10 days in China: Beijing, Suzhou and Shanghai

James in China · Sources checked November 14, 2026

Quick answer

Fly into Beijing and out of Shanghai if it suits your flights. Stay four nights in Beijing and five in Shanghai, with Suzhou as a day trip. Schedule your Palace Museum reservation and Beijing–Shanghai train first, then fit the walking days around them.

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Before you fly: book the days that have deadlines
Days 1–4: Beijing and the Great Wall
Days 5–6: Train to Shanghai, then the Old City
Days 7–8: Suzhou gardens and a Shanghai neighborhood
Days 9–10: Keep one buffer and leave from the right airport
Check your 10 days fit together
Sources

Before you fly: book the days that have deadlines

This route has nine hotel nights and two bases. It assumes a real arrival day and a real departure day, with Day 5 reserved for the intercity train. In Beijing, choose a hotel with a short walk to the metro. In Shanghai, staying near People’s Square / 人民广场 gives you direct Line 2 access from Hongqiao and easy access to the old city and waterfront.

Check how to enter on your passport and route. If you are using a transit exemption, check whether every segment and city in this itinerary is permitted before booking.
Put the Palace Museum visit on a date that works with opening days and reservations. After you have the timed slot, fit Mutianyu and the hutong walk around it.
Plan the Day 5 rail connection and any Suzhou train in 12306. Save the exact station names and order details offline. Keep an accessible copy of flight, rail, hotel and attraction confirmations.
Set up payment and mobile data before the flight. If someone in your group walks slowly, favor days with one booking and fewer hotel changes.

Turn Day 1 through Day 10 into calendar dates. After adding the hotel dates, give each booked activity an entry such as Date and local time · Entrance/station in Chinese · Booking reference · Person carrying the confirmation · Backup plan. Mark unconfirmed entries as tentative. Share the offline plan with your companions so everyone knows where to go if you split up or lose data.

Days 1–4: Beijing and the Great Wall

Day 1 · Arrive and settle in

Match the airport code to your booking. At PEK / 首都机场, use the Capital Airport Express to Sanyuanqiao or Dongzhimen if the onward metro route serves your hotel. At PKX / 大兴机场, use the Daxing Airport Express to Caoqiao if the onward connection suits you. If you arrive late, have heavy luggage or would have a long walk with bags, take a taxi from the signed queue and show your hotel’s full Chinese address. Check the entrance with your booking before you get out.

At the hotel, confirm that everyone can check in or leave their bags, then use a small purchase to test payment and check that maps and messages work off Wi-Fi. Check tomorrow’s timed entry and leave time for the security queue.

Day 2 · Forbidden City and, if there’s time, Jingshan

Go to the Meridian Gate / 午门 with the same passport details used on the reservation. Budget extra time for the walks and checks on the approach. Inside, start with the central halls and pick a single side gallery or courtyard if you have energy. Leave through the north end. If it is open and the sky is clear, cross toward Jingshan Park / 景山公园 and go up for the view across the palace roofs. Stairs are optional. If you miss the palace booking, keep the park and look at the nearby hutong route instead.

Meridian Gate is the entrance used for the Palace Museum visit. Photograph by Balon Greyjoy · CC0 1.0 · resized

Day 3 · Mutianyu Great Wall

Leave Beijing earlier in the day, keeping the entire afternoon flexible for the return. Decide whether your priority is a short wall walk or a longer stretch between watchtowers, then choose the lift or approach that matches it. At the site, agree how and when you will meet for the return before separating. Check the Mutianyu guide for the transport sequence. Swap with Day 4 if the forecast turns poor and your bookings allow a change.

Day 4 · Drum and Bell Towers and Shichahai

Start at the Drum Tower / 鼓楼, cross to the Bell Tower, and finish toward Shichahai / 什刹海. Keep the route short enough to stop for lunch around the lake and leave time to pack. If a tower interior is closed or the wait is long, use the square for the view and continue outside. See the half-day walking route for the names to put into your map.

Days 5–6: Train to Shanghai, then the Old City

Day 5 · Beijing South to Shanghai

Take a train from the station printed on the booking. For a service from Beijing South / 北京南站 to Shanghai Hongqiao / 上海虹桥站, allow station time for the passport check, security and finding the gate. On arrival, follow Metro Line 2 if your hotel is close to a stop it serves. A late arrival is a good reason to keep the evening to dinner near the hotel.

Day 6 · Yu Garden and the Bund

Put your indoor or ticketed stop first. Start at Yuyuan Garden Metro Station / 豫园站 and visit the garden if it is open on your date. Then leave yourself time for lunch around the Old City. Head to the west bank of the Huangpu River and walk on the raised Bund promenade toward East Nanjing Road / 南京东路. The skyline across the water is Lujiazui. If the waterfront is crowded at dusk, linger less on East Nanjing Road or move the river walk to Day 9. Use the detailed walking guide for the garden entrance and river approach.

From the Bund promenade, look across the Huangpu River toward Lujiazui. Photograph by Ermell · CC0 1.0 · resized

Days 7–8: Suzhou gardens and a Shanghai neighborhood

Day 7 · Suzhou without changing hotels

Book a morning train and a return that leaves time for station checks after walking. Suzhou Railway Station / 苏州站 is a convenient choice for the Old City if served by your train. Suzhou North / 苏州北站 is a different station. Check both outbound and return tickets before leaving your Shanghai hotel. Start at the Humble Administrator’s Garden / 拙政园 if you have a slot. Use your original document and save its confirmation. Continue to Pingjiang Road / 平江路 for the canal-side walk and lunch. If the garden is sold out, make Pingjiang Road the first stop and only add another garden if tickets and the return train fit.

The Humble Administrator’s Garden anchors the morning before the canal walk on Pingjiang Road. Photograph by King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized

Day 8 · Wukang Road and Anfu Road

Start at Jiaotong University Metro Station / 交通大学站. See the corner of the Wukang Building from a legal crossing, then take Wukang Road toward Anfu Road. Reward the walk with a café stop instead of trying to do every shop. Finish near Changshu Road Station / 常熟路站. In heavy rain, make this a short neighborhood walk and keep an indoor alternative for Day 9.

Days 9–10: Keep one buffer and leave from the right airport

Day 9 · Pick the day you missed

If rain spoiled the Bund or your Yu Garden visit moved, use this day for that route. If the trip stayed on schedule, choose one extra Shanghai stop. For an indoor day, check which Shanghai Museum venue is open and whether your exhibition needs a booking. As of this check, the People’s Square venue requires a paid ticket during its Americas exhibition, scheduled through November 14, 2027. For the permanent galleries, head to the East branch in Pudong and bring your passport. Check the opening day before committing. Keep this evening open to pack and confirm airport transport.

Day 10 · Shanghai departure

Read the departure airport code, terminal, date and check-in deadline from the airline booking. For PVG / 浦东, check the airport-bound Line 2 train from central Shanghai if the timetable fits. For SHA / 虹桥, set your route to the correct airport terminal. The nearby Hongqiao Railway Station is a separate destination. If you’re booking a taxi, add the terminal number to the Chinese airport name and show it before departure.

Work backward from the airline’s arrival recommendation, allowing time for the hotel to station walk, waiting, security and any terminal transfer. For an early flight, confirm a taxi or other early transport the night before. In the departures hall, match the flight number and date to the board and check the airline’s check-in zone before joining a queue.

Check your 10 days fit together

Nine nights are accounted for Beijing check-in is Day 1 and check-out is Day 5. Shanghai check-in is Day 5 and check-out is Day 10.
Booked days show a confirmation For each timed attraction and train, save the date, local time, passenger names, entry point or station, and order reference.
Airport and station branches match Save flight airport codes and terminals, the full Chinese hotel addresses, and both stations for your Suzhou day trip.
A missed booking has a fallback Choose an unbooked alternative for any unconfirmed slot and make the departure-day airport transfer fit your airline’s deadline.

If you get stuck. Keep your hotel dates and intercity train fixed. Move untimed walks around confirmed entries and use the indoor or sold-out alternative on the affected day.