Feedback on 1-month China itinerary

Hi there,

I’d love to get some feedback on our 30-day / 29-night itinerary in China. We’ll be there in September as a family with two kids (6 and 10 years old). Do you think I should cut a few nights between Wulingyuan (Avatar Mountain) and Yangshuo? I’ve planned 15 nights total there. We’ll be on a round-the-world trip starting May 2026 and will need to do schoolwork with the kids. Hoping to fit it in during train rides!! Ever since I started planning this China itinerary, I’ve been discovering completely mind-blowing places I’d never heard of before—30 days feels way too short for China!!!

Here’s our itinerary:

Beijing - 4 nights Forbidden City Great Wall of China Temple of Heaven

Xi’an - 3 nights Terracotta Army Muslim Quarter & Great Mosque

Chengdu - 3 nights Zoo - Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding Wenshu Yuan Temple

Wulingyuan (Avatar Mountain) - 3 nights "Avatar Mountains"

Zhangjiajie - 2 nights Tianmen Mountain

Furong Town - 2 nights

Fenghuang - 2 nights

Guilin - 2 nights Chuanshan Park Guilin Yaoshan Scenic Attraction Reed Flute Cave

Yangshuo - 4 nights Biking along the Yulong River Moon Hill Ruyi Peak Xianggong Hill

Shanghai - 4 nights Shanghai Disneyland Yu Garden / Yuyuan Garden Yuyuan Bazaar

Thanks! Cédric

It's complete. In my opinion, Furong doesn't need 2 nights (it's right next to Zhangjiajie)

Hello, Your itinerary sounds amazing, with several stops I would’ve loved to include. Unfortunately, we didn’t have as much time as you, which forced us to make some tough choices. On our end, we did a more condensed two-week trip, including Beijing (3 nights), the Great Wall, Guilin, Dazhai, and Wuhan. That already gave us a fantastic overview of the country and the diverse regions you mentioned. I’ve put together our itinerary, our travel impressions, and some extra info here, if it helps you fine-tune your plans: https://aventures-sans-mesaventure.blogspot.com/p/temple-chine.html Wishing you a wonderful trip—your route promises some incredible discoveries.

Ever since I’ve been planning my China itinerary, I’ve been discovering totally insane places I never knew about!!! 30 days seems way too short for China!!!

Of course it’s too short! Have you seen the size of the country? You’ll have to go back. But don’t count on the train to homeschool the kids—you’ll be constantly interrupted by curious Chinese neighbors. On the other hand, if you want the kids to learn Chinese, it’s perfect ;)

It takes several trips to really discover China. Nowadays, I visit one (or two) provinces at a time. My next trip will be to Yunnan or a Hunan-Guangxi combo

Thanks for your replies. I’m taking note, and I’ll definitely remove one night in Furong Town to add it to Guilin or Yangshuo. Your messages have really reassured me about my itinerary.

And if locals on the train "bother us" to do homework, it won’t be a big deal. Quite the opposite, actually! Those are exactly the kinds of interactions with locals we’re looking for!! And with kids, I know it’s so much easier. We can always catch up on homework in the evening!! 🙂

Hello, Your itinerary makes sense. Furong doesn’t really need 2 nights... You could add an extra day in Chengdu and head to Emeishan, for example. 2 nights in Chengdu and 2 in Emeishan. If you're interested, I have 2 travel journals about China on my blog (profile). One is recent and includes info on Zhangjiajie. The other covers the Chengdu area and Yangshuo, but it’s much older, so the few details in that one are outdated. You’ll see, traveling in China is easy. 🙂

You're not helping by suggesting all these beautiful places... 😄

So now I'm thinking about staying in China for more than 30 days! I'd like to add Emeishan and the Yunnan region with Shangri-La and Shaxi, but I haven't looked into the route or things to do yet. I know I'll have to leave before 30 days to go to Hong Kong and then re-enter.

I've also noted Bajiaozhai National Park to visit near Zhangjiajie, but I'm worried it might be too repetitive (Zhangjiajie, Yangshuo, Bajiaozhai) [;]

I know I’ll have to leave Hong Kong before the 30 days are up and then re-enter.

Alternatively, you could get a visa for more than 30 days before you leave and explore China at your own pace without needing to leave.

Chengdu is definitely worth spending a bit more time in, even if I couldn’t improve on your well-thought-out and comprehensive 30-day plan.

I recently traveled through western Sichuan from Chengdu, and if you love mountains, it’s breathtaking—almost like the Himalayas, the gateway to Tibet. Starting from Kangding, you’ll find roads above 4,000 meters, temples, Tibetan villages, towering peaks, and endless high plateaus.

I already can’t wait to go back...

Western Sichuan... now that's an itinerary that interests me...

From Chengdu, you can also visit the Giant Buddha of Leshan. It's a must-see. Try to go in the afternoon to have the site almost to yourself at closing time. It was magical!

Thanks for your feedback. I’ve already explored this region pretty well. Now I’m interested in the western part of Sichuan and southern Gansu. (I’ve also been to northern Gansu.)