Beijing Travel Guide: The Great Wall, the Forbidden City & Imperial Beijing
How many days Beijing really needs, how to visit the Great Wall without a tour, and everything to eat, see and book in China's imperial capital.
Destinations
Pick your China, city by city
Listed in the order most first-time visitors travel them — the imperial north, then west, then south. Each guide covers what to see, how many days it genuinely needs, and how it connects to the next stop by rail.
Building a route? Start with Beijing and work down — or steal the whole 10-day itinerary.
Xi'an Travel Guide: The Terracotta Army, City Wall & Muslim Quarter
How to see the Terracotta Warriors properly, bike Xi'an's Ming city wall, and eat through the Muslim Quarter — plus realistic timing from Beijing by train.
Chengdu Travel Guide: Pandas, Hotpot & China's Most Relaxed City
See giant pandas at the Chengdu Research Base, eat your way through Sichuan, and plan day trips to Leshan Giant Buddha and Mount Emei. 2–3 days.
Chongqing Travel Guide: The City Where Navigation Is the Challenge
A vertical city where the ground floor is on the 22nd storey. How to read Chongqing's levels, what to see, and why the hotpot here is the original.
Shanghai Travel Guide: The Bund, the Skyline & Easy Day Trips
A practical Shanghai guide — the Bund at night, Yu Garden, the French Concession, and the best day trips by high-speed rail. 2–3 days is enough.
Hangzhou Travel Guide: Why This Is More Than a Shanghai Day Trip
West Lake is at its best at dawn and dusk — exactly when the day-trippers have gone. Two days in Hangzhou, plus tea hills, temples and how to time the crowds.
Guilin & Yangshuo: Karst Mountains, Li River Cruises & Rice Terraces
Li River cruise vs Xingping raft, cycling Yangshuo's countryside, and the Longji rice terraces — how to plan 3 days in China's most painted landscape.
Zhangjiajie Travel Guide: The "Avatar" Mountains, Tianmen Mountain & the Glass Bridge
How to plan 3 days in Zhangjiajie — the national forest park's sandstone pillars, Tianmen Mountain's skywalks, and whether the Grand Canyon glass bridge is worth it.