14 days in China: itinerary

Fourteen days is the first length at which China stops feeling like two cities and a train. The route below runs west from Beijing through Xi'an and Chengdu, drops south to the karst country around Guilin and Yangshuo, then finishes on the coast at Shanghai — or in Hong Kong if you want an open-jaw ticket.

The trade-off is movement. Four bases in 14 nights means four packing mornings and two internal flights. If that sounds like too much, cut Chengdu or Guilin and give the extra nights to Beijing and Shanghai; the trip gets slower and cheaper without losing much.

Two rules shape the plan. First, high-speed rail is fast and comfortable on the Beijing–Xi'an–Chengdu corridor but slow on the long diagonals, so fly Chengdu–Guilin and Guilin–Shanghai. Second, the big sights need timed bookings days ahead, so fix your dates before you buy train tickets.

The line is Beijing → Xi'an → Chengdu → Guilin/Yangshuo → Shanghai, with Hong Kong as an alternative finish. All of it sits inside the eastern half of the country, which keeps travel days short.

Distances are straight-line and approximate; rail and air times are the ones that matter.

Each block below is a base, not a fixed schedule. Move the internal days around to suit weather and bookings.

High-speed rail is the default on the Beijing–Xi'an–Chengdu corridor: city-centre to city-centre, no baggage fees, and seats bookable 15 days ahead on the official 12306 app or website. Second class is fine for four hours; first class buys a wider seat.

Fly the long legs. Chengdu–Guilin and Guilin–Shanghai are short hops that beat a full day on the rails. Budget carriers and the big three all fly them; add time for airport transfers, which are often 45–60 minutes each way.

Inside cities, the metro plus ride-hailing covers almost everything. Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you land — both link to foreign cards and are how you pay for metros, taxis and most meals. Carry your passport; it is your ticket for trains and many sights.

Pick one base per city and stay put. In Beijing, the Dongcheng hutongs put you walkable to the Forbidden City and on a direct metro line. In Xi'an, the walled city inside the ramparts is the convenient choice. In Chengdu, the Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li area is central for food and transit. In Yangshuo, West Street is busy and convenient; the Yulong River lanes are quieter and need a bike or taxi. In Shanghai, the Bund and People's Square area keeps the first-trip sights within a walk.

Mid-range travel — three-star or good boutique hotels, high-speed rail and two internal flights, one paid sight a day, restaurant meals — lands around ¥9,000–16,000 per person for 14 days, excluding international flights. Hostels and sleeper trains can halve the accommodation line; five-star hotels and private guides can double the total.

The two flights are the biggest single variable. Booking them early, or swapping one for a rail leg, is the easiest way to cut the bill.

If you have less time, the 10-day classic triangle (Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai) and the 7-day Beijing–Shanghai trip are already mapped on the site. Both cut the flights and the hotel changes.

If you have more, add Yunnan — Kunming, Dali and Lijiang — or push west to Dunhuang and the Silk Road. Both need their own flights and at least four extra nights.

Swap the finish if you want an open-jaw ticket: end in Hong Kong instead of Shanghai, taking the high-speed rail from Guilin to Shenzhen and crossing the border. Check your visa or transit-rule position before you commit, since Hong Kong is a separate entry.