A foreign passport holder’s Beijing–Shanghai high-speed plan is two bases, three nights each: Beijing inside the 2nd Ring (Dongcheng/Xicheng) and Shanghai in central Huangpu. The 1,318 km bullet train between them takes about 4.5 hours, and both cities have dense clusters of licensed hotels that register foreigners without drama — so you check in twice and ride once.
A foreign passport holder’s Beijing–Chengde plan is two bases: three nights in Beijing (Dongcheng) and two in Chengde, the former imperial summer capital with its vast Mountain Resort. The rail to Chengde takes about an hour, so you ride once and check in twice; both cities have licensed hotels that register foreigners cleanly.
An 8-day Southwest China loop for a foreign passport holder works as four bases: three nights in Chengdu, one near Leshan/Emei, two in Kunming, and two in Dali (or Lijiang). High-speed rail stitches the region together, and each city has licensed hotels that register foreigners — but mountain and old-town inns vary, so confirm the licence each time you book.
A foreign passport holder’s 8-day Guizhou plan is five bases: two nights in Guiyang, two in the Xijiang Miao village, one at Huangguoshu (Anshun), one in Zhenyuan, and one at Libo, then a return night in Guiyang. High-speed rail and buses link them, and each base has licensed hotels that register foreigners — but the Miao village and Libo inns vary, so confirm the licence each time you book.
A foreign passport holder’s 7-day Guangxi route is three bases: two nights in Guilin, two in Yangshuo, and three in Beihai (with a Weizhou Island day). High-speed rail and a flight/bus link them, and each base has licensed hotels that register foreigners — but the small riverside and island inns vary, so confirm the licence before booking each stay.
A foreign passport holder’s 7-day Fujian plan is four bases: three nights in Xiamen (with Gulangyu), one near the Tulou earthen towers, two in Quanzhou, and a night at Wuyishan if you want the mountains. High-speed rail links them, and each base has licensed hotels that register foreigners — but the Tulou village inns vary, so confirm the licence before you book.
Base in Dongcheng, steps from the Forbidden City, for six of your seven Beijing nights, then take one overnight at the Simatai Great Wall (Gubei Water Town) as a finale. Every sight pairs with a short metro hop back to the same bed, so you pack light and sleep well.
Six days in Zhangjiajie need two bases — one in Zhangjiajie City or Wulingyuan for the national forest park, one in Tianmen Mountain’s shadow — because the sandstone peaks sprawl. This plan keeps the swaps to two and explains the booking quirks foreigners hit in a mountain town.
A 6-day Tibet trip for a foreign passport holder means sleeping all six nights in Lhasa — the only realistic base — and using day trips to the surrounding valleys. You cannot freelance into Tibet: a Tibet Travel Permit, arranged through a registered agency that also books your licensed hotel, is mandatory, and your permit name must match your passport exactly.
A foreign passport holder’s 6-day Sichuan plan is two main bases plus a return night: three nights in Chengdu (with a Leshan/Emei day trip), two nights up at Jiuzhaigou, and a final night back in Chengdu before flying out. Chengdu and the Jiuzhaigou gateway town both have licensed hotels that register foreigners; the mountain resorts vary, so confirm the licence each time.