China in 10 days: Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu and Shanghai

Open this route in the trip planner to fit it to your dates, with booking reminders.

Ten days is enough to see four very different sides of China: imperial Beijing, ancient Xi’an, laid-back Chengdu and modern Shanghai. This route suits first-timers who want the full classic loop and are happy to move every two or three days, with high-speed trains from Beijing to Chengdu and one domestic flight from Chengdu to Shanghai. Book the timed tickets before you fly and the rest falls into place.

The route at a glance

Fly into Beijing and out of Shanghai so you never backtrack. Ten days fits inside 30-day visa-free entry, and inside 240-hour visa-free transit if you fly on to a third country or region and keep to the permitted areas; check your passport with the visa checker.

Beijing on the 10-day route: days 1 to 4

Beijing gets the most time on the ten-day Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai route: an arrival day and three full days. Check whether you land at Beijing Capital or Beijing Daxing, which are far apart, and stay near Metro Line 1, 2 or 5. See the Beijing city guide.

• Day 1, arrival: check in, set up payments and data, and walk near the hotel. The first 24 hours guide covers the order to do things in.
• Day 2: Tiananmen Square, the Palace Museum and Jingshan Park. Both need a passport reservation, and the Palace Museum usually closes on Mondays; if day 2 is a Monday, swap it with day 3 or 4.
• Day 3: the Great Wall at Badaling, the easiest to reach and the most crowded, or Mutianyu, a good first choice with a cable car and toboggan. Leave early.
• Day 4: the Temple of Heaven in the morning, when the park fills with locals exercising, then the hutongs and Shichahai on foot or by shared bike.

Xi’an on the 10-day route: days 5 and 6

Xi’an is the second stop on the ten-day Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai route. On day 5, take a morning high-speed train from Beijing; many run from Beijing West to Xi’an North in around four to six hours, depending on the train. Stay inside the city wall near Metro Line 2. See the Xi’an city guide.

• Day 5, evening: the Bell Tower and the Muslim Quarter’s halal food lanes. Don’t bring pork or alcohol into Muslim Quarter restaurants.
• Day 6: the Terracotta Army and Huaqing Palace, about an hour east of the city. Terracotta Army tickets are real-name, booked with your passport; go early, and use an official tourist bus, the metro toward Lintong plus a short ride, ride-hailing or a licensed tour rather than station touts.

Chengdu on the 10-day route: days 7 and 8

Chengdu is the third stop on the ten-day Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai route, reached from Xi’an by high-speed train through the mountains. Many trains from Xi’an arrive at Chengdu East, but Chengdu has several major stations, so check your ticket. Stay in the center near Metro Line 1, 2 or 3. See the Chengdu city guide.

• Day 7, evening: the Kuanzhai Alleys, restored lanes of courtyard houses that are busiest after dark.
• Day 8: the panda base at opening time, when the pandas are most active, then People’s Park and a teahouse, with hotpot for dinner. Ask for a split pot (鸳鸯锅 yuānyāng guō) if you want a mild side. Panda base tickets are real-name, booked with your passport.

On day 9 you fly to Shanghai. Chengdu has two airports, Shuangliu and Tianfu, a long way apart; Tianfu is well over an hour from the center, so check which one your flight uses and leave early.

Shanghai on the 10-day route: days 9 and 10

Shanghai ends the ten-day Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai route. Chengdu to Shanghai is usually a domestic flight, landing at Shanghai Pudong or Shanghai Hongqiao, on opposite sides of the city. Stay near Metro Line 2 or Line 10. See the Shanghai city guide.

• Day 9, evening: the Bund, East Nanjing Road and a ferry across the Huangpu to Lujiazui for the skyline at night.
• Day 10: Yu Garden and the Old City in the morning, the former French Concession in the afternoon.

Most international flights leave from Pudong, reached by the maglev to Longyang Road or by Metro Line 2. If your flight is on day 10, keep the afternoon light, or stay a final night.

Bookings to make before you go

The ten-day Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai route has four sights that need passport bookings and three intercity legs. Book in this order:

1. Your entry route with the visa checker, and flights into Beijing and out of Shanghai.
2. The Palace Museum and Tiananmen Square for day 2. The Palace Museum is the hardest ticket on the route; booking opens a set number of days ahead and popular days go within hours.
3. The Terracotta Army for day 6 and the panda base for day 8, plus Badaling if you choose it.
4. The two trains, Beijing–Xi’an and Xi’an–Chengdu, on 12306 or Trip.com, and the Chengdu–Shanghai flight. See how to book train tickets and Getting around.
5. Hotels for every night, at places that accept foreign guests, with each address in Chinese characters.

The sight bookings tool shows each sight’s channel, window and closing day, and Booking sights explains real-name booking.

Check before you go: Booking windows for sights and trains change and sell out fastest around holidays. Check each official channel (12306 for rail, each sight’s official website or WeChat mini program) shortly before your trip.

Make it your own

The ten-day Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai route moves quickly; adjust it to your pace:

• Cut a city. Drop Chengdu for the 7-day Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai route at a slower pace, or drop Xi’an and fly from Beijing to Chengdu.
• Add Chengdu days for Sanxingdui and the Kuanzhai Alleys, Wenshu Monastery and Wuhou Shrine, or the Leshan Giant Buddha.
• Add Xi’an days for the City Wall by bike and the Shaanxi History Museum, or Mount Hua if you are fit.
• Add Shanghai days for the Shanghai Museum and Suzhou Creek, or a water town, Suzhou or Hangzhou.

Check your dates against Chinese public holidays in When to go, then lay the route out on your dates with the trip planner, which keeps Monday-closed museums off Mondays and sets booking reminders.