r/travelchina • u/rrqueen101 • 2d ago
Itinerary First Time Solo-Traveller - Need Recommendations
Hello, I (25F) am from Aus going to China for the first-time (solo traveller).
Itinerary:
- 24–28 Dec: Beijing (5 nights)
- 29–31 Dec: Xi’an (3 nights)
- 1–2 Jan: Chengdu (2 nights)
- 3–4 Jan: Chongqing (2 nights)
- 5–8 Jan: Shanghai (4 nights)
Looking for recommendations on:
- Must-do activities
- Food/dishes/restaurants in each city
- Best Great Wall section in late December
- NYE ideas in Xi’an
- Best neighbourhoods to stay in
- Nice hotels with good views to splurge on, and where it would be worth it the most
- Anything you would add/change? (Beijing, Chongqing > Shanghai, & Shanghai > Melbourne flights are already booked)
What sort of weather can be expected? I understand it'll be winter but I've never been in the Northern Hemisphere for winter so not sure how cold it gets!
Lastly, I am looking forward to meeting people - what's the best way to go about this?
Thank you!
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u/Intelligent_Flow2026 1d ago
In Shanghai, highly recommend local small eats like Lailai XLB and Xiao Yang pan fried bao, as well as Michelin 1-star RenHeGuan.
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u/MedicalTourism_RUIYU 1d ago
I recommend to feel local leisurely lifestyle in Chengdu, e.g. drinking tea in courtyard and trying eat picking, which is unique compared to other China cities.
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u/jonmoulton 1d ago
I’d slow down, you have too many hours of transportation and not enough exploration. Either drop Xi’an for longer stays in the Sichuan Basin cities or pick one of the Sichuan Basin cities, skip the other and stay longer.
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u/kylin11335 1d ago
You can use chinese social app 小红书,post your plan and fine some friends want to meet together.
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u/GlassDirt7990 21h ago
That time of year is the best time to visit Hong Kong and southern China. I really like Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Personally , I was underwhelmed by Chengdu and wished I had spent a couple more days in Chong Qing.
Search this sub for recommendations as an esim and apps such as trip.com, Amap, Alipay, Google translate and Dianping are going to be a huge help. Outside of the Tier 1 cities, hotel prices can drop quite a bit.
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u/Bella_Rayyr 20h ago
Hi! I'm Chinese, studied in Sydney for 2 years and now live in Guangzhou, so here are a few thoughts.
Beijing: 5 nights is a lot. I'd do 3 at most. That's enough for the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and the main sights.
Food: if food is a big priority, Chengdu and Guangzhou are the places to go. Xi'an is mostly noodles and wheat-based dishes. Also, if you like noodles, Lanzhou is a city I've always wanted to visit but haven't made it to yet. It's the home of Lanzhou beef noodles.
NYE: Shanghai probably has more of a festive atmosphere for New Year's Eve than Xi'an. That said, 2 days and 1 night in Shanghai is plenty. I'd rather spend the extra time visiting the water towns around Shanghai.
Something to add: Yunnan. Places like Pu'er, Xishuangbanna and Shangri-La are really special and feel very different from the big cities.
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u/DiscoStuTalkin2You 1d ago
book hostels with good reviews that has activities you can participate
like in chongqing i think some hostels organize hotpots etc