Bucket List China: 15 Experiences Every Australian Must Have

Cultural Insights • 8 min read

15 Experiences That Belong on Your Life List

China has more bucket list experiences per square kilometre than almost anywhere else on earth. These are the 15 that our travellers consistently rate as life-changing — and each one is available on at least one ExploreChina tour.

1. Walk the Great Wall at Sunrise

Nothing prepares you for the scale. The wall stretches across mountain ridges to the horizon in both directions. At sunrise, with mist in the valleys below, it's one of the most powerful moments in travel. Featured on: Amazing China, Legends of China, Whispers of the Terracotta Warriors

2. Stand Before the Terracotta Warriors

Eight thousand unique clay soldiers, each with individual facial features, buried for 2,200 years to guard an emperor's afterlife. The scale of the pits is staggering. Featured on: Legends of China, Whispers, Silk Road

3. Cruise the Yangtze Through the Three Gorges

Four nights on China's mightiest river, gliding through gorges with sheer cliffs rising hundreds of metres. The pace is relaxing, the scenery is breathtaking. Featured on: Imperial China & the Timeless Yangtze

4. Meet Giant Pandas in Chengdu

Watching pandas eat, play, and tumble around at the research base is pure joy. Go early morning for the most active behaviour. Featured on: Heart of China, Exquisite China

5. Watch the Sun Set Over West Lake, Hangzhou

A thousand years of Chinese poetry and painting were inspired by this view. It lives up to every word. Featured on: Amazing China, Discover China

6. Float Down the Li River

Karst mountains rising from mirror-flat water — the landscape on China's 20 RMB note. Featured on: Imperial China & the Timeless Yangtze

7. Walk Through the Forbidden City

980 buildings. 500 years of imperial power. The progression from grand public halls to intimate private quarters tells the story of China's emperors. Featured on: most Beijing tours

8. See Zhangjiajie's Floating Mountains

The towering quartzite pillars that inspired Pandora in Avatar. Even more incredible in real life. Featured on: Heart of China, Exquisite China

9. Eat Peking Duck in Beijing

Carved tableside with skin so thin it crackles, wrapped in pancakes with hoisin sauce. A ceremony as much as a meal.

10. Visit Tibet and the Potala Palace

The roof of the world. The Potala Palace rising above Lhasa against a deep blue sky is one of the most powerful images in travel. Featured on: Tibet & Sacred Heartland

11. Watch a Shanghai Acrobatics Show

World-class performers defying gravity. Suitable for all ages and genuinely jaw-dropping.

12. Explore the Mogao Caves on the Silk Road

492 temples with Buddhist art spanning a thousand years, hidden in the Gobi Desert. Featured on: Silk Road

13. Stand at the Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin

Massive ice sculptures illuminated at night in minus 30-degree temperatures. Surreal and spectacular. Featured on: China In Crystal

14. Walk Xi'an's Ancient City Walls

One of the best-preserved city walls in the world — 14 kilometres of walkable history encircling the ancient capital.

15. Spend a Night in a Mongolian Ger Camp

Sleeping under vast steppe skies in a traditional felt tent. A completely different civilisation. Featured on: Empire & Horizon

How many have you done? Start ticking them off → Browse All Tours