Illustrative sample. Format and logic of a real plan; rules and hours shown were checked on 2026-10-29 and must be re-checked against the official source before any real trip. Not a verified 2027 timetable.
Sample plan · 2 adults · home US Eastern · 10 days, April 2027
Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Shanghai — ten days
Three nights in Beijing, two in Xi’an, two in Chengdu, three in Shanghai. One big thing per day, rest built in, and every booking that opens on a fixed hour turned into an alarm in New York time.
The booking-alarm sheet
Sample booking-alarm sheet · illustrative · home time zone US Eastern
| What | Opens (Beijing) | Opens (your time) | For your date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palace Museum (Forbidden City) | 7 days before · 20:00, released in batches after 20:00 | same day · 08:00 | Wed 14 Apr 2027 → alarm Wed 7 Apr, 07:50 |
| Shaanxi History Museum | 5 days before · 17:00 | same day · 05:00 | Fri 16 Apr 2027 → alarm Sun 11 Apr, 04:50 |
| High-speed train Xi’an → Chengdu | per official sales window | converted in your file | listed with fallback trains |
Alarms are set ten minutes before release. Get the two sample alarms as a calendar file.
Day by day
Day 1 · Mon 12 Apr
Běijīng — arrive
Land, get to the hotel, short walk around the neighbourhood. First real-world payment: a drink or snack, using the app you tested at home.
Day 2 · Tue 13 Apr
Běijīng — hutongs and a hill
Morning in the hutong lanes north of the centre; afternoon up Jǐngshān Park for the view over the palace roofs. Early night.
Day 3 · Wed 14 Apr
Běijīng — Palace Museum
Palace Museum in the morning (closed Mondays). Entry with the same document you booked with. Afternoon free.
Booking: Booked on Wed 7 Apr at 20:00 Beijing = 08:00 your time; tickets are released in batches after 20:00, so keep trying for about 40 minutes. No same-day tickets. One ticket per document per day.
Day 4 · Thu 15 Apr
Běijīng → Xī’ān by high-speed train
Morning train (about 4½–6 hours). Evening walk on the city wall or around the old quarter.
Booking: Train sales open per the official railway window — converted in your file, with two fallback trains [verify monthly].
Day 5 · Fri 16 Apr
Xī’ān — Shaanxi History Museum
Museum in the morning; free, real-name entry. Afternoon slow: the old-quarter food streets or a nap.
Booking: Booked on Sun 11 Apr at 17:00 Beijing = 05:00 your time. Foreign visitors book through the museum’s official WeChat account. Cancellations count towards the monthly limit; a no-show can block bookings for months. Visitors aged 65+ have been able to enter without booking, with their document [verify monthly].
Day 6 · Sat 17 Apr
Xī’ān → Chéngdū
Terracotta Army early, before the groups; late-afternoon train to Chengdu (about 3–4 hours).
Booking: Terracotta Army: book through the official site as soon as your date is live [verify monthly].
Day 7 · Sun 18 Apr
Chéngdū — pandas and tea
Giant panda base at opening time (the animals are most active early); afternoon in a teahouse in People’s Park.
Booking: Panda base: real-name booking through the official channel [verify monthly].
Day 8 · Mon 19 Apr
Chéngdū → Shànghǎi
Flight or long train. Evening on the Bund.
Day 9 · Tue 20 Apr
Shànghǎi — museum and lanes
Shanghai Museum in the morning; former French Concession lanes in the afternoon.
Booking: Museum: free, timed reservation through the official channel [verify monthly].
Day 10 · Wed 21 Apr
Shànghǎi — depart
Slow morning, airport by metro or maglev.
Setup test — at home, ten minutes
- Install the payment app you’ll use, link your card, and make one small test payment at home.
- If the app asks for an SMS code, write down which phone number it expects — and check your phone plan’s roaming in China before you leave.
- Create your rail booking account at home. The name must match the travel document you will carry.
- Save each hotel’s address in Chinese characters (from the booking confirmation) as a screenshot, for taxis.
- Download offline maps and a translation app with offline packs.
- Carry a small amount of cash and one backup card in a different place.
If a payment fails at a counter: try the second card in the app, then a card terminal if there is one, then cash. Don’t retry the same card more than twice in a row.
A rehearsal, not a guarantee: it catches most problems at home, but can’t promise every payment will work on the day.
Want one for your dates?
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Entry rules depend on your passport — see the National Immigration Administration. We don’t book for you and we’re not affiliated with any museum, railway, payment app or government body.