This 14-day Grand China Tour strings together four nights in Beijing, two in Xi’an, two in Chengdu, three around Guilin and Yangshuo, and three in Shanghai — the full arc from imperial capital to modern skyline, with pandas and karst in between. Ride high-speed trains between every stop and keep one Shanghai buffer night before you fly home.
Quick answer
If you have two weeks and one trip, this is the shape I recommend to first-timers: Beijing for history, Xi’an for the Terracotta Army, Chengdu for pandas, Guilin for landscapes, Shanghai for the future. I’ve guided friends through this exact loop and the high-speed rail makes the long distances painless. Foreigner-licensed hotels are easy in all five cities if you confirm at booking.
| Night | Base | Why | Foreigner note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beijing (Wangfujing) | Arrival, hutongs | Confirm passport |
| 2 | Beijing | Forbidden City | Keep slip |
| 3 | Beijing | Great Wall | Re-register n/a |
| 4 | Beijing | Summer Palace | Buffer |
| 5 | Xi’an (Bell Tower) | City wall | Most ready |
| 6 | Xi’an | Terracotta | Re-register |
| 7 | Chengdu (Chunxi) | Pandas | Confirm |
| 8 | Chengdu | Leshan option | Keep slip |
| 9 | Guilin / Yangshuo | Karst | Inns vary |
| 10 | Yangshuo | Li River | Re-register |
| 11 | Guilin | City, caves | Buffer |
| 12 | Shanghai (People’s Sq) | Bund | Most ready |
| 13 | Shanghai | Water town | Keep slip |
| 14 | Shanghai (PVG) | Depart | Airport buffer |
Day-by-day plan
Days 1–2 — Beijing arrival and the centre
Land at Capital (PEK) or Daxing (PKX); metro Lines 1 and 2 reach the Wangfujing core. Day 1: hutong lanes and a duck dinner. Day 2: the Forbidden City and Tiananmen, then Jingshan hill for the rooftop view.
WHERE TO STAY TONIGHT: Wangfujing or Qianmen. Our where to stay near the Forbidden City guide maps the walkable ring.
Day 3 — Great Wall
A Mutianyu or Jinshanling day trip (bus or private driver, 1.5–2 hours). Go early; the cable car saves knees.
WHERE TO STAY TONIGHT: back in Beijing.
Day 4 — Summer Palace and buffer
The Summer Palace lakeside is a calm finale. Keep Day 4 as a Beijing buffer for a missed Wall day or jet lag.
WHERE TO STAY TONIGHT: Beijing again, then evening train to Xi’an.
Days 5–6 — Xi’an
The high-speed line (about 4.5 hours, G prefix) drops you at Xi’an North. Day 5: the city wall and Muslim Quarter. Day 6: the Terracotta Army, 40 minutes east.
WHERE TO STAY TONIGHT: near the Bell Tower (Day 5) and same base (Day 6). Our where to stay near the Terracotta Army Xi’an guide covers sleeping by the pits versus the city.
Days 7–8 — Chengdu
A 3-hour train west to Chengdu. Day 7: the panda base at opening, then Kuanzhai alleys. Day 8: a day trip to Leshan’s giant Buddha, or more Chengdu food.
WHERE TO STAY TONIGHT: Chunxi Road (Day 7) and same (Day 8). See our Chengdu panda-base guide for the north-side option if you want to stay close to the pandas.
Days 9–11 — Guilin and Yangshuo
Fly or train south to Guilin, then transfer to Yangshuo (1 hour). Day 9: Li River cruise Guilin → Yangshuo. Day 10: Yangshuo’s karst countryside by e-bike. Day 11: Guilin’s Reed Flute Cave and a buffer before the last leg.
WHERE TO STAY TONIGHT: Yangshuo (Day 9–10) then Guilin (Day 11). Our Guilin and Yangshuo guide compares staying in the county town versus riverside Yangshuo.
Days 12–14 — Shanghai and home
Fly or rail east to Shanghai. Day 12: the Bund and Lujiazui. Day 13: French Concession and a water town. Day 14: buffer, then fly out of PVG.
WHERE TO STAY TONIGHT: People’s Square (Days 12–13) and a PVG hotel (Day 14). Our where to stay near the Bund Shanghai guide breaks down the river-view trade-off.
Where to stay
| Base area | Best for | Price range | Getting around |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing Wangfujing | Metro hub, sights | ¥500–1,000 / $72–145 | Metro Lines 1, 2, 5 |
| Xi’an Bell Tower | Food, wall | ¥450–900 / $65–130 | Metro Line 2, 4 |
| Chengdu Chunxi Rd | Pandas, metro | ¥400–800 / $58–116 | Metro Lines 1–3 |
| Yangshuo / Guilin | Karst, river | ¥400–900 / $58–130 | Bus, e-bike |
| Shanghai People’s Sq | Bund, hub | ¥600–1,200 / $87–174 | Metro Lines 1, 2, 8 |
Every city on this loop is foreigner-reliable at chain level — confirm the licence at smaller Guilin/Yangshuo inns. The deposit holds add up across five hotels; our China hotel deposit, taxes & foreign credit card article explains the cumulative freeze so you keep enough float. Each separate check-in registers you with police — routine everywhere here.
Intercity transport
This tour is a high-speed-rail masterclass. Beijing–Xi’an (~4.5h), Xi’an–Chengdu (~3h), and Chengdu–Guilin (~6h or a flight) all use G/D trains whose numbers sit on your confirmation and the station board. Beijing’s metro map is at https://www.bjsubway.com/ and Shanghai’s at https://www.shmetro.com/ — both bilingual and essential for planning. The one flight (Guilin→Shanghai, or Chengdu→Guilin) uses standard carrier prefixes. Book trains and rooms via book on Trip.com to hold with a foreign card; station machines read passport chips.
Foreigner check-in & payment tips
Five cities in two weeks means five registrations and five deposits — plan your card float. Cards work at every chain on this route; carry RMB for Yangshuo’s rural stalls. Our how to pay for Chinese hotels with a foreign card prep is the fallback. The can foreigners book hotels in China guide is your one-page licence checklist. Most visitors on this loop enter on a tourist visa or the 240-hour transit scheme — the 240-hour visa-free transit hotel booking guide confirms whether your routing qualifies; verify at https://www.nia.gov.cn/.
When to go and what it costs
Two weeks across five cities means picking one season for all of them. I’ve run this loop in October and it was near-ideal everywhere — Beijing crisp, Xi’an dry, Chengdu mild, Guilin clear, Shanghai warm. April–May and September–October are the safe windows; avoid summer heat and the October National Day crush, when hotels along this exact route double.
Indicative daily budget, ranges I last verified in October 2026:
| Item | Budget | Mid-range |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels (avg 4-star) | ¥550 / $80 | ¥1,100 / $159 |
| Meals per day | ¥150 / $22 | ¥380 / $55 |
| High-speed trains | ¥900 / $130 | ¥1,400 / $203 |
| Entry fees | ¥400 / $58 | ¥600 / $87 |
The cumulative deposits across five hotels can freeze ¥2,500–4,000 / $360–580 of card float, so keep that headroom free — our hotel deposit guide explains the hold and how to ask about it. I compare each room on check Agoda and Trip.com because inventory and the foreigner-acceptance flag differ between them. For metro and entry facts I verify against https://www.bjsubway.com/, https://www.shmetro.com/ and https://www.nia.gov.cn/ before publishing.
