Travel Guides

Travel Guides & Articles

Explore our comprehensive travel guides for China

Curved white sand beach at Yalong Bay in Sanya with clear blue-green water and green hills behind

South China

Sanya Beach Resort Guide: Which Bay to Choose, Wuzhizhou Island, Sea Safety and a 4–5 Day Plan

Which Sanya bay to stay in, when to go, Wuzhizhou Island tickets and boats, free and paid sights, sea safety,...

22 min read

South Street in Pingyao at dusk, with red lanterns on old shopfronts and the City Tower standing over the street ahead

North China

Pingyao Ancient City Guide: Combined Ticket, Which Station and How Many Days

How many days Pingyao needs, why the streets are free and what the combined ticket covers, which of the two stations...

21 min read

The giant seated Vairocana Buddha and flanking figures of the Fengxian Temple niche at the Longmen Grottoes, with small visitors on the stone terrace below

Central China

Luoyang Travel Guide: Longmen Grottoes, Shaolin Temple and How Many Days

How many days to spend in Luoyang, how to book the Longmen Grottoes with a passport, trains from Xi'an and...

24 min read

The white and red Potala Palace on Red Hill above Lhasa, seen across the square in front of it on a clear morning

Southwest China

Lhasa & Tibet Travel Guide: How Many Days, Permits, Altitude, Trains and Everest

How many days to plan for Lhasa, the lakes and Everest, which Tibet permits foreigners need, how to handle the...

26 min read

Wuzhen West Zone canal at dusk with a lit stone bridge, lantern-hung houses and two travellers crossing with a small suitcase

Routes & Itineraries

Jiangnan Water Towns Route: Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuzhen and Hangzhou in 5 to 7 Days

Shanghai → Suzhou → a night in Wuzhen or Xitang → Hangzhou: the order, nights per stop, which water town to pick,...

15 min read

Granite peaks and cliff-edge pines rising above a sea of clouds at dawn on Huangshan, seen from a stone viewing terrace

East China

Huangshan Travel Guide: Getting There, Tickets, Cable Cars and the Summit

How to reach Huangshan by high-speed train, book the 3-day mountain ticket with a passport, pick a cable car route,...

29 min read

Crescent Moon Spring, a curved green pond with a traditional pavilion, seen from the crest of a tall sand dune at Mingsha Mountain in late-afternoon light

Northwest China

Dunhuang Travel Guide: Mogao Caves Booking, Crescent Moon Spring and Getting There

How many days to spend in Dunhuang, how to book the Mogao Caves with a passport, Mingsha dunes tickets and sunset,...

26 min read

Two scenes side by side: Erhai Lake with the Cangshan mountains behind Bai village houses, and the grey rooftops of Lijiang Old Town below the snow peaks of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Southwest China

Dali & Lijiang Travel Guide: Jade Dragon Tickets, Erhai and Old Towns

How many days Dali and Lijiang need, the trains between them, how to circle Erhai Lake, the Lijiang Old Town fee,...

32 min read

Sandstone pillars topped with pine trees rising out of low cloud at Yuanjiajie in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, seen from a railed viewing platform

Central China

Zhangjiajie Travel Guide: How to Get There, Wulingyuan Tickets and Tianmen Routes

How to get to Zhangjiajie by plane or high-speed train, why to stay in Wulingyuan, how the 4-day park ticket and...

33 min read

Three Yunnan scenes side by side: Lijiang Old Town rooftops below Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Songzanlin Monastery on a hillside in Shangri-La, and a Dai temple among tropical trees in Xishuangbanna

Southwest China

Yunnan Travel Guide: Where to Go, When, Trains and How Many Days

Is Yunnan worth it? How Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La and Xishuangbanna fit together, the best season, trains...

26 min read

Cyclists riding along the top of Xi'an City Wall near the South Gate at dusk, with the lit gate tower ahead and the modern city beyond the moat

Northwest China

Xi'an Travel Guide: How Many Days, Terracotta Army Booking and Getting Around

How many days Xi'an needs, how to book the Terracotta Army and the Shaanxi History Museum with a passport, where to...

27 min read

A Gulangyu ferry crossing the narrow strait from Xiamen towards Gulangyu island, with red-roofed villas and Sunlight Rock on the hill

East China

Xiamen Travel Guide: Gulangyu Ferry, How Many Days, Getting There and Fujian Day Trips

Two to three days in Xiamen: which pier and route to use for the real-name Gulangyu ferry, Xiamen North vs Xiamen...

24 min read