Four weeks allows China’s essential experiences without feeling rushed — the north’s imperial history, the Sichuan culture and pandas, the Li River karst landscape, and the extraordinary variety of Yunnan province. This itinerary is the result of many iterations by travellers who have done this circuit; it balances the headline sites with genuine depth and appropriate pacing.
Overview: The 28-Day Classic Circuit
Beijing (4 days) → Xi'an (3 days) → Chengdu (3 days) → Chongqing (1 day) → Guilin/Yangshuo (4 days) → Kunming (2 days) → Dali (3 days) → Lijiang (4 days) → end in Hong Kong or Shanghai (2 days)Transport overview: HSR Beijing–Xi’an, HSR Xi’an–Chengdu, HSR Chengdu–Chongqing, flight Chongqing–Guilin, HSR Guilin–Kunming, HSR Kunming–Dali–Lijiang, flight Lijiang–Hong Kong or Shanghai.
Day-by-Day Breakdown
Beijing (Days 1–4)
Day 1: Arrive, check in to hutong-area hotel. Evening Nanluoguxiang and Houhai bar lake walk.
Day 2: Forbidden City (book online in advance, arrive 8:30am) → Jingshan Park overlook → Beihai Park afternoon → Temple of Heaven (early evening, atmospheric).
Day 3: Great Wall at Mutianyu (cable car up, toboggan down, half-day trip, 2 hours from city) → Summer Palace afternoon (if energy allows).
Day 4: National Museum OR 798 Art District → afternoon hutong walk (Wudaoying hutong or Gulou area) → Beijing Peking duck dinner.
See Beijing 3-Day Itinerary for detailed day plans.
Xi’an (Days 5–7)
Day 5: HSR Beijing South → Xi’an North (4 hours). Afternoon Muslim Quarter arrival and dinner.
Day 6: Terracotta Warriors (full morning; return by 2pm) → Afternoon: Old city wall bicycle circuit.
Day 7: Big Wild Goose Pagoda morning → Small Wild Goose Pagoda + Shaanxi History Museum → evening Tang Paradise fountain show OR Yongxingfang food street.
See Xi’an Terracotta Warriors Guide for detail.
Chengdu (Days 8–10)
Day 8: HSR Xi’an → Chengdu (3 hours). Giant Panda Base (must arrive before 10am; book online) → afternoon Jinli Street OR Wide and Narrow Alleys.
Day 9: Leshan Giant Buddha day trip (1.5 hours by bus, 2 hours by boat on the river to see the full scale — the whole body from the river perspective is the best view).
Day 10: Chengdu free day — Wenshu Monastery morning → vegetarian lunch → afternoon cooking class OR Sanxingdui Museum day trip (1 hour from Chengdu) → hotpot dinner.
Chongqing (Day 11)
Day 11: HSR Chengdu → Chongqing (1.5 hours). Arrive, drop bags. Ciqikou ancient town afternoon. Hongyadong at dusk (the stilted hanging city neighbourhood lit up over the Jialing River is one of China’s most dramatic urban views). Chongqing hotpot dinner. HSR or flight to Guilin evening OR next morning.
Guilin/Yangshuo (Days 12–15)
Day 12: Arrive Guilin. Afternoon: Reed Flute Cave + Two Rivers Four Lakes evening light tour.
Day 13: Li River Cruise Guilin to Yangshuo (4–5 hours, ¥230 inclusive). Arriving in Yangshuo by boat is one of the iconic China arrival experiences.
Day 14: Yangshuo base — cycle Moon Hill and Yulong River (bike ¥50, cycling among the karst towers at river level is extraordinary).
Day 15: Day trip — Longji Rice Terraces (1.5 hours, spectacular especially in October or May) OR morning walk in town, depart to Kunming afternoon.
See Guilin Li River Guide for detail.
Kunming (Days 16–17)
Day 16: Fly or train Guilin to Kunming. Afternoon: Green Lake Park walk, Yunnan Provincial Museum.
Day 17: Stone Forest (石林, Shilin, 1.5 hours from Kunming) OR Yuanyang Rice Terraces (if doing the southern circuit variant). Afternoon train to Dali.
Dali (Days 18–20)
Day 18: Arrive Dali. Old town walk, Three Pagodas visit.
Day 19: Erhai Lake bicycle circuit (half-day east shore villages) → afternoon Cangshan cable car and midmountain traverse trail.
Day 20: Optional: White minority village day trip (Xizhou, Xiangyun, or other) → train to Lijiang afternoon.
Lijiang (Days 21–24)
Day 21: Arrive Lijiang old town. Afternoon explore independently (busiest in afternoon — early morning is better, arrive and rest today).
Day 22: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain — cable car to 4,506m or high-altitude meadows (Blue Moon Valley lake). Most visitors find the altitude stunning even at the cable car level.
Day 23: Tiger Leaping Gorge day trek (Upper Gorge — the dramatic river rapids between cliffs, accessible in 3 hours round trip without the full 2-day trek).
Day 24: Shaxi Market town (bus, 2 hours from Lijiang) — an unrestored Qing dynasty staging post town on the ancient Tea Horse Road, with its original market square and Bai minority architecture largely intact. One of the least-touristed and most authentic historic towns in Yunnan.
Concluding: Hong Kong or Shanghai (Days 25–28)
Option A (Hong Kong): Fly Lijiang to Hong Kong direct. 2–3 days Hong Kong for contrasting experience of the city that bridges Chinese and global cultures.
Option B (Shanghai): Fly Lijiang to Shanghai. Final days in China’s most cosmopolitan city before international departure.
Transport Summary
| Leg | Method | Duration | Cost (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing – Xi’an | HSR G train | 4 hours | ¥515 |
| Xi’an – Chengdu | HSR G train | 3 hours | ¥370 |
| Chengdu – Chongqing | HSR G train | 1.5 hours | ¥156 |
| Chongqing – Guilin | Flight | 1.5 hours | ¥400–800 |
| Guilin – Kunming | Train/HSR | 2–5 hours | ¥250–400 |
| Kunming – Dali | HSR | 1.5 hours | ¥120 |
| Dali – Lijiang | HSR | 1 hour | ¥80 |
| Lijiang – HK/Shanghai | Flight | 2.5–3 hours | ¥500–1,200 |
Also see: Beijing 3-Day Itinerary | 7-Day Xi’an Chengdu Chongqing | China High Speed Train Guide