Country guide
China covers 9.6 million km², third largest of any country, and holds more than 1.4 billion people — about 17 per cent of everyone alive. It is divided into 33...
Photograph · Severin.stalder · CC BY-SA 3.0
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
China covers 9.6 million km², third largest of any country, and holds more than 1.4 billion people — about 17 per cent of everyone alive. It is divided into 33 province-level divisions, two of them special administrative regions.
Beijing is the capital; Shanghai is the most populous city by urban area. Between them the land runs from the Central Plain and the Yangtze and Yellow rivers out to desert, plateau, subtropical and temperate forest, and the Himalayas in the southwest. The first decision a visitor makes here is therefore not which sight to see but which climate to travel in.
Checked 2026-08-25
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · Mustang Joe · CC0
Photograph · Charlie fong · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · ScareCriterion12 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · Charlie fong · CC BY-SA 4.0
Seasonal closures come from recorded opening hours.
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
89 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
美獅美高梅 MGM Cotai
MGM Cotai is a major integrated resort on the Cotai Strip in Macau, operated by MGM China Holdings Limited. The property features a distinctive architectural design with a stack of glass boxes containing various facilities.
澳門巴黎人 The Parisian Macau
The Parisian Macao is a casino resort on the Cotai Strip in Macau, operated by Sands China. Its signature feature is a half-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower, visible across the resort grounds.
798艺术区
The 798 Art District, known locally as 798艺术区, is a contemporary arts zone in Beijing's Chaoyang District. It occupies a former military factory complex built in the 1950s in the Bauhaus-influenced style of East German industrial architecture.
武康大楼
Wukang Mansion, known locally as 武康大楼, is a historic apartment building located in Shanghai's former French Concession area. The building stands at the intersection of multiple streets, creating a distinctive triangular footprint.
大芬油画村
Dafen Oil Painting Village is an art production and trading district in Shenzhen, China. A small village developed into a concentrated center for oil-painting reproduction and original art.
澳門漁人碼頭 Doca dos Pescadores de Macau
Macau Fisherman's Wharf is a waterfront leisure and entertainment complex on the Macau Peninsula, close to the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal.
田子坊
Tianzifang is a distinctive lane neighbourhood in Shanghai’s Huangpu District, entered at Lane 210 on Taikang Road and known for its close-grained mix of pedestrian passages, creative businesses and older urban surroundings.
青龙寺
Qinglong Temple, also known as 青龙寺, is a historic Buddhist temple site in Xi’an. Its importance is closely connected with Esoteric Buddhism and the Tang dynasty, when the temple served as a centre for Buddhist learning and scripture translation.
潘家园旧货市场
Panjiayuan Antique Market is a sprawling Beijing bazaar filled with secondhand goods, curios and objects connected with Chinese material culture. Known locally as 潘家园旧货市场, it attracts collectors, browsers and travellers searching for distinctive souvenirs.
南头古城
Nantou Ancient City, or 南头古城, is a historic fortified settlement in Shenzhen. It preserves the memory of an older urban landscape within a city better known for new towers, technology, and rapid construction.
宋少帝陵
The Tomb of the Young Song Emperor, known locally as 宋少帝陵, is a memorial site in Shenzhen associated with the final years of the Southern Song dynasty.
甘坑客家小镇
Gankeng Hakka Town is a cultural heritage destination in Shenzhen’s Longgang District, centred on Hakka architecture, settlement patterns and folk culture.
华强北
Huaqiangbei is a major commercial district in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. Known widely as one of the world's largest electronics markets, it occupies a significant area in the Futian District.
安定门
Anding Gate, or 安定门, is one of the historic gates in Xi'an's surviving city wall.
安远门
Anyuan Gate, or 安远门, is one of the preserved gates in Xi'an's historic city wall system. The gate belongs to the Ming dynasty defensive enclosure that shaped the city's historic core.
八达岭长城
The Badaling Great Wall is a fortified section of China's Great Wall located in Yanqing District, northwest of central Beijing. It represents one of the most visited and best-preserved segments of the Ming Dynasty wall.
北京奥林匹克公园
Beijing Olympic Park is the public Olympic Green precinct created around the principal venues of the 2008 Summer Olympics and reused for the 2022 Winter Games.
长乐门
Changle Gate, or 长乐门, is an eastern gate of Xi'an's preserved city wall. The gate belongs to the Ming-era fortification that encloses the historic centre and remains one of the city's clearest reminders of its imperial past.
赤湾左炮台
Chiwan Left Fort, or 赤湾左炮台, is a historic coastal defence site in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District near Chiwan Port. The fort represents the military role of the Pearl River approaches and preserves a link between Shenzhen’s coastline and earlier maritime security.
大栅栏
Dashilan, known in Chinese as 大栅栏, is a historic commercial street in central Beijing. It lies south of Tiananmen Square within the Xicheng District, forming part of the old inner city.
The Drum Tower of Beijing is a historic timekeeping structure in the Dongcheng district. It originally served as the principal timekeeping tower for the old city, marking the hours with drum beats.
观澜版画村
Guanlan Printmaking Village is a cultural heritage site in Shenzhen's Longhua District, known for its historical architecture and contemporary printmaking tradition. The village preserves traditional Hakka-style buildings while functioning as an active base for printmaking artists.
龙庆峡
Longqing Gorge, known locally as 龙庆峡, is a scenic canyon area located north of Beijing's urban core. The gorge features a reservoir formed by dam construction, creating an elongated water body between steep mountainous terrain.
三里屯
Sanlitun is a lively commercial and nightlife district in Beijing’s Chaoyang District. Once associated with the city’s diplomatic quarter, it now brings together shopping, dining, international brands, bars, hotels, and social life across a busy urban area.
石澳 Shek O
Shek O is a coastal village and beach area on the southeastern shore of Hong Kong Island. The local name 石澳 reflects its identity in both Chinese characters and romanised form.
Twelve to eighteen days can link Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai by high-speed rail, with Shenzhen as a southern extension. Hong Kong and Macao need separate border planning and should not be treated as ordinary domestic stops on the same timetable.
Entry rules differ between mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao, even within one journey. Check the official immigration authority for every border segment and match the permission to the passport, purpose, and exact itinerary.
High-speed rail and domestic flights cover mainland distances, while metros handle most urban journeys. Hong Kong uses Octopus and separate border controls, and Macao has its own formalities, so prepare payment and identity requirements for each jurisdiction.
April to May and September to October are only broad mainland planning windows. Beijing, Shanghai, the south, Hong Kong, and Macao have different heat, rain, and holiday pressures; the least flexible regional leg should set the dates.
Mainland China uses renminbi (CNY), while Hong Kong and Macao use HKD and MOP. Payment systems and card acceptance differ across those jurisdictions, so prepare the appropriate local method before crossing each border.
On the mainland, save 110 for police and 120 for medical help; Hong Kong and Macao use separate emergency systems. Mainland electricity is recorded as 220 V with Type A, C, and I sockets, while tap-water guidance is not recorded.
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