Golden Triangle: Beijing–Xi'an–Shanghai in 10 Days

The "golden triangle" of Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai is the most popular China itinerary for good reason: it packs imperial history, archaeology and a dose of the future into ten busy days, all linked by fast, comfortable trains.

How to split it

Give Beijing four days, Xi'an two, and Shanghai three — with the Bund, Yu Garden and a day trip or two to round things out. Fly into Beijing and out of Shanghai to avoid backtracking.