# Notes

> The questions travelers ask most, from picking cities and days to trains and bookings. Each note links its places to their checked pages and lists every source. Happy planning. 🚄

- [First trip to China: which cities, and 7-, 10- and 14-day routes](https://chinafootnotes.com/notes/first-trip-routes): Which cities to pick for a first China trip, 7-, 10- and 14-day routes with Hangzhou and Chongqing options, 12306 train times, what to book. Published 2026-10-09.
- [Beijing or Shanghai for a first trip to China](https://chinafootnotes.com/notes/beijing-or-shanghai): Which city suits a first trip, what needs booking ahead in each, and how to do both by high-speed train. Ratings, closed days and sources. Published 2026-10-09.
- [How many days in Shanghai, Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing and Hangzhou?](https://chinafootnotes.com/notes/how-many-days): What fits in 1 to 4 days in each of our six cities on a first trip, what to drop, and the closed days and booking windows. Sourced. Published 2026-10-09.