If you have exactly one week for your first trip to China, there's a classic route that delivers the full experience: Shanghai, Beijing, and Xi'an. One week, three cities, and the country's greatest hits — the futuristic skyline, the imperial Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and the Terracotta Army. This itinerary is paced for a first-timer, built around high-speed rail, and full of the food stops you'll actually remember. Here's how to do it.
Before You Go: The Essentials
- Payments: set up Alipay and WeChat Pay with an international card before you fly.
- Connectivity: get an eSIM or plan to buy a local SIM at the airport; install a VPN at home.
- Visa: check whether you're eligible for visa-free entry or need an L tourist visa.
- Train tickets: book high-speed rail on Trip.com in English; you'll need your passport number.
Day 1: Arrive in Shanghai
Land at Shanghai Pudong (PVG), get through immigration, and grab a SIM card in the arrivals hall. Take the Maglev train into the city — it hits 430 km/h and is an experience in itself. Check into a hotel near People's Square or the Bund for walkability.
Spend your first evening gently: a stroll along the Bund at dusk, when the Pudong skyline lights up, then dinner at a local xiaolongbao (soup dumpling) shop. Jet lag is real — keep it easy.
Day 2: Shanghai — Old City & French Concession
Start at Yu Garden and the adjacent City God Temple bazaar — classical Ming-dynasty pavilions surrounded by snack stalls. In the afternoon, shift to the French Concession, where plane-tree avenues hide boutiques, cafés, and historic mansions. End the day on Nanjing Road or with a river cruise on the Huangpu.
Shanghai eats: sample shengjianbao (pan-fried buns) and scallion oil noodles. Skip the tourist traps on the main drag and follow the queues of locals.
Day 3: Shanghai → Beijing by High-Speed Rail
Catch a morning G-train from Shanghai Hongqiao to Beijing South — about 4.5 hours at up to 350 km/h. Book the 7am or 8am departure so you arrive with the afternoon free. Settle into a hotel near Qianmen or Wangfujing, close to the Forbidden City.
Your first Beijing afternoon: walk through Tiananmen Square, then wander the hutongs around Nanluoguxiang — the narrow alleys where old Beijing still lives. Grab dinner in a hutong courtyard restaurant.
Day 4: Beijing — The Great Wall
The Great Wall deserves a full day. The closest restored section is Badaling, but the smarter pick is Mutianyu — equally spectacular, far fewer crowds, and it has a cable car plus a toboggan ride down. Go early (before 9am) to beat the tour groups.
Back in the city by late afternoon, reward yourself with Peking duck. Reserve ahead at a classic roast-duck house like Siji Minfu or Da Dong.
Day 5: Beijing — Forbidden City & Temple of Heaven
Book your Forbidden City ticket online in advance — entry is timed and quota-limited. Give it two to three hours; the imperial palace is enormous. Walk out the north gate into Jingshan Park, climb the hill, and get the famous rooftop view.
In the afternoon, visit the Temple of Heaven, where locals still practice tai chi and play traditional instruments in the surrounding park. Evening: a hutong food crawl or a hotpot dinner.
Day 6: Beijing → Xi'an
Morning G-train to Xi'an (about 4.5–6 hours depending on the service). After checking in near the Muslim Quarter, spend the afternoon exploring it — this neighborhood has been trading since the Silk Road, and the streets are dense with lamb skewers, hand-pulled noodles, and pomegranate juice.
Rent a bike and ride the top of the Ming City Wall at sunset. It's 14 km around, and a full circuit takes about an hour and a half — one of the best experiences in China.
Day 7: Xi'an — The Terracotta Army
Devote the morning to the Terracotta Army at the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum, about an hour outside the city. Go early to see Pit 1 before the crowds, then take your time in Pits 2 and 3. The army of 8,000 life-sized soldiers is every bit as staggering in person.
Afternoon: if you have energy, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda or the Shaanxi History Museum (book tickets a week ahead). Close the loop with one last bowl of biangbiang noodles before your departure.
Xi'an eats: biangbiang noodles, roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), yangrou paomo (lamb soup with flatbread), and sweet persimmon cakes from the Muslim Quarter.
Where to Eat — The Shortlist
- Shanghai: Din Tai Fung (soup dumplings) or any busy local xiaolongbao shop; shengjianbao at Yang's Fried Dumplings.
- Beijing: Peking duck, jianbing street crepes for breakfast, and zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste).
- Xi'an: lamb skewers and biangbiang noodles in the Muslim Quarter; roujiamo from any stall with a line.
Getting Around
Between cities, high-speed rail is the way — Shanghai Hongqiao, Beijing South, and Xi'an North stations all connect by G-trains. Book on Trip.com with your passport. Inside cities, use the metro (cheap, fast, and signposted in English) and DiDi for door-to-door trips. A local phone number makes DiDi much easier.
What This Trip Costs
A realistic ballpark for this 7-day route, per person (excluding international flights):
- High-speed rail: Shanghai → Beijing and Beijing → Xi'an, second class — roughly ¥1,000–1,300 total.
- Hotels: comfortable 3–4 star, ~¥400–800/night in central locations, or budget hostels from ¥150.
- Attractions: Terracotta Army, Forbidden City, Great Wall, and others — budget ¥600–900 in tickets.
- Food: street food and local restaurants are cheap; ¥100–200/day covers three generous meals.
- Metro & DiDi: ¥50–100/day depending on how much you ride.
Most first-timers land around ¥6,000–9,000 (~$850–1,250) for the whole week including hotels and internal transport. Not bad for three of China's most iconic cities.
If You Have Two More Days
With a 9- or 10-day window, this route extends beautifully:
- Add Suzhou (30 minutes from Shanghai by train) for classical gardens and canals — the "Venice of the East."
- Add a Great Wall overnight at a watchtower guesthouse near Mutianyu for sunrise on the Wall with no crowds.
- Add Chengdu from Xi'an (3.5 hours by high-speed rail) for pandas and Sichuan hotpot — a natural fourth stop.
How to Make It Even Easier
This route is absolutely doable solo, but a local companion transforms it. A ChinaPass friend can meet you at each airport, handle the train bookings, reserve the hard-to-get Forbidden City and Terracotta Army tickets, translate every menu, and point you to the noodle shops that never made it into a guidebook. It's the difference between seeing China and actually experiencing it.