Off the beaten path

Pingyao

平遥古城 · North China

China's best-preserved walled city — a complete Ming-Qing county town of banks, courtyards and lantern-lit lanes.

April–October

1–2 days

~3–3.5 h high-speed train from Beijing; combine with Datong or Xi'an.

Don't miss in Pingyao

The experiences Western travelers rate highest here.

6 km of intact city walls around 4,000 historic buildings — the 19th-century Wall Street of China.

More destinations at the same level of the journey.

The Silk Road's desert gateway — painted caves and singing dunes at the edge of the Gobi.

The roof of the world — a spiritual bucket-list destination, but foreigners must arrange a permit and guided tour in advance.

Colonial island charm plus the Hakka earth castles of the countryside — a favorite of returning visitors.

China's tropical island — white-sand beaches and rainforest, visa-free for most Western passports via Hainan's special scheme.