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.
263 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
云居寺
Yunju Temple is a historic Buddhist temple complex located in Beijing's Fangshan District. The temple holds significant religious and cultural importance, particularly renowned for its association with the engraving of Buddhist sutras on stone tablets.
大学习巷清真寺
The Great Learning Lane Mosque, known locally as 大学习巷清真寺, is an Islamic place of worship in Xi’an’s historic urban fabric.
天后古廟 Tin Hau Temple
Tin Hau Temple is a traditional Chinese place of worship dedicated to Tin Hau, the Goddess of the Sea. Her presence reflects Hong Kong’s long relationship with fishing, sailing, and coastal communities.
大南山
Dananshan Mountain, or 大南山, is an urban green hill in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District near the Shekou peninsula. Its trails lead through subtropical vegetation to elevated viewpoints over Shenzhen, Shenzhen Bay, and the surrounding built-up landscape.
澳門文化中心 Centro Cultural de Macau
Macao Cultural Centre is a major performing-arts and exhibition venue operated by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government. Opened in 1999, it provides a home for concerts, theatre, festivals and visual-art presentations.
普濟禪院 (觀音堂) Templo Kun Iam
Kun Iam Temple, known locally as 普濟禪院, is one of the oldest and most significant Buddhist temples in Macau. It serves as a major place of worship and cultural heritage site, reflecting the territory's deep-rooted Buddhist traditions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
紅街市 Mercado Municipal Almirante Lacerda
Red Market, or 紅街市, is a functioning wet market in Macau housed in a distinctive red-brick building. It is both an everyday shopping place and an architectural landmark, bringing visitors close to local commerce rather than a staged heritage display.
赤湾天后宫
Chiwan Tianhou Temple, also called 赤湾天后宫, is a historic place of worship in Shenzhen dedicated to Tianhou, the sea goddess Mazu.
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.
深圳音乐厅
Shenzhen Concert Hall is a major performing arts venue in Shenzhen, China. Its local name is 深圳音乐厅. The building serves as a cultural landmark within the city, contributing to Shenzhen's growing reputation as a destination for arts and entertainment.
今日美术馆
Today Art Museum, known locally as 今日美术馆, is a contemporary art institution in Beijing. It operates as a private museum dedicated to presenting modern and contemporary art exhibitions.
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.
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.
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.
都城隍庙
Xi’an City God Temple is a Taoist temple complex in the historic city. Its name refers to the city god, a protective deity in traditional Chinese religious culture.
塔石藝文館 A Galeria Tap Seac
Tap Seac Gallery is an arts and cultural venue in Macao’s Tap Seac Square area. Known locally as 塔石藝文館, it occupies a building within the Historic Centre of Macao, the UNESCO World Heritage area inscribed in 2005.
媽祖文化村 Aldeia Cultural de A-Ma
A-Ma Cultural Village is a hillside religious and cultural complex on Coloane Island devoted to A-Ma, the goddess associated with seafarers. The setting connects worship, traditional Chinese architecture and Macau’s maritime heritage.
北帝廟 Templo Pak Tai
Pak Tai Temple, known locally as 北帝廟, is a Taoist temple in Macau dedicated to Pak Tai, the Northern Emperor deity revered for his power over water and protection against evil.
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.
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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