14 days in China: Beijing → Xi'an → Chengdu → Shanghai → Suzhou → Hangzhou
A two-week route that adds Chengdu, Suzhou and Hangzhou to the classic Beijing–Xi'an–Shanghai sequence. It mixes rail and a domestic flight, so the final plan should be built around current timetables, ticket rules and your own arrival and departure airports.
For visitors with two weeks who want more than a highlights-only trip. This is a planning framework, not a fixed booking recipe: the Chengdu flight, rail stations, attraction reservations and even the best order of Suzhou and Hangzhou depend on live availability. Keep one flexible block in the schedule so a delayed flight or weather closure does not ruin the whole route.
Route overview
Before you go: essential booking checklist
Start with the items that can determine the rest of the journey. Current official rules and the actual booking confirmation outweigh any fixed price, time or advance-sale number in a travel guide.
- Entry: check requirements for your own passport through the Chinese embassy or consulate responsible for your residence. An open-jaw itinerary does not by itself establish what documentation an application requires.
- International flights: Book open-jaw: into Beijing, out of Shanghai (or Hangzhou).
- Domestic flight (Chengdu → Shanghai): compare an airline's own terms and any intermediary's price, baggage allowance, airport and change/refund rules. Choose the departure only after allowing for airport transfer and a hotel arrival buffer.
- High-speed trains: use China Railway's official 12306 service to verify current sale windows, train numbers and fare conditions. Use the exact passport details you will carry:
- Beijing → Xi'an: check the stations at both ends and the hotel transfer time.
- Xi'an → Chengdu: account for station access and the energy required for a same-day evening plan.
- Shanghai → Suzhou → Hangzhou: verify the exact arrival station; a short train journey can still have a long last-mile transfer.
- Major sights: check each attraction's own reservation page, identity requirement, closure notice and weather policy. Do not apply a fixed advance-booking rule to the Forbidden City, panda base, Sanxingdui or Suzhou gardens.
- Hotels (all six cities): book the first night early, retain the confirmation offline and verify the individual property's passport-registration process and cancellation terms.
- Payment & apps: install and test the apps you intend to use on your own phone, keep a second payment method and save Chinese addresses offline. See the dedicated payment and internet guides for setup considerations.
Beijing: The Imperial Capital
Use three days as a framework for core sights, with reservations and weather deciding the final order. Add time only if it leaves enough recovery and transfer margin—not because every extra attraction sounds attractive.
Where to stay in Beijing
Choose by the first confirmed activity: a central or subway-connected base may help, but the right option depends on your arrival station, hotel terms and next day. Browse Beijing hotels on Trip.com (affiliate link) if useful, then confirm foreign-passport registration directly with the property and compare its own terms.
Day 1 — Arrival & Central Axis
Use the central axis only if the airport transfer, check-in and official reservation leave enough margin. Confirm the current entry/security requirements for Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City first; Jingshan Park and Shichahai/Houhai are optional additions, not arrival-day promises.
Day 2 — Temple of Heaven → Summer Palace
Put Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace together only when their current admission and transit conditions allow a comfortable day. Check official opening, reservation and admission information before purchase.
Day 3 — Great Wall at Mutianyu
Give Mutianyu a full day. Verify weather, official visitor notices, the actual transport operator and its fare/refund terms before leaving; cable-car and slide choices should be made only after checking live availability.
Tomorrow: use official 12306 to confirm the current train, departure station, boarding process and passport details. Build a personal buffer rather than relying on a fixed station-arrival rule.
High-speed train to Xi'an
A rail transfer day whose timings, stations and services must be confirmed at booking.
Where to stay in Xi'an
Choose by the next day’s plan: an old-city base can suit central sightseeing, while station-side accommodation can suit a late arrival. Compare the real arrival station and transfer. Browse Xi'an hotels on Trip.com (affiliate link) if useful, then verify passport registration and terms directly.
Day 4 — Train + City Wall + Muslim Quarter
After the train, prioritise check-in and the real transfer. The City Wall is an optional late-afternoon activity after you have checked official access and weather; the Muslim Quarter is one dinner option where you should confirm displayed prices before ordering.
Tomorrow: choose a public route, licensed tour or booked driver using current operator information. Confirm pickup, fare, cancellation and return terms through the actual provider, and decline unsolicited transport offers.
Xi'an: Terracotta Army & Huaqing Palace
Day 5 — Terracotta Army + optional Huaqing Palace
Make the Terracotta Army Museum the day’s main commitment. Verify its current official reservation, admission, transport and closure information before paying; visit pits and exhibitions in an order that suits live crowding. Add Huaqing Palace or the Big Wild Goose Pagoda area only if the return and your energy leave a genuinely comfortable margin.
Tomorrow: confirm the live Xi'an–Chengdu rail service, station pair and sale conditions in official 12306. Keep the Chengdu evening flexible until the real arrival time is known.
High-speed train to Chengdu
A rail transfer into Chengdu; treat any same-day sightseeing as optional until the live journey and hotel transfer are complete.
Where to stay in Chengdu
Choose by the following morning: central shopping districts, Kuanzhai Alley and a station-side hotel each solve different route problems. Compare the live transfer and property terms rather than treating one area as universally best.
Day 6 — Train + Kuanzhai Alley + People's Park
After arrival, make check-in and food the only fixed needs. Kuanzhai Alley or People’s Park can be an optional short introduction to the city if the actual arrival leaves capacity; do not promise both after a transfer day. Choose food by the current menu, wait and spice tolerance, not a fixed chain recommendation.
Chengdu: Pandas & Wuhou Shrine
Pandas in the morning, culture in the afternoon.
Morning — Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
Check the Panda Base’s official reservation, current hours and transport plan before purchasing. Animal visibility and activity cannot be guaranteed, so go because the conservation centre itself interests you, not because an itinerary promises a particular encounter.
Afternoon — Wuhou Shrine → Jinli Street
Pair Wuhou Shrine with Jinli only after confirming official access and your remaining energy. A Sichuan opera show is optional; verify the venue’s schedule, seat terms and refund policy before booking.
Chengdu: Sanxingdui Museum → Du Fu Cottage
One of the most incredible archaeological museums in China, plus a classical poet's cottage.
Morning/early afternoon — Sanxingdui Museum
Sanxingdui is a separate museum outing in Guanghan. Check the official reservation, current transport and return options first; decide whether to go because its Bronze Age material interests you, rather than because a list says it is unmissable.
Late afternoon — Du Fu Cottage
Return to Chengdu and add Du Fu Thatched Cottage only if the live return leaves time and the subject interests you. For dinner, choose a dish and heat level that fit you; there is no single required Sichuan meal.
Tomorrow: compare the actual Chengdu airport, airline baggage rules, terminal and Shanghai arrival airport as one booking decision. Keep the Shanghai evening flexible until the live flight and hotel transfer are complete.
Fly to Shanghai: The Bund at night
A domestic-flight transfer day: the real schedule depends on airports, airline operations and the hotel transfer.
Where to stay in Shanghai
Choose by the next day’s route: a French Concession base and a central business-district base can each work. Browse Shanghai hotels on Trip.com (affiliate link) if helpful, then compare the property’s own terms and confirm passport registration directly.
Day 9 — Flight + The Bund
After the flight, reach the hotel first. The Bund can be an evening option only if the actual flight, baggage and city transfer leave sufficient time; otherwise move it to the following day. Use a current map to choose any river crossing or onward route.
Shanghai: Old Town & Pudong
Morning — Yu Garden
Check the current official access and reservation information for Yu Garden, then allow enough time for the garden and nearby streets. A dumpling stop is optional; choose by the current queue, menu and dietary fit.
Afternoon — Shanghai Museum or Lujiazui
Choose either the Shanghai Museum or Lujiazui as the fixed afternoon anchor after checking each venue’s current official reservation and admission information. The French Concession is a flexible follow-up, not a third compulsory attraction.
Tomorrow: a Suzhou day trip works only after you confirm the live rail service, station pair, garden reservation and enough daylight for a safe return. Do not rely on claimed train frequency or a generic “no need to book” rule.
Suzhou day trip: Gardens & Canals
A garden-and-old-town day that needs one chosen garden, a live rail plan and realistic transfer time—not a rush through every landmark.
How to do Suzhou as a day trip
Search the current journey in official 12306 and compare the actual Suzhou arrival station with your chosen garden on a live map. Station convenience is route-dependent; build in security, exit and local-transfer time.
Morning — Humble Administrator's Garden
Reserve Humble Administrator’s Garden through the current official route if it is your chosen garden, and let its real entry time set the day. Afterwards, Pingjiang Road is a natural slow walk—not a stop with a fixed completion time.
Afternoon — Another garden + Shantang Street
Add Lingering Garden only if the first garden, transfer and daylight leave an unhurried block. Shantang Street or a canal boat are alternatives, not automatic additions. Recheck the actual return train before committing to a second garden.
Train to Hangzhou: West Lake
A rail transfer into Hangzhou. The suitable departure depends on the live service, arrival station and whether a lake visit still fits the same day.
Where to stay in Hangzhou
Choose by priority: a West Lake base helps with lake walks, while a different base may suit the following morning. Compare the actual station transfer and property terms rather than relying on a universal best area.
Day 12 — Train to Hangzhou + West Lake
Use official 12306 to select the live Suzhou–Hangzhou service, then check in before committing to the lake. At West Lake, choose one mode—walking, cycling or a boat—after checking its live availability and price. A lake sunset is a possibility, not an itinerary guarantee.
Hangzhou: Lingyin Temple & Longjing Tea
Morning — Lingyin Temple
Visit Lingyin Temple after confirming current official access, admission and opening information. The visit can expand or contract depending on the route and crowding, so keep the afternoon flexible.
Afternoon — Longjing Tea Village
Visit Longjing Village if weather and the live route make it appealing. Taste before buying and compare provenance, price and storage advice; a direct seller is not an automatic quality guarantee. Songcheng Park is optional and requires its own current official programme and ticket check.
Final morning → Departure
If departing from Hangzhou (HGH):
For a Hangzhou departure, use the airline’s current guidance and a live route to the correct terminal. Add a final lake walk only after the airport transfer buffer is secure.
If departing from Shanghai (PVG):
For a Shanghai departure, verify the current Hangzhou–Shanghai train, arrival station, airline terminal and onward transfer as one continuous journey. A direct-looking route can fail if a station change or airport transfer is underestimated.
Final tips: keep secure copies of travel documents, save the hotel address in Chinese and an offline map, and choose food and transport by visible terms, current reviews where relevant and your own risk comfort. No crowd size, restaurant type or app is a guarantee of safety or quality.
Budget: build a live quote, not a fixed promise
- Hotels: compare refundable and non-refundable room types for the actual dates, then confirm foreign-passport registration directly.
- Rail and flights: price each actual leg with the official rail service and airline, including terms for changes and baggage.
- Attractions: add only the current official admission or reservation cost for places you will genuinely visit.
- Food and local transport: set a daily allowance for your own dining style, payment setup and use of ride-hailing.
- Total: calculate the live components in your payment currency; exchange rates, ticket rules and hotel prices can change before travel.