Days one to three: Beijing and the scale of the capital
Keep arrival light. Give one full day to the palace axis if entry is confirmed, and use the other full day for hutong streets or one contemporary-art focus. These are different kinds of space: ceremonial courtyards and lived-in lanes should not be reduced to equivalent photo stops. If contemporary art is your priority, replace a block rather than attaching a distant district to an already full day.
Day four: move; days five and six: Shanghai
Treat the journey as a travel day. In Shanghai, use the Bund and one old-city or neighbourhood area as an architecture day, then choose one museum based on the current exhibition and branch location. Shanghai Museum’s East and People’s Square branches have different locations and programmes; verify the actual branch before arranging entry. Keep the afternoon around the museum you chose.
Days seven to nine: transfer and landscape
Use day seven for the Hangzhou transfer, with only an optional short arrival walk. Give West Lake one gentle landscape day. For the next day, choose tea-area exploration or a textile-museum focus rather than forcing both into a rushed sequence. West Lake’s value as a cultural landscape makes it a useful continuation of an architecture trip, not merely a rest from buildings.
Day ten and the planning decision
Choose the departure gateway before committing to this outline. If your flight leaves from Shanghai, account for the return and consider returning the previous day. The sketch is a ten-day allocation, not a booking promise. It works best when you value a small number of visits with time to look. Our city PDFs provide starting routes; custom planning can adjust the theme, exhibitions and gateways to your dates.
Keep a practical guide with you.
Our concise English PDFs include usable routes, planning decisions and reference details. For a route shaped around your dates and interests, explore the custom planning service.
Beijing PDF · $9 ↗Shanghai PDF · $9 ↗Hangzhou PDF · $9 ↗Explore custom planning ↗Source desk
- UNESCO: West Lake cultural landscape
- Shanghai Museum: official branch and exhibition information
- Official Shanghai tourism: architecture and neighbourhood research
Checked 12 October 2026. Route choices and pacing advice are China Sideways editorial recommendations. Recheck current booking, venue, transport and entry information for your dates.