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.
11 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Xi'an City Wall is a major military defensive system in Chinese history. The existing structure dates primarily to the early Ming dynasty, built on foundations from earlier periods including Tang dynasty fortifications.
Wutong Mountain National Park is a protected natural area in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. Its local name is 梧桐山国家森林公园. The park encompasses Wutong Mountain and provides a substantial green landscape within a densely developed metropolitan region.
The Former French Concession is a large historic area of central Shanghai rather than a single preserved monument. France obtained the concession in 1849, and its boundaries expanded as Shanghai grew before the administration ended during the Second World War.
The Ming Tombs form a dispersed imperial necropolis in Changping District rather than a single museum. Thirteen Ming emperors were buried across a valley selected for its landscape and geomantic setting.
Dragon's Back is a mountain ridge on Hong Kong Island's southeastern coast, named for its undulating profile resembling a dragon's spine.
Xiaomeisha Beach is a seaside recreation area in Yantian District on Shenzhen’s eastern coast, known locally as 小梅沙海滨. Its setting combines a sandy shoreline, seawater and the hilly coastal landscape that characterizes this part of the city.
OCT East is a major theme park resort complex in Shenzhen's Yantian District, developed by Overseas Chinese Town Enterprises. It occupies mountainous coastal terrain east of urban Shenzhen.
扯旗山 Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak is the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island, 552 metres above sea level, and in the nineteenth century it worked as a natural signalling post for cargo ships coming into the harbour.
Tai O is a historic fishing village on the western coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It is one of the territory's oldest settlements, renowned for its distinctive stilt houses built over tidal flats.
香港迪士尼樂園 Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland Park sits on reclaimed land at Penny's Bay, on the north-eastern corner of Lantau Island, and is run by Hongkong International Theme Parks Limited.
寶蓮禪寺 Po Lin Monastery
Po Lin Monastery is a working Chan (Zen) monastery on the Ngong Ping plateau, in the middle of Lantau Island, at an altitude of about 400 metres and set between Lantau Peak and Lei Nak Peak.
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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