English guide for foreign visitors
How do I plan a 10-day China itinerary with realistic train transfers?
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Step 1 of 7
Count your real days
Do this
Write down your arrival date, departure date and arrival/departure cities, then mark which of the 10 days are full sightseeing days and which are arrival, departure or transfer days.
- Done when
- You have a written count showing how many full sightseeing days remain after arrival, departure and every planned intercity move.
If this fails
If the count leaves fewer full days than your must-see list needs, remove a city now rather than adding a rushed day later.
Step 2 of 7
Choose 3-city or 4-city
Do this
Pick the lower-transfer three-city route (Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai) or the four-city route that adds Chengdu, and write the city order with the hotel city for each night.
- Done when
- You have one route written as a city sequence with a hotel city named for every night, and you can point to the transfer days it creates.
If this fails
If the four-city route leaves too few full days in any city, fall back to the three-city route or drop the city with the least must-see value.
Step 3 of 7
Assign each transfer day
Do this
For every intercity move, write a travel block with the departure city, arrival city, and the sightseeing you will not attempt that day.
- Done when
- Every intercity move has its own day in the plan, and no day lists a full sightseeing program plus an intercity train.
If this fails
If a move has no realistic day, remove a city or move the transfer to an evening block only after checking the actual issued schedule.
Step 4 of 7
Check trains on 12306
Do this
Look up each planned intercity leg on 12306 and record the actual train numbers and departure times that exist for your dates.
- Done when
- Each leg has a real train number and departure time recorded from 12306, not from a tour itinerary or a copied timetable.
If this fails
If no suitable train exists for a leg, remove that city or consider a direct flight only after checking the actual schedule.
Step 5 of 7
Book timed attractions
Do this
Book timed attractions such as the Palace Museum and the Terracotta Warriors before hotels become nonrefundable, using the official booking channels.
- Done when
- You hold a confirmed booking for each timed attraction, and you know the original ID document you must bring on the visit day.
If this fails
If a timed attraction is unavailable on your date, move that city's day or drop the attraction rather than keeping a nonrefundable hotel you cannot use.
Step 6 of 7
Book trains and hotels
Do this
Buy the train tickets on 12306 with each traveler's passport, then book hotels in the city you actually sleep in each night.
- Done when
- You hold issued train tickets tied to each traveler's passport and hotel bookings that match the city you sleep in each night.
If this fails
If a train or seat is unavailable, remove a city or choose a direct flight after checking the actual schedule, then rebook the affected hotels.
Step 7 of 7
Write the day-by-day plan
Do this
For each of the 10 days, write the main task, the travel block, the hotel city and the next morning's start.
- Done when
- Every day has a main task, a travel block, a hotel city and a next-morning start, and no day is overloaded with both a transfer and a full sightseeing program.
- Finished only when
- You have a written 10-day plan with a named hotel city for every night, a separate travel block for every intercity move, confirmed train tickets tied to each passport, and confirmed bookings for your timed attractions.
- A list of cities with no transfer days assigned.
- Train times copied from a tour itinerary rather than checked on 12306.
- Hotels booked as nonrefundable before timed attractions were confirmed.
- A day that lists a full sightseeing program plus an intercity train.
If this fails
If any day still looks overloaded, move a sightseeing item to another day or drop it, then recheck the transfer days.
After this task
The review checks the finished plan for pacing and transfer realism; it is a different job from building the route.