The Beijing–Xi'an–Shanghai triangle is the standard first China trip and it is standard because it works: the imperial capital, the ancient capital, and the 21st-century one, connected by high-speed rail, with the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army as bookends.
Fly into Beijing, out of Shanghai. An open-jaw ticket avoids a wasted backtrack day.
Days 1–4: Beijing#
Day 1 — Arrival#
Airport Express into the city, check in near Qianmen or Dongsi. Walk the neighbourhood, eat Peking duck (Siji Minfu, book ahead), sleep early.
Day 2 — The imperial axis#
Tiananmen Square at opening, then the Forbidden City for three to four hours — take the eastern palaces, not only the central axis. Exit north and climb Jingshan Park for the roof view. Afternoon in Beihai Park and the hutongs around the Drum and Bell Towers, ideally by shared bike. Dinner on a side street off Nanluoguxiang.
Day 3 — The Great Wall#
Mutianyu, departing by 07:00. Entry ¥45, cable car ¥120 return, toboggan down. Walk west from the cable car for the quiet stretch. A hired car for the day is ¥600–800 and worth it. Back by late afternoon; a foot massage in the evening.
Day 4 — Temple of Heaven, then the train#
07:00 at the Temple of Heaven, for the park's morning tai chi, dancing and opera singing. Then the Lama Temple, then either the Summer Palace or the National Museum.
Late afternoon: G-train to Xi'an, 4h20–6h, ¥515. Arrive in the evening; stay inside the city walls near the Bell Tower.
Days 5–6: Xi'an#
Day 5 — Terracotta Army#
Morning. Out to the Terracotta Army (¥120) on tourist bus 5/306 from the railway station east square (¥8, one hour) or by DiDi. Go at opening. Visit in reverse order — the bronze chariots hall, then Pit 3, then Pit 2, then Pit 1 last, once the tour groups have thinned. Allow three hours plus transit.
Afternoon. Shaanxi History Museum (free, booked) — one of the best museums in China. Or Han Yang Ling, the Han emperor's tomb with its glass-floored excavation and third-scale figures, which is quieter and, for some, more atmospheric.
Evening. The Muslim Quarter — roujiamo, biangbiang noodles, liangpi, persimmon cakes. Eat one street back from Beiyuanmen for better food and lower prices.
Day 6 — Walls and pagodas, then the night train or a G-train#
Morning. Cycle the city wall (¥54 entry + ¥45 bike) — the full 13.7 km circuit takes about 100 minutes and is the best two hours in Xi'an. Then the Great Mosque, a Ming complex built entirely in Chinese architectural style.
Afternoon. Big Wild Goose Pagoda, or the Forest of Steles.
Evening. G-train to Shanghai, about 6 hours, ¥670. Or take an overnight sleeper and save a hotel night — though you will arrive tired.
Alternatively, spend a third night in Xi'an and cut one from Shanghai. Xi'an rewards it.
Days 7–10: Shanghai#
Day 7 — Arrive, the Bund#
Check in around the former French Concession or the Bund. Walk Wukang Road and Anfu Road in the afternoon. The Bund at dusk, then the ¥2 ferry to Pudong and back.
Day 8 — Old Shanghai and museums#
Yu Garden at opening (¥40) and soup dumplings. Shanghai Museum (free, booked, closed Mondays). Afternoon: Tianzifang, Xintiandi, or the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum in Hongkou — small, moving and largely unvisited.
Evening: Shanghai's restaurant scene, which is the best in mainland China.
Day 9 — Suzhou day trip#
Suzhou, 25 minutes by train (¥40). One classical garden at 08:00 opening — the Humble Administrator's Garden if you want the famous one, the Master of the Nets if you want the best — plus Pingjiang Road and the Suzhou Museum by I. M. Pei. Back to Shanghai by early evening.
Alternative: Hangzhou (45 min) for West Lake, or Zhujiajiao water town (1 hour by metro).
Day 10 — Last morning, fly#
Shanghai Tower floor 118 if the day is clear (¥180), or a final walk through the concession streets. Pudong airport is 45 minutes by metro line 2 or 7.5 minutes by Maglev from Longyang Road. Allow three hours before an international flight.
Variations#
Swap Xi'an for Chengdu. Pandas, Sichuan food and teahouses instead of the Terracotta Army. Chengdu is 3 hours from Xi'an and 7–8 from Beijing, so it works better in a 14-day route.
Add Datong between Beijing and Xi'an. 1h40 from Beijing, with the Yungang Grottoes and the Hanging Monastery, then onward to Pingyao and Xi'an. This is the connoisseur's version of the same route.
Guilin instead of Suzhou. If you want landscape rather than gardens, fly Shanghai–Guilin and spend three nights in Yangshuo. It costs a day of travel and is worth it.
Budget#
| Item | Mid-range, per person |
|---|---|
| Hotels, 9 nights at ¥430 | ¥3,870 |
| Food, ¥200/day | ¥2,000 |
| Trains (Beijing–Xi'an, Xi'an–Shanghai, Suzhou return) | ¥1,270 |
| Great Wall day (car + tickets) | ¥500 |
| Entry tickets | ¥800 |
| City transport | ¥400 |
| Total, excl. international flights | ≈ ¥8,840 (US$1,245) |
Frequently asked questions#
Is 10 days enough for China?#
Yes, for a well-chosen three-city route such as Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai. Ten days is the shortest trip that covers both imperial and modern China at a sustainable pace, with roughly one travel day in total.
What is the best 10-day itinerary in China?#
Four nights in Beijing, two in Xi'an and three in Shanghai, connected by high-speed rail, with a Suzhou day trip at the end. Fly into Beijing and out of Shanghai so you never retrace a leg.
How long is the train from Beijing to Xi'an?#
Between 4 hours 20 minutes and 6 hours on a G-train, depending on the service, costing about ¥515 in second class. Book on the official 12306 app, which has an English interface and accepts foreign passports.
Should I add Chengdu to a 10-day China trip?#
Only by dropping something else. Chengdu deserves two to three nights and is 3 hours from Xi'an, which makes it a natural fourth city on a 14-day route rather than a 10-day one.
How much does a 10-day China trip cost?#
Roughly ¥8,800 (US$1,245) per person mid-range, excluding international flights — covering hotels around ¥430 a night, meals, two long train legs, a Great Wall day and entry tickets. A backpacker version runs at about half that.