China, with its rich history, diverse landscapes, and vibrant culture, offers visitors a plethora of enchanting places to explore. Here, we single out the 14 best places to visit for you in this incredible land. Full of choices to learn about a kaleidoscope of glamour across the country from many aspects, and prepare a remarkable journey immersed into endless surprises easy to find.
Beijing – Modern & Ancient Contrast
As one of the most iconic cities in China, Beijing is full of world-appealing attractions and can’t-miss cuisines. It is home to a large collection of imperial heritage sites between the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Once you get into Beijing, the former imperial grandeur must hit the spot. It would be a special memory to step back in time to the majestic Forbidden City, Great Wall, and Tiananmen Square. Get lost among its labyrinth of traditional hutongs (alleyways) and feast on diverse dishes of Beijing’s origin, like Peking roast duck, fried sauce noodles (Zhajiangmian), and lamb hot pot.
Shanghai – Metropolis Legend
Visiting Shanghai is to explore a perfect fusion between the West and the East, the new and the old. The city stands out for its abundance of prosperity with different exotic elements. It is also a magic modern-day metropolis that hides remarkable old images.
The Bund in the city gets an iconic spectacle of mixed architecture from Gothic, baroque, and Renaissance styles. Finishing the exoticism, the famous classic garden Yu Garden and convoluted Zhujiajiao are superb windows to delve into old Shanghai flavors.
Xi’an – Terracotta Warriors & More
Xi’an served as the capital of many ancient Chinese dynasties. The gem city is widely visited for its incredible preservation of many historical sites and cultural relics. The archaeological sites offer an inspiring chance to experience ancient China and the different times of imperial glamour in China.
The Army of Terracotta Warriors, the Ancient City Wall, and the seven-story Big Goose Pagoda are unmissable heritage relics to witness the ancient civilization of China. Muslim Quarter is also a must-experience attraction with the unique eating culture of Xi’an. You can sample a great variety of must-try snacks there, such as Shaanxi Sandwich (Rou Jia Mo), Mutton Stew (Yangrou Paomo), and Cold Noodles (Liang Pi).
Chengdu – Home of Panda
Praised as the land of abundance, Chengdu displays a distinct lifestyle: leisure in gossip and business. It is also home to world-endangered treasured animals, giant pandas. Fulfill your panda wish at the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, where you can witness the authentic sight of panda’s life habits and their lovely cubs.
Chengdu’s teahouse is a great place to gravitate toward the slow pace of the city’s life like a Chengduer. The laid-back way of living in Chengdu is quite infused with tea culture. Just pick a front seat, savor a mellow cup of tea, and appreciate the awesome face-changing of Sichuan opera in a teahouse. Or spend after-dinner time for a leisurely stroll along Jinli Street.
Guilin – Picturesque Landscape
No enthusiast of nature can refuse the magic of Guilin’s water and karst mountain scenery. The nature-blessed city features many iconic landscapes, including karst stone mountains, misty cloud-afloat rivers, photographic rice terraces, and bucolic countryside.
The subtropical city is widely visited all year. One of the best highlights is to take a refreshing cruise on the Li River while fully enjoying lush green karst peaks. Yangshuo is an excellent appeal to indulge in the idyllic countryside, worth cycling through ink-painting landscapes and encountering the local farming and trading. Longji Rice Terrace has a dreamy view to offer, renowned for its eye-catching gold of rape blooming and beautiful sunset.
Tibet – Spiritual Paradise
The plateau landscapes, featuring a clear sky and a snow-capped roof, make Tibet a mythical destination to explore. You can challenge yourself by reaching the summit of the world’s highest point, Mount Everest, to capture the ultimate heart-shaking views of a snow-capped peak.
Tibet also has a wealth of scenic and sacred lakes Yamdrok Lake and Namtso Lake to go on a pilgrimage. The region is also abundant in cultural wonders. Spending a few days in the capital city of Lhasa is mesmerizing to have a religious experience of Tibetan Buddhism with local landmarks Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple. Take a unique insight into the rich Tibetan religion and lifestyle. During your visit, don’t forget to taste some tsampa, butter tea, barley wine, and other unique Tibetan foods.
Hong Kong – Everlasting Vitality
It’s a definite advantage of Hong Kong’s visa-free (90–180 days) and tax-free policy. The city enjoys a tourist-friendly atmosphere with a great fusion of international culture. It is starry with shopping malls of brilliant items from all over the world for gratifying enjoyment.
The Victoria Peak and Victoria Harbor provide one with the spectacular skyline and international center of Hong Kong. You can savor a rich vein of fun in colonial-era, British remains, ocean parks, and Disneyland. Also, the city’s vibrant sports and festivals infuse Chinese tradition and Western features well. Rugby and horse racing, Christmas gatherings, and Spring Festival celebrations are fabulous to get a glimpse into.
The Yangtze River – Leisure Experience
With the longest flow path in Eurasia, the Yangtze River is packed with fantastic mountain landscapes, and tremendous historical relics, with covert village culture as well, making it a hot destination to travel along.
The most fascinating part to take in its magnificence is taking a dramatic cruise along various routes, seeing the changing views from the majestic Three Gorges, Mount Lu, to the historical sites of Yellow Crane Tower and Yueyang Tower. Besides the natural beauty along the banks, the history and cultures of the Yangtze River also shine a lot. Experience riverbank customs and festivals to figure out how it was the cradle of Chinese civilization.
Yunnan – Idyllic Arcadia
Various natural landscapes, ancient towns and villages, diverse ethnic cultures, and an all-year-round pleasant climate can each be a hard-to-refuse reason to fall in love with Yunnan.
For incredible nature viewing, you can wait for the stunning snow crown and alpine meadows on the foothills of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, or capture the breathtaking sight of Tiger Leaping Gorge. For unique cultural insight, the city of Shangri-La is a must-mention destination for traditional Tibetan customs and religion. Yunnan is also alive with a mix of ethnic cultures, especially ethnic minority events. The Torch Festival of Yi, the Water-splashing Festival of Dai, and other unique festivals hold mass appeal to experience.
Zhangjiajie – Avatar Immersion
Zhangjiajie is a wonder-filled destination in Hunan, famed for thousands of peculiar pillar-like stones and hundreds of meandering streams. The destination has a large gathering of nature-made and peculiarity-characteristic thrills and adventure is full of a great variety of outdoor adventures for nature lovers.
The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is the most-visited to enjoy the city’s superlative craftsmanship by nature. The popular Avatar Mountain, which is the authentic prototype of a scene in the famous 3D movie “Avatar.”, offers amazing sights of sandstone landscapes and forest landforms. Tianmen Mountain is well worth a climb to its astonishing natural wonder Tianmen (Heaven’s Door) after completing 999 steep steps of the staircase.
Dunhuang – Historical Exploration
On the crossroads of the Silk Road deep in the desert, Dunhuang is a historical city to experience the animation of the ancient Silk Road journey and marvel at Buddhist cave history and art. You can travel the footprints of ancient traces of the Silk Road by riding a camel like an ancient trader. The city’s best-known cultural heritage Mogao Caves is an indispensable attraction to visit for its amazingly preserved Buddhist art and manuscripts from different periods. It is a significant treasure trove recording ancient cross-culture connections. Dunhuang is also famous for its spectacular Gobi and desert landscapes. The most attractive would be Crescent Spring and Echoing Sands Dune which are wonderful to camp in for staying overnight.
Xinjiang – Silk Road
Located in northwest China and bordered by 8 countries, Xinjiang has formed its unique exotic scenery and culture. It is rich in a variety of amazing landscapes. You can shoot the fantastic snow-capped peaks of The Kunlun Mountains and Tianshan Mountains, hold in awe at the Taklamakan Desert, and be attracted to the weird rock formation of Karamay Ghost City.
Once a Silk Road gateway to the West, Xinjiang has left a vast collection of well-preserved ruins, including grotto temples, castles, tombs, and fortified settlements. The special location grants Xinjiang a kaleidoscope of ethnic cultures: Uyghur, Kazakh, Hui, and so on. You can head to Urumqi, Kashgar, or Turban to take in the mostly Uighur customs and cuisines.
Guangzhou – Cantonese Cuisines
Guangzhou, better known as Canton, was once built as a port on the Pearl River. The city comes with the diverse influences of different cultures but is dominated by its own Cantonese origin. Taking advantage of the 144-hour visa-free policy, you can visit a pocket of a colonial-era heritage gem, Shamian Island, which has iconic European-styled architecture to view.
Guangzhou is the birthplace of dim sum (front tea) and the big gathering place of diverse Cantonese cuisines. You can find many flavors of Guangdong food across South China here. The must-try immersion is going to a restaurant early in the morning for local unique dim sum, including Sampan porridge, pan-fried dumplings, steamed Siu Mai, and roast goose.
Inner Mongolia – Glassland & Desert
In central North China, Inner Mongolia is granted a wealth of natural treasures and boasts the abundant heritage of the Mongol Empire and the ethnic nomadic culture. A large number of tourists gravitate towards its diverse landforms of scenery from the greenish Hulunbeir Grassland and diamond-like Hulun and Buir Lake to vast expanses of XiIin GoI Prairie and Gobi Desert.
Mongolian yurts and seen-everywhere herds of cattle and sheep are representative images of nomadic life in Inner Mongolia. You can participate in the local greatest annual festival, Nadam Fair, and go deep into the vibrant Mongolian nomadic customs like archery, wrestling, and horse racing with friendly Mongols.
Plan Your Own Trip to China
A firsthand journey speaks louder than hundreds of verbal descriptions. You will be given an unforgettable feeling when witnessing different regions of iconic landmarks, natural wonders, and cultural treasures. If you’re having trouble making a choice of some of the best places to visit in China, please contact Odynovo. We work to make personalized itineraries based on travelers’s needs and preferences. Travel with us, and you’ll ensure an unparalleled experience.
