Firsthand Guide
The Best Places to Visit in China — After 20 Years Here
Twenty years ago I landed in China with a guidebook that was wrong about almost everything. Since then I've crossed the country by train, bus, motorbike, and one memorable overnight ferry — and I still get asked the same question: "If I only go once, where should I go?"
This is my honest answer. Not a list copied from other blogs — the places I actually send friends, split into the icons worth your time and the spots most international visitors never hear about.
The icons: worth it, if you do them right
Beijing & the Great Wall
Yes, it's touristy. Go anyway — but go to a quieter section like Mutianyu instead of Badaling, and walk Beijing's hutongs early in the morning before the city wakes up. The Forbidden City deserves a full day, not a rushed hour.
Shanghai
The skyline is real, but my Shanghai is the plane trees and lane houses of the former French Concession. Come for one day of icons, then spend three days getting lost on foot.
Xi'an
The Terracotta Army is worth the trip, but the city's real magic is the Muslim Quarter at night — skewers, flatbread, and a food culture shaped by a thousand years on the Silk Road.
Where most guides don't send you
This is where twenty years pays off. Each of these is reachable on your own — no tour required — and each one has earned a return visit from me.
Pingyao, Shanxi
A complete walled city from the Ming dynasty that most international visitors skip. Sleep inside the walls, walk the ramparts at sunset, and visit China's first bank — it feels like time travel without a tour bus in sight.
Shaxi & Dali, Yunnan
Yunnan is where I go to breathe. Dali's lakeside old town is famous with domestic travelers but still slow-paced, and Shaxi — a restored Silk Road market town an hour away — is the place I send friends who ask for 'the real China.'
The Fujian Tulou
Fortress-like earthen roundhouses in the mountains of Fujian, some housing whole clans for centuries. A few still welcome overnight guests. Combine it with a stop in Xiamen, my favorite night-street food city in the country.
Guizhou
China's least-famous province is its most surprising: terraced hills, waterfall country, and Miao and Dong villages where silver-work and drum towers are part of daily life. Infrastructure has improved massively, so it's easier now than the guidebooks say.
Dunhuang & the Gansu Corridor
Desert, oases, and the Mogao Caves — a thousand years of Buddhist art sealed in rock. The landscape between towns is half the experience; take the train, not the plane, and watch China turn into Central Asia.
Harbin in winter
The Ice and Snow Festival gets the headlines, but Harbin's Russian-built old town and brutal, beautiful winters make it worth the -20°C. Bring better gloves than you think you need.
Practical notes from the road
When to go
April–May and September–October give the best weather almost everywhere. Avoid the first week of October, when half the country travels at once.
Getting around
High-speed rail beats domestic flights for anything under 1,200 km — city center to city center, no baggage drama. Book 1–2 weeks ahead; tickets sell out on popular routes. Read my full rail guide.
Money on the ground
China runs on QR-code payments. Set up a payment app before you land or your first street breakfast will be an awkward one — here's how.
Planning your first trip?
I turn twenty years of trial and error into a one-on-one itinerary for your dates, budget, and interests.
Book a Discovery CallMore firsthand guides live on the Explore page — and more destinations get added as I keep wandering.
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