Three weeks in China – 18–20 day itineraries

Beijing and the Great Wall, Tianjin and Xi'an, then Chongqing, the Zhangjiajie mountains, a Li River cruise, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. The two itineraries meet in Chongqing, so there's no extra journey: skip the first two days of the second plan (you've already seen Chongqing) and take the train straight to Zhangjiajie.

How to join the plans: Emperors & Hotpot: days 1–9 unchanged (day 8 – train Xi'an → Chongqing, about 5–6 hours; days 8–9 – Chongqing, 2 nights). Day 10 of that plan (museum and departure) drops out. In From the Avatar Mountains to Hong Kong, skip days 1–2 (arrival and sightseeing in Chongqing – the same as days 8–9 of the first plan); day 10 of the trip is its day 3: the 9:00 train from Chongqing East to Zhangjiajie West, about 2–3 hours (slower trains from Chongqing North or West take 3.5–4.5 hours), ¥190–260. Days 11–20 = days 4–13 of the second plan, fly home from Hong Kong. No separate journey between the plans – they meet in Chongqing.

The classic golden triangle – Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai with Ningbo – followed by western China: neon-lit Chongqing, Chengdu's pandas, the Leshan Giant Buddha and Mount Emei. Instead of flying home from Shanghai, you fly to Chongqing (about 3 hours) and start the second itinerary that same evening. Fly home from Chengdu.

How to join the plans: China's Golden Triangle+: days 1–10 unchanged (night 10 in Shanghai). Day 11 = day 11 of that plan and day 1 of Cyberpunk & Pandas: a short morning walk, then instead of flying home, a domestic flight from Shanghai (Hongqiao SHA or Pudong PVG) to Chongqing (CKG) – about 2 h 45 min–3 h in the air, usually around ¥450–700. Metro line 3 or 10 from the airport to the centre (45–60 min), then Hongyadong and your first hotpot in the evening. Days 12–18 = days 2–8 of the second plan, fly home from Chengdu (Tianfu). The train from Shanghai to Chongqing takes 9–12 hours, so flying makes more sense.

Beijing, Tianjin, Xi'an and Chongqing, then Kunming, the old towns of Dali and Lijiang, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Tibetan Shangri-La. Instead of flying home from Chongqing, you take a bullet train to Kunming (about 5 hours). Fly home from Kunming.

How to join the plans: Emperors & Hotpot: days 1–9 unchanged (days 8–9 in Chongqing). Day 10 = day 10 of that plan and day 1 of The Road to Shangri-La: in the morning, instead of flying home, a bullet train from Chongqing West to Kunming South – about 5 hours (G trains via Guizhou; the direct line via Yibin is still under construction), around ¥360–420 in second class. Or fly CKG → KMG, about 1.5 hours in the air, though with airport transfers it takes about as long. In the afternoon, Green Lake, the streets by the university and crossing-the-bridge noodles from day 1 of the second plan. Days 11–19 = days 2–10 of the second plan, fly home from Kunming.