18 Nights
Across China
A route from Shanghai to Chengdu that balances the fast, high-tech cities with slow mountain resorts built in to actually enjoy them.
We just spent 18 nights crossing China with our two kids and my parents — six of us, three generations, one very detailed spreadsheet. It was the trip of a lifetime, and the route worked so well that I keep getting asked for it. So here it is: the full itinerary, start to finish, that I'd hand to anyone.
What makes this route special is the range. You go from one of the most futuristic cities on earth to the "floating mountains" that inspired Avatar, to a cyberpunk megacity stacked into the hillsides, and finish with giant pandas and a slow, luxurious wind-down. Old and new, wild and urban, thrilling and restful — all in one loop that never doubles back on itself.
My one travel rule: only one big thing per day — and do nothing on travel days.
The route at a glance
Five stops, one continuous line.
You fly the two long legs and the one big internal hop, and take high-speed trains for the rest — a genuine highlight in their own right.
Shanghai
3 nightsThe perfect opener: it hits you with everything China does at the cutting edge.
The landing-day hack
We flew in overnight on a 12-hour flight and landed at 5am, hours before any hotel check-in, and our family was exhausted. Instead of fighting it, we went straight to a 24-hour spa — hot springs, sleeping pods, showers, massages, and unlimited snacks. The kids napped in pods, my mum and I had 80-minute massages, and by early afternoon we walked out refreshed and ready. If you're landing off a red-eye anywhere in Asia, do this: it's a fraction of a hotel night and it erases the worst part of long-haul travel. We booked the 24-hour SPACE Spa on Trip.com.
Then, once you've slept, walk the Bund at night for the full neon skyline light show across the river.
The Bund light show after dark.
Where we stayed
The Bund Puyan Hotel →
Right by the river. If you're travelling with kids, ask about a family room — ours had a slide in it.
Technology Day
Have a proper futuristic day: we visited an AI and robotics hub where a robot made my coffee, the kids played with AI animals, and my husband tried on robot exoskeleton legs — then took a driverless taxi to the Shanghai Science & Technology Museum (go straight for the AI Pioneers hall).
Shopping Day
- Shop your way down Nanjing Road, and let the kids hunt for blind boxes.
- For pure delight: a capybara café for coffee with the world's most relaxed animals, and a cat-and-dog café for cuddles.
- Slow it down with the classic old-Shanghai mix: Yu Garden and the Old City, and a wander through the leafy French Concession. We learned cities here are at their most vibrant in the evenings.
Out in the city by day.
We used a brilliant private guide for our Shanghai days — Winter (@tour.in.shanghai).
Zhangjiajie
5 nights · two basesThe emotional heart of the trip, and the reason many people come to China at all — a forest of thousands of sheer quartz-sandstone pillars rising out of the mist, the landscape that inspired the floating mountains in Avatar. It's also huge: five park entrances, each about an hour apart, each with a different wow-worthy feature. Split your stay across two bases.
The pillars that inspired the floating mountains.
Wulingyuan's five entrances, each about an hour apart.
Fly to the mountains
We flew, direct from Shanghai on Juneyao Air — about 2.5 hours. This leg is too far for a comfortable train, so fly.
Where we stayed — the forest park
No. 5 Valley Lodge →
A mountain lodge in Wulingyuan with an infinity pool. It was like staying at your Chinese friend's grandma's house — if grandma lived in a mountain villa with five-star service. Homey and charming.
The Avatar Mountains
The core of the Avatar scenery. Ride the cableways up, walk the Ten Miles Gallery, take in the pillar-scape from the Tianzi Mountain rim, and see the famous Avatar Hallelujah Mountain and First Bridge Under Heaven around Yuanjiazhai. Ride the Bailong Elevator, the tallest outdoor lift in the world, straight up a cliff face.
Yuanjiazhai, the cable car, and the pillar-tops.
Golden Whip Stream
An easy, gorgeous valley walk where wild monkeys watch you go by. Mornings are clearest — start early, before the clouds roll in, for the best views and photos.
The Grand Canyon & Glass Bridge
If I'd add one day anywhere on this trip, it would be here. The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon and its glass bridge — Yuntiandu, "a way across the clouds" — is the world's longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge: 430m long, hanging 300m above the canyon floor, with the world's highest bungee, a zipline, and a canyon hike with boat cruises below. Key thing to know: it's a completely separate scenic area (about 40 minutes from the Wulingyuan entrance, not inside the National Forest Park), so it needs its own timed-entry ticket booked ahead — and its own full day.
Transfer to Tianmen + the Fox Fairy Show
Base yourself near the cable car for this stretch — No. 5 organised our drop-off. In the evening, don't skip the Tianmen Fox Fairy Show, a large-scale outdoor musical staged in a real canyon at the foot of the mountain, telling an ancient local love story between a woodcutter and a fox spirit, with the mountain itself as the backdrop. It's spectacular. I had to explain concubines to my children, but it was worth the conversation. Dress warmly — it gets cold at night — and don't worry about rain; it runs rain or shine.
The Fox Fairy Show, with the mountain as the backdrop.
Budget accommodation, and we didn't spend much time here — but it's on a street with multiple options for fantastic foot massages.
Tianmen Mountain
A completely different thrill: one of the world's longest cable cars, glass skywalks clinging to the cliff edge, the switchbacking "99-bend road," and the natural stone arch of Heaven's Gate at the top of 999 steps. A fun modern touch — you can now rent robotic exoskeleton "legs" to help with the climb (rent them in advance; your hotel can organise it).
The 99-bend road and Heaven's Gate.
Chongqing
3 nightsIf Shanghai is polished-futuristic, Chongqing is gloriously chaotic-futuristic — a megacity built vertically into the mountains where the rivers meet. It genuinely feels like stepping inside a sci-fi film.
High-speed train — easy
Book train tickets via Trip.com; it's the only place you can reserve in advance, and tickets go on sale exactly three weeks before departure. We reserved Business Class (only about $8–10 more than economy) — I was waitlisted at first, then ticketed about 24 hours later. One note: Zhangjiajie's high-speed trains leave from Zhangjiajie West station, not the older downtown one.
Where we stayed
SEYA Panoramic →
A high-floor hotel at Jiefangbei with knockout skyline views and an in-room hot-spring pool.
Wonder Chongqing
- Hongyadong — a stilted cliff complex that lights up at night and looks straight out of a Studio Ghibli film.
- Liziba station, where the metro train drives clean through a residential skyscraper.
- Ride the river cable car across the Yangtze for the full cyberpunk skyline.
- Brave the legendary Chongqing hotpot — order a mild pot alongside the spicy one if you've got kids.
Hongyadong and the river at night.
We hired Jay (@jaychongqingtour) — also at jaychongqingtour.com — as a local guide for two days, which I'd strongly recommend. Chongqing is dense, confusing, and stacked on multiple levels, and a guide unlocks it. Jay is awesome.
The Saturday drone show
We organised our entire trip around the Saturday drone show — and it was cancelled. Heartbreaking. I don't regret planning around it: it's a truly once-in-a-lifetime visual experience, and Chongqing on the weekend was a lot of fun regardless. Just know it can be called off, so hold it loosely.
What the show looks like when it runs. We didn't get to see it.
Mount Qingcheng
4 nightsAfter all that adrenaline, this stretch is the exhale — and the pandas. We based ourselves at a mountain resort just outside the city, surrounded by bamboo forest. Within the area, hire private drivers or a multi-day car charter: distances between the sights are longer than they look, and a driver removes all the stress, especially with kids or grandparents.
Train to Chengdu, then up the mountain
Another high-speed train to Chengdu, then a transfer out to the resort.
Where we stayed
Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain →
A resort brand normally outside my price range, so this was a splurge — but well worth it. We booked the family room that sleeps four, with the two kids in their own bunk beds (my parents took a second room).
Red Panda Day
The red pandas at the Dujiangyan Panda Base — about a 35-minute drive, genuinely close to the resort. For our family, nothing else on the trip came close: this was everyone's favourite thing we did. Book ahead, and confirm current opening when you reserve.
Giant Panda Day
A panda-keeper experience at the Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base — about a one-hour drive from the resort. (It's roughly two hours from central Chengdu, so basing at Qingcheng nearly halves the mountain drive — a real reason to stay out here.) You break up bamboo, roll panda "cakes," and help clean the enclosures. It's a full day, and you leave with a certificate.
Mount Qingcheng & Dujiangyan
- Mount Qingcheng, the misty, temple-dotted birthplace of Taoism — a gentle, green half-day.
- Dujiangyan's ancient irrigation system, a 2,000-year-old feat of engineering that still works today — beautiful by day, and lovely on a night tour.
Prayer ribbons at a Qingcheng viewpoint, and Dujiangyan after dark.
Just rest
Use the resort's pool, spa, and hot springs. Four nights sounds like a lot; after two weeks on the move, you'll be grateful for every one.
Chengdu
3 nightsFinish in the heart of Chengdu, right by the best shopping and food in the city.
Into the city
Transfer from the mountains into central Chengdu.
Where we stayed
Grand Hyatt Chengdu →
Right on Chunxi Road — you can walk out the door straight into the shopping.
Shopping Day
Shop Taikoo Li, Chunxi Road, and IFS (find the giant climbing-panda sculpture on the mall's corner), and stock up on Pop Mart blind boxes. We literally scheduled a day to fill our suitcases — pack a foldable duffel for the haul.
Largest Indoor Waterpark Day
Spend your last full day at the Global Center, home to the largest indoor waterpark in the world — a tropical beach, wave pool and slides, all under one roof. It's weatherproof, which makes it a great finale regardless of forecast. Slow down afterward with tea and people-watching at a teahouse in People's Park, and wander the old lanes of Kuanzhai Alley or Jinli for street snacks.
The whole beach is indoors.
Fly home
Direct from Chengdu.
Getting around
Fly the long legs
Your two international legs, plus the one big internal hop, Shanghai → Zhangjiajie (about 2.5 hours). Book it as an open-jaw ticket so you never backtrack.
Train everything else
Zhangjiajie → Chongqing and Chongqing → Chengdu by high-speed rail — fast, spotless, cheap, and one of the best parts of travelling here. Remember Zhangjiajie West, not the old downtown station.
Drivers in the mountains
In Wulingyuan and around Qingcheng, hire private drivers or a multi-day charter. Distances are longer than they look, and it removes the stress with kids or grandparents.
One big thing a day
Our whole pace: one headline activity per day, and nothing at all on travel days. With six of us across three generations, it kept the trip joyful instead of exhausting.
Apps to download before you go
Sort these before you fly — some can't be downloaded once you're in China, because the app stores and many Western services are blocked there.
- WeChatMessaging + pay by QR codeGet it →
- AlipayPay by QR — takes foreign Visa & MastercardGet it →
- AmapMaps & directions — Google Maps doesn't work hereGet it →
- DiDiRide-hailing (China's Uber), English interfaceGet it →
- Trip.comTrains, hotels & attractions in EnglishGet it →
- Travel eSIMHong Kong–routed data that bypasses the firewallGet it →
The eSIM we used was amazing — a Hong Kong–routed one, so WhatsApp, Google and Instagram all just worked without a separate VPN. Buy and install it before you land, since you can't set these things up once you're there.
Know before you go
01Connectivity first
The big one. Google, Gmail, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked on the mainland. The easiest fix is a travel eSIM routed through Hong Kong, which sidesteps the block automatically — sort it before you fly.
02Pay by QR
You'll pay for nearly everything by QR code through Alipay or WeChat. Link a foreign Visa or Mastercard before you go.
03Book trains ~3 weeks out
Tickets are real-name and go on sale about three weeks before departure. Trip.com is the easiest place to reserve in English — and you can waitlist Business Class, which is only a few dollars more.
04Rooms for bigger families
Most Chinese rooms are built for two (a king, or two twins), and the American "two queen beds for a family of four" is rare. Plan to spread across a couple of rooms rather than squeezing into one.
05When to go
We went in high summer — beautiful and misty, but hot, humid and rainy in the mountains. Spring (April–May) or autumn (September–October) are more comfortable. Avoid the two national holiday weeks — one in May, one in October — when all of China is off and everything books out.
06Pack for stairs
A light rain jacket and broken-in shoes, whatever the season. There is a lot of walking and a lot of stairs.
Two and a half weeks felt like both an eternity and nowhere near enough.
This route gives you the greatest hits of modern China alongside its wildest scenery and its softest, slowest moments — and it flows in a single, sensible loop that even a three-generation family could handle. If you've got the time and the itch, take the trip. Ours already can't wait to go back.
Written from our own family trip, July 2026. I almost never make travel itineraries. If this is helpful, please let me know.