways to split it

Compare the cities

Where the days go, and what they cost

Cost per day is a mid-range, per-person figure for a bed, food and local transport, before the bigger paid experiences. It converts to your selected currency.

What it costs

A day, by how you travel

• Lean ≈€32–51/day Rate 2026-08-26

  Hostel dorm, neighbourhood noodle shops and breakfast stalls, metro or bus, and one modest paid sight. Long intercity legs are not in this every day.

• Private and mobile ≈€64–115/day Rate 2026-08-26

  Simple private room, mixed local and sit-down meals, app rides when useful, major sights and some second-class rail averaged across the trip.

• Comfortable ≈€128–230/day Rate 2026-08-26

  Good small hotel or apartment, restaurants most nights, regular taxis, major attractions and an occasional flight or long fast-train leg averaged in. Not luxury.

Local meals and city transport stay cheap. The budget moves when you change cities often: high-speed rail, major scenic-area tickets and central hotels cost far more than the bowl of noodles that made the country look inexpensive.

When to go

Month by month

• Jan Mixed
• Feb Wet
• Mar Good
• Apr Prime
• May Good
• Jun Mixed
• Jul Wet
• Aug Wet
• Sep Prime
• Oct Prime
• Nov Good
• Dec Mixed

Prime Good Mixed Wet

There is no honest single weather season for a country this large. Spring and autumn are the safest broad compromises; summer brings heat, heavy rain and school-holiday traffic, while winter runs from mild in the far south to severe in the north and west.

Eat here

What to order, and the tell

Chinese food is regional enough that a national shortlist is necessarily blunt. The reliable cheap version is at a busy single-purpose shop or an ordinary food hall; the attraction-adjacent “old street” is charging you for the signboard.

• Jiānbing guǒzi ≈€1–2 Rate 2026-08-26

  A commuter breakfast cart or small window folding each one to order. A heritage snack street sells the same breakfast for triple.

• Lánzhōu niúròu miàn ≈€2–4 Rate 2026-08-26

  A noodle-focused shop with quick turnover and a short menu. The basic bowl needs no toppings, no set and no scenic-address surcharge.

• Jiǎozi ≈€3–5 Rate 2026-08-26

  A neighbourhood dumpling house listing fillings plainly, sold by plate or by weight. Steam and a local queue beat a glossy photo menu.

• Málàtàng ≈€3–8 Rate 2026-08-26

  Usually priced by weight. Drain the basket, go easy on heavy noodles and tofu, and check the per-weight price before building a heroic tray.

The essentials

Before you go

Visa and entry

Eligible ordinary passports currently get up to 30 days visa-free at ¥0 through 31 December 2026. Others need an L visa, whose fee and permitted stay vary by nationality and issuing mission. The separate 240-hour transit scheme requires confirmed onward travel to a third country or region. Complete the foreigner arrival card online before travel or at the port.

Money and cards

QR payment is the default. Link an international card to Alipay and WeChat Pay before arrival, keep a second card and some cash, and do not assume a physical foreign card will work at a small merchant.

Getting around

Book through China Railway’s own 12306 site or app. Foreign passports work for real-name e-tickets and boarding, so carry the original. High-speed rail covers the main corridors, but stations are large and often well outside the old centre.

Connectivity

A local SIM requires passport registration at an operator office. Mainland networks restrict many foreign internet services, so install payment, translation, booking and offline-map tools before arrival; roaming and travel eSIMs behave differently.

Language

Mandarin and Chinese script are the practical default. English is inconsistent outside international hotels and major visitor services; save every hotel, station and address in Chinese and keep screenshot translation ready.

Water and health

Do not drink the tap water; use sealed, boiled or reliably filtered water. Check current vaccine advice and local air-quality readings, and take altitude seriously before adding any western plateau route.

Plan the shape

Routes by trip length

1. 8–10 days

   Three-city first pass

   Fast rail between the capital, the old imperial centre and the coast; a fourth major stop turns a short trip into station logistics.

   Beijing · Xi’an · Shanghai

2. 14–16 days

   History plus Sichuan

   Add one western food-and-teahouse stop, then finish in Shanghai rather than drawing a second loop back across the map.

   Beijing · Xi’an · Chengdu · Shanghai

3. 18–21 days

   Capital to karst country

   Connect the classic northern route to Guangxi with one long rail leg or a flight, then leave time for two quiet nights outside a city.

   Beijing · Xi’an · Chengdu · Guilin · Yangshuo · Shanghai

4. 21–28 days

   Slow central spine

   Break the long route with a preserved walled town and two inland bases, using Shanghai as the exit rather than doubling back.

   Beijing · Pingyao · Xi’an · Chengdu · Chongqing · Shanghai

Read the fine print

Book with your eyes open

• Set up the phone before landing

  Register payment apps, add cards, download offline translation and save hotel addresses in Chinese while your usual services still work. Airport Wi-Fi is a poor place to discover a failed verification.

• Buy rail when the window opens

  The normal 12306 presale period is 15 days including the departure day, though the railway adjusts it. Popular trains around weekends and holidays do sell out; use the official waitlist rather than a reseller.

• Do not improvise a national holiday

  Spring Festival, May Day and the National Day week produce enormous domestic demand. Book weeks ahead or move the route; paying more does not fix packed stations and sold-out timed entries.

• Reserve passport-tied sights directly

  Major attractions increasingly use real-name, timed booking. Enter the passport number exactly, carry that passport, and prefer the official site or app to a vague “skip-the-line” listing.

• Check the station suffix

  Large cities have several airports and railway stations. Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Xi’an all punish assumptions; verify the Chinese station name before booking a hotel or a same-day connection.