Beijing 3 · Xi'an 2 · Chengdu 2 · Chongqing 2 · Zhangjiajie 3 · Shanghai 3. With pandas, Chongqing and Zhangjiajie.
Hotels at the lowest price we found, one room per two adults and children with their parents. Fastest train in second class and official adult tickets. Checked on 11 October 2026.
Once you use it, you can add or remove days and cities, and we will remind you of every booking.
Day 1
Day 2Metro line 1, Tiananmen East · 3-4 h
Day 3Mubus from Dongzhimen, or DiDi in 80-100 min · 4-5 h
Day 4Day 5Tourist coach from the Bell Tower, 1 h · 5-6 h
Day 6
Day 7Taxi in 25-30 min · 3 h
Day 8
Day 9Few people know thisMetro line 2, Liziba, exit 2 · 30 min
Day 10Day 11Few people know thisWulingyuan east gate, eco-bus to the Bailong lift · 1 día
Day 12Forest Park gate, free eco-bus · 2-3 h
Day 13
Day 14Metro lines 10 and 14, Yuyuan Garden · 1,5 h
It is the fullest route, but it has 5 city changes. With kids, stretch it to 17 days or drop Chongqing. For couples it is unforgettable, with pandas, neon cities and mountains, if you like a busy pace.
Mostly by bullet train. Beijing to Xi'an 4 h 30, Xi'an to Chengdu 3 h 30, Chengdu to Chongqing 1 h 15 and Chongqing to Zhangjiajie about 2 hours from Chongqing East, on the new line. Only the last leg, Zhangjiajie to Shanghai, is better by plane.
April to May and September to October. In July and August Chongqing and Chengdu are very hot, and Zhangjiajie is rainier. Avoid the first week of October.
If you cut days, Chongqing is the one you will miss least. If you add, give one more to Beijing, which only gets 3 here, or to Chengdu for the Leshan Giant Buddha.
The four trains add up to 1,242 yuan in second class, and the flight to Shanghai depends on the date. Key high-season tickets are Forbidden City 60, Mutianyu 180, Terracotta Army 120, pandas 55 and Tianmen 288. Hotels depend on your dates and level.
Book an open-jaw ticket, into Beijing and home from Shanghai. You avoid backtracking and save most of a day. Beijing has two airports, Capital and Daxing, so check which one is on your booking.