The Forbidden City in Beijing viewed from Jingshan Park

CHINA · THE ICONS & THE UNEXPECTED

A world
to discover.

Imperial cities. Extraordinary landscapes. Stories beyond the familiar.

Choose your China →
5 must-sees. 5 unique discoveries.
Ten places worth the journey
Photo: Tojan76 · Wikimedia Commons ↗ · CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗. Display cropped to fit.

Welcome to China

The places you dream of.
The ones that surprise you.

See the Forbidden City, meet the Terracotta Army and follow rivers beneath limestone peaks. Then take a different turn, towards porcelain workshops, village towers or an old trading town in Yunnan.

Our ten destination guides bring together attractions, practical planning and nearby places to stay. Choose a few that belong together, China’s distances deserve time of their own.

Hotels & group rates

Hotels in China.

Large groups, 15 rooms or more

Get low group hotel rates.

Put over 35 years of hotel relationships to work for your group. We use existing negotiated agreements where available and negotiate for your group when needed.

Request low group hotel rates →

Prefer to negotiate your own group rates? You can use the directory too.

Ten guides, two ways to begin

Choose your kind of discovery.

THE FIVE MUST-SEES

Start with the extraordinary.

Our essential introductions, celebrated cities and landscapes that make a first journey memorable.

FIVE UNIQUE PLACES · OFF THE BEATEN PATH

Take a turn towards the unexpected.

Distinctive choices beyond the usual first-visit circuit. These are living destinations, some are well known within China and can be busy on holidays.

Not another ordinary stop

A story you will want to tell.

01

Towers with an overseas story

Find village towers that bring Chinese and Western architectural ideas together above the fields.

Explore this discovery →02

A city made of clay and imagination

Explore porcelain culture, striking museum spaces and the work of contemporary ceramic makers.

Explore this discovery →03

Slow down on the old trading road

Walk market-town lanes, explore the valley and make a separate journey into Shibaoshan.

Explore this discovery →

Choose fewer bases. Enjoy them more.

Build a journey with breathing room.

Northern history

Begin in Beijing and consider Datong as a separate northern chapter. Xi’an adds the Terracotta Army and another historic city, check each rail or flight connection before fixing dates.

Cities, craft & the coast

Shanghai, Jingdezhen and Quanzhou offer very different experiences. Treat this as a longer journey with transfer days, rather than three quick neighbouring stops.

These are independent trip ideas, not fixed itineraries. Kaiping also suits a separately planned Guangdong visit, arrange local transfers between its tower villages.

A base that suits the journey

Stay near the experience.

Eighteen hotel and guesthouse suggestions, with published addresses and telephone numbers. Use the linked official hotel websites where available, or the clearly identified destination listing, and speak to the property directly.

Hotel reservation options →Planning a group stay?

Before you travel

A little preparation matters.

Save hotel names and addresses in Chinese, confirm the exact railway station on every booking and arrange transfers for rural stays. Ask your hosts to help with attraction reservations that require identity details.

China uses renminbi, usually quoted in yuan, CNY. Check payment options, mobile connectivity and current entry requirements through official sources before travel. Opening arrangements and booking systems can change.

Official China visitor guidance ↗China Railway 12306, official rail service ↗Ask ATA about your itinerary
Photographs & source credits

Photographs are credited below, images are displayed cropped to fit.