Where to stay in China: Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Shanghai

The bases at a glance

Five bases make the main route, with Hangzhou, Zhangjiajie and Chongqing as additions, and each has its own neighbourhood to sleep in. The hotel rates in this guide are on KAYAK, for two adults with taxes, checked on 1 November 2026 for 6–7 November; the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat and the Yangshuo Village Inn rates are the lodges’ own 2026 room lists:

Our seven- and ten-day itineraries, like the fourteen-day one, use larger chain hotels a metro ride out, in Chaoyang, Qujiang, South Renmin Road and Jing’an, which suit early trains; the areas here put you within walking distance of the sights.

Beijing: three nights in Dongcheng, by the hutongs or Wangfujing

Sleep in Dongcheng, on the east side of the old city, where the Forbidden City, Wangfujing and the hutongs lie close together; three nights cover the palace, the Great Wall and a day for the Temple of Heaven or the Summer Palace without a change of hotel, as our Beijing guide plans them. Nanluoguxiang is the quieter choice: the Beijing government calls it the largest chessboard-shaped grid of hutongs and courtyards in China, it has its own station on metro line 6, and the Drum Tower and the Shichahai lakes are a short walk away. Wangfujing, south of it, puts the palace and Tiananmen Square within reach on foot or by a short metro ride, with hotels at every price.

From Capital Airport (PEK) the Capital Airport Express runs to Sanyuanqiao (lines 10 and 12), Dongzhimen (lines 2 and 13) and Beixinqiao (line 5), the stop closest to Nanluoguxiang, for CNY 25 a person one way; Visit Beijing times the run to Dongzhimen at 21 minutes from Terminal 2 and 30 minutes from Terminal 3. Daxing (PKX) lies 46 km in a straight line from Tiananmen Square; the Daxing Airport Express takes 19 minutes to Caoqiao, where you change to line 10 or 19, and the ordinary fare for the full run is about CNY 35.

On Nanluoguxiang itself, the Peking International Youth Hostel, a two-star hostel in a traditional building with a garden, listed a double room at USD 45 a night (about CNY 300). The Chinese Culture Holiday Hotel Nanluoguxiang, a three-star boutique hotel on Andingmen Inner Street with English-speaking staff, listed its double room at USD 80 (about CNY 540) and its deluxe room at USD 111. On Wangfujing East Street, the five-star Hilton Beijing Wangfujing listed a deluxe room with one king bed at USD 146 (about CNY 980).

Xi’an: two nights inside the wall

Stay inside the Ming wall, around the Bell Tower, built in 1384 and moved in 1582 to the crossing where the four main avenues meet and run out to the north, south, east and west gates. From there the Drum Tower, the Muslim Quarter’s food streets and the gates up onto the wall are a walk away. Two nights are enough: arrive on the train in the afternoon, give the next day to the Terracotta Army in Lintong and leave on the third. A base near the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, south of the wall, suits you better if the Shaanxi History Museum is the point of the visit; our Xi’an guide compares the two.

High-speed trains from Beijing and Shanghai arrive at Xi’an North, not the old Xi’an station, and metro line 2 runs from there into the old city at Beidajie and on to the Bell Tower (Zhonglou) station. From Xi’an Xianyang airport (XIY), metro line 14 runs from Airport West station to Xi’an North, where you change for the centre.

The Bell Tower Hotel, a four-star at No. 110 Nan Da Jie, the South Street that runs from the Bell Tower to the south gate, listed a king room at USD 37 a night (about CNY 250), with no breakfast in that rate. The Ji Hotel Xi’an Bell Drum Towers, a three-star chain hotel on Zhubashi within walking distance of Zhonglou station, listed a king room at USD 52 (about CNY 350), also without breakfast.

Chengdu: two nights around Tianfu Square or Chunxi Road

Sleep in the middle of the city for both nights: the Panda Base and the trains to Leshan both start from there. Tianfu Square, the central square, is where metro lines 1 and 2 cross. Chunxi Road, a short way east on line 2, is the shopping and eating district, about 20 hectares with more than 700 shops, malls, hotels, cinemas and restaurants, and its station is also on line 3. Choose Chunxi Road if the evenings are for hotpot; our Chengdu guide has the Panda Base slots and the Leshan day.

From Shuangliu (CTU), the nearer airport, metro line 10 runs from both terminals into the city as far as Wuhou Ci station, from about 06:00 until the last trains at 23:12 from Terminal 2 and 23:15 from Terminal 1. From Tianfu International Airport (TFU), metro line 18 runs to Chengdu South railway station in 37 minutes at the fastest, for CNY 10, and line 1 continues to Tianfu Square. Trains from Xi’an arrive at Chengdu East. Since 1 July 2026 some Chengdu trains use the new Xi’an East station rather than Xi’an North, so check the station on your ticket before you leave the Xi’an hotel.

The Ji Hotel Chengdu Chunxi Road, a three-star chain hotel on the 18th floor of No. 8 Zongfu Road, listed a king room at USD 59 a night (about CNY 400). The Mercure Chengdu Chunxi Taikoo Li, a four-star of 374 rooms in a French style on 3rd North Shuwa Road, listed a standard room with one king bed at USD 62 (about CNY 420); its cheapest superior room was USD 39.

Guilin or Yangshuo: one night in the city, or three by the Yulong River

Guilin is the city and the airport; Yangshuo, downstream, is the small town among the karst peaks where most visitors want to wake up. The two plans in this edition use them differently. Our Guilin and Yangshuo guide sleeps one night in Guilin, near Elephant Trunk Hill and the Binjiang Road riverside, so that the Li River cruise piers are an early drive away, then two in Yangshuo. The fourteen-day route skips Guilin and spends three nights in the Yulong River countryside, for the bicycle lanes, the bamboo rafts and the boat from Xingping.

In Yangshuo, choose between the town, where West Street keeps restaurants and bicycle hire at the door, and a guesthouse in the fields along the Yulong River, with rice paddies under the window but a car or a bicycle for every meal and a hotel car after dark.

Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (KWL) is about 28 km from the city, and the Li River scenic area lists a coach from the airport to Yangshuo every 30 minutes from 07:30 to 18:30. Most trains from Chengdu East end at Guilin West; two a day, at 07:41 and 10:05, run through to Yangshuo station, which stands near Xingping, about 40 km by road from Yangshuo town and West Street. A connecting bus runs from the station to Xingping pier, and coaches leave Xingping for Yangshuo every 15 minutes from 06:30 to 19:20.

The Sheraton Guilin Hotel, a five-star at 15 Binjiang Road on the bank of the Li River, with many rooms over the river, listed a king room at USD 92 a night (about CNY 620). In Yangshuo town, the Grand Rezen Hotel Yang Shuo, a four-star at 68 Pantao Road, listed a deluxe room at USD 48 (about CNY 320), without breakfast. On the Yulong River, the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat, the riverside lodge of the fourteen-day route, lists its riverview Superior Queen rooms for two from USD 100 a night (about CNY 670) and its plain riverview twins from USD 69, with breakfast free on direct bookings of three nights or more. Near Moon Hill, about 9 km by road from West Street, the Yangshuo Village Inn has rooms in a restored mud-brick farmhouse and lists its Queen Balcony room for two from USD 45 (about CNY 300).

Shanghai: People’s Square and the Bund, or the former French Concession

For a first visit, sleep near People’s Square or the Bund. People’s Square is on metro line 2, which runs east to Pudong airport and west to Hongqiao airport, and the Bund and Yu Garden are a short ride east. The alternative is the former French Concession in Xuhui and Jing’an: quieter, lined with plane trees, a good fit if you plan to spend your evenings around Wukang Road. Its landmark is Wukang Mansion, which rises like the bow of a ship where Wukang Road meets Middle Huaihai Road and draws some 40,000 visitors a day. The Wukang Road and Anfu Road block around it, known as the ‘World Residential Architecture Expo Block’ for its old houses, also holds the former residences of Soong Ching Ling and the writer Ba Jin. Book two nights on the seven- and ten-day routes and three on the fourteen-day route, where one full day goes to the city and another to Hangzhou; our Shanghai guide covers both areas.

From Pudong (PVG), metro line 2 reaches People’s Square in about an hour for about CNY 7; a taxi costs around CNY 180 a vehicle and takes about 50 minutes. Hongqiao airport’s Terminal 2 is on metro lines 2 and 10 and is directly connected to Shanghai Hongqiao railway station, where the trains from Xi’an and Hangzhou arrive.

Near People’s Square, the Holiday Inn Shanghai Nanjing Road, a four-star with an indoor pool at No. 595 Jiujiang Road in Huangpu, listed a standard room at USD 103 a night (about CNY 690). On the Bund, the five-star Hyatt on the Bund, at 199 Huangpu Road, listed a king room at USD 115 (about CNY 770). Across the river in Pudong, the five-star Pudong Shangri-La at 33 Fu Cheng Road listed a deluxe room with one king bed at USD 93 (about CNY 620). In the former French Concession, the Jin Jiang Hotel, a five-star garden hotel at No. 59 South Maoming Road, listed a deluxe room with one king bed at USD 87 (about CNY 580), without breakfast.

Hangzhou: a day trip, or one night on West Lake

Our ten- and fourteen-day routes visit Hangzhou as a day trip by high-speed train from Shanghai Hongqiao, and that is enough for a first walk round West Lake. Stay a night if you want the lake before the day crowds arrive, or if you are going on to Suzhou: our Hangzhou and Suzhou guide sleeps one night in each.

Beishan Street, the quieter choice, runs along the northern shore from Baochu Road to Shuguang Road, with the lake on one side and Baoshi Hill on the other, and joins the Hubin shopping streets on the eastern shore. Hubin is the easier arrival: metro line 1 runs from Hangzhou East station to Longxiangqiao, next to the lake and the Hubin shops.

The Shangri-La Hangzhou, a four-star of 198 rooms on Beishan Road, listed a superior room at USD 104 a night (about CNY 700), without breakfast.

Zhangjiajie and Chongqing: two detours that need their own nights

Zhangjiajie is a detour from Shanghai on the through trains, the fastest taking 7 hours 15 minutes from Shanghai Hongqiao to Zhangjiajie West, and our Zhangjiajie guide plans it as three nights in Wulingyuan, the small town at the gates of the forest park. Sleep there rather than in the city of Zhangjiajie, which has Zhangjiajie West station, Hehua airport and the Tianmen cable car: Wulingyuan is a drive of about 40 minutes from the city, and sleeping at the gate means you can walk to the first timed slot of the day, the quietest. Our Zhangjiajie guide suggests a hotel or inn within walking distance of the gate, on Xibu Street among Wulingyuan’s restaurants.

Chongqing is the start of the Yangtze cruise. Our Chongqing and Yangtze guide books two nights before the boat in the Yuzhong district, around Jiefangbei, so that Hongyadong, the old streets and the riverfront are a walk or a metro ride away; a hotel across the Yangtze in Nan’an adds a river crossing to every outing. From Jiangbei airport (CKG), metro lines 3 and 10 reach Jiefangbei in about 40 minutes for CNY 5, and the K01 airport bus covers the 35 km for CNY 15; taxis are metered at CNY 10 for the first 3 km and CNY 2 a km by day. High-speed trains arrive at Chongqing North, where metro line 3, the line that also serves the airport, stops.

The Moxy Chongqing, a four-star of 360 rooms at 168 Bayi Road in Yuzhong, the street-food street beside Jiefangbei, listed a standard room with one king bed at USD 43 a night (about CNY 290).

Hotels that can register a foreign passport

Hotels register foreign guests with the police for you. If you stay somewhere that is not a hotel, you or your host must register within 24 hours of arrival; online registration has been available nationwide since 21 September 2026 (NIA website, 12367 app, WeChat or Alipay mini-programme) and counts the same as registering in person. Under a 2024 national circular, local authorities and booking platforms should not stop a hotel from taking foreign guests just because it lacks a special licence, but some properties still cannot register foreigners, so check this when you book, above all at a small guesthouse. Have your passport at check-in, and save each hotel’s address in Chinese for taxis; our entry guide has the rest of the arrival rules.

Our best time guide sets out the months and the public holidays that fill the trains and hotels.