Language · 11 published
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 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.
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
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
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
104 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
The Banpo Museum is an archaeological site museum in eastern Xi'an preserving the remains of a Neolithic Yangshao culture settlement. The site was excavated beginning in 1953 and opened to the public as one of China's first site museums.
香港太空館 Hong Kong Space Museum
The Hong Kong Space Museum is a public astronomy and space science museum located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Its distinctive dome-shaped building, resembling a planetarium, stands prominently on the Salisbury Garden phase II site near the waterfront.
香港文化博物館 Hong Kong Heritage Museum
The Hong Kong Heritage Museum is a major cultural institution operated by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
香港歷史博物館 Hong Kong Museum of History
The Hong Kong Museum of History is a major cultural institution dedicated to preserving and presenting the history of Hong Kong and South China. Located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, the museum occupies a purpose-built facility.
茶具文物館 Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware
Flagstaff House is Hong Kong’s oldest surviving Western-style building and now houses the Museum of Tea Ware. The historic building stands inside Hong Kong Park in Central, placing colonial architectural heritage beside one of the city’s major urban green spaces.
M+ is a museum of visual culture in Hong Kong, located in the West Kowloon Cultural District. It focuses on twentieth- and twenty-first-century art, design, architecture, and moving image from Hong Kong, China, Asia, and beyond.
香港海事博物館 Hong Kong Maritime Museum
The Hong Kong Maritime Museum is a museum in Hong Kong dedicated to the maritime history and heritage of the region.
香港鐵路博物館 Hong Kong Railway Museum
The Hong Kong Railway Museum occupies a historic building that was formerly the Tai Po Market Railway Station, constructed in 1913.
香港科學館 Hong Kong Science Museum
Hong Kong Science Museum is a public science museum in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon. It presents science as something to explore with your hands, eyes, and curiosity rather than only through labels or glass cases.
香港抗戰及海防博物館 Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence
The Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence is a museum dedicated to Hong Kong's military history, particularly its coastal defence heritage and role during the War of Resistance against Japanese aggression.
孫中山紀念館 Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum
The Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum is a museum in Hong Kong dedicated to the life and revolutionary activities of Dr Sun Yat-sen, founding father of the Republic of China.
秦始皇兵马俑博物馆
The Terracotta Army, known locally as the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Site Museum, stands among the most significant archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century. This vast subterranean complex lies near Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, China.
三棟屋博物館 Sam Tung Uk Museum
Sam Tung Uk Museum is a restored Hakka walled village in Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong.
香港電影資料館 Hong Kong Film Archive
The Hong Kong Film Archive in Sai Wan Ho is a cultural venue devoted to Hong Kong’s moving-image heritage. It brings together public exhibitions, film screenings and archival resources, offering a focused way to understand the territory through cinema.
警隊博物館 Police Museum
Hong Kong Police Museum traces the history of the Hong Kong Police Force from the colonial period to the present.
李鄭屋漢墓博物館 Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum
Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum preserves a tomb discovered in 1955 during construction work in Sham Shui Po. Dating from the Eastern Han dynasty, the tomb is one of Hong Kong’s most important archaeological sites.
香港醫學博物館 Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences
Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences presents the history of medical science in Hong Kong inside a historic former bacteriological institute. The museum connects public health, scientific research and the development of healthcare in the territory.
展城館 City Gallery
Hong Kong Planning and Infrastructure Exhibition Gallery, also called 展城館 or City Gallery, introduces visitors to the territory’s urban planning, infrastructure, transport networks, harbourfront projects, and future development.
香港文物探知館 Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre
Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre is a cultural institution in Kowloon Park, Tsim Sha Tsui, devoted to Hong Kong’s archaeological and built heritage.
香港懲教博物館 Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum
The Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum is a museum operated by the Hong Kong Correctional Services Department. It is located in Stanley on Hong Kong Island.
香港視覺藝術中心 Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre
The Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre is a visual arts facility in Hong Kong. It operates under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong government.
毛主席纪念堂
Chairman Mao Memorial Hall is the state memorial at the southern end of Tiananmen Square. Its public route normally passes through security and the memorial chambers in a controlled one-way flow.
上海博物馆
Shanghai Museum is the People’s Square museum of Chinese art in central Shanghai, identified here as way/161090899.
衞生教育展覽及資料中心 Health Education Exhibition and Resource Centre
The Health Education Exhibition and Resources Centre is a public health education facility in Hong Kong. Its Chinese name is 衞生教育展覽及資料中心. The centre serves as a venue for promoting health awareness and providing educational resources to the public.
香港教育博物館
Hong Kong Museum of Education focuses on the history and development of education in Hong Kong. Its subject reaches beyond classrooms to teaching practice, learning, educational policy and the institutions that shaped society.
中国国家博物馆
The National Museum of China stands on the east side of Tiananmen Square in central Beijing. It occupies a vast building that merged the former Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution.
恭王府
Prince Gong Mansion, known locally as 恭王府, stands as one of Beijing's most significant surviving aristocratic residences from the Qing dynasty era. The complex represents a prime example of traditional Chinese princely architecture and garden design.
西安鼓楼博物馆
Xi'an Drum Tower is a Ming Dynasty landmark in the centre of Xi'an's walled city. It stands opposite the Bell Tower and is one of the city's defining historic buildings.
首都博物馆
The Capital Museum is a major cultural institution in Beijing, China, dedicated to preserving and exhibiting artifacts related to the city's history and culture. Its local name is 首都博物馆.
中华艺术宫
China Art Museum, known locally as 中华艺术宫, is a dedicated art-museum stop at 205 Shangnan Road in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area. Its visitor purpose is a focused encounter with Chinese art exhibitions rather than a brief landmark photograph.
上海科技馆
Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is a major public science museum located in Shanghai, China. Its local name is 上海科技馆. The museum serves as a prominent cultural and educational institution within the city, dedicated to science popularization and technological exhibition.
鄭家大屋 Casa do Mandarim
Mandarin’s House, also known as Zheng Guanying’s former residence, is a historic mansion in Macau’s Historic Centre. It was the ancestral home of the Zheng family and is associated with the thinker Zheng Guanying.
上海城市规划展示馆
Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center is a civic museum devoted to explaining how Shanghai has developed as a city.
路氹歷史館 Museu da História da Taipa e Coloane
The Museum of Taipa and Coloane History, known locally as 路氹歷史館, is a cultural institution in Macau dedicated to preserving and presenting the historical development of the islands of Taipa and Coloane.
陕西历史博物馆
Shaanxi History Museum is a major museum in Xi'an, a city shaped by the history of successive Chinese capitals. Its collections span prehistoric communities, the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties, and archaeological discoveries from Shaanxi.
中国科学技术馆
China Science and Technology Museum is Beijing's national-scale institution for public science education, located beside Olympic Green. Its main exhibition programme explains fundamental science, engineering, life, environment and technological development through large interactive galleries rather than a traditional object-only collection.
国家自然博物馆
The National Natural History Museum of China is Beijing's principal museum for zoology, palaeontology, botany and human origins. Located at Tianqiao, it combines specimen collections, scientific research and public education, with dinosaur skeletons among its best-known displays.
上海犹太难民纪念馆
The Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum commemorates the approximately 20,000 Jewish refugees who found shelter in Shanghai during World War II, primarily in the Tilanqiao area of Hongkew.
上海自然博物馆
Shanghai Natural History Museum is a science-focused museum at 510 West Beijing Road, inside Jing’an Sculpture Park in central Shanghai.
鲁迅博物馆
Beijing Lu Xun Museum is dedicated to the life, writing and cultural legacy of Lu Xun, one of modern China’s most influential authors.
宋庆龄故居
The Former Residence of Soong Ching-ling is a historic house museum in Beijing’s Shichahai area.
天主教藝術博物館 Museu de Arte Sacra e Cripta
Museum of Sacred Art and Crypt occupies the lower level of the Ruins of St. Paul’s in Macao’s historic center. It preserves religious art and architectural remains connected with the former Church of Mater Dei and College of St.
上海当代艺术博物馆
The Power Station of Art is a contemporary art museum in Shanghai, China. Its local name is 上海当代艺术博物馆. The museum occupies a converted former power station building, representing an industrial heritage adaptive reuse project.
澳門博物館 Museu de Macau
Macao Museum is a cultural institution located within the Mount Fortress complex in the historic centre of Macau, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The museum occupies a prominent position overlooking the city, integrated into the seventeenth-century Portuguese military fortification.
澳門藝術博物館 Museu de Arte de Macau
The Macao Museum of Art is the largest visual arts museum in Macau, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting artworks. It occupies a purpose-built facility in the Macau Cultural Centre complex near the Outer Harbour.
天文公園 Astropark
Astropark, also known as 天文公園, is an astronomy-themed public park in Hong Kong devoted to stargazing and astronomical education.
中国铁道博物馆（东郊展馆）
The China Railway Museum is a national museum in Beijing dedicated to the history of Chinese railways.
通訊博物館 Museu das Comunicações
Communications Museum introduces the history and development of communication technology in Macao. Its subject reaches from postal services and telecommunications to broadcasting and the systems that connect people across distance.
北京市规划展览馆
Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall is a central exhibition venue focused on the capital’s urban form, development and future plans. Near Qianmen, it places Beijing’s immense scale into a visual format that visitors can understand through maps, models and diagrams.
中国电影博物馆
China National Film Museum is a national institution devoted to the history, technology and culture of Chinese cinema.
澳門回歸賀禮陳列館 Museu das Ofertas sobre a Transferência de Soberania de Macau
Handover Gifts Museum of Macao presents commemorative gifts given to Macao by Chinese provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions after the 1999 handover. The museum turns a major political transition into a visual encounter with regional craft traditions.
上海宣传画艺术中心
The Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre is the English name used for Shanghai Yang Peiming Propaganda Poster Collection Art Museum (上海杨培明宣传画收藏艺术馆). Shanghai’s Changning District government identifies it as a private museum founded by Yang Peiming.
上海外滩美术馆
Rockbund Art Museum is a contemporary art institution located in Shanghai's historic Bund district.
深圳博物馆历史民俗馆
Shenzhen Museum is a municipal cultural institution in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, known locally as 深圳博物馆. It is a useful stop for travelers who want context for the city's transformation from a small fishing settlement into a major modern metropolis.
香港賽馬博物館 The Hong Kong Racing Museum
Hong Kong Racing Museum explores the history and culture of horse racing in Hong Kong. It sits within the Happy Valley Racecourse complex and is operated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
芳園書室 Fong Yuen Study Hall
Fong Yuen Study Hall, known locally as 芳園書室, is a historic study hall in Hong Kong.
饒宗頤文化館 Jao Tsung-I Academy
Jao Tsung-I Academy is a cultural institution in Hong Kong dedicated to Professor Jao Tsung-I, a major Chinese scholar in the humanities.
澳門茶文化館
Macao Tea Culture House is a cultural venue devoted to tea heritage in Macao. It stands within the Historic Centre of Macao, the UNESCO-listed urban area inscribed in 2005.
深圳市当代艺术与城市规划馆
The Museum of Contemporary Art and Planning Exhibition occupies a prominent position in Shenzhen’s Civic Center area. Designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au, its metallic exterior and angular volumes make the building a landmark in their own right.
上海邮政博物馆
The Shanghai Postal Museum occupies a historic building in the Hongkou district along the Suzhou Creek.
上海汽车博物馆
The Shanghai Auto Museum, known locally as 上海汽车博物馆, is a museum dedicated to automotive history and culture in Shanghai, China. It stands as a recognized visitor destination within the city's broader tourism landscape, noted among Shanghai's places of interest.
上海市历史博物馆
Shanghai History Museum presents the city’s story through the objects, documents and civic history gathered under the identity 上海市历史博物馆. Its focus is Shanghai itself: how the settlement, port, streets, institutions and communities changed over time.
八路军西安办事处纪念馆
The Eighth Route Army Xi'an Office Memorial Hall preserves the wartime office associated with the Eighth Route Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It presents Xi'an as an important setting for liaison, organization, and supply work.
北京汽车博物馆
Beijing Auto Museum is a purpose-built museum in Fengtai devoted to automobile history, engineering, design and the social effects of motor transport.
消防博物館 Museu dos Bombeiros
Fire Services Museum explores the history and development of Macao’s firefighting service.
典當業展示館 Espaço Patrimonial uma Casa de Penhores Tradicional
The Heritage Exhibition of a Traditional Pawnshop Business is a museum dedicated to preserving Macau's historical pawnshop culture. Pawnshops played a significant role in the territory's commercial and social history, serving as vital financial institutions for residents.
上海铁路博物馆
The Shanghai Railway Museum is a museum dedicated to the history of rail transport in Shanghai and China.
深圳科学技术馆
The Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum is a cultural and educational institution dedicated to science popularisation and technological demonstration. Located in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, it serves as a venue where visitors can engage with scientific principles and technological developments.
北京警察博物馆
Beijing Police Museum is a municipal museum in central Beijing devoted to the history and development of policing in China’s capital. The museum presents policing as an institution shaped by changing governments, technologies, and urban needs.
关山月美术馆
Guan Shanyue Art Museum is a public art museum in Shenzhen’s Futian district, devoted to the legacy of Guan Shanyue, a major modern Chinese painter.
西安碑林博物馆
Xi'an Beilin Museum, known locally as 西安碑林博物馆, houses one of China's most significant collections of stone steles and epigraphic art.
昆蟲屋
Insect House, also known locally as 昆蟲屋, is a Hong Kong attraction centred on insects. The name gives the visit a clear entomological focus, making it a natural choice for travellers who enjoy small creatures, natural history, and close observation.
招商局历史博物馆
China Merchants History Museum is a museum dedicated to the history of China Merchants Group, one of China's oldest and most significant state-owned enterprises.
上海玻璃博物馆
The Shanghai Museum of Glass is a museum dedicated to glass art and craft, located in Shanghai, China. It occupies a converted former glass factory site, repurposing industrial heritage into a cultural venue.
火山探知館 Volcano Discovery Centre
The Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark Volcano Discovery Centre serves as the primary visitor gateway to Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark. Located in Sai Kung, the centre introduces visitors to the territory's remarkable volcanic geology and hexagonal rock columns.
Beijing Planetarium is a public astronomy museum and planetarium facility in Beijing, China. Its local name is 北京天文馆. The institution serves as a venue for astronomical education, public science outreach, and celestial observation experiences.
香港藝術館 Hong Kong Museum of Art
The Hong Kong Museum of Art is a public art museum located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, on the waterfront of Victoria Harbour.
香港故宮文化博物館 Hong Kong Palace Museum
The Hong Kong Palace Museum is a museum dedicated to Chinese art and culture, located in the West Kowloon Cultural District. It displays treasures from the Palace Museum in Beijing alongside Hong Kong collections.
香港文化古蹟資源中心 Hong Kong Resource Centre for Heritage
The Hong Kong Resource Centre for Heritage is a cultural institution dedicated to preserving and promoting Hong Kong's historical and architectural legacy.
澳門科學館 Centro de Ciência de Macau
The Macao Science Center is a waterfront science museum on the Macau peninsula dedicated to science education and public engagement.
南山博物馆
Nanshan Museum is a public cultural institution in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District, known locally as 南山博物馆. It is a useful stop for travellers who want context for the district and the wider Shenzhen region beyond the city’s modern skyline.
陕西考古博物馆
Shaanxi Archaeological Museum introduces the archaeology of Shaanxi through objects, excavation contexts, and the long sequence of cultures that shaped the region.
上海电影博物馆
The Shanghai Film Museum is a cultural institution dedicated to the history and art of Chinese cinema, with particular emphasis on Shanghai's foundational role in the nation's film industry.
上海天文馆
Shanghai Astronomy Museum is a dedicated astronomy and space museum in Shanghai, known locally as 上海天文馆. Its visit combines scientific storytelling with an architectural experience built around astronomical forms.
深圳美术馆
Shenzhen Art Museum, or 深圳美术馆, is a public art institution in Shenzhen, China. It provides exhibition, collection, research and art-promotion functions within a city known for rapid development and expanding cultural investment.
深圳博物馆古代艺术馆
Shenzhen Museum of Ancient Art presents Chinese historical art and archaeological heritage in a museum setting. It offers a quieter, object-focused counterpoint to Shenzhen’s technology districts and contemporary attractions.
深圳古生物博物馆
Shenzhen Paleontology Museum is a natural-history destination devoted to fossils, ancient life, and geological history. Its Chinese name is 深圳古生物博物馆.
teamLab Borderless Shanghai is an immersive digital art museum created by the Japanese collective teamLab. It opened in 2019 as a permanent Shanghai installation and places visitors inside a changing world of light, sound, movement, and responsive imagery.
北京大运河博物馆
Beijing Grand Canal Museum introduces the Grand Canal of China, the immense waterway linking northern and southern parts of the country. The museum gives travellers a cultural way to understand the canal’s engineering, transport and historical importance.
西岸艺术中心
West Bund Art Center is a contemporary exhibition venue on Shanghai’s Huangpu River waterfront in Xuhui District. Its setting reflects the West Bund’s change from an industrial riverside area into a cultural quarter.
西安事变纪念馆
Xi'an Incident Memorial Hall commemorates the 1936 Xi'an Incident, a turning point in modern Chinese history. Nationalist general Zhang Xueliang detained Chiang Kai-shek and pressed for cooperation with the Communists against Japanese invasion.
西安博物院
Xi'an Museum is a cultural institution in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China, located near the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in the Beilin District. The museum complex integrates the historic pagoda, ancient architectural structures, and modern exhibition facilities.
西安曲江艺术博物馆
The Xi'an Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts is a cultural institution in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. Located in the Qujiang New District area, it forms part of the city's expanding cultural infrastructure.
Shanghai Guanfu Museum is a private museum located in Shanghai, China. It was founded by Ma Weidu, a well-known Chinese antique collector and television personality.
China Civil Aviation Museum documents the development of civil aviation in China through aircraft, engines, equipment, uniforms, documents and operational history. Its engine-shaped main hall and outdoor aircraft apron stand near Capital Airport but are not inside a passenger terminal.
China Archaeological Museum, 中国考古博物馆, is a Beijing institution devoted to archaeology and archaeological heritage. Its focus is the material record of China’s past: excavated objects, the cultures that made them, and the evidence archaeologists use to reconstruct earlier lives.
Tang West Market Museum, 大唐西市博物馆, stands at the site of Xi'an's historic Tang Dynasty western market. The ancient market was part of Chang'an's international commercial life and connected the city with Silk Road exchange.
Xu Beihong Memorial Museum is a Beijing museum devoted to Xu Beihong, the modern Chinese artist celebrated especially for paintings of horses.
The Mei Lanfang Memorial Museum is a cultural memorial site in Beijing dedicated to Mei Lanfang, the celebrated Peking opera artist renowned for his dan roles.
Shenzhen Science Museum, known locally as 深圳科学馆, is a science education venue in Shenzhen. It belongs to the city’s cultural and educational landscape and reflects Shenzhen’s strong connection with technology and scientific learning.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·
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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