Where to go in China
Twenty-one destinations, sorted by how they fit into a trip — from the unmissable first-timer classics to Silk Road deserts. All of them are drawing record numbers of American and European visitors.
First-timer essential
The unmissable classics — on almost every first Western itinerary.
Beijing
The capital and the single strongest draw for Western tourists — Great Wall, Forbidden City and 3,000 years of imperial history on one subway map.
Xi'an
Eastern terminus of the Silk Road and home of the Terracotta Army — the ancient capital every history-loving Westerner comes for.
Shanghai
China's gateway city and the #1 inbound destination for both American and European visitors — colonial waterfront meets Blade Runner skyline.
Guilin & Yangshuo
The karst landscape on the 20-yuan note — the scenery Westerners picture when they imagine 'China'.
Chengdu
Pandas, hotpot and teahouse life — the laid-back Sichuan capital that became a top-5 inbound city in 2025.
Zhangjiajie
The real-life floating mountains of Avatar — the single most viral Chinese landscape on Western social media.
Chongqing
China's cyberpunk mountain megacity — inbound visitors up 170% in 2025, now level with Beijing and Shanghai in holiday popularity.
Second-trip favorite
Where returning visitors go next — and where the 2025 inbound boom is happening.
Hangzhou
West Lake perfection an hour from Shanghai — the landscape that defined Chinese ideas of beauty for a millennium.
Suzhou
The classical garden city — 2,500 years of canals, moon gates and scholar aesthetics, 30 minutes from Shanghai by rail.
Huangshan (Yellow Mountain)
Granite peaks above a sea of clouds — named to the New York Times' 52 Places to Go in 2025, now 2.5 h from Shanghai by high-speed rail.
Harbin
China's ice city — a Russian-built winter wonderland whose Ice and Snow Festival took over Western social media.
Yunnan
China's most diverse province — snow mountains, old towns and 25 ethnic minorities, now a favorite for returning Western travelers.
Datong
Grottoes and cliff temples — ticket sales up 7× in 2025 as foreigners push beyond Beijing.
Luoyang
Ancient capital of 13 dynasties — grottoes, kung fu and peonies, with inbound visits doubling in 2025.
Yangtze River & Three Gorges
The classic cross-country route — a cruise through the gorge scenery of a thousand Chinese poems.
Qingdao
German-era red rooftops, China's best beer and a breezy seaside pace — consistently a top-10 inbound city.
Off the beaten path
Specialist trips for the curious: deserts, plateaus and walled cities.
Pingyao
China's best-preserved walled city — a complete Ming-Qing county town of banks, courtyards and lantern-lit lanes.
Dunhuang
The Silk Road's desert gateway — painted caves and singing dunes at the edge of the Gobi.
Lhasa & Tibet
The roof of the world — a spiritual bucket-list destination, but foreigners must arrange a permit and guided tour in advance.
Xiamen & Fujian Tulou
Colonial island charm plus the Hakka earth castles of the countryside — a favorite of returning visitors.
Sanya & Hainan
China's tropical island — white-sand beaches and rainforest, visa-free for most Western passports via Hainan's special scheme.