China

Sixty-one World Heritage sites, the largest high-speed rail network on earth, and a payment system that runs entirely on your phone. Sort that out before you fly and the rest is easy.

Where to stay

Upper House Chengdu

Chengdu · near Taikoo Li · formerly The Temple House

A Michelin-starred vegetarian teahouse, downstairs.

See if your Chengdu dates are free

  • One hundred and forty-two rooms near Chengdu IFS and the Taikoo Li district, blending traditional elements with contemporary design. There's an indoor pool, a full spa, a library and a hair salon, and three restaurants — one of them Mi Xun Teahouse, which holds a Michelin star for vegetarian cooking. Bikes are free to borrow. It has appeared on the Condé Nast Traveler Gold List and Travel + Leisure's 500.

    • 142 rooms near Taikoo Li and Chengdu IFS

    • Michelin-starred Mi Xun Teahouse, vegetarian

    • Indoor pool and full-service spa

    • Library, hair salon and free bikes

    • Condé Nast Traveler Gold List

W Chengdu

Chengdu · Wuhou · near Jinli Street

Art deco in Wuhou, with heated floors and a spa.

See if your Chengdu dates are free

  • Two hundred and ninety-seven individually furnished rooms in the Wuhou district, near Taikoo Li, Jinli Street and the Wuhou Temple. Art deco styling, heated floors, premium bedding and 55-inch TVs. There's an indoor pool, a full spa, three fusion restaurants, a bar and a café, plus EV charging and shopping on site. It's also pet-friendly, which is unusual at this level in China.

    • 297 individually furnished rooms in Wuhou

    • Indoor pool and full-service spa

    • Three fusion restaurants, bar and café

    • Heated floors and premium bedding

    • Near Taikoo Li, Jinli Street and Wuhou Temple

HeSu DESIGNER Hotel & Suites

Xi'an · inside the city walls · Drum Tower & Yongning Gate

A cat café in the building, inside Xi'an's old city walls.

See if your Xi'an dates are free

  • A design hotel near the Drum Tower and Yongning Gate, inside Xi'an's walled old city. There's a cat café with freshly ground coffee, which is exactly the sort of thing that makes an evening on your own easy rather than awkward. Xi'an is the base for the Terracotta Army, and the old city inside the walls is flat, compact and best looped by bike.

    • Inside Xi'an's walled old city, near the Drum Tower

    • Cat café with freshly ground coffee

    • Base for visiting the Terracotta Army

    • Design-led rooms and suites

    • Walk or cycle the city walls from the door

Wangxian Valley Qingchuanxingguan

Jiangxi · Wangxian Valley Scenic Area · a converted quarry

Guesthouses built into a quarry that lights up like a fairy tale.

See if your Wangxian Valley dates are free

  • In the Wangxian Valley Scenic Area in Jiangxi, where an old quarry has been turned into a village of guesthouses built into the cliff face. Waterfalls, forest walks, tea painting and meditation — and after dark the whole valley is lit so it looks like something out of a folk tale. Mountain views and personal service, and remarkably inexpensive for what it is.

    • Built into a transformed quarry in Wangxian Valley

    • Waterfalls, forest meditation and tea painting

    • The valley is illuminated after dark

    • Mountain views and personal service

10 of the best China Tours

Take a look

The best places to stay in China

Take a look

    • China has 61 UNESCO World Heritage sites, second only to Italy.

    • The whole country runs on a single time zone — Beijing time — despite spanning five geographically.

    • China has the largest high-speed rail network in the world.

    • Almost everything is paid for by phone. Alipay and WeChat Pay both let you link a foreign card — set one up before you fly, not after you land.

    • Many Western apps and websites are blocked. Download maps, translation and anything else you rely on before you arrive.

  • Best time — April to May, then September into October. Summer is hot and humid across most of the country. Avoid the first week of October and Chinese New Year, when the entire country travels at once.

    Getting around — High-speed rail is superb and often faster than flying city to city. Book through Trip.com or at the station, and carry your passport — you need it to collect tickets. Didi is the local ride-hailing app.

  • China is a safe country to travel alone in, and the difficulties are logistical rather than personal. English is limited outside major hotels, so a translation app downloaded in advance does most of the work — point-and-show goes a long way. Carry your passport at all times; it's required for train tickets, hotel check-in and some attractions. And set up mobile payment before you go, because not being able to pay for anything is by far the most common way a China trip goes wrong.

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