Paralight · Themed route
First China Trip · Classic Circuit
Five gateway cities, two thousand years of history, and a practical orientation to China that sets up everything that comes after. Begin in Beijing — hutong mornings and Great Wall afternoons ground you in imperial scale. Move west to Xi'an for the Terracotta Army and Tang-era walls. Chengdu slows things down with teahouse culture and Sichuan hotpot. Then Shanghai: the Bund, the former French Concession, and the country's easiest landing. Finish in Guangzhou, China's great eating city — dim sum mornings and old trade-port streets beneath the new skyline.
- 1Beijing4 suggested days
Start here — wander ancient hutong alleys, climb the Great Wall, and feel a capital endlessly reinventing itself through food, art, and history.
- 2Xi'an3 suggested days
Home of the legendary Terracotta Army and ancient Tang-era city walls — explore the Silk Road's eastern terminus, then slow down over Muslim Quarter street food.
- 3Chengdu3 suggested days
Teahouse afternoons, fiery Sichuan hotpot, and giant pandas in a city that actively rewards slowing down.
- 4Shanghai3 suggested days
Stroll the colonial-era Bund waterfront and the leafy streets of the former French Concession — a cosmopolitan, foreigner-friendly launchpad for your China journey.
- 5Guangzhou3 suggested days
China's best eating city — dim sum mornings and century-old trade-port streets beneath the new skyline.