China
20 Best Things to Do in China
China's heavyweights in one place, at most three picks per city so the whole country gets a look.
Order reflects review volume from real travelers across 1396 tracked China places, capped at 3 per city. Refreshed monthly.
Mutianyu Great Wall
Park & nature · BeijingMutianyu is the stretch of the Great Wall most visitors to Beijing should choose: it's beautifully restored, wraps over densely forested ridgelines that turn gold in autumn and white in winter, and…
Read our full guide →The Bund
Landmark · ShanghaiThe Bund is a waterfront area and protected historical district in central Shanghai, running along the western bank of the Huangpu River.
Read our full guide →The Bund (Wai Tan)
Neighborhood · ShanghaiFree entryThe Bund is Shanghai's grand riverfront promenade, where a sweeping curve of the Huangpu River sets two centuries of architecture face to face.
Read our full guide →Palace Museum
Museum · BeijingThe Palace Museum is not just a building but a treasure trove of Chinese civilization, with over 1.8 million artifacts, including paintings, ceramics, jade, and bronze.
Read our full guide →Forbidden City-The Palace Museum
Museum · BeijingThe Forbidden City is the vast imperial palace at the heart of Beijing, the largest surviving palace complex in the world, with nearly a thousand buildings arranged along a strict north–south axis…
Read our full guide →Yu Garden
Park & nature · ShanghaiYu Garden is a classical Chinese garden in the Old City of Shanghai, next to the City God Temple and Yuyuan Bazaar.
Read our full guide →Fortifications of Xi'an
Landmark · Xi'anThe Fortifications of Xi'an, also known as the Xi'an City Wall, are one of the oldest, largest, and best-preserved Chinese city walls.
Read our full guide →West Lake
Outdoor & fun · HangzhouWest Lake is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the iconic freshwater lake in Hangzhou, China.
Read our full guide →Gulangyu
Neighborhood · XiamenGulangyu is a small, car-free island off the coast of Xiamen, China, known for its beaches, winding lanes, and colonial-era architecture.
Read our full guide →Tang Paradise
Park & nature · Xi'anTang Paradise is a large theme park in Xi'an, built on or near the site of the Tang dynasty's Furong Garden.
Read our full guide →Xi'an Muslim Quarter
Neighborhood · Xi'anThe Xi'an Muslim Quarter is a snack and commercial street in central Xi'an, near the Bell Tower and Drum Tower.
Read our full guide →Canton Tower
Landmark · GuangzhouThe Canton Tower is Guangzhou's spectacular 600-metre observation and TV tower, a slender, twisting 'hourglass' lattice that's one of the tallest structures in the world, and a defining sight of the…
Read our full guide →Jinli
Neighborhood · ChengduJinli is a bustling ancient street that recreates the charm of old Chengdu, with rows of red lanterns, wooden shopfronts, and cobblestone paths.
Read our full guide →Shenzhen Window of the World
Park & nature · ShenzhenWindow of the World is one of Shenzhen's famous theme parks, a sprawling attraction where over 100 of the world's great landmarks are reproduced at miniature (and sometimes near-full) scale, letting…
Read our full guide →Humble Administrator's Garden
Park & nature · SuzhouThe Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou is the largest and most celebrated of the city's classical gardens, and widely considered the finest classical garden in all of China, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Read our full guide →Beitou Hot Spring
Park & nature · BeitouFree entryBeitou Hot Spring, located in the Neihu District of Taipei, is one of Taiwan's most famous geothermal areas, known for its natural hot springs and tranquil mountain setting.
Read our full guide →Shamian
Neighborhood · GuangzhouShamian is a historic island in Guangzhou, once a foreign concession, now a peaceful enclave known for its well-preserved European-style buildings, leafy streets, and quiet parks.
Read our full guide →Shamian Island
Park & nature · GuangzhouFree entryShamian Island is a tranquil, leafy enclave in Guangzhou, a small sandbank island in the Pearl River that was a foreign concession in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and today preserves a…
Read our full guide →The Pier-2 Art Centre
Museum · YanchengFree entryThe Pier-2 Art Centre is a dynamic cultural hub located in the Yancheng District of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Read our full guide →Kuanzhai Alley
Neighborhood · ChengduFree entryKuanzhai Alley (Kuanzhai Xiangzi, the 'Wide and Narrow Alleys') is one of Chengdu's most popular and atmospheric districts, three parallel, restored Qing-dynasty-era lanes (the Wide Alley, the Narrow…
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Good to know
What is the best-known of the places to visit in China?
Mutianyu Great Wall in Beijing is the most reviewed, with 24,404 traveler reviews and a 5.0 rating. That makes it the safe choice if you are only fitting in one.
Which of China's places to visit is worth going out of your way for?
The Bund in Shanghai rates highest at 4.6 out of 5 across 19,639 reviews. Smaller crowds than the headline entry usually explain the gap.
Which city in China has the most places to visit?
Beijing, with 3 on this list, ahead of Shanghai on 3. The list spans 11 cities in total, capped at three per city so one big city cannot crowd out the rest of the country.
Are any of these places to visit free to visit?
Yes, 5: The Bund (Wai Tan), Beitou Hot Spring, Shamian Island and others. That is based on each place's own visiting information, not an assumption about the category.
How is this list of places to visit ranked?
By how many travelers reviewed each place, filtered to those rated well enough to be worth your time, drawn from 1,396 tracked places in China. No one pays to appear on it, and the order is refreshed monthly as new reviews land.
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