China’s 30-day visa-free entry is the dream window for a once-in-a-lifetime trip — enough time to see the icons without rushing. Around 50 countries (most of Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea and Japan among them) can currently enter for up to 30 days with no visa, a scheme extended through 31 December 2026 — and several more, like Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, get the same 30 days under separate mutual agreements. Check your eligibility in our visa guide first.

Here’s a complete, mostly rail-based 4-week route that covers China’s greatest hits — imperial cities, pandas, jaw-dropping landscapes and the cosmopolitan east coast. It runs about 28 days plus a 2-day buffer, so you comfortably enter and exit inside the 30-day limit.

🛂 The golden rule: with visa-free entry you must leave China within 30 days of arrival. Build in buffer, keep your onward ticket handy, and register your accommodation (hotels do this automatically). Full details in the visa guide.

First: can you do this visa-free?

Are you holding a passport of Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom or Uruguay?

→ Then you can enter China visa-free for up to 30 days and follow this whole itinerary. Just arrive with a passport valid for 6+ months and an onward ticket leaving within 30 days. Most of these are covered by China’s unilateral visa-free scheme (extended through 31 December 2026); a few — Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the UAE and Qatar — get the same 30 days under separate mutual agreements. Several smaller countries qualify via mutual agreements too — see the visa guide for the full, current list, and always reconfirm before booking.

Not on the list? Use visa-free transit

If your country isn’t covered — most notably the United States, plus Mexico and Indonesia — you can usually still visit under the 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit scheme. The catch: you must be transiting onward to a third country or region (e.g. flying Country A → China → Country C), stay within the eligible areas, and you’re capped at 10 days — so you’d do a shorter version of this route, or simply apply for a tourist (L) visa to do the full month.

Transit is available at 65+ ports, including the gateways on this trip: Beijing · Shanghai · Guangzhou · Shenzhen · Chengdu · Chongqing · Xi’an · Hangzhou · Xiamen · Qingdao · Kunming · Wuhan · Changsha and more. Full rules are in the visa guide.

Week 1 — The Imperial North

Beijing (Days 1–4) — start in the capital and shake off the jet lag among the icons.

• Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park for sunset.
• The Great Wall at Mutianyu (cable car up, toboggan down).
• Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, a hutong wander, and Peking duck. → full Beijing itinerary.

Xi’an (Days 5–7) — high-speed rail Beijing → Xi’an (~4.5–6 hrs).

• The Terracotta Army — unmissable.
• Cycle the Ancient City Wall, eat through the Muslim Quarter (回民街), see the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

Week 2 — Pandas & the Avatar Mountains

Chengdu (Days 8–10) — HSR Xi’an → Chengdu (~3.5–4 hrs).

• The giant pandas first thing in the morning.
• People’s Park tea houses, fiery hotpot, and a day trip to the Leshan Giant Buddha. → full Chengdu itinerary.

Zhangjiajie (Days 11–13) — a short ~1.5-hr flight from Chengdu (or a slower train).

• The Avatar “Hallelujah” sandstone pillars in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. → see Zhangjiajie.
• Tianmen Mountain, its cliff-hanging glass walkway and the world-famous 99-bend road.

Travel day (Day 14): Zhangjiajie → Guilin by flight (~1 hr) or train.

Week 3 — Karst Rivers & the South

Guilin & Yangshuo (Days 15–17) — China’s postcard landscape.

• A Li River cruise through the karst peaks, then cycle or bamboo-raft the Yangshuo countryside.
• The spectacular Longji Rice Terraces as a day trip.

Guangzhou (Days 18–19) — HSR Guilin → Guangzhou (~2.5–3 hrs).

• The home of Cantonese cuisine: dim sum, roast goose and a proper banquet.
• Shamian Island, Canton Tower and a Pearl River night cruise. → full Guangzhou itinerary.

Travel (Days 20–21): head east to the Shanghai region — the longest leg, so consider a ~2-hr flight to Hangzhou rather than the 6-hr+ train.

Week 4 — Shanghai & the Surrounding Region

Hangzhou (Days 22–23) — “heaven on earth.”

• The serene West Lake, Lingyin Temple and a Longjing tea-village tasting.

Suzhou (Day 24) — HSR Hangzhou → Suzhou (~1.5–2 hrs).

• China’s finest classical gardens and canal lanes — the water towns around Shanghai at their best.

Shanghai (Days 25–28) — HSR Suzhou → Shanghai (~30 min); your exit city.

• The Bund, Yu Garden, the leafy French Concession, the Pudong skyline, and a Zhujiajiao water-town day trip. → full Shanghai itinerary.

Buffer (Days 29–30) — slow down, revisit a favourite, add Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) if you’re still energetic, or just relax before flying home from Shanghai Pudong (PVG) — safely inside your 30 days.

Make it work for you

• This is an ambitious “see it all” route. Prefer a slower trip? Drop Zhangjiajie or Guilin and give the others an extra night — both are detours worth trimming for a gentler pace.
• Travel mostly by high-speed rail — fast, comfortable and scenic — and fly only the two awkward legs (to Zhangjiajie, and Guangzhou → Hangzhou). Book on Trip.com.
• Time it well: spring (Apr–May) and autumn (Sep–Oct) are ideal, but dodge the Golden Week crowds (Oct 1–7).
• Budget roughly ¥13,000–20,000+ (~$1,850–2,800) per person for a month, excluding flights — see how much a China trip costs.
• Sort the five essentials — visa, VPN, eSIM, payments and apps — before you fly.

🤝 Want this tailored to your dates, pace or interests — or help booking trains and restaurants that need a Chinese number? Contact us (a small service fee applies).

FAQ

How long can I stay in China visa-free? Citizens of around 50 countries can currently enter China visa-free for up to 30 days, under a scheme extended through 31 December 2026. You must enter and exit within that 30-day window. Check your nationality in our visa guide.

Is 4 weeks enough to see China? A month lets you cover the headline highlights — Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu’s pandas, dramatic landscapes like Zhangjiajie or Guilin, and the Shanghai region in the east — at a reasonable pace, mostly by high-speed rail. China is huge, so you’ll still only scratch the surface.

Do I need to book the whole trip in advance? Book your first hotel, key high-speed trains and any flights ahead (especially around holidays), but you can stay flexible in between. High-speed rail and domestic flights are easy to book in English on Trip.com.