China City Guides:
Where to Go and How Long to Stay

Choosing the right cities, and the right order, shapes the whole trip. Because a single intercity leg can eat a day, grouping two or three cities with different characters usually works better than rushing through many.

Recommended stays differ by city: three to four days in Beijing and Shanghai, two to three in Xi'an and Chengdu, and two to three in Guilin and Yangshuo or Hangzhou and Suzhou. Chongqing is often paired with an evening skyline, and Harbin fits two to three days in the winter festival season.

Inside a city the metro is the fastest and cheapest option, and the big cities have English signage. We cut the travel burden with a private car and a dedicated guide, and build small-group itineraries for two to eight travellers with no shopping stops and no forced optional tours. Prices are quoted on request.

The city guides cover Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Chengdu, Guilin and Yangshuo, Hangzhou and Suzhou, Harbin, and Chongqing. How many days a city deserves depends on how densely its sights are packed and how far apart they sit. As a rough guide, large cities reward three to four days, mid-sized ones work well in two to three, and leaving a little slack always helps. If you plan to add nearby towns, allow one more day. Each guide also explains how to split your time between the metro and taxis.

To decide how many cities to combine, write travel time down next to sightseeing time. Losing a full day to a transfer shrinks what you actually see, so grouping two or three contrasting cities usually feels better than rushing through five. Pairing a historic city with a water town, for instance, keeps the days from feeling repetitive. We link your cities with a dedicated car and guide, and shape the route around the places and days you care about. Quotes are provided on request.