Routes
Multi-city routes, ordered the way the bookings force you to
City guides tell you what is worth seeing. These tell you what order to do it in, which tickets sell out, and where the transport actually goes wrong.
Beijing and Xi'an Itinerary: 6 Days of Imperial China for First-Timers
A 6-day Beijing and Xi'an itinerary built around booking windows, not wishlists: Forbidden City tickets, which Great Wall section, the 4h30 train, and the Terracotta Warriors without a tour.
See the routeSichuan and Chongqing Food Guide: Hotpot, Street Food and How to Order
What to order in Chengdu and Chongqing, how the two-flavour hotpot works, why 'mild' is still hot, and the exact phrases that get you a bowl you can actually eat.
See the routeZhangjiajie and Yunnan Route: Avatar Mountains, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La
A 9-day nature route through Zhangjiajie and Yunnan, including the two-station trap at Zhangjiajie, the 4-day park pass, Tiger Leaping Gorge, and how to handle 3,300m at Shangri-La.
See the routeHow to pick one
First trip, limited time: Beijing & Xi'an — it is the densest six days of the three, and every site is reachable by public transport. Travelling mainly to eat: Chengdu & Chongqing, which is the only one of these where the itinerary is the food. Want landscape rather than cities: Zhangjiajie & Yunnan, but budget nine days, not six — this one punishes a tight schedule.
Doing this on your own?
The pre-departure checklist covers the tickets, apps and paperwork these routes assume you already have.