Each hop is a single train ride; you never double back. Only have 10 days? Drop Chengdu and Guilin and you’re back to the triangle.
Slow enough to enjoy pandas and a river cruise, tight enough that you’re not living out of a suitcase every other night. This 14-day China itinerary is built for first-timers who want the highlights without the rush.
Forbidden City and Tiananmen (Day 2), Mutianyu Great Wall (Day 3), Summer Palace and a hutong dinner (Day 4). Set up payments and maps on arrival.
Terracotta Army at opening (Day 5), city wall bike and Muslim Quarter (Day 6), then the train south to Chengdu (3.5h).
Giant Panda Base early (the pandas are active before heat), then Jinli old street and a hotpot night. A tea-house morning slows the pace before Guilin.
Li River cruise Guilin → Yangshuo (Day 9), bike the karst countryside (Day 10), Impression Liu Sanjie light show or a cave (Day 11). Then the train to Shanghai (9–10h, or a short flight).
Bund and Pudong skyline (Day 12), Yu Garden and French Concession (Day 13), a buffer day plus departure (Day 14). Fly home from Pudong.
Each city is one train ride from the next, and the order keeps you moving forward — Beijing down through Xi’an and Chengdu, then south to Guilin’s karst country, and finally east to Shanghai. No city is repeated, so you never backtrack.
The Guilin → Shanghai leg is the long one. Most people fly it; the daytime train is scenic but eats a day.
Book on Trip.com with a foreign card (or 12306 once Alipay is linked) — see the transport guide for step-by-step train booking. Reserve the long legs first; they fill fastest.
Five cities, four trains, more attractions. Expect roughly ¥9,500–15,000 (about $1,340–$2,110) excluding international flights, at a comfortable mid-range pace.
The Guilin–Shanghai leg (¥800) and the two extra cities are what push this above the 10-day figure.
Best windows: mid-April to May, and September to mid-October. The Li River is fullest after summer rains, and Chengdu’s pandas are liveliest in cool mornings.
Skip: Golden Week (early Oct) — every train on this route sells out.
Four places to go next — pick the one you need right now.
A west-to-east sweep works well: Beijing (3) – Xi’an (2) – Chengdu (2) – Guilin/Yangshuo (2) – Shanghai (3), with a buffer day or two.
Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guilin/Yangshuo and Shanghai is a balanced five – history, pandas, karst scenery and big-city energy.
Enough to go deeper than a first taste without rushing. You can add Hong Kong or Zhangjiajie if you drop a city.
Chain cities by rail in a logical line (north to south or east to west) so each move is a few hours, not a cross-country flight.
Yes if you want a contrast stop and an easy exit point – but it replaces one inland city to keep the pace sane.
Practical first-trip China guides — visas, VPN, eSIM, Alipay, trains, and city routes.