©Haines/Shutterstock
China
China. The name alone makes you want to get packing. It's going places, so jump aboard, go along for the ride and see where it's headed.
Attractions
Must-see attractions for your itinerary
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
Enclosed by 3.5km of citadel walls at the very heart of Beijing, the Unesco-listed Forbidden City is China’s largest and best-preserved collection of…
Dunhuang
The Mogao Grottoes are considered one of the most important collections of Buddhist art in the world. At its peak during the Tang dynasty (618–907), the…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
An oasis of methodical Confucian design, the 267-hectare Temple of Heaven Park is unique. It originally served as a vast stage for solemn rites performed…
Xi'an
The Terracotta Army isn't just Xi'an's premier sight: it's one of the most famous archaeological finds in the world. This subterranean life-size army of…
Beijing
A marvel of Chinese garden design and one of Beijing's must-see attractions, the Summer Palace was the royal retreat for emperors fleeing the suffocating…
Tsang
Commissioned by a local prince in 1427 and sitting beside Palcho Monastery, Gyantse Kumbum is the town’s foremost attraction. This 32m-high chörten, with…
Datong
One of China’s most supreme examples of Buddhist cave art, these 5th-century caves are simply magnificent. With 51,000 ancient statues and celestial…
Ü
About 170km southeast of Lhasa, on the north bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra River) is Samye Monastery, the first monastery in Tibet. Founded in…
Top picks from our travel experts
Suzhou
Down a narrow lane, this small museum is dedicated to kūnqǔ, the opera style of the region. The beautiful old theatre houses a stage, musical instruments,…
Museum of Contemporary Art & Planning Exhibition
Shenzhen
One of those thrillingly space-age, 'only in China' architectural projects, this gargantuan exhibition space designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au anchors…
Beijing
Known locally as Da Kucha (大裤衩, Big Pants), the 234m-tall CCTV Tower is an architectural fantasy that appears to defy gravity. Designed by Rem Koolhaas…
Giant Panda Breeding Research Base
Chengdu
One of Chengdu’s most popular attractions, this panda park 18km north of the city centre is the easiest way to glimpse Sichuan’s most famous residents…
Beijing
Contemporary art meets communist history at this thrilling enclave of international galleries installed within China's model factory complex of the 1950s…
Henan
Any Chinese city worth its rice has an Old Town. Within Luoyang’s is this scenic area comprising a plethora of water-banquet restaurants, costume shops…
Suzhou
The largest of Suzhou's gardens, the Humble Administrator’s Garden is often considered to be the most impressive, but its fame draws in constant crowds,…
Xi'an
The Terracotta Army isn't just Xi'an's premier sight: it's one of the most famous archaeological finds in the world. This subterranean life-size army of…
Hong Kong
Standing at 552m, Victoria Peak is the highest point on Hong Kong Island. It is also one of the most visited spots by tourists, and it’s not hard to see…
Nanjing
Zhu Yuanzhang (1328–1398), the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty (also known as the Hongwu Emperor), was buried in the tomb of Ming Xiaoling; he was…
Shandong
The most climbed mountain on earth, and the most revered of China's five sacred Taoist peaks, Tai Shan is one third of Shandong's claim to having 'yī shān…
The Great Wall
Historically a strategic portal between the fertile lands of the capital and the more arid plains beyond, Badaling has been called the ‘Key to Northern…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
Enclosed by 3.5km of citadel walls at the very heart of Beijing, the Unesco-listed Forbidden City is China’s largest and best-preserved collection of…
The Great Wall
Famed for its Ming-era guard towers and excellent views, the 3km-long section of wall at Mutianyu, northeast of Beijing in Huairou County, is largely a…
The Great Wall
For stupefying hikes along perhaps Beijing’s most incomparable section of Wall, head to Jiankou, where white-knuckle sections like ‘Upward Flying Eagle’…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
Vast and energy-sapping, China's showpiece museum is housed in an immense 1950s Soviet-style building on the eastern side of Tian'anmen Sq, and claims to…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
Flanked by triumphalist Soviet-style buildings, Tian'anmen Sq is an immense void of paved stone (440,000 sq metres, to be precise) at the symbolic centre…
The Bund & People's Square
This must-see museum escorts you through the craft of millennia and the pages of Chinese history. It's home to one of the most impressive collections in…
Guangxi
Longji's famed rice terraces have been luring travellers to the region for decades to witness some of China's most spectacular scenery. Rising to 1000m,…
Beijing
A marvel of Chinese garden design and one of Beijing's must-see attractions, the Summer Palace was the royal retreat for emperors fleeing the suffocating…
Nanjing
After the Taiping took over Nanjing, they built the Mansion of the Heavenly King (天王府, Tiānwáng Fǔ) on the foundations of a former Ming-dynasty palace…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
An oasis of methodical Confucian design, the 267-hectare Temple of Heaven Park is unique. It originally served as a vast stage for solemn rites performed…
Heilongjiang
Yabuli was China’s first destination ski resort. Since 2009 the resort has expanded to cover two mountains and now has a good division of advanced,…
Shanghai
An original M50 gallery and one of Shanghai's first contemporary art spaces, ShanghART is still going strong 20 years on.
Garden of the Master of the Nets
Suzhou
Off Shiquan Jie, this pocket-sized garden is considered one of Suzhou's best preserved. Laid out in the 12th century, it went to seed and was later…
Sichuan
The Sanxingdui Museum, 40km north of Chengdu in Guanghan (广汉), exhibits relics of the Shu kingdom, a cradle of Chinese civilisation dating from 1200 BC to…
Sai Kung Peninsula
Part of the Unesco Geopark network, this spectacular geopark consists of two regions of formations: volcanic rock from 140 million years ago that often…
Shanghai
A huge development for Shanghai's contemporary art scene, this enormous gallery is housed in the former hangar of Longhua Airport and sprawls over 9000 sq…
The Bund & People's Square
Symbolic of concession-era Shanghai, the Bund was the city’s Wall Street, a place of feverish trading and fortunes made and lost. Originally a towpath for…
Macau
Though the celebrated English baker Andrew Stow has passed away, his cafe and the original Lord Stow’s Bakery here keep his memory alive by serving his…
Planning Tools
Expert guidance to help you plan your trip
Best Things to Do
China is a giant and complex patchwork of cultures, languages and cuisines. As you might expect, there's a lot to see and do - here are the top experiences.
Read articleTransportation
Despite its vast size, traveling around China is convenient and efficient, thanks to its high-speed rail network and abundance of airports and local buses.
Read articleVisa Requirements
Stretching from Central Asia to the jungles of Vietnam, China is a land of endless travel opportunities. Here's what you need to know about getting a visa.
Read articleArticles
Latest stories from China
Filter by interest:
Destination Practicalities🌍 Help me, LP! How do I plan a trip to China now that international travel is back?Mar 28, 2023 • 3 min read
Destination PracticalitiesHow to get around China: Here's how to navigate the Middle Kingdom with no problemsOct 27, 2021 • 7 min read
in partnership with getyourguide
Book popular activities in China
Guidebooks
Purchase our award-winning guidebooks
Get to the heart of China with one of our in-depth, award-winning guidebooks, covering maps, itineraries, and expert guidance.
