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
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
267 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
舊基督教墳場 Cemitério Protestante
The Protestant Cemetery is a historic burial ground within Macau’s Historic Centre, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
聖老楞佐堂 Igreja de S. Lourenço
St. Lawrence's Church is a historic Catholic church in Macau, one of the territory's oldest religious structures. The local name is 聖老楞佐教堂. It stands as a significant monument within the Historic Centre of Macau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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.
莲花山公园
Lianhuashan Park is a central green space in Shenzhen’s Futian District, known locally as 莲花山公园. Its lotus-flower-shaped hill rises among the city’s dense urban development.
園圃街雀鳥花園 Yuen Po Street Bird Garden
Yuen Po Street Bird Garden is a traditional Chinese-style garden in Mong Kok, Kowloon, dedicated to songbird culture. Established in 1997, it occupies the site of a former landfill and provides a purpose-built environment where bird enthusiasts gather.
大三巴哪吒廟 Templo de Na Tcha, junto às Ruínas de S. Paulo
Na Tcha Temple, or 哪吒廟, is a small Chinese folk-religion temple dedicated to Na Tcha, a child deity associated with protection and exorcism. Its position beside the Ruins of St.
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.
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.
聖若瑟修院大樓及聖堂 Igreja e Seminário de São José
St. Joseph’s Seminary and Church is a historic religious complex in Macau’s Historic Centre and part of the city’s UNESCO World Heritage setting. The seminary was founded in 1728 and the church was consecrated in 1758.
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.
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.
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.
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.
大慈恩寺
Da Ci'en Temple is a Buddhist temple complex in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. The site is historically significant as the place where the monk Xuanzang translated Buddhist scriptures upon his return from India during the Tang Dynasty.
七娘山
Qiniang Mountain, or 七娘山, is a natural landmark in Shenzhen and a destination for visitors who want a demanding outdoor experience rather than an urban attraction.
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.
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.
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.
聖奧斯定教堂 Igreja de Santo Agostinho
St. Augustine’s Church, 聖奧斯定教堂, is a historic Catholic church in Macau’s Historic Centre. Founded by Augustinian missionaries, it represents the religious architecture that developed during the Portuguese presence in Macau.
香积寺
Xiangji Temple, known locally as 香积寺, is a Buddhist temple in Xi'an, Shaanxi. The temple adds a religious and architectural dimension to a city better known internationally for imperial history and archaeological sites.
上海东方艺术中心
The Shanghai Oriental Art Center is a major performing arts venue in Shanghai, China. Its local name is 上海东方艺术中心. The building is recognized as a distinct visitor destination in Shanghai, noted in breadth-first top rankings of city attractions.
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.
草堂寺
Caotang Temple, known locally as 草堂寺, is a Buddhist temple in the Xi’an region. Its identity is tied to Buddhist scripture translation and the early development of Buddhist thought in China.
大兴善寺
Daxingshan Temple is a historic Buddhist temple in Xi'an, China, known locally as 大兴善寺. It remains a religious institution and a destination for visitors interested in Buddhist history, Chinese temple culture, and the long cultural history of Xi'an.
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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