Top 10 Travel Destinations in China

When making a tour to China during holidays, where to travel is a common question. Incredibly, China has more than 300 travel destinations covering more than 30,000 attractions, from numerous historical sites to rich national customs and the gorgeous natural scenery.

Of which destinations rise to the top? Here we list the top 10 China destinations, to enjoy the magnificent natural scenery, brilliant culture, multi-ethnic and folk customs, and modern civilization. They are world-class and beloved by travelers across the globe.

Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, is an ancient capital with a history of more than 3,000 years. Beijing is the city with the most world heritage sites (7 sites) in the world and is the world's first capital city with a world geological park. There are more than 200 tourist attractions in Beijing, including the world's largest palace - the Forbidden City, the place of ancient royal family worship - the Temple of Heaven, the Imperial Garden - Summer Palace, the majestic Great Wall, the world's largest courtyard house dotted in the Hutongs, etc.

Beijing's transportation is very developed. In addition to 23 subway lines, there are countless bus terminal stations, 5 railway stations, and 2 international airports. International flights spread across five continents and more than 120 international routes. Many foreign tourists who tour China for the first time will take Beijing as their first stop and start a grand China tour from Beijing. We recommend travelers spending 4 days visiting Beijing.

Shaanxi Province's capital city Xi'an is one of the four ancient capitals in the world,  and a city that has the longest period and the greatest influence in the history of China. It is a "World Historic City" designated by UNESCO in 1981, and one of the important birthplaces of Chinese civilization and the Chinese nation, also the starting point of the Silk Road.

Xi'an's top highlights including the eight wonder of the world - the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, an outstanding representative of the glorious civilization of ancient China; the earliest (Year 652) and the largest existing quartet pavilion-style pagoda - the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the largest and best-preserved ancient city walls in China - the Xi’an City Wall, and many other historical buildings and attractions.

Located in the center of China, Xi'an is one of the largest node cities in China's arterial highway and railway network. The airport in Xi 'an has established aviation business contacts with 62 domestic and foreign airlines, with 313 routes. There are international flights to Xi'an from Paris, Madrid, Singapore, Bangkok, Sydney, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and other cities. We recommend travelers spending 2-3 days visiting Xi’an.

Guilin is famous for its landscape, humanities, customs, and leisurely and comfortable life, while Yangshuo is an indispensable chapter in the landscape. Guilin's scenery mainly focuses on the Li River and its banks' karst landforms, the 4-hour Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is the best way to appreciate the Li River, hiking among the rice terraces of Longji and Yangshuo countryside are also a good way to explore Guilin. In addition, there are more than a dozen ethnic minorities in Guilin & Yangshuo, you will find the unique folk customs and cultures.

Most cities in China have daily flights to Guilin, and many cities in Asia also have direct international flights to Guilin. In addition, you can get in and out of Guilin or Yangshuo by high-speed rail. For example, the high-speed rail from Hong Kong only takes 3.5 hours to reach Guilin. We recommend travelers spending 3-4 days visiting Gulin & Yangshuo.

The three cities of Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou are all located in the Yangtze River Delta. Chinese people usually call these places Jiangnan, which means the area south of the Yangtze River. We recommend travelers spending 3-4 days visiting these three cities.

Shanghai is China's provincial-level administrative region and China's international economic, financial, trade, shipping, and technological innovation center. Shanghai has a magnificent view of the skyscrapers and enjoying the gorgeous scenery along the Bund is a must-experience for many tourists. Many foreign tourists will take Shanghai as the last stop of their China tours. As one of the most prosperous and modern cities in the world, there are numerous flights to and from all over the world every day.

Suzhou, a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province, has a history of nearly 2500 years, and about 1.5 hours' drive from Shanghai. Known as the "City of Gardens", many classical gardens in Suzhou were included in the World Cultural Heritage List in 1997. Those gardens show the essence of Chinese culture and have a unique historical position and significant artistic value in the history of world gardening.

Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Province with a history of more than 2,200 years. It is a 3.5-hour drive from Shanghai and only 1 hour by high-speed rail. The most famous site in Hangzhou is the West Lake, covering 6.38 square kilometers. Other highlights include the Lingyin temple on Feilai mountain and Six Harmonies Pagoda.

Yunnan Province is located in southwestern China, connected to Sichuan to the north, Tibet to the northwest, Myanmar to the west, and Laos and Vietnam to the south. It has 16 prefecture-level administrative regions, among which Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La are all very popular tourist destinations. Dozens of cities including Dubai, Paris, Vancouver, Sydney, San Francisco, and Singapore have opened international flights to Kunming. The aviation, railway, and highways in Yunnan are relatively developed. We recommend travelers spending at least 7 days visiting Yunnan.

The provincial capital Kunming has a climate like spring all year round and enjoys the reputation of "Spring City", and the most famous Stone Forest, the south YuanYang Rice Terrace together with Jianshui old town should not be missed during your Yunnan tour. Dali is one of the famous historical and cultural cities in China worth visiting, its background mountain Cangshan is composed of 19 north-south peaks with an average elevation of 3,782 meters, the beautiful Erhai Lake is another must-see site in Dali. Lijiang is an important passage for the ancient "Southern Silk Road" and "Ancient Tea Horse Road", and travelers should not miss the old town of Lijiang, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and nearby Lugu Lake. The main tourist attractions of Shangri-La include Shangri-La Old Town, Songzanlin Temple, Pudacuo National Park, Meili Snow Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge, etc.

Sichuan Province's capital city Chengdu is located in the southwestern region of China, and China's top ten ancient capitals and a famous historical and cultural city. The Jinsha site has a history of 3000 years. Also, as an important global electronic information industry base, there are 30 national-level scientific research institutions and 67 national-level R&D platforms in Chengdu.

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is definite the city's most popular attraction, with more than 80 cuddly pandas of all ages. Other places worth visiting are the World Heritage Dujiangyan Water Conservancy Project built in 256 BC, Qingcheng mountain (one of the four famous Taoist mountains in China), Wenshu Monastery, Du Fu Cottage, Wuhou Shrine, Jinli Street, Wide and Narrow Alleys, etc.

Chengdu's public transportation, highways, railways, and aviation systems are all very well completed. The annual passenger flow of Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport exceeded 5 million, throughput ranked fourth in China after Shanghai Pudong, Beijing Capital, and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. In addition, Chengdu has the most flights to Tibet and the start city of the famous and picturesque Sichuan-Tibet highway (G318). We recommend travelers spending at least 2 days visiting Chengdu and surroundings.

Tibet Autonomous Region (aka Tibet), is located in the southwestern region of China and the southwestern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with an average elevation of more than 4,000 meters. It is known as the "Roof of the World". It is adjacent to Xinjiang, Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan Provinces. Besides, it has borders with Myanmar, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Kashmir, and other countries and regions.

Tibet is famous for its majestic, magnificent natural scenery and gorgeous Buddhism culture and folk customs. The highlights include the world's center sacred mountain Kailash, the world's highest peak Mount Everest, the magnificent building with the highest altitude in the world - Potala Palace (integrating palaces, castles, and monasteries), Tibetan Buddhism's highest position - Jokhang Temple, three holy lakes - Yamdrok Lake, Namtso Lake, Lake Manasarovar, together with the numerous temples, alpine lakes, snow-capped mountains, valleys, villages, etc.

Currently, Tibet can be easily accessed no matter by the overland driving, railway, or flight. For Tibet train travel, the best start city is Xining, with the shortest train ride and best landscape along the Qinghai-Tibet railway, while for the overland driving travelers can choose Chengdu, Shangri-La, or even Kashgar as the start city to appreciate the marvelous scenery along the highway. Many provincial cities (Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Kunming, etc.) in China have direct daily flights to the capital city Lhasa, among which Chengdu has the most flights every day. The only international flight is from Kathmandu and the flight time is about 1.5 hours. To have a taste of Tibet views, please prepare about 6-15 days for your tour in Tibet.

Huangshan city is in the south of Anhui Province, besides the famous Mount Huangshan (Yellow Mountains), it is also known for its Huizhou-style villages like Hongcun, Xidi, etc. Many cities in China have daily direct flights to Huangshan, and the nearby cities Hangzhou/Shanghai/Changsha have high-speed trains to Huangshan for about 2-4 hours. We recommend travelers spending 3 days visiting Huangshan.

Covering 160.6 square kilometers, Huangshan Mountain Scenic Area is the No. 1 site in Huangshan, which attracts massive travelers home and aboard for its strange pine, strange rocks, the sea of ​​clouds, hot springs, and winter snowfalls. In addition to the gorgeous scenery of Mount Huangshan, Tunxi Old Street, Hongcun & Xidi villages, Tangyue Memorial Archways, Bishan, Guanlu, and other Huizhou-style villages are worth visiting.

Zhangjiajie is located in the northwestern part of Hunan Province, in the hinterland of the Wuling Mountains. Travelers will be shocked and amazed by the peculiar sandstone peaks and forests and magnificent karst landscapes. Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi'an, Guangzhou, etc. have direct flights to Zhangjiajie every day. Some Asian cities such as Seoul, Bangkok, and Osaka have also opened routes to Zhangjiajie. The high-speed trains from Changsha take about 3 hours to reach Zhangjiajie. We recommend travelers spending 4-6 days visiting Zhangjiajie and surroundings.

The must-see site Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is China's first national forest park and was also included in the world's first batch of "Global Geoparks", which takes at least 2 days to fully enjoy its beauty. In addition, the world's highest and longest glass bridge at Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, the majestic Tianmen mountain, and the nearby ancient town Fenghuang, together with other top Zhangjiajie attractions should not be missed during your trip to Zhangjiajie.

Datong is located in North China and northwestern Shanxi, and one of China's nine ancient capitals. Human fossils from the Stone Age were discovered and excavated in the Datong area. Pingyao is located in the central part of Shanxi Province, the ancient city is listed as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO, and also one of the “four ancient cities” with the best remaining in China.

When traveling to Datong, the must-see sites include the magnificent Yungang Grottoes (built-in 460 AD), the Hanging Temple (a temple built on a cliff in 491 AD), the Datong city wall, the Huayan temple, and the famous Buddhism mountain Wutaishan. While for Pingyao ancient city (with a history of more than 2,700 years), you should not miss the ancient town's Rishengchang Exchange Shop, city wall, Ming-Qing Street, Confucius Temple, and Pingyao Ancient Government Office, together with the Wang family's compound, Shuanglin temple, etc.

Both Datong and Pingyao can be reached by high-speed trains from Beijing for about 2-3 hours, and about 3 hours to Xi'an from Pingyao by high-speed trains. There are also flights to Datong from Beijing and Xi'an. The best way to travel between Datong and Pingyao is driving, to cover the highlights along the way. We recommend travelers spending 3-4 days visiting Datong & Pingyao, and 1-2 days for each city.