City guides for first-time travel in China
Choose a city to plan the exact arrival point, a useful base, local transport, fixed reservations, Chinese place names, and your first 24 hours.
Start with Beijing 北京
Plan Beijing airport or rail arrival, metro use, reservation-only sights, and a manageable first 24 hours.
- Works well for
- History and first-time highlights
- Arrival focus
- PEK and PKX airports, Beijing South for high-speed rail
First-trip gateways
Large, well-connected stops that work well in a first multi-city route.
Yangtze Delta extensions
Shorter rail additions around Shanghai, each with a different station and booking pattern.
South China
Greater Bay Area connections and a separate Guilin or Yangshuo landscape plan.
Mountains and Yunnan
Routes where terrain, weather, park gates, or the exact old-town base matter more.
Chongqing 重庆
Mountain-city views, food, and a high-energy urban stop
Zhangjiajie 张家界
Sandstone peaks, long park days, and landscape photography
Kunming 昆明
A relaxed city stop and onward travel across Yunnan
Dali 大理
Old-town days, Erhai scenery, and a slower Yunnan stop
Lijiang 丽江
Old-town lanes, Naxi culture, and highland scenery