We understand planning a trip to China may seem daunting, even if you are an experienced traveler. Don't worry! Below are five simple steps to planning that first trip, from our experience of designing over 100,000 China tours.
China has reopened for travel. You can enter China now without quarantine. To tailor make an affordable private tour, simply contact us. You can enjoy free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
To any visa-related questions, you can get an answer fast by joining our Going to China Facebook Group with 13k active memebers. It is where people talk about China entry policy everyday with real experience. Topics include tourist visa, transit visa-free policy, M visa and more. Some who have entered China smoothly woud share their experience as well.
1. Choose Where to Go — 5 Recommendations
With our knowledge of China and feedback from our customers, we suggest you visit Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai for your first trip, extending it to Guilin and/or Chengdu if you have the time.
1) Beijing — China's ancient and modern capital
As imperial and modern capital of China, Beijing is a must-see, because it is home to many of the finest icons of China's imperial and recent past. It is China's top gateway city.
If you only have one day make sure you set foot on the Great Wall of China, and the Forbidden City.
With a bit more time, the Temple of Heaven and its park will transport you deeper into the culture of China, along with a tour of the Hutongs and the Summer Palace.
Recommended Tours
- 4-Day Beijing Private Tour - Essence of Beijing
- 2-Day Jiankou Wild Great Wall Camping Tour
- 11-Day Beijing–Xi'an–Guilin–Shanghai Tour - Classic Wonders
- More Beijing tours
2) Shanghai — China's largest and showiest city
Shanghai is China's largest city, and many would say must be visited for its significance. It is a convenient city to arrive at or depart from.
There aren't so many world-class tourist sights, and it could be toured in a day. Make sure you see the colonial and sky-rise architecture of the Bund.
If your schedule allows, extend your tour to a water town, Hangzhou, Suzhou, or Huangshan. Get inspiration from our Shanghai tours of 1-5 days.
See how to make your Shanghai trip more interesting.
Recommended Tours
- 4-Day Shanghai, Hangzhou, Water Town Culture Tour
- 13-Day Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Shanghai Educational Family Vacation
- 13-Day Riches of China - Beijing – Xi'an – Guilin/Yangshuo – Hangzhou - Suzhou – Shanghai
- More Shanghai tours
3) Xi'an — a Window on China's ancient civilization
Next you should discover where the nation of China really began. Visit Xi'an, where First Emperor Qin ruled from the first capital of a united China.
Xi'an is an excellent place to experience something of the pre-Beijing dynasties. See the grand Terracotta Army, temples, a mosque, pagodas, and towers that are more than 1,000 years old.
Recommended Tours
- 8-Day Beijing–Xi'an–Shanghai Private Tour - China Golden Triangle
- More Xi'an tours
4) Guilin — picturesque scenery and minority culture
First-timers love Guilin for its beautiful landscapes and as a relaxing escape from the cities.
If your time is limited, enjoy karst peaks combine sublimely with the Li River and cycle around the idyllic countryside in Yangshuo, and even experience to be a Chinese farmer.
If you are interested in minority culture, spend one or two days at the Longji Rice Terraces to enjoy the magnificent tiered fields and experience the world of the Zhuang and Yao minorities.
Recommended Tours
- 5-Day Dynamic Guilin and Yangshuo Tour — Best for Summer Vacations
- 11-Day Family Happiness - Beijing–Xi'an–Guilin/Yangshuo-Shanghai
- More Guilin tours
5) Chengdu — the hometown of giant pandas!
Chengdu's giant pandas are for many the icing on the cake, the finishing touch to a China must-do list.
In this laid back city, you can take part in a giant panda volunteer program to have a close look at the cute pandas, see cultural landmarks, and try spicy Sichuan hotpot.
For more ideas about places to visit, see The Top 10 Most Popular Tourist Destinations in China. Or you can send us an inquiry directly with your travel requirements. With China Highlights, you enjoy no-risk booking, 100% refund policy! (up to 24 hours before departure)
Recommended Tours
- 13-Day Private Tour: Beijing – Xi'an – Chengdu –Yangtze Cruise – Shanghai - China Essence and Panda Tour
- More Chengdu and Panda tours
2. Decide How Many Days to Stay
After a long journey to get to China, you probably won't want to just scratch the surface of China and just take snapshots with the landmark attractions.
We suggest you take at least a week for your first trip to see a spectrum of the highlights in the top three cities.
- 6-8 days: Beijing (3-4 days), Xi'an (2 days), and Shanghai (1-2 days). See our sample itinerary for inspiration.
To discover more of China, like charming Guilin and lovely giant pandas, you will need a few more days. See our 11-Day Classic Wonders to Beijing, Xian, Guilin/Yangshuo and Shanghai.
Till now, you might want to know how much does it cost to travel China.
What Our Customers Said
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Fantastic Tour of Xi'an
China Highlights created an amazing trip to Xi'an for us! We learned a lot from our tour guide, Mervyn, and enjoyed her company as she showed us all of the highlights. Our favorite art of the trip was eating our way through the Muslim Quarter. We returned to that area for dinner every night. China Highlights was easy to work with and Mervyn had more knowledge than we could even absorb. We can't wait to book another trip through China Highlights! moreFeb 2023, Kate P
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Marvellous Mervyn and eXcellent Xi’an
Beyond the history, which is my personal bread and butter, was the actual bread and butter of the local restaurants and of course Xi’an’s famous snack street/Muslim Quarter! Delicious dumplings, locally sourced pomegranates and persimmons and unique persimmon cakes hot of the pan and noodles and more noodles - it is worth a visit for the food alone and I certainly hope I get to return soon! As always, China Highlights has done a stellar job and I wish whoever is considering this a memorable adventure and safe travels! moreJan 2023, Apis N
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Xian 3 day tour
A real cultural&historical impressive 3 day trip to Xi'an, despite the shortening of the actual trip by some days to Covid!However, even with all the challenges, which laid ahead before and during the trip, the flexibility of everyone involved (especially my guide Jenny & my agent Zac) was the key to a memorable journey.This wasn't my first good experience with China Highlights and won't be definitely my last one as you can really take your mind off from the daily grind during those days and just enjoy the scenic spots! moreOct 2022, Karl Kirchheimer
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Hua Shan Hike
Mervyn took me from Xi'anbei Station to the top of Hua Shan east peak, where I stayed overnight to watch the sunrise.It's a magnificent place, best appreciated on days like this without too much crowd, and Mervyn was a fantastic guide.It's not easy being a foreigner travelling around China in these days of covid, but Mervyn made all of that seem easy. And she was a helpful and encouraging presence on the way up, pointing out places of interest and pulling out cans of red bull for when the going got tough!Highly recommended! moreSep 2022, Paul R
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Xian 2022 Trip
Went on a family vacation to Xian and thanks to #chinahighlights my kids and I had a truly enjoyable time. #Christy arranged our tour and #Helen was our tour guide. #Helen did a great job of leading us around the Muslim Quarter, the Terra-cotta Warriors, walking up the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, bell and drum towers, riding on the Xian city wall, visiting the Shaanxi History Museum and watching the Legend of the Silk Road show. She was especially knowledgeable of the areas history. The kids and I enjoyed the paper cutting and making terra-cotta warriors out of clay activities as well as watching the Shadow Puppet Show. Despite the COVID restrictions and excessive bureaucracy that now exists for foreigners traveling in China, #Helen did a great job meeting the unique needs of my family and I highly recommend her services. moreJul 2022, Bryan Stanfield
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Xi'an Bliss
We highly enjoyed our trip to Xi'an organised by China Highlights and with fantastic support from our guide Helen. Helen stitched together thousands of years of Chinese history throughout our visits to the terracotta warriors, the Xi'an museum and the ancient city walls. Helen gave us many superb food recommendations, in particular Xi'an's thick spinach noodles and the famous Muslim street. The trip was made very straightforward and we were supported at every step of the journey which gave us great peace of mind, even with COVID restrictions. The tour around the city walls by bike was a particular highlight. Helen also recommended the Nearwall bar which is a fantastic place for coffee and craft beer enthusiasts. China Highlights have been very flexible and responsive. We look forward to visiting again with family and friends in future. moreJul 2022, Michael H
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2.5 days in Xian
Helen helped with a quickly arranged Covid test at a local centre to smooth future travel. Next day was the Terracotta Warriors, Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Mosque. Amazing history and not too crowded with plenty of time to explore with excellent local restaurant for dumpling lunch . Helen went through loads of background info at each site adding to the experience and assisted with bartering at the markets. The final day required a late switch of museum and to the little wild goose pagoda which Helen organized efficiently and also played museum guide, I’m not sure what she doesn’t know about Chinese history. Helen was also helpful with our individual onward travel plan changes and our obsession with coffee. moreDec 2021, David P
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The best Xi’an experience I could only recommend
Susan (绒绒), my guide for 2 days, explained everything very pleasant in very good English. She has a huge historical know-how and could introduce me into all cultural and historical events connected to the visited places. To complete this journey, always accompanied with a delicious local food. Many thanks to Susan (绒绒), her driver and Chinahighlights for this fantastic experience moreOct 2021, luismK2514FG
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3. Be Aware of Chinese Visa Policy and Gateway Cities
Beijing and Shanghai are the top gateway cities for international flights. Most customers chose them.
Some customers travel via Hong Kong — some of them to open up visa-free travel options, e.g. NY–HK–Beijing–NY or London–Beijing–HK–Xi'an–Bangkok–London.
China has visa-free transit policies for certain cities and regions. Learn more about visa- free Chinese cities to know if you could make a visa-free trip.
Most multi-city China tours require a tourist visa, e.g. Beijing–Xi'an–Shanghai. If that is what you can see yourself doing, see our guide to Chinese visas.
Start planning your tailor-made tour now. Your 1:1 travel consultant will reply within 1 working day.
4. Consider When to Travel to China
China's cultural and historical attractions are good for a visit all year around. Things to do in Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai are seldom affected by the seasons.
Spring (April-May) and autumn (September–October) are generally the most comfortable and recommended times for a China tour. They are neither too hot nor too cold, and fall is generally drier and warmer than spring.
You can get more detailed tips on Best Times to Travel to China.
5. We Believe Private and Tailor-Made Is Best
A private tour is recommended.
If you don't want to visit the Great Wall of China with a coach-load of 40 people and have only 20 minutes on the wall, a private and tailor-made tour is a better choice.
You will have a chance to ride a sidecar through the ancient alleys of Beijing, walk on the "wild" untouched Great Wall, or visit a local family with your own local guide.
With a private guide and transport you can maximize your time. You can focus on the sightseeing you want to do, and skip the long queues in the most crowded attractions.
Itineraries for Inspiration
Our tours can be customized according to your interests and requirements. Contact us and we can help you tailor-make a first time tour. Our consultancy and tour design service are well worth taking advantage of.
- The Golden Triangle (8 days): Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai
— the most popular destinations for a first trip - Classic Wonders (11 days): Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, and Shanghai
— classic architecture, culture, and scenery - Visit our China tours for 2023/2024 for more tour inspirations.
