If you have one week and have never been to China, this is the route I tell people to take. It covers the three cities most first-timers want: the imperial capital, the Terracotta Army, and the modern waterfront. It is sometimes called the golden triangle, and it works because the high-speed trains between them are fast, cheap, and on time. I have run this loop twice and it never gets old.
How many days for Beijing Xian Shanghai
The question I hear most is how many days for Beijing Xian Shanghai. My answer is 3 + 2 + 2, which gives seven nights and leaves one buffer half-day. Beijing needs three full days because the sights are spread out. Xian needs two: one for the warriors, one for the wall and food. Shanghai needs two, and you could even trim to one and a half if your flight leaves late. This China golden triangle route days split is the one I would hand a friend landing tomorrow.
The best window is spring (April to May) or autumn (September to October). Summer in Beijing is hot and hazy; winter is crisp but cold. I went in mid-April and the Beijing parks were full of blossom.
Days 1 to 3: Beijing
Start at the Forbidden City. Tickets must be booked online up to seven days ahead and sell out on weekends; entry is RMB 60 in low season, RMB 80 in peak. Give it a half day, then walk north to Jingshan Park for the rooftop view. The next day, take a bus or tour to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall (about 1.5 hours from town, RMB 45 entry plus cable car RMB 100). I prefer Mutianyu over Badaling because it is less packed. Day three covers the Summer Palace and a hutong walk near Houhai. For first-visit logistics, our Beijing first-time travel guide lays out the metro and the ticket apps. The Forbidden City guide on tickets explains the exact booking window and the entrance gate that saves you a long walk.
Day 4: Beijing to Xian by high-speed train
The Beijing to Xian high speed train time is about 4 to 4.5 hours on the G-series trains, costing RMB 515 to RMB 825 in second class depending on the train number. I booked a morning departure, arrived at Xian North around 1 p.m., and still had time for the city wall that afternoon. Trains run from early morning to evening; reserve on 12306 a week ahead in peak season. For the rail booking process as a foreigner, our China high-speed train guide for foreigners walks through passport entry and seat selection.
Day 5: Xian
Spend the morning at the Terracotta Army, about one hour east of the city. Entry is RMB 120 and includes the three pits and a shuttle. Go at opening (8:30 a.m.) to beat the tour buses. In the afternoon, rent a bike on the Xian city wall (RMB 45 for a loop) and eat your way through the Muslim Quarter, where lamb skewers run RMB 5 to RMB 10 each. Our Xian travel guide has the wall-bike direction that avoids the noon sun. The Xian Terracotta Warriors visit guide covers which pit to see first and how to dodge the fake “farmer signing” scams near the exit. The Forbidden City and the Terracotta sites are part of the UNESCO-listed imperial heritage; you can read the official listing on the UNESCO Forbidden City page.
Day 6: Xian to Shanghai by train
The Xian to Shanghai train itinerary is a longer haul: about 5.5 to 6.5 hours on the fastest G-trains, from RMB 670 to RMB 1,000 in second class. I treated it as a travel day, worked on the train, and arrived in Shanghai for an evening walk on the Bund. Book a window seat if you want to see the countryside change from loess hills to rice paddies to Yangtze delta flatland. An overnight option exists but I prefer the daytime train to save a hotel night and still sleep in a real bed.
Day 7: Shanghai and departure
Spend the morning at Yu Garden (RMB 40) and the old town, then cross to the Bund for the skyline, and finish at a skyscraper in Lujiazui like the Shanghai Tower (RMB 180 for the top deck). Shanghai is walkable and the metro is the best in the country. I flew out that night, which made the seventh day a relaxed one. For neighborhoods and the metro pass, see our Shanghai first-time travel guide.
Beijing Xian Shanghai trip cost
Per person in RMB: high-speed trains RMB 1,200 to RMB 1,900 (Beijing-Xian-Shanghai); hotels RMB 350 to RMB 700 per night (six nights, RMB 2,100 to RMB 4,200); tickets RMB 500 to RMB 700; food RMB 120 to RMB 250 per day (RMB 840 to RMB 1,750); local transport RMB 300 to RMB 500. Total: roughly RMB 5,900 to RMB 10,000 per person, not counting international flights. A Beijing Xian Shanghai trip cost lands in the middle of China’s price range, cheaper than a pure Shanghai-Japan hop but more than rural Guizhou.
Booking timeline
Reserve the Forbidden City ticket as soon as the window opens (seven days ahead). Book both train segments one to two weeks out in spring and autumn. Hotels near a metro line in each city save time; I stayed by Line 2 in Beijing, near the wall in Xian, and by the Bund in Shanghai. Avoid the National Day week (early October), when trains and the Forbidden City are brutal.
Packing and arrival notes
This triangle is easy on luggage. Spring and autumn need one warm layer for Beijing mornings and a light shirt for Shanghai. Comfortable shoes are the single most important item: the Forbidden City alone is a 2 km walk end to end. I carried a scarf to cover shoulders at temples and a small daypack for water and rail snacks. Many travelers can use the 144-hour visa-free transit for this route if they fly in and out of different cities, but rules change, so check before booking. Keep your passport handy; hotels, trains, and the Forbidden City all scan it. I photographed my passport and train tickets so a lost paper was never a crisis.
What I would skip or add
If I had an eighth day, I would add a second Xian day for the Hanyang tomb or a side trip to Huashan mountain, a steep cable-car peak an hour away. I would not cut Beijing’s Great Wall day for anything. The China golden triangle route days plan above is tight but fair; pushing it to nine or ten days would feel luxurious rather than rushed.
Sample day-by-day
Day 1 Forbidden City and hutongs. Day 2 Great Wall Mutianyu. Day 3 Summer Palace. Day 4 train to Xian, city wall. Day 5 Terracotta Army and Muslim Quarter. Day 6 train to Shanghai. Day 7 Yu Garden and Bund, fly out. This Beijing to Xian high speed train time plus Xian to Shanghai train itinerary shape is the classic loop done right.
A Beijing Xian Shanghai itinerary is the safest, richest one-week intro to China. The rail makes the distance feel small, and each city gives you a different century. Build it around the best season, book the Forbidden City early, and the week runs like clockwork.