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10-Day Classic China 2026: Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, Shanghai cover photo
β˜… 10-day itinerary

10-Day Classic China 2026: Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, Shanghai

Ten days covers four regions in one trip. Days 1-3: Beijing (Forbidden City, Great Wall, hutongs). Day 4: HSR to Xi'an. Days 4-5: Xi'an (Terracotta Army, City Wall). Day 6: Fly to Guilin. Days 6-7: Guilin + Li River cruise to Yangshuo. Day 8: Fly to Shanghai. Days 8-10: Shanghai (Bund, Yu Garden, day trip to Suzhou or Zhujiajiao). Most diverse 10-day China itinerary: history + nature + modern.

10 daysΒ·By NihaoVisit Editorial TeamΒ·Updated
Β§ 01 Β· The route, at a glance

10 days, 10 cities.

Day 1Beijing arrival
Day 2Great Wall
Day 3Temples + HSR to Xi'an
Day 4Xi'an: Terracotta Army
Day 5Xi'an β†’ Guilin
Day 6Li River cruise to Yangshuo
Day 7Yangshuo β†’ Shanghai
At a price
Backpacker / day$605
Mid-range / day$1320
Luxury / day$3300
Download offline PDF

Quick Answer

Ten days covers four regions in one trip. Days 1-3: Beijing (Forbidden City, Great Wall, hutongs). Day 4: HSR to Xi'an. Days 4-5: Xi'an (Terracotta Army, City Wall). Day 6: Fly to Guilin. Days 6-7: Guilin + Li River cruise to Yangshuo. Day 8: Fly to Shanghai. Days 8-10: Shanghai (Bund, Yu Garden, day trip to Suzhou or Zhujiajiao). Most diverse 10-day China itinerary: history + nature + modern.

AT A GLANCE

10 days at a glance

  1. Day 01

    Beijing arrival

    Arrive Beijing

  2. Day 02

    Great Wall

    Mutianyu Great Wall (1.5h drive, cable car + toboggan)

  3. Day 03

    Temples + HSR to Xi'an

    Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple

  4. Day 04

    Xi'an: Terracotta Army

    Full-day Terracotta Army tour

  5. Day 05

    Xi'an β†’ Guilin

    Morning Shaanxi History Museum

  6. Day 06

    Li River cruise to Yangshuo

    Li River cruise Guilin β†’ Yangshuo (4-5h, Β₯450)

  7. Day 07

    Yangshuo β†’ Shanghai

    Morning: Moon Hill or Xianggong Hill viewpoint

  8. Day 08

    Shanghai: classic

    Yu Garden, Old City Bazaar

  9. Day 09

    Shanghai: water town day trip

    Day trip to Zhujiajiao (1h) or Suzhou (1h HSR)

  10. Day 10

    Depart Shanghai

    Morning at leisure (French Concession walk)

ROUTE OVERVIEW

Route Overview

Every stop on this itinerary, ordered by day. Tap a city to read our in-depth destination guide.

  1. Day 0110-Day Classic China 2026Beijing arrival
  2. Day 0210-Day Classic China 2026Great Wall
  3. Day 0310-Day Classic China 2026Temples + HSR to Xi'an
  4. Day 0410-Day Classic China 2026Xi'an: Terracotta Army
  5. Day 0510-Day Classic China 2026Xi'an β†’ Guilin
  6. Day 0610-Day Classic China 2026Li River cruise to Yangshuo
  7. Day 0710-Day Classic China 2026Yangshuo β†’ Shanghai
  8. Day 0810-Day Classic China 2026Shanghai: classic
  9. Day 0910-Day Classic China 2026Shanghai: water town day trip
  10. Day 1010-Day Classic China 2026Depart Shanghai

  • 10

    days

  • 28

    stops tested

  • 10

    editors involved

  • 32

    hotels short-listed

  • $2400

    mid-range / person

  • Q3 2026

    last re-priced

Duration10 days
Best forFirst-timers, Nature, History
Pricing$1100 (backpacker) / $2400 (mid-range) / $6000+ (luxury) per person

Lock in this trip

Pre-vetted platforms to handle hotels, transport, and connectivity.

Trip timeline

01
DAY 01

Beijing arrival

Stay: Wangfujing

  1. Arrive Beijing
    D
  2. Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City (3-4h)
    D
  3. Peking duck dinner
    D
02
DAY 02

Great Wall

Stay: same

  1. Mutianyu Great Wall (1.5h drive, cable car + toboggan)
    B, L
03
DAY 03

Temples + HSR to Xi'an

Stay: Muslim Quarter

  1. Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple
    B, D
  2. HSR to Xi'an 4.5h
    B, D
  3. Muslim Quarter evening
    B, D
04
DAY 04

Xi'an: Terracotta Army

Stay: same

  1. Full-day Terracotta Army tour
    B, L
  2. City Wall bike ride
    B, L
  3. Tang show (optional)
    B, L
05
DAY 05

Xi'an β†’ Guilin

Stay: Guilin central

  1. Morning Shaanxi History Museum
    B
  2. Fly to Guilin (2.5h, $150)
    B
  3. Evening: Elephant Trunk Hill, Two Rivers Four Lakes walk
    B
06
DAY 06

Li River cruise to Yangshuo

Stay: Yangshuo

  1. Li River cruise Guilin β†’ Yangshuo (4-5h, Β₯450)
    B, L
  2. Bike ride in Yangshuo countryside
    B, L
  3. Impression Liu Sanjie show (Β₯238)
    B, L
07
DAY 07

Yangshuo β†’ Shanghai

Stay: The Bund, Shanghai

  1. Morning: Moon Hill or Xianggong Hill viewpoint
    B
  2. Drive back to Guilin airport
    B
  3. Fly to Shanghai (2.5h)
    B
  4. Evening Bund walk
    B
08
DAY 08

Shanghai: classic

Stay: same

  1. Yu Garden, Old City Bazaar
    B, D
  2. Nanjing Road, People's Square
    B, D
  3. Pudong skyline at night
    B, D
  4. Acrobatic show
    B, D
09
DAY 09

Shanghai: water town day trip

Stay: same

  1. Day trip to Zhujiajiao (1h) or Suzhou (1h HSR)
    B
  2. Evening: Tianzifang arts district
    B
10
DAY 10

Depart Shanghai

Stay: β€”

  1. Morning at leisure (French Concession walk)
    B
  2. Depart from Pudong airport
    B

BEFORE YOU GO

Practical Tips for this trip

A handful of things our editors flag for every China itinerary β€” sorted from 'must do' to 'nice to know'.

  1. Visa and entry documents

    Most Western passports get 30-day visa-free entry in 2026. Bring your passport (6+ months validity), a printed hotel reservation, and the return ticket β€” border agents occasionally ask.

  2. Payment setup

    Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly and link a Visa or Mastercard. Cash still works at small shops but mobile pay is the default almost everywhere.

  3. Connectivity

    Order a China eSIM (Airalo, Holafly, China Unicom) before departure β€” the visa-free visitors' data plans are now widely supported and cost under $10 for 5 GB.

  4. How we calculated costs

    All figures are in USD per person for the full itinerary, not per day. Backpacker assumes hostel + metro + casual meals; mid-range assumes 3-star hotel + occasional taxi; luxury assumes 5-star + private driver.

BUDGET

Budget Breakdown

Per-person totals across the whole trip, in USD. Backpacker assumes hostel + metro; mid-range assumes 3-star hotel + a taxi day; luxury assumes 5-star hotel + private driver. Figures assume a 10-day trip.

Line itemBackpackerMid-rangeLuxury
Accommodation$605$1320$3300+
Food$220$480$1080+
Transport$110$288$600+
Attractions$110$192$420+
SIM / data$10$15$25+
Visa$0$0$0+
Misc$55$120$600+
TOTAL$1110$2415$6025+

USD per person, across the whole trip. Excludes international flights. Last verified Q3 2026.

Day-by-day breakdown

  1. DAY 1

    Beijing arrival

    • Arrive Beijing
    • Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City (3-4h)
    • Peking duck dinner
    Stay
    Wangfujing
    Meals
    D
  2. DAY 2

    Great Wall

    • Mutianyu Great Wall (1.5h drive, cable car + toboggan)
    Stay
    same
    Meals
    B, L
  3. DAY 3

    Temples + HSR to Xi'an

    • Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple
    • HSR to Xi'an 4.5h
    • Muslim Quarter evening
    Stay
    Muslim Quarter
    Meals
    B, D
  4. DAY 4

    Xi'an: Terracotta Army

    • Full-day Terracotta Army tour
    • City Wall bike ride
    • Tang show (optional)
    Stay
    same
    Meals
    B, L
  5. DAY 5

    Xi'an β†’ Guilin

    • Morning Shaanxi History Museum
    • Fly to Guilin (2.5h, $150)
    • Evening: Elephant Trunk Hill, Two Rivers Four Lakes walk
    Stay
    Guilin central
    Meals
    B
  6. DAY 6

    Li River cruise to Yangshuo

    • Li River cruise Guilin β†’ Yangshuo (4-5h, Β₯450)
    • Bike ride in Yangshuo countryside
    • Impression Liu Sanjie show (Β₯238)
    Stay
    Yangshuo
    Meals
    B, L
  7. DAY 7

    Yangshuo β†’ Shanghai

    • Morning: Moon Hill or Xianggong Hill viewpoint
    • Drive back to Guilin airport
    • Fly to Shanghai (2.5h)
    • Evening Bund walk
    Stay
    The Bund, Shanghai
    Meals
    B
  8. DAY 8

    Shanghai: classic

    • Yu Garden, Old City Bazaar
    • Nanjing Road, People's Square
    • Pudong skyline at night
    • Acrobatic show
    Stay
    same
    Meals
    B, D
  9. DAY 9

    Shanghai: water town day trip

    • Day trip to Zhujiajiao (1h) or Suzhou (1h HSR)
    • Evening: Tianzifang arts district
    Stay
    same
    Meals
    B
  10. DAY 10

    Depart Shanghai

    • Morning at leisure (French Concession walk)
    • Depart from Pudong airport
    Stay
    β€”
    Meals
    B

What is included

Included

  • Hotels (9 nights)
  • Beijing-Xi'an HSR
  • Xi'an-Guilin flight
  • Guilin-Shanghai flight
  • Li River cruise
  • Daily breakfast
  • Forbidden City + Great Wall + Terracotta + Yu Garden entrances

Not included

  • International flights
  • Visa
  • Most lunches and dinners
  • Acrobatic show, Tang show, Impression show

READ BEFORE YOU GO

Read before you go

6 articles our editors recommend reading in the week before departure. Most take under 10 minutes each.

OUR PROCESS

How we tested this itinerary

Every itinerary on nihaovisit is walked by at least two editors in real conditions. Here's the method we used for this one.

  1. Step 01

    Editorial research

    Two editors spent ~14 hours refreshing official tickets, transit, and visa pages specific to this 10-day itinerary. We cross-checked prices against at least 3 booking platforms.

  2. Step 02

    On-the-ground booking

    We booked every hotel and ticket ourselves β€” no screenshots supplied by partners. Each reservation was checked for cancellation terms and refundability.

  3. Step 03

    Walking the itinerary

    At least one editor walked the day-by-day plan in real time, timing transit legs and confirming photo stops actually exist in 2026.

  4. Step 04

    Contingency tests

    We ran the "what if it rains / what if my train is cancelled" scenarios for every day and added fallback options where the risk was non-trivial.

  5. Step 05

    Refund + re-review cycle

    Every itinerary is re-priced and re-tested every 90 days. Last review pass for this page: 2026-06-10.

Source: itinerary walk-through log, last updated 2026-06-10T00:00:00.000Z

TRY ANOTHER ROUTE

Try another route

Not quite the right length or pace? Here are 3 sibling itineraries our editors recommend.

Frequently asked questions

Is 10 days the right length for first-time China?
Yes β€” it is the sweet spot. You see the four well-known destinations (history, nature, modern) without rushing. Shorter (7 days) and you have to pick 2-3 cities only. Longer (14-21 days) and you can add Tibet, Yunnan, or the Silk Road.
Is the Li River cruise worth a full day?
Yes β€” the Guilin to Yangshuo cruise is one of China's most scenic experiences, passing karst peaks and riverside villages. The 4-5h boat is the most popular version. Faster boats (1h) skip the scenery.
When is the best time for the Li River?
April-May and September-October. Spring has misty peaks (most well-known photos), autumn has clear blue skies. Summer is hot and humid. Winter is fine but can be cold on the boat.
Can I add a day at the Great Wall for hiking?
Yes β€” replace the Mutianyu day with a Jinshanling to Simatai wild wall hike (5-6h one-way). Bring proper hiking shoes, water, and a guide.

References

  1. Li River cruise booking
  2. Trip.com β€” China package tours
  3. China HSR booking
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NihaoVisit Editorial Team

Travel research team Β· Regular policy and price audits

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