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Country guide

Places to visit in China — page 12

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

39,939 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

Top things to see

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

Filter the list

421 places match

Category

Historic sites 90 Museums 104 Places of worship 45 Nature sites 87 Viewpoints 18 Food and drink 0 Markets and shopping 18 Entertainment 15 Nightlife 0 Family attractions 11 Art and culture 24 Activities 9

Typical visit duration

Up to 1 hour 267 1 to 2 hours 143 Half a day or more 11

Interests

History 87 Art 20 Museums 45 Nature 39 Sea and beach 32 Viewpoints 7
  1. Anding Gate (Andingmen)
    276 45 min

    Anding Gate (Andingmen)

    安定门

    Anding Gate, or 安定门, is one of the historic gates in Xi'an's surviving city wall.

    • Notable
    • Historic site
    • Xi'an
  2. Anyuan Gate (Anyuanmen) Anyuan Gate (Anyuanmen)
    277 45 min

    Anyuan Gate (Anyuanmen)

    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.

    • Notable
    • Historic site
    • Xi'an
  3. Badaling Great Wall Badaling Great Wall
    278 45 min

    Badaling Great Wall

    八达岭长城

    The Badaling Great Wall is a fortified section of China's Great Wall located in Yanqing District, northwest of central Beijing. It represents one of the most visited and best-preserved segments of the Ming Dynasty wall.

    • Notable
    • Historic site
    • Beijing
  4. Baguang Silver Leaf Wetland Park Baguang Silver Leaf Wetland Park
    279 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
  5. Beijing Aquarium Beijing Aquarium
    280 1 hr 30 min

    Beijing Aquarium

    北京海洋馆

    Beijing Aquarium is a large public aquarium located within the Beijing Zoo complex in the Xicheng District. Its local name is 北京海洋馆. The facility opened to complement the zoo's existing animal collections with marine and freshwater exhibits.

    • Notable
    • Family attraction
    • Beijing
  6. Beijing Olympic Park Beijing Olympic Park
    281 45 min

    Beijing Olympic Park

    北京奥林匹克公园

    Beijing Olympic Park is the public Olympic Green precinct created around the principal venues of the 2008 Summer Olympics and reused for the 2022 Winter Games.

    • Notable
    • Historic site
    • Beijing
  7. Beijing Planetarium Beijing Planetarium
    282 1 hr 30 min

    Beijing Planetarium

    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.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Beijing
  8. Big Wave Bay Beach Big Wave Bay Beach
    283 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
  9. Bijiashan Park Bijiashan Park
    284 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
  10. Cao Xueqin Memorial Hall Cao Xueqin Memorial Hall
    285 45 min

    Cao Xueqin Memorial Hall

    曹雪芹纪念馆

    The Cao Xueqin Memorial Hall commemorates the celebrated Qing dynasty author of Dream of the Red Chamber, China's most famous classical novel. Located in Beijing, this cultural site honors Cao Xueqin's literary legacy and his connection to the city.

    • Notable
    • Historic site
    • Beijing
  11. Cat Street Galleries Cat Street Galleries
    286 45 min

    Cat Street Galleries

    嚤囉街中心 Cat Street Galleries

    Cat Street Galleries is a commercial gallery and retail complex in Sheung Wan, within the area associated with Upper Lascar Row, commonly called Cat Street.

    • Notable
    • Market
    • Hong Kong
  12. Changle Gate (Changlemen)
    287 45 min

    Changle Gate (Changlemen)

    长乐门

    Changle Gate, or 长乐门, is an eastern gate of Xi'an's preserved city wall. The gate belongs to the Ming-era fortification that encloses the historic centre and remains one of the city's clearest reminders of its imperial past.

    • Notable
    • Historic site
    • Xi'an
  13. China Archaeological Museum
    288 1 hr 30 min

    China Archaeological Museum

    中国考古博物馆

    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.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Beijing
  14. Chiwan Bay Left Fort Chiwan Bay Left Fort
    289 45 min

    Chiwan Bay Left Fort

    赤湾左炮台

    Chiwan Left Fort, or 赤湾左炮台, is a historic coastal defence site in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District near Chiwan Port. The fort represents the military role of the Pearl River approaches and preserves a link between Shenzhen’s coastline and earlier maritime security.

    • Notable
    • Historic site
    • Shenzhen
  15. Civil Aviation Museum of China Civil Aviation Museum of China
    290 1 hr 30 min

    Civil Aviation Museum of China

    中国民航博物馆

    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.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Beijing
  16. Cuihua Mountain Cuihua Mountain
    291 20 min

    Cuihua Mountain

    翠华山

    Cuihua Mountain, also known locally as 翠华山, is a natural mountain destination in the Xi'an area of Shaanxi. The mountain belongs to the Qinling landscape south of the city and offers a change from Xi'an's dense urban streets.

    • Notable
    • Viewpoint
    • Xi'an
  17. Dashilan Dashilan
    292 45 min

    Dashilan

    大栅栏

    Dashilan, known in Chinese as 大栅栏, is a historic commercial street in central Beijing. It lies south of Tiananmen Square within the Xicheng District, forming part of the old inner city.

    • Notable
    • Historic site
    • Beijing
  18. Dayan Pagoda North Plaza Dayan Pagoda North Plaza
    293 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
  19. Donghu Park Donghu Park
    294 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
  20. Drum tower Drum tower
    295 45 min

    Drum tower

    The Drum Tower of Beijing is a historic timekeeping structure in the Dongcheng district. It originally served as the principal timekeeping tower for the old city, marking the hours with drum beats.

    • Notable
    • Historic site
    • Beijing
  21. Fenghuang Mountain Forest Park
    296 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
  22. Fengjing Ancient Town
    297 2 hours

    Fengjing Ancient Town

    枫泾古镇

    Fengjing Ancient Town is a historic water town located in the Jinshan District of southwestern Shanghai. The settlement traces its origins to the Yuan dynasty and developed significantly during the Ming and Qing periods.

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Shanghai
  23. FengQing Park
    298 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
    299 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
    300 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.