First Time in China vs Second Time: How to Plan Each Trip

Planning • 7 min read

Your Second Trip Should Look Nothing Like Your First

First-time visitors and return visitors want fundamentally different things from China. A first trip is about the iconic highlights — the experiences that define China in the global imagination. A second trip is about going deeper — the regions, experiences, and cultural layers that most tourists never discover.

Here's how to plan each one for maximum impact.

First Trip: The Classic Highlights

Your first China trip should cover the experiences that you'd regret missing. These are the sites that have made China one of the world's great travel destinations, and they deserve to be seen first without competing with lesser-known alternatives.

Must-see on a first trip: The Great Wall (no substitute exists anywhere on earth), the Forbidden City in Beijing (the world's largest palace complex), the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an (an archaeological wonder), Shanghai's Bund (old and new China side by side), and West Lake in Hangzhou (classical Chinese beauty).

Best first-time tours: Our Amazing China (10 days, $999pp) covers Beijing to Shanghai via Suzhou, Wuxi, and Hangzhou. For those wanting Xi'an, Legends of China (12 days, $1,499pp) adds the Terracotta Warriors.

Second Trip: Going Deeper

You've done the highlights. Now you can explore the China that most tourists never see — and it's often the more rewarding experience.

Second-trip destinations: Zhangjiajie Avatar Mountains — towering quartzite pillars that inspired the film. The Yangtze River cruise — four nights sailing through ancient gorges. Chengdu and the Giant Panda Base — plus extraordinary Sichuan cuisine. Tibet — the Potala Palace, Yamdrok Lake, and a profound cultural experience. The Silk Road — Mogao Caves, Rainbow Mountains, and desert oasis towns. Mongolia — ger camps, the Gobi Desert, and a completely different civilisation.

Best second-time tours: Heart of China (10 days, $1,899pp) for Zhangjiajie and pandas. Tibet & Sacred Heartland (13 days, $4,699pp) for Tibet. Silk Road (16 days, $3,499pp) for the ancient trade route. Exquisite China (21 days, $3,899pp) for the comprehensive journey.

The Destinations Most Returnees Wish They'd Added

Based on feedback from our repeat travellers, the three most-wished-for additions on a first trip are the Terracotta Warriors (if the first trip didn't include Xi'an), a Yangtze River cruise (the cruise element adds a completely different pace), and giant pandas in Chengdu (universally beloved by everyone who visits).

Can You Combine First and Second Trip Experiences?

Absolutely. Our longer tours already do this. Exquisite China (21 days) covers Beijing, Lijiang, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie, a Yangtze cruise, and Shanghai — combining classic highlights with deeper exploration in a single trip. If you have three weeks and want to do it all at once, this is the tour.

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