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A photograph of China

Country guide

Nature sites in China — page 2

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

39,927 Places
6Cities

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

Cities

Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.

Practical information

Language spoken
Standard Chinese; regional languages are widely used
National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code
+86 mainland · +852 Hong Kong · +853 Macao
International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency
Renminbi (CNY); HKD and MOP in the SARs
Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number
110 police · 120 medical on the mainland
Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type
Type A, C and I · 220 V
Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water
Not recorded
No single verified statement covers mainland China and both SARs

Planning a visit

Seasonal closures come from recorded opening hours.

  1. January: seasonal closure recorded
  2. February: seasonal closure recorded
  3. March: seasonal closure recorded
  4. April: seasonal closure recorded
  5. May: seasonal closure recorded
  6. June: seasonal closure recorded
  7. July: seasonal closure recorded
  8. August: seasonal closure recorded
  9. September: no seasonality data recorded — this month
  10. October: seasonal closure recorded
  11. November: seasonal closure recorded
  12. December: seasonal closure recorded

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

Filter the list

87 places match

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Category

Historic monuments 89 Museums 104 Places of worship 44 Nature sites 87 Viewpoints 18 Food and drink 0 Markets and shopping 17 Entertainment 15 Nightlife 0 Family attractions 11 Art and culture 23 Activities 9

Typical visit duration

Up to 1 hour 84 Half a day or more 3

Interests

History 1 Art 0 Museums 0 Nature 31 Sea and beach 31 Viewpoints 0
  1. Huaqing Chi Huaqing Chi
    26 1 hour

    Huaqing Chi

    华清宫

    Huaqing Palace is a historic hot spring complex at the northern foot of Mount Li, approximately 30 kilometres east of central Xi'an.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Xi'an
  2. Seac Pai Van Park Seac Pai Van Park
    27 1 hour

    Seac Pai Van Park

    石排灣郊野公園 Parque de Seac Pai Van

    Seac Pai Van Park, or 石排灣郊野公園, is a country park on Coloane Island in Macau. It gives travellers a green hillside setting within a highly urban territory, combining wooded paths with a major panda-viewing facility.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Macau
  3. Gongqing Forest Park Gongqing Forest Park
    28 1 hour

    Gongqing Forest Park

    共青森林公园

    Gongqing Forest Park is a large urban park located in Yangpu District, Shanghai. The park occupies substantial green space in northeastern Shanghai and represents one of the city's significant forest park developments.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Shanghai
  4. Shanghai Botanical Garden Shanghai Botanical Garden
    29 1 hour

    Shanghai Botanical Garden

    上海植物园

    Shanghai Botanical Garden, known locally as 上海植物园, is a botanical garden in Shanghai, China. It serves as a space for plant conservation, scientific research, and public recreation.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Shanghai
  5. Fairylake Botanical Garden Fairylake Botanical Garden
    30 1 hour

    Fairylake Botanical Garden

    仙湖植物园

    Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, or 仙湖植物园, is a large botanical garden in Shenzhen’s eastern area. Hills, a lake and cultivated plant landscapes shape the visit.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Shenzhen
  6. Hac Sa Beach Hac Sa Beach
    31 1 hour

    Hac Sa Beach

    黑沙海灘 Praia de Hác Sá

    Hac Sa Beach, or 黑沙海灘, is a coastal beach on the southeastern side of Coloane Island in Macau. Its name means Black Sand Beach and refers to the dark mineral-rich sand that gives the shoreline its distinctive appearance.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Macau
  7. Cheung Chau Park Cheung Chau Park
    32 1 hour

    Cheung Chau Park

    長洲公園 Cheung Chau Park

    Cheung Chau Park is a public green space on Cheung Chau, one of Hong Kong's outlying islands. The island's fishing-community character, harbourfront, narrow lanes and lack of motor vehicles give a visit a different rhythm from the dense mainland city.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Hong Kong
  8. Fuxing Park Fuxing Park
    33 1 hour

    Fuxing Park

    复兴公园

    Fuxing Park, known locally as 复兴公园, is a public park located in Shanghai's former French Concession area. Established during the colonial era, it reflects European garden design influences uncommon in Chinese urban green spaces.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Shanghai
  9. Honghu Park Honghu Park
    34 1 hour

    Honghu Park

    洪湖公园

    Honghu Park is a public urban park in Shenzhen, known locally as 洪湖公园. The park centers on Honghu Lake and serves as a recreational green space within the dense metropolitan environment.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Shenzhen
  10. Cheoc Van Beach Cheoc Van Beach
    35 1 hour

    Cheoc Van Beach

    竹灣海灘 Baia de Cheoc Van

    Cheoc Van Beach, known locally as 竹灣海灘, is a coastal recreation spot in southern Macau. Its Coloane setting offers a quieter contrast to the peninsula’s casinos, shopping streets, and heritage landmarks.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Macau
  11. Dameisha Beach Dameisha Beach
    36 1 hour

    Dameisha Beach

    大梅沙

    Dameisha Beach Park is a coastal recreational area in Shenzhen, China. Its local name is 大梅沙海滨公园. The park sits on the southern coast of the city facing Mirs Bay and the South China Sea.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Shenzhen
  12. Olympic Forest Park Olympic Forest Park
    37 1 hour

    Olympic Forest Park

    奥林匹克森林公园

    Olympic Forest Park is a major public park in Beijing, China, created as part of the legacy infrastructure for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The local name is 奥林匹克森林公园.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Beijing
  13. Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park
    38 1 hour

    Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park

    深圳国际园林花卉博览园

    Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park is a landscaped public park shaped by its origins as a major horticultural exposition. Its gardens, planted displays, and exposition-era architecture create a setting that combines designed green space with large-scale civic landscaping.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Shenzhen
  14. Beijing Garden Expo Park Beijing Garden Expo Park
    39 1 hour

    Beijing Garden Expo Park

    北京园博园

    Beijing Garden Expo Park is a large landscaped park in Fengtai District, created as the lasting venue of an international garden exposition.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Beijing
  15. Grand Canal Forest Park Grand Canal Forest Park
    40 1 hour

    Grand Canal Forest Park

    大运河森林公园

    Grand Canal Forest Park is a large green space in Beijing’s Tongzhou District beside the historic Grand Canal. It offers a quieter, more open way to experience the waterway, combining woodland, paths and canal-side scenery.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Beijing
  16. Zhongshan Park (Nanshan, China) Zhongshan Park (Nanshan, China)
    41 1 hour

    Zhongshan Park (Nanshan, China)

    中山公园

    Zhongshan Park is an urban green space in Shenzhen, identified locally by the Chinese name 中山公园 and by OpenStreetMap way 203270341.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Shenzhen
  17. Baguang Silver Leaf Wetland Park Baguang Silver Leaf Wetland Park
    42 1 hour

    Baguang Silver Leaf Wetland Park

    坝光银叶树湿地园

    Baguang Heritiera Wetland Park is a coastal wetland destination in eastern Shenzhen’s Dapeng New District. Its central attraction is the Heritiera littoralis community, including mature silver-leaf trees growing near the intertidal zone.

    • Notable
    • Nature site
    • Shenzhen
  18. Big Wave Bay Beach Big Wave Bay Beach
    43 1 hour

    Big Wave Bay Beach

    大浪灣沙灘

    Big Wave Bay Beach is a sandy beach located on the eastern coast of Hong Kong Island, within the Southern District. The local name is 大浪灣沙灘.

    • Notable
    • Nature site
    • Hong Kong
  19. Bijiashan Park Bijiashan Park
    44 1 hour

    Bijiashan Park

    笔架山公园

    Bijia Mountain Park, known locally as 笔架山公园, is an urban mountain park in Shenzhen. Its name refers to the mountain’s resemblance to a traditional Chinese brush rest, giving the landscape a distinctive identity among the city’s green spaces.

    • Notable
    • Nature site
    • Shenzhen
  20. Dayan Pagoda North Plaza Dayan Pagoda North Plaza
    45 1 hour

    Dayan Pagoda North Plaza

    大雁塔北广场

    Big Wild Goose Pagoda North Square is the broad public plaza immediately north of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an's Yanta District.

    • Notable
    • Nature site
    • Xi'an
  21. Donghu Park Donghu Park
    46 1 hour

    Donghu Park

    东湖公园

    East Lake Park, known locally as 东湖公园, is a public green space in Shenzhen. It offers an urban setting for walking, rest, and contact with trees and water within a dense metropolitan environment.

    • Notable
    • Nature site
    • Shenzhen
  22. Fenghuang Mountain Forest Park
    47 1 hour

    Fenghuang Mountain Forest Park

    凤凰山森林公园

    Phoenix Mountain Forest Park, known locally as 凤凰山森林公园, is a forested mountain recreation area in Shenzhen. It gives visitors a chance to leave the city’s dense urban setting for wooded slopes, walking routes, and elevated outdoor scenery.

    • Notable
    • Nature site
    • Shenzhen
  23. FengQing Park
    48 1 hour

    FengQing Park

    丰庆公园

    Fengqing Park, locally known as 丰庆公园, is a public green space in Xi'an. It gives visitors an opportunity to step away from the city's dense streets and spend time in an urban park setting.

    • Notable
    • Nature site
    • Xi'an
  24. Futian Mangrove Ecological Park
    49 1 hour

    Futian Mangrove Ecological Park

    福田红树林生态公园

    Futian Mangrove Ecological Park, or 福田红树林生态公园, protects a coastal wetland in Shenzhen's Futian District. The park brings mangrove habitat and estuarine scenery into a highly urbanized part of the city.

    • Notable
    • Nature site
    • Shenzhen
  25. Golden Bauhinia Square Golden Bauhinia Square
    50 1 hour

    Golden Bauhinia Square

    博覽海濱花園 Expo Promenade

    Golden Bauhinia Square is an open waterfront square on the Expo Promenade in Wan Chai. Its defining landmark is the Forever Blooming Bauhinia, a gilded bronze flower sculpture presented in 1997 to commemorate Hong Kong's handover.

    • Notable
    • Nature site
    • Hong Kong
Show 25 more places

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

Common questions

How long should a first trip to China be?

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.

What entry documents are needed for China?

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.

What is the best way to travel around China?

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.

When is a practical time to visit China?

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.

What money and payment basics apply in China?

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.

What practical safety details should I save for China?

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.