China

A first journey through the great cities

Most travellers start with the classics.

Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai over ten days to a fortnight covers the imperial capital, the Terracotta Army and the modern country, with fast trains between them. It is the most efficient introduction to China and remains the most popular route for good reason.

A landscapes and nature journey

Others come for the scenery.

Guilin and Yangshuo, the mountains and old towns of Yunnan, and the peaks of Zhangjiajie offer a China that few first visits reach. Chengdu and the panda centres pair naturally with these, and the pace is far gentler than in the cities.

A slower cultural journey

A smaller number want depth rather than coverage.

Fewer places with more time in each, whether that is a week between Beijing and the Wall or an extended stay in Yunnan, allows for markets, teahouses, food and everyday life rather than a run of monuments.

The key is deciding whether you want the highlights or the texture.

China spans an enormous range of latitudes, so the season matters as much as the region.

Spring, from April to May, and autumn, from September to October, are the best times to travel almost everywhere, with comfortable temperatures, clearer skies and the most pleasant conditions for long days of sightseeing. Summer brings real heat and humidity to the east and the south, along with domestic holiday crowds, while winter is cold and dry in Beijing and the north, though the sites are quiet and the light can be beautiful.

Two periods are worth avoiding if possible. Chinese New Year, which falls in late January or February, and the national holiday in the first week of October both see the whole country travelling at once.

China is easier to travel than most people expect, and harder to absorb.

The high speed rail network is excellent, so the distances between the main cities are far less of an obstacle than the map suggests. The real constraint is how much can be taken in, because the major sites are vast and the cities are dense, and three or four monuments in a day leaves very little impression of any of them.

Three nights in each city, rather than two, is the change that improves a Chinese itinerary most. Leaving a morning free for a market, a park at dawn or simply a walk through a neighbourhood is what makes the country feel understood rather than ticked off.