10-Day China Itinerary: Golden Triangle + Guilin or Chengdu

The classic golden triangle plus one wildcard — four cities in ten days without feeling like you spent the whole trip in transit.

Ten days is the sweet spot for a first China visit: enough to see the big three — Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai — and still add one genuinely different stop. The choice is between Guilin, where limestone karst peaks rise out of the Li River, and Chengdu, home of giant pandas, teahouses and Sichuan’s famously fiery food. Both fit the same schedule; you just need to pick your flavor.

Choosing your fourth city

Guilin — for scenery. Postcard karst mountains, the bamboo-raft-and-cruise Li River, and the laid-back town of Yangshuo for cycling and climbing. The vibe is outdoors and slow.

Chengdu — for pandas and food. Giant panda breeding base in the morning, a bamboo chair in a People’s Park teahouse in the afternoon, and hotpot or mapo tofu at night. The vibe is urban, relaxed and delicious.

You can’t easily do both in ten days — that’s the 14-day itinerary’s job.

Which one for you? If your favorite travel photos involve mountains, rivers and open space, choose Guilin. If your favorite travel memories are meals, markets and animal encounters, choose Chengdu. There’s no wrong answer — just pick the flavor that matches how you like to spend a day, because the two plans are nearly identical in rhythm.

Day-by-day plan with Guilin

Days 1–3 — Beijing. Day 1: arrive, settle in. Day 2: the Forbidden City and Tiananmen (book Forbidden City tickets online weeks ahead). Day 3: the Great Wall at Mutianyu — restored, cable car up, toboggan down.

Mutianyu is the classic first-timer section of the Great Wall — cable car up, walk the ramparts, toboggan back down.

Day 4 — Train to Xi’an. Morning at the Temple of Heaven, then the afternoon high-speed train, about 4.5 hours. Walk the illuminated city wall after dinner.

Day 5 — Terracotta Army. The pits are about an hour outside the city. Add the Shaanxi History Museum or the Muslim Quarter in the evening for lamb skewers.

The Terracotta Army’s ranks of warriors sit an hour outside Xi’an — arrive early to stay ahead of the tour groups.

Day 6 — Fly to Guilin. A short morning flight (about 1.5–2 hours). Afternoon at Reed Flute Cave’s lit stalactites or Elephant Trunk Hill, then walk the Two Rivers and Four Lakes at dusk.

Day 7 — Li River cruise. Take the classic cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo, passing the karst peaks that appear on the ¥20 banknote. Stay the night in Yangshuo.

The Li River cruise threads between the karst peaks that appear on the ¥20 banknote — book the date the day you arrive in Guilin.

Day 8 — Yangshuo morning, fly to Shanghai. Rent a bike or take a short bamboo raft ride in the countryside, then transfer back to Guilin airport for an evening flight to Shanghai, about 2.5 hours.

Day 9 — Shanghai. The Bund at sunrise, Yu Garden and its old town, the French Concession’s plane-tree lanes, and the Shanghai Museum. Evening: xiaolongbao.

Day 10 — Depart. A last stroll through Tianzifang’s alley studios before your flight.

Day-by-day plan with Chengdu

Days 1–3 — Beijing. Same as above.

Day 4 — Train to Xi’an. Same Temple of Heaven morning and 4.5-hour afternoon train.

Day 5 — Terracotta Army. Same plan, with the Muslim Quarter in the evening.

Day 6 — Fly to Chengdu. About 1.5 hours. Afternoon at Wuhou Shrine and Jinli Street, a rebuilt old-style shopping lane that comes alive after dark.

Day 7 — Pandas and teahouses. Morning at the Chengdu Panda Base (go early — pandas nap by mid-morning), then a slow afternoon in People’s Park, where locals drink tea in bamboo chairs and get ear-cleaned by roving barbers.

Day 8 — Fly to Shanghai. Use the morning for a Sichuan food or hotpot lunch, then the roughly 3-hour flight to Shanghai. Evening on the Bund.

Day 9 — Shanghai. Yu Garden, French Concession, Shanghai Museum.

Day 10 — Depart. Morning wander before your flight.

Transport notes

• Rail: Beijing–Xi’an about 4.5h; Xi’an–Shanghai about 5h. Book with your passport via Trip.com or 12306.
• Flights: Xi’an–Guilin and Xi’an–Chengdu about 1.5–2h; Guilin–Shanghai about 2.5h; Chengdu–Shanghai about 3h. Book early — internal fares rise close to departure.
• Pace check: every other day involves a transfer, so schedule nothing major on transfer days.

A realistic budget for the trip

Ten days and four cities means four hotels and several transfers, so the budget adds up quickly — but a mid-range traveler can still do it for roughly ¥400–800 per day excluding international flights.

• Hotels: ¥250–600 per night for a clean mid-range double; the fourth city’s hotel and the transfer days are where costs creep up, so book early for better rates.
• Transport: rail legs between Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai run roughly ¥500–600 per leg in second class. The internal flight to Guilin or Chengdu costs about ¥600–1,200, and booking it early is the single biggest money-saver on the itinerary.
• Food: ¥60–150 per day is comfortable; Chengdu and Guilin are among the cheapest places in China to eat well.
• Sights: the Forbidden City, Terracotta Army and Li River cruise each cost ¥60–200, with the cruise at the top end; the Great Wall day trip adds ¥200–500 including transport.
• Sundries: a metro card or Alipay transit pass, small entrance fees and a few taxis add ¥50–100 per day.

Treat all of these as planning estimates — prices change, and holiday weeks cost more.

When to go, season by season

• Spring (April–May): the classic window — mild and green across the whole route, with the best odds of clear skies for the Great Wall and the Li River. The early-May holiday is busy, so book ahead.
• Summer (June–August): hot and humid in the cities, with afternoon storms in Guilin and Yangshuo; school holidays bring crowds and higher prices. Morning sightseeing is the coping strategy.
• Autumn (September–October): the other sweet spot — crisp, dry and comfortable almost everywhere, with golden rice paddies around Yangshuo. Avoid the October 1–7 National Day week.
• Winter (November–February): cold in Beijing and Xi’an but mild in Guilin; the quietest and cheapest season, though the Li River can be chilly and some outdoor activities close.

Packing for a four-city trip

Four cities in ten days means living out of one bag, and every item you do not pack saves weight on four transfers.

• Carry-on only. You will change hotels roughly four times; a rolling carry-on and a daypack beat a large checked suitcase every time.
• Laundry plan. Most mid-range hotels offer same-day or next-day laundry for a small fee — pack five days of clothes and wash mid-trip.
• Shoes that do everything. One comfortable walking pair and one pair of sandals or lightweight shoes cover all four cities.
• The non-negotiables: a VPN set up before you fly, a power bank, tissues, a refillable bottle, and your hotel addresses in Chinese.
• Leave room for purchases. Tea, silk and Yangshuo souvenirs are lighter than a spare jacket — buy as you go, not before you leave.

Where to stay in four cities

Because you change cities so often, where you sleep in each one matters more than usual.

• Beijing: stay near Wangfujing or along Line 1 or Line 4 for fast access to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall departure points.
• Xi’an: inside the city wall near the Bell Tower or the Muslim Quarter puts the sights and the food within walking distance.
• Guilin: near the Li River or the central square for easy morning starts; in Yangshuo, a little out of the West Street hubbub for the quiet version.
• Chengdu: near Chunxi Road or the Tianfu Square metro area keeps the teahouses, hotpot and the airport express line close.

In every city, a hotel within a short walk of a metro station is worth the few extra yuan — it turns every transfer into a five-minute walk instead of a taxi ride.

Pacing tips

• Keep transfer days empty. On the days you change cities, plan one light activity at most — a walk, a market, an evening meal. You’ll arrive tired.
• Start sightseeing early. Chinese sights get busy from mid-morning; an 8am arrival at the Forbidden City or Terracotta Army means better photos and shorter queues.
• One big sight per day. In a four-city trip, that’s the ceiling. Two big sights on the same day is how travelers burn out by day six.
• Eat where you stay. Every evening, ask your hotel or a local where they’d eat — it’s the fastest route to the neighborhood’s best stall or restaurant.

Practical tips

• Visa: check the visa-free country list — most eligible travelers get up to 30 days, which comfortably covers ten.
• Payments: set up Alipay with a foreign card before you fly; it handles trains, taxis, meals and most sights.
• Pack light: you’ll change hotels roughly four times; a carry-on keeps you fast.
• Book ahead: Forbidden City, Great Wall day, and all long rail legs.

Who should skip this itinerary

If you’d rather not take any internal flights, or you want to truly relax, consider dropping the fourth city and spending the extra days in Shanghai and Beijing — or move up to the 14-day plan, which has built-in slow days.

Last updated: August 2026. Flight schedules, train times and ticket rules change — confirm before you go.