Destinations
46 destinations, first-timer vetted
Every guide covers history and culture, the sights that justify their crowds (and the ones that don't), food, where to stay — plus the booking rules and reservation quirks that catch first-timers out.
North China
Imperial capitals, the Great Wall and garrison towns
North China Beijing
Imperial palaces, Great Wall views, and hutong lanes — China's capital rewards planning
North China Chengde
The Qing emperors' summer escape: a mountain garden and Tibet's temples, transplanted north
North China Datong
Northern Wei caves, Liao dynasty halls, and a wall-laced old city reborn from coal
North China Pingyao
A complete Ming-dynasty walled city where bankers invented Chinese finance
North China Tianjin
The concession-era port where Beijing escapes for European streets and comedy teahouses
East China
Classical gardens, water towns and the Shanghai gravity
East China Hangzhou
A free world-heritage lake, tea hills, and temples — Chinese paradise, unhurried
East China Huangshan
Granite towers, contorted pines, and sunrises above a sea of clouds
East China Jingdezhen
One thousand years of porcelain, still thrown, fired and reinvented nightly
East China Nanjing
Six dynasties, one short empire, and the leafy boulevards of Republican China
East China Qingdao
German-era villas, sea-battered headlands, and fresh beer sold by the bag
East China Quanzhou
China's medieval port capital, alive with temples, mosques and oyster-shell lanes
East China Shanghai
Where art deco heritage meets a skyline that rewrites itself nightly
East China Suzhou
Ming-dynasty gardens, canal streets, and the easiest day trip from Shanghai
East China Tai'an & Mount Tai
Climb the most Chinese of mountains the way emperors and pilgrims did
East China Wuyishan
Raft a jade river through Danxia cliffs, then taste the original rock tea
East China Xiamen
Car-free heritage island, coastal bike lanes, and satay noodles by the sea
East China Yangzhou
Grand Canal palaces, salt-merchant gardens, and China's most civilized breakfast
Central China
Ancient capitals where China took shape
Central China Changsha
China's new capital of fun, milk tea, and midnight snacks
Central China Fenghuang
Stilt houses, lantern-lit rivers, and Miao heritage in Xiangxi
Central China Luoyang
Thirteen dynasties, a Buddha carved in stone, and a city that blooms in April
Central China Wuhan
Three towns, one river, and China's most serious breakfast culture
Central China Zhangjiajie
The sandstone pillar forest that inspired Avatar's floating mountains
South China
Karst rivers, trading ports and subtropical coasts
South China Guangzhou
Dim sum mornings, colonial arcades, tower-top views, and China's most generous food culture
South China Guilin
Karst peaks, slow rivers, and China's most storied landscape
South China Sanya
China's tropical beach capital, duty-free malls, and winter escape
South China Shenzhen
A fishing-town-to-megacity experiment: design districts, skyline views, easy Hong Kong day trips
Southwest China
Pandas, plateaus, snow mountains and the ethnic-corridor
Southwest China Chengdu
China's laid-back capital of pandas, teahouses, and mouth-numbing food
Southwest China Chongqing
China's vertical mountain city of neon riversides and skyline-defying streets
Southwest China Dali
Lakeside Old Town life between the Cangshan peaks and Erhai
Southwest China Emeishan & Leshan
A giant Buddha, a sacred mountain, and Sichuan's quiet food capital
Southwest China Guiyang
China's cool-summer capital of waterfalls, monkeys, and sour soup
Southwest China Jiuzhaigou
A fairy-tale valley of impossible blue lakes and travertine falls
Southwest China Kunming
The Spring City: eternal weather, gulls, and the gateway to Yunnan
Southwest China Lhasa
Tibet's spiritual capital at 3,650 meters — monasteries, pilgrims, and thin air
Southwest China Lijiang
Snow peaks, canals, and Naxi culture in a UNESCO old town
Southwest China Shangri-La
Tibetan monasteries, grasslands, and gorge country at 3,300 meters
Southwest China Xishuangbanna (Jinghong)
Rainforest, Dai temples, and Southeast Asian flavor at China's tropical edge
Northwest China
Silk Road deserts, grottoes and frontier oases
Northwest China Dunhuang
Buddhist cave art and singing dunes where the Silk Road lives on
Northwest China Urumqi
Silk Road bazaars, glacial lakes and Asia's farthest-from-the-sea city
Northwest China Xi'an
Terracotta warriors, Tang dynasty ghosts, and China's best street food scene
Northwest China Xining
The plateau gateway where Silk Road, Islam, and Tibet converge
Northwest China Zhangye
Rainbow-striped mountains and Silk Road relics in the Hexi Corridor
Northeast China
Russian corners, tiger country and ice festivals
Hong Kong SAR
A harbour city running on its own clock
Macau SAR
Portuguese heritage meets casino chrome
