Bundle · 2 plans · 14 days
Emperors & Hotpot + Spicy Chengdu
Beijing, Xi'an and Chongqing, then four days in Chengdu – 14 days in total. Our pick for a two-week trip.
89 PLNone-time · bought separately: 108 PLN
Buy bundleChina travel plan · Capital of China
China travel plan: Emperors & Hotpot (10 days)
Ten days from northern to south-western China: imperial Beijing, the European-style buildings of Tianjin's former concessions, the Terracotta Army in Xi'an and futuristic Chongqing on its hills. Beijing gets four days including the Great Wall, Tianjin is half an hour from the capital by bullet train, and from Xi'an to Chongqing you ride the train through the Qinling Mountains. The route suits you if you fly into Beijing but would rather fly home from Chongqing, with no backtracking north. What surprised us most? How safe it is – an evening stroll around Beijing or Chongqing is completely ordinary here.
- 10 daystrip length
- 4 placeson the route
- Beijingstart
- Departure from ChongqingJiangbei Airport (CKG)
- Best time to go April–May, September–October
See a free sample (PDF) – 2 days from “China's Golden Triangle+”. Every itinerary is planned in the same detail.
Plan last updated:
Day-by-day route
A route summary. In the PDF every day is covered in detail: what to see, times, getting there, tickets and addresses in Chinese.
- Day 1Arrival in Beijing
- Day 2Beijing
- Day 3Great Wall
- Day 4Beijing
- Day 5Beijing → Tianjin
- Day 6Tianjin → Xi’an
- Day 7Xi’an
- Day 8Xi’an → Chongqing
- Day 9Chongqing
- Day 10Chongqing → departure
On this route
- Beijing: the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and the hutongs
- Tianjin: the former concessions and the Tianjin Eye, half an hour by train from Beijing
- Xi'an: the Terracotta Army and the city walls
- Chongqing: Hongyadong by night and departure from Jiangbei Airport
What's in the PDF plan
- A day-by-day schedule describing each day
- A map of the whole route
- Place names and addresses in Chinese
- Before you go: visa, apps, internet, money, trains and plugs
- Connections between cities
- Booking a train ticket step by step
- Getting around the city
- What and where to eat
- How much it costs on the ground (per person, excluding flights to China)
The time4china app – included with your plan
Also in the app on your phone
After purchase, add the plan to the free time4china app: it works offline (in China too), converts yuan prices at today's rate and shows Chinese addresses full-screen for the taxi driver. No app store – you install it straight from the website.
Emperors & Hotpot – buy the plan
You download the PDF plan (in English, plus a Polish version) right after payment, and a copy arrives in your inbox. You can also add it to the free phone app, which works offline. Questions? Write to us via the contact form.
Save with a bundle
One payment, every plan in the bundle ready to download straight away (in English and Polish).
Bundle · 11 plans
All travel plans
Every one of our China routes as a PDF, in English and Polish. For travellers still choosing where to go, or planning more than one trip.
299 PLNone-time · bought separately: 759 PLN
Buy bundleTrains on this route
Read before you go
- 2.1
Beijing in 3–4 days: what to see in China's capital
Beijing in 3–4 days: the Forbidden City and how to book it, the Great Wall at Mutianyu, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, hutongs and duck. Where to stay, getting around.
11 min read - 2.3
Xi'an in 2–3 days: what to see in China's ancient capital
Xi'an in 2–3 days: Terracotta Army tickets, cycling the city wall, the Muslim Quarter, Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Mount Hua. Where to stay, getting around.
14 min read - 2.9
Chongqing – the most cyberpunk city in the world
Chongqing in 2–3 days: Hongyadong at night, the metro through a building at Liziba, the Yangtze cable car, hotpot, the story of China's wartime capital and day trips to Dazu and Wulong.
11 min read
See also
11 daysStarts in Beijing
China's Golden Triangle+
69 PLN
14 daysStarts in Chengdu
Sichuan Deluxe
109 PLN
6 daysStarts in Chengdu
Pandas, Buddha & a Sea of Clouds
59 PLN10 days in China – compare itineraries All China travel plans