China Cities: Where To Go And What It Takes
Practical city guides from the ground: arrival routes, realistic daily budgets, how many days, and the mistakes visitors keep repeating.
What is in this section
This section currently holds 12 guides: Beijing, Shanghai In Three Days, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guilin And Yangshuo, Hangzhou, Zhangjiajie, Harbin In Winter. Each one is written against published timetables, current fare tables and the version of the rules that is actually enforced — not against what a booking site claims.
How current it is
The most recently checked page here is Beijing: How To Arrive, Where To Sleep, And How Many Days It Deserves, verified on 2026-09-17. Every guide carries its own date: if a figure is more than six months old, treat it as a starting point and confirm the official source before you spend money on it.
Beijing: How To Arrive, Where To Sleep, And How Many Days It Deserves
Arrive at the right airport, sleep inside the Second Ring Road, and give the Wall its own day.
Shanghai In Three Days: Arriving, Sleeping Right, And Spending Well
Stay on the Puxi side, ride the metro not the maglev, and treat Pudong as a visit rather than a base.
Xi’an: The Wall, The Warriors, And How Many Days It Takes
Warriors before 09:00, the wall at sunset, three days covers it comfortably.
Chengdu: Pandas, Hotpot, And The Gateway To Western Sichuan
Pandas by 08:00, hotpot after dark, and two days minimum before you head west.
Guilin And Yangshuo: The Karst Landscape, Planned Properly
Sleep in Yangshuo, cruise downstream to it, and give the rice terraces a night.
Hangzhou: West Lake, Tea Hills, And The Easiest Day Trip From Shanghai
Free lake, paid boats, tea hills in the afternoon; two days, or one very good one.
Zhangjiajie: Ticket Prices, Cable Cars And How Many Days It Takes
Sleep in Wulingyuan, buy the four-day park ticket, and start before the tour groups.
Harbin In Winter: Ice Festival Prices And How To Stay Warm
Two nights, three if you ski. Everything else is a matter of layers.
Dunhuang: The Mogao Caves, The Dunes, And When To Book
Book the caves first, then build the rest of the trip around the morning you get.
Pingyao: A Walled Ming City You Can Sleep Inside
Stay inside the walls, buy the through-ticket once, and walk the full circuit at dusk.
Chongqing: A City With No Flat Ground
Go for the nights: Hongya Cave, the cableway and a hotpot at midnight.
Luoyang: Longmen Grottoes And The Peony Two Weeks
One and a half days, or two if you come for the peonies in late April.