Is this route right for you?
Four cities in 14 days work if you want Beijing’s imperial sights, Xi’an’s Terracotta Army, Chengdu’s pandas and food, and time in Shanghai. The route has 13 hotel nights: four in Beijing, three in Xi’an, three in Chengdu and three in Shanghai. It protects nine full sightseeing days—2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12 and 13—and treats days 5, 8 and 11 as transfers.
If pandas and Chengdu’s food scene are lower priorities, choose three cities and spend longer in each. A 10-day itinerary suits a shorter trip; a 21-day itinerary gives you more room to slow down. You can also compare other China itineraries.
The 14-day route
| Day | Sleep | Main decision or priority |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beijing | Arrive and settle in |
| 2 | Beijing | Imperial Beijing |
| 3 | Beijing | Great Wall |
| 4 | Beijing | Flexible Beijing day |
| 5 | Xi’an | Transfer from Beijing |
| 6 | Xi’an | Terracotta Army |
| 7 | Xi’an | Old city |
| 8 | Chengdu | Transfer from Xi’an |
| 9 | Chengdu | Pandas |
| 10 | Chengdu | Parks, food and tea |
| 11 | Shanghai | Transfer from Chengdu |
| 12 | Shanghai | Puxi |
| 13 | Shanghai | Pudong or a neighborhood day |
| 14 | — | Depart Shanghai |
Days 1–4: Beijing. On arrival, reach your hotel, eat nearby and keep the evening light. A convenient Beijing base makes the next three days easier. Use day 2 for the central imperial sights. If the Forbidden City is essential, check its ticket and reservation requirements before fixing that day’s order; admission is conditional on securing entry. Day 3 belongs to the Great Wall, allowing time for the journey in both directions. Keep day 4 flexible for another Beijing interest, rest, or a change of order if a reservation or weather makes that useful. The buffer gives you options, but it cannot guarantee a sold-out entry.
Days 5–7: Xi’an. Day 5 includes hotel checkout, travel to the station or airport, waiting, the ride or flight, and the final trip to your Xi’an hotel. Compare the dated journey rather than counting only time aboard; start with the Beijing–Xi’an train guide. Put the Terracotta Army on day 6, a full day when you can plan the visit without an onward departure. Use day 7 for the old city at a comfortable pace, choosing how much time to give the walls, streets and food. The Xi’an guide can help you choose a base and fill any spare hours.
Days 8–10: Chengdu. Allow day 8 for the entire transfer from Xi’an, including checkout and getting settled after arrival. The Xi’an–Chengdu train guide helps you compare the rail leg. Keep the panda visit on day 9 rather than arrival day: choose the venue and transport plan in advance, and allow for the fact that animal activity cannot be guaranteed. Day 10 is deliberately less structured. Explore a park, make time for tea, and choose meals around your appetite and interests. See the Chengdu guide for ways to shape that day.
Days 11–14: Shanghai. For day 11, compare dated Chengdu–Shanghai flights and trains by the full hotel-to-hotel journey: checkout, station or airport travel, waiting, the journey itself and the final transfer all count. On day 12, explore Puxi, giving yourself time to walk instead of treating every stop as a timed appointment. For day 13, choose Pudong if its skyline and modern districts appeal to you, or stay with a Shanghai neighborhood that interests you more. Pick a Shanghai base that supports those plans and check local transport options for your departure. Day 14 is for checkout and your journey out; leave sightseeing optional.
Adjust the route
For a slower family trip, drop a city and reallocate its nights among the remaining bases to reduce intercity moves. If you want to keep all four cities, trim daily stops and leave afternoons uncommitted for lighter days. If a delay takes away time, protect the departure connection and rest first, then choose the remaining sights that matter most. The original nine full sightseeing days may no longer be possible.
For scenery, consider Guilin or Zhangjiajie as a replacement for a city, rather than adding a fifth stop. Rebuild the hotel nights and transfers around the choice, reduce time elsewhere if needed, and leave room for weather changes. A brief two-day insertion would make both the nature stop and the existing route rushed.
For a different trip length, change the number of bases before squeezing or stretching individual days. This schedule depends on the three transfers having their own dates and on the Terracotta Army and pandas each having a full day. Moving either visit onto a transfer day changes the pace substantially.
Book in a workable order
First, check entry requirements for your circumstances before making inflexible bookings. Then look for actual dated flights that arrive in Beijing and depart from Shanghai, if that routing is available and suits your trip. It avoids returning to your starting city solely for the flight home. Use the dates to assess the three intercity legs, including Chengdu–Shanghai, and compare total journey times with transport guidance and train ticket guidance.
Next, reserve accommodation for 13 nights, checking the number of rooms needed for everyone traveling: four Beijing nights, three Xi’an, three Chengdu and three Shanghai. For the overall budget, count those rooms and nights, all three intercity legs, local transfers, admission, meals and extras; the trip cost guide gives you a framework without assuming a fixed fare. Check hotel advice before committing.
Finally, verify the bookings tied to particular days, especially Forbidden City entry and your panda venue plan. The seasonal planning guide can inform packing and flexibility, while first-day advice helps keep arrival day manageable. Leave space around each transfer so a long travel day does not erase the visit you came for.