Imperial capitals, karst rivers and a regional feast in every province.
China is vast, and a single trip only scratches the surface. Beijing has the Forbidden City and the Great Wall at Mutianyu, Xi'an the Terracotta Warriors, and Shanghai the Bund facing Pudong's skyline. Beyond the cities are the limestone peaks along the Li River near Guilin and Yangshuo, the sandstone pillars of Zhangjiajie, the old town of Lijiang and the high Tibetan plateau.
Food changes every few hundred kilometres: Peking duck, Sichuan hotpot, Cantonese dim sum and hand-pulled noodles in Lanzhou. High-speed trains make long distances surprisingly easy, and mobile payment apps are used almost everywhere. April, May, September and October bring the most comfortable weather; avoid travelling around Spring Festival and the early-October Golden Week, when the whole country is on the move.
Best time to visit China
April, May, September, October.
Places to visit in China
Beijing: China's capital, home to the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and old hutong neighbourhoods, with the Great Wall nearby.
Great Wall of China: The world's most famous fortification, best walked on restored and wild sections along the mountains north of Beijing.
Shanghai: China's biggest city, where the historic Bund faces the futuristic Pudong skyline across the Huangpu River.
Xi'an: An ancient imperial capital and Silk Road terminus, famous for the Terracotta Army and its intact Ming city walls.
Guilin and Yangshuo: Limestone karst peaks, rice fields and the Li River, the classic landscape of Chinese scroll painting.
Chengdu: Sichuan's easy-going capital, known for giant pandas, teahouse culture and some of China's most celebrated food.
Zhangjiajie: A forest of towering sandstone pillars in Hunan, with glass walkways, cable cars and misty mountain views.
Hangzhou: A graceful city built around West Lake, celebrated in Chinese poetry and surrounded by Longjing tea plantations.
Suzhou: A canal city famed for its classical Chinese gardens, silk and whitewashed houses along the water.
Huangshan: The Yellow Mountains, with granite peaks, gnarled pines and seas of cloud that inspired generations of Chinese painters.
Lhasa: The historic heart of Tibet, crowned by the Potala Palace and centred on the Jokhang Temple and Barkhor pilgrim circuit.
Lijiang: A canal-laced old town of the Naxi people in Yunnan, beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Jiuzhaigou: A valley of astonishingly clear turquoise lakes, waterfalls and forests on the edge of the Tibetan plateau in Sichuan.
Pingyao: One of China's best-preserved walled towns, with Ming and Qing streets, courtyard homes and China's first banks.
Dunhuang: A Silk Road oasis known for the Mogao Caves, a treasury of Buddhist art, and huge dunes around a crescent lake.
Essentials
Currency: Chinese Yuan (CNY)
Language: Mandarin Chinese; English limited outside big hotels
Plugs: Type A / C / I, 220 V
Driving: Right side
Time zone: UTC+6 to +8
Tipping: Not expected
Getting around: High-speed rail between cities and metros within them; set up mobile payments before you go
Entry: Check the official rules for your passport before booking