Plan Your Trip
Plan your trip
Settle how long each city needs, where to base yourself in Beijing, and how to pace the whole route — so the structure is decided before you book.
Where should I start?
Start with the city you land in
Run the How Many Days check for your entry city first — it sets the usable-day budget for the rest of the trip. Then repeat it for each other city on your route. Already choosing a Beijing base? Use Where to Stay. Already have a full plan? Skip ahead to a second opinion. Everything else is in All Guides.
Seasonal and first-trip plans
Choose your first city
Trip length
How Many Days in Beijing?Decide how many usable days Beijing needs, then divide a multi-city China trip.How Many Days in Shanghai?Plan usable Shanghai days and allocate a multi-city China trip, including Disney trade-offs.How Many Days in Chongqing?Plan urban Chongqing days and see when Dazu or Wulong need extra usable time.How Many Days in Zhangjiajie?Protect Wulingyuan days and allocate Tianmen or Grand Canyon pressure in a China trip.How do I plan a 3-day Beijing itinerary with timed-entry attractions?Build the three days around confirmed ticket dates, not the other way round: lock a Palace Museum date first, give Mutianyu its own full day, and keep the third day flexible for Temple of Heaven, hutongs or the Summer.How do I visit Hangzhou West Lake in one day?Pick one shore or causeway segment rather than the whole lake, confirm your Shanghai-to-Hangzhou train and return train on 12306 before you leave, and finish when you have a confirmed return train plus a route you can.How do I plan a 2-day Xi’an itinerary with the Terracotta Warriors?Plan one city day and one dedicated Terracotta Warriors day, and book the museum admission through the official channel before you commit to nonrefundable travel legs.Restaurant QR Failed: Wrong Code, Bad Translation, or UnpaidYou have three weeks in China but the itinerary is built from city names and train times, so transfer days disappear and the trip turns into a sequence of station-to-hotel moves instead of sightseeing.
Refine the plan
Where to Stay in BeijingPick a neighborhood that fits your itinerary and transport style.Shanghai Accessible Hotel: Confirm the Roll-In RoomCheck accessible bathroom, actual room photos, door width and booked room guarantee before paying.When Should I Visit China for My Route and Constraints?Choose a travel window for your regions, weather tolerance, holiday crowds and trip purpose.What do I need to prepare before my first trip to China?Work through the preparation in order: settle your entry route against official guidance, make your passport, flight and hotel details match, plan the arrival card, set up data and a payment method with a cash/card.Which apps should I install before arriving in China?Install and sign in to a payment app, WeChat, a map app, a train-booking app, a translation app and a ride-hailing app before you fly, then test each one and keep an offline backup.
Muslim travel planning
Hotels & Stays
China Hotel Refuses Foreign Guests? What to Do at Check-in (2026)Verify the exact property before booking with a foreign passport, then use the official rule, front-desk message and recovery steps if check-in fails.China Hotel Late Check-In After Midnight: Which Night to Book?Choose the correct hotel night, confirm the arranged arrival time, protect foreign-passport check-in and avoid no-show surprises after midnight.China Hotel Booking Name Doesn’t Match Passport?Separate minor name formatting from a different guest, correct booking identity fields and recover a hotel reservation before check-in.China Non-Hotel Accommodation RegistrationComplete 2026 nationwide NIA 12367 private-home lodging registration with host help and electronic proof.
Check your route and pace
Is Your China Itinerary Too Rushed?Count usable sightseeing days, passport/rail station transfer time, fixed reservations and hotel changes before booking.How Do I Plan a Two-Week China Itinerary and Check It for Conflicts?Build a two-week route around sleeping bases, door-to-door transfers and fixed bookings, then check it for conflicts.How do I plan a 7-day China itinerary without wasting travel days?Build the week as seven dated calendar days, and give every day exactly one geographic base or one declared transfer day — arrival, departure and city-to-city moves included.How do I plan a 10-day China itinerary with realistic train transfers?Decide whether your 10 days are calendar days or full sightseeing days, then pick either a three-city route (Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai) or a four-city route that adds Chengdu.How do I plan a 5-day trip to China?Decide your real five-day window first, then pick either one base city or one short city pair, and count arrival day, departure day and any train transfer as full planning days.