Month: March 2025

In China, antiquity and heritage meet 21st-century innovation and lighting-fast development.

This is a country packed with highlights – so many that it might be hard to craft a manageable itinerary. Start by immersing yourself in one of China’s gigantic, sprawling cities – which contain plenty of frenetic energy, as well as hidden pockets of serenity. Take a break from the crush by soaking up China’s natural scenery – think jagged peaks and pine forests draped in a sea of mist that look like they’ve been lifted straight from one of the country’s masterpiece scroll paintings. As one of the world’s most ancient civilizations, China also offers wonderful opportunities to explore astounding relics from its millennia of history.

Whether you dream of gilded temples, boisterous urban environments, fabulous food or the wonders of the Great Wall, here are our picks of the best places to visit in China.

Beijing’s skyline. DuKai photographer/Getty Images ©DuKai photographer/Getty Images

1. Beijing

Best for a catch-all stop

One of the world’s greatest cities and China’s absolute can’t-miss destination, Beijing is home to many big-ticket attractions: the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace and more. But its appeal goes well beyond blockbuster sights. Get lost among its labyrinth of traditional hutongs (alleyways), marvel at its cutting-edge modern architecture, feast on Peking duck and a million other dishes from across the country. Check out the local indie music scene, admire Ming-dynasty ceramics, drop by a traditional teahouse or enjoy a boisterous evening sampling the local baijiu (sorghum wine).

The Mogao Caves and Thousand Buddha Grottoes along the Silk Road. Marcin Szymczak/Shutterstock Marcin Szymczak / Shutterstock

2. Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang

Best for art lovers

Along the ancient Silk Road, the atmospheric frontier town of Dunhuang is home to one of the world’s most important collections of Buddhist art. Among more than 490 Buddhist caves in the area, the mural and statue-filled Mogao Grottoes represent perhaps the zenith of Buddhist artistry in China.

View from a trail along Tiger Leaping Gorge. Shutterstock ©Kichigin/Shutterstock

3. Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan

Best for hikes with mountain views

One of China’s most famous treks, this 22km (14-mile) hiking trail winds through a World Heritage-listed gorge in Yunnan, one of Asia’s most striking landscapes. Framed by spectacular snow-capped mountains and the scenic Jinshajiang River, the natural monument plunges to depths of 3900m (12,795ft), making it one of the deepest gorges in the world.

Le Shan is home to the world’s largest ancient Buddha. Ungvari Attila/Shutterstock ©Ungvari Attila/Shutterstock

4. Le Shan, Sichuan

Best for impressive monuments

Standing at the confluence of two rivers, the monumental 1200-year-old Buddha image at Le Shan is carved directly into the rock face. World Heritage–listed, the extraordinary monument stands 71m (233ft) tall and 28m (92ft) wide, making it the largest ancient Buddha in the world. Whether you’re spiritually inclined or not, coming face to face with this sculpture is quite a moving experience.

Shanghai is where China’s past blends with its future. Guowei Ying/Getty Images ©guowei ying/Getty Images

5. Shanghai

Best for a captivating city escape 

Glitzy, elegant, historic and cosmopolitan: everything you’ve heard about Shanghai is true. Just take a stroll through the French Concession or along the Bund, and you’ll see for yourself. From the grand display of 1920s architecture to the city’s sophisticated restaurants and rooftop bars to the sci-fi neon-lit skyscrapers across the bay, Shanghai is the past and future China brought to vivid life.

The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling. Sean Pavone/Alamy Stock Photo ©Sean Pavone/Alamy Stock Photo

6. The Great Wall

Best for quintessential travel experiences

Snaking through China’s majestic mountainous terrain, the spectacular Great Wall is the nation’s most iconic landmark. Built over two millennia, this awe-inspiring, 21,196km-long (13,170-mile-long) fortification is a true marvel of human accomplishment. In fact, it’s not one wall but many, stretching from the east coast all the way to the far western desert. The most easily accessible stretches can be reached by car from Beijing.

Two baby panda inside the country’s Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. Kiszon Pascal/Getty Images ©kiszon pascal/Getty Images

7. Chengdu

Best for seeing pandas

With its charming teahouses, lively nightlife and fiery Sichuan food, Chengdu is one of China’s most popular cities for travelers. But most folk visit here for one reason: pandas. And while you’d be very lucky to spot one in the wild, sightings are guaranteed at the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. Other draws of this inland regional capital include temples, pavilions and museums devoted to the culture of the ancient Shu kingdom.

Sunset on the Li River. Getty Images ©zubin li/Getty Images

8. Karst peaks, Guilin

Best for remarkable landscapes

Spanning the distance from Guilin to Yangshuo, the picture-perfect karst-limestone peaks offer an extraordinary backdrop to the scenic Li River and rice paddies. Grab a bicycle or board a raft to tour this beautiful countryside, passing farmers and water buffalo along the way.

A spread of dim sum, Guangzhou. Jerry Jian/Getty Images

9. Guangzhou

Best for sampling dim sum

This vibrant and dynamic megacity is one of China’s most fascinating hubs. You’ll find an intriguing mix of old and new in a city where skyscrapers nudge the clouds and monks shuffle around 1500-year-old Buddhist temples. But it’s the Cantonese cuisine that lures in many, with some of the finest dim sum in all of China.

Longji’s swirling terraces of rice paddies. Shutterstock

10. Longji Rice Terraces, Guangxi

Best for dropping into a rice paddy landscape

You’ll find rice paddies all over China – but few are as spectacular as the ones in Longji, built against a backdrop of lush mountains. Walks here lead to viewpoints overlooking sculpted, iridescent green terraces with swirling patterns resembling the contours of a giant thumbprint.

The enigmatic, life-sized warriors of Xi’an. Daniel Padavona/Getty Images ©Daniel Padavona/Getty Images

11. Terracotta Warriors, Xi’an

Best for history nerds

Unearthed in Xi’an by unsuspecting rural workers in 1974, this enigmatic army of life-sized statues remains one of the world’s most remarkable archaeological finds. Dating back 2200 years, they were built to protect the underground tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Meeting these warriors face to face is an experience you’ll never forget.

The Great Mosque in the Muslim Quarter is the one of the oldest mosque in the country. Gary Yim/Shutterstock ©gary yim/Shutterstock

12. Xi’an

Best for Silk Road lore

In a country where cities seemingly spring up overnight, this is one of the oldest and grandest. Known to most for its extraordinary Terracotta Warriors, Xi’an is also remarkable in its own right – notably as the beginning of the Silk Road, a trade route with a legacy that remains intact within its atmospheric Muslim Quarter.

One of the viewpoints at Zhangjiajie. Getty Images © pawopa3336 / Getty Images

13. Zhangjiajie

Best for cloud-level views

Rising dramatically from the subtropical forests of northwest Hunan, the pinnacle rock formations of Zhangjiajie inspired the scenery in the film Avatar (2009). Take it all in as you walk over a vertiginous glass-bottom suspension bridge floating 300m (984ft) above ground. If that’s not daring enough, you can bungee jump off it, too.

The scale of the Forbidden City amazes, even with hordes of visitors. Shutterstock

14. Forbidden City, Beijing

Best for a Ming Dynasty snapshot

Among China’s imperial sights, none can compare in size, grandeur or mystique to Beijing’s Forbidden City. Built between 1406 and 1420, this sprawling palace was off-limits for 500 years until the overthrow of the last Qing emperor in 1911. Today, it’s very much open to the public, attracting nearly 20 million visitors each year. Despite the crowds, its massive scale remains humbling.