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.
421 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
大唐西市博物馆
Tang West Market Museum, 大唐西市博物馆, stands at the site of Xi'an's historic Tang Dynasty western market. The ancient market was part of Chang'an's international commercial life and connected the city with Silk Road exchange.
上海观复博物馆
Shanghai Guanfu Museum is a private museum located in Shanghai, China. It was founded by Ma Weidu, a well-known Chinese antique collector and television personality.
光明农场大观园
Guangming Farm Grand View Garden is an agricultural tourism attraction in Shenzhen’s Guangming District. It offers a rural counterpoint to the city’s dense urban landscape, bringing visitors into a farm-oriented setting within the metropolitan area.
广运潭公园
Guangyun Lake Park, locally known as 广运潭公园, is a lakeside public green space in Xi'an. It offers a change of rhythm from the city's historic monuments, busy commercial streets, and dense urban setting.
观澜版画村
Guanlan Printmaking Village is a cultural heritage site in Shenzhen's Longhua District, known for its historical architecture and contemporary printmaking tradition. The village preserves traditional Hakka-style buildings while functioning as an active base for printmaking artists.
何香凝美术馆
He Xiangning Art Museum is a public art museum in Shenzhen devoted to the work and legacy of He Xiangning, an artist and prominent figure in modern Chinese history.
香港藝術館 Hong Kong Museum of Art
The Hong Kong Museum of Art is a public art museum located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, on the waterfront of Victoria Harbour.
香港故宮文化博物館 Hong Kong Palace Museum
The Hong Kong Palace Museum is a museum dedicated to Chinese art and culture, located in the West Kowloon Cultural District. It displays treasures from the Palace Museum in Beijing alongside Hong Kong collections.
香港文化古蹟資源中心 Hong Kong Resource Centre for Heritage
The Hong Kong Resource Centre for Heritage is a cultural institution dedicated to preserving and promoting Hong Kong's historical and architectural legacy.
桔钓沙
Judiaosha Beach, or 桔钓沙, is a sandy coastal destination on Shenzhen’s Dapeng Peninsula in the city’s eastern area. The beach belongs to the South China Sea shoreline and offers a change of pace from Shenzhen’s dense urban districts.
啟德體育園 Kai Tak Sports Park
Kai Tak Sports Park is a major sports and entertainment complex located on the former Kai Tak Airport site in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It represents one of the city's most significant infrastructure developments, transforming reclaimed land into a multi-purpose venue.
南丫島南部具特殊科學價值地點 Lamma Island South SSSI
Lamma Island South SSSI is a Site of Special Scientific Interest on the southern part of Lamma Island. Its value comes from coastal habitats, rocky shores, vegetation and geological features that remain less developed than much of urban Hong Kong.
莲湖公园
Lianhu Park, known locally as 莲湖公园, is a public park situated in Xian, Shaanxi Province, China.
亞婆井前地 Largo do Lilau
Lilau Square is a small public square in Macau's historic western district, situated near the intersection of Rua de Lilau and Rua do Lilau.
龙华烈士陵园
Longhua Martyrs Cemetery is a major memorial site in Shanghai, located in the Xuhui District.
龙庆峡
Longqing Gorge, known locally as 龙庆峡, is a scenic canyon area located north of Beijing's urban core. The gorge features a reservoir formed by dam construction, creating an elongated water body between steep mountainous terrain.
陆家嘴环形天桥
Lujiazui Circular Pedestrian Bridge is the elevated pedestrian structure officially identified in Chinese as 陆家嘴环形天桥. Shanghai's 2026 planning report also calls this circular bridge the Pearl Ring, or Mingzhu Ring.
澳門科學館 Centro de Ciência de Macau
Macao Science Center is a science-learning complex on Avenida Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, built around three different functions: an Exhibition Center, a Planetarium and a Convention Center.
卢沟桥
Marco Polo Bridge, also called Lugou Bridge, is a historic stone crossing over the Yongding River in Beijing’s Fengtai District.
梅兰芳纪念馆
The Mei Lanfang Memorial Museum is a cultural memorial site in Beijing dedicated to Mei Lanfang, the celebrated Peking opera artist renowned for his dan roles.
旺角花墟 Mong Kok Flower Market
Mong Kok Flower Market is a concentrated trading zone for flowers, plants, and gardening supplies in the Mong Kok district of Kowloon, Hong Kong. The local name 旺角花墟 reflects its identity as a historic flower market area.
骊山
Mount Li, known locally as 骊山, is a prominent mountain located near Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, China. It rises on the northern edge of the Qinling mountain range and overlooks the Wei River valley.
浦东美术馆
The Museum of Art Pudong, known locally as 浦东美术馆, is a contemporary art museum located in Shanghai's Pudong district. Situated along the Huangpu River, the institution occupies a prominent position within the Lujiazui financial area.
南山博物馆
Nanshan Museum is a public cultural institution in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District, known locally as 南山博物馆. It is a useful stop for travellers who want context for the district and the wider Shenzhen region beyond the city’s modern skyline.
北帝宮
Pak Tai Temple, also known locally as 北帝宮, is a Taoist temple in Hong Kong dedicated to Pak Tai, the Northern Emperor. Worshippers honour him as a protective deity associated with the power to subdue evil spirits and safeguard communities.
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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