From Chengdu to Beijing

I suggest you go to Leshan Giant Buddha first,and then go to emeishan.The August 13th, you can watch the sunrise and the sea of clouds in the morning.
From Chengdu to Dazu, I suggest you take a train.

Hi Javier,

Your itinerary looks good and easily doable (I live near Xi'an and my girlfriend in Chengdu so am constantly going back and forth).

I've literally just written a very short article about the Panda Research base which might have some info of use to you:

https://www.thetripgoeson.com/single-post/A-day-with-the-pandas-The-Research-Base-of-Giant-Panda-Breeding-in-Chengdu

Enjoy your trip!

Best,
Steve

Looks mostly OK. I'd also go to Leshan before Emeishan. Dazu will take most of the day unless you get a private car and an early start, so you won't have a lot of daytime for Chongqing walking-around on that day. I think you'll find that Huashan is going to work better as a daytrip--there aren't many or very good places to stay on the mountain, so an early start out of Xi'an on the first high speed train and return on an evening high speed to Xi'an is IMO a better plan. This will also leave you in a better spot to take the following morning's high speed to Pingyao. You didn't specifically account for the Pingyao-Datong transport sequence, but it will eat up part of Day 17 or 18.

Thank you all for your kind responses. Following your advice, we will go to Leshan prior to Emeishan and we will make Hua Shan a day trip from Xian. We’ve been looking more in detail into the itinerary and the trains times and we have a couple of doubts (particularly after reading jiejie's comment).

1. Taking into account the time needed to go from Pingyao to Datong (8 hours) and from Datong to Beijing (more than 6 hours) compared to a high speed train from Pingyao to Beijing (around 4 hours), would it make sense to go to Datong or skip it and have more time for Pingyao, Beijing and Xian?

2. Something similar applying to Dazu. Would it make sense to skip it and have more time for Emeishan or Chongqing?. Regarding Chongqing, is it a city worth visiting? I have read that although it has no big tourists attractions it is a city worth visiting from the point of view of what Chongqing represents in the present development scheme in China but I do not see many travel guides recommending a visit.

I dislike Emei Shan so I'm not the best authority on that, keep it as you have it. I love Dazu but Chongqing has always rubbed me the wrong way (though plenty of people are OK with it). I do think that taking Dazu/Chongqing out of the mix will give this itinerary better "breathing room." By taking a morning flight Chengdu-Xi'an on the 13th, you pick up a day. Give yourself the rest of the 13th and part of the 15th for Xi'an with Huashan on the 14th. On 15th, take afternoon 16:00 fast train Xi'an to Pingyao. Overnight 15th and 16th in Pingyao so you'll have full 16th there. 17th the easiest way to go Pingyao-Datong is taking the standard train 07:28-15:27. This wouldn't leave you with a lot of time to see anything except maybe one of the city temples. But the entire next day 18th is enough to do Yungang and Hanging Monastery and some miscellaneous. Consider taking the night flight DAT-NAY (Beijing Nanyuan Airport). So you get to Beijing for overnight on the 18th and have the full next day for sightseeing.

Another option that might be easier to execute, would be to substitute Luoyang for Datong (Longmen Grottoes instead of Yungang Grottoes) and then do Pingyao-Beijing directly by fast train. Doing this, you'd keep Dazu/Chongqing in the mix on the 13th but take night flight Chongqing-Luoyang (Spring Airlines) and spend night there. 14th at Luoyang and another night there. 15th do the first fast train to Huashan (leave stuff at rail station or Visitor Center) then all day there then late afternoon/evening fast train to Xi'an. Xi'an on the 16th and most of the 17th, with afternoon fast train to Pingyao. Evening of 17th and most of day 18th in Pingyao. Late afternoon fast train on 18th Pingyao to Beijing.

Don't cut anything out of Beijing, and try to get there by night of the 18th if possible so you have 4 full days.

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