# Beijing or Shanghai for a first trip to China

Come to Beijing for imperial history and the Great Wall. Come to Shanghai for skyline, food, museums and lanes, with fewer sights that need booking ahead ([1](https://chinafootnotes.com/shanghai) · [2](https://chinafootnotes.com/beijing) · [8](https://chinafootnotes.com/api/cities)). With a week or more, do both: direct trains take as little as 4 h 18 min ([13](https://kyfw.12306.cn/otn/leftTicket/init)).

## Which city should I pick?

Beijing is the palace, the Wall and the old central axis; our rating cites five UNESCO listings in the city ([8](https://chinafootnotes.com/api/cities)). Shanghai is a skyline, riverfront and lane houses: 76 buildings over 200 m ([8](https://chinafootnotes.com/api/cities)); the deck on Shanghai Tower, 546 m up, is what its place page calls China's highest observation deck ([Top of Shanghai](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/top-of-shanghai-observatory)). The difference you will feel most is booking: 9 of our 20 Beijing sights need it, against 7 of our 50 in Shanghai ([1](https://chinafootnotes.com/shanghai) · [2](https://chinafootnotes.com/beijing) · [5](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/book-ahead)).

A short film of the brick miniatures on our Shanghai map (not to scale); explore them on the [Shanghai](https://chinafootnotes.com/shanghai) page.

## How do they compare?

Our stars are our editorial judgement relative to the other cities on the site, not an official ranking ([8](https://chinafootnotes.com/api/cities)). Beijing wins on history and nature, Shanghai on cityscape and shopping, and food is level ([8](https://chinafootnotes.com/api/cities)).

Our editorial ratings (stars out of 5, relative to the cities on this site; Plan ahead: more = book earlier):

| Dimension | Beijing | Shanghai |
|---|---|---|
| History & heritage | 5 of 5 | 3 of 5 |
| Food | 4 of 5 | 4 of 5 |
| Modern cityscape | 3 of 5 | 5 of 5 |
| Nature & scenery | 3 of 5 | 1 of 5 |
| Shopping | 4 of 5 | 5 of 5 |
| Plan ahead | 5 of 5 | 2 of 5 |

[Beijing](https://chinafootnotes.com/beijing) · [Shanghai](https://chinafootnotes.com/shanghai)

Both metros take a foreign contactless card by tap ([6](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/getting-around)). The [Getting around](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/getting-around) page covers the rest.

Photo: A Shanghai Metro turnstile with a QR-code reader and a ticket-card sensor, with Chinese and English prompts. A Shanghai Metro gate with a QR-code reader and a ticket-card sensor (Songhong Road station, 2018; hardware may have changed since). Credit: Shwangtianyuan · [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:QR_Code_Scanner_equipped_with_a_turnstile_in_Songhong_Road_Station.jpg).

## Who suits Beijing?

Come for the [Forbidden City](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/forbidden-city), the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and a Great Wall day at [Mutianyu](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/mutianyu-great-wall) ([2](https://chinafootnotes.com/beijing) · [8](https://chinafootnotes.com/api/cities)). Plan bookings from a week to a month out: the Forbidden City releases tickets at 20:00 China time seven days before, and Mutianyu sells up to 30 days ahead ([Forbidden City](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/forbidden-city) · [Mutianyu](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/mutianyu-great-wall)). Mutianyu is a full day, about 210 minutes from Tiananmen Square by the site's editorial estimate ([Mutianyu](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/mutianyu-great-wall)). Winter is cold and dry, with January lows around -7 °C ([7](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/when-to-go)). See all [Beijing places](https://chinafootnotes.com/beijing).

Photo: The Mutianyu Great Wall across autumn hills. ([Mutianyu](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/mutianyu-great-wall)) Credit: Francesco Bini · [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AMutianyu%2C_grande_muraglia_cinese%2C_veduta_%28autunno_2024%29_11.jpg).

Weekly closing days:

- Monday: [Forbidden City](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/forbidden-city), [Mao Mausoleum](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/chairman-mao-memorial-hall), [National Museum](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/national-museum-of-china), [Prince Kung's](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/prince-kungs-mansion)

## Who suits Shanghai?

Come to walk: the [Bund](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/the-bund) is free and open 24 hours, and the Lujiazui decks are ticketed and timed ([The Bund](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/the-bund) · [Top of Shanghai](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/top-of-shanghai-observatory)). Most Shanghai sights here are walk-in; the 7 that need booking are mainly museums and Disneyland ([1](https://chinafootnotes.com/shanghai) · [8](https://chinafootnotes.com/api/cities)). Museum days need care: Yuyuan Garden and Shanghai Museum on People's Square close on Monday, Shanghai Museum East and the Natural History Museum on Tuesday ([Yuyuan Garden](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/yuyuan-garden) · [Shanghai Museum](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-museum-peoples-square) · [Museum East](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-museum-east) · [Natural History](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-natural-history-museum)). Winter is cold and damp, and the June plum rain and the July to September typhoon risk matter ([7](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/when-to-go)). Hangzhou is about 45 minutes from Hongqiao by direct train and rates 5 stars for nature ([13](https://kyfw.12306.cn/otn/leftTicket/init) · [8](https://chinafootnotes.com/api/cities)); see [Shanghai](https://chinafootnotes.com/shanghai) and [Hangzhou](https://chinafootnotes.com/hangzhou).

Photo: The illuminated historic buildings of the Bund reflected in the Huangpu River at night. ([The Bund](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/the-bund)) Credit: Lloyd Tudor · [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Bund,_Shanghai_at_night.jpg).

## What needs booking ahead?

When tickets open, counted back from your visit (China time):

- 30 days before: [Mutianyu](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/mutianyu-great-wall)
- 10 days before: [Prince Kung's](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/prince-kungs-mansion) (20:00)
- 7 days before: [Forbidden City](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/forbidden-city) (20:00), [National Museum](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/national-museum-of-china) (17:00), [Tiananmen Sq.](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/tiananmen-square), [Natural History](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-natural-history-museum), [Urban Planning](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-urban-planning-exhibition-hall), [Science Museum](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-science-and-technology-museum), [Astronomy Museum](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-astronomy-museum) (09:30)
- 6 days before: [Mao Mausoleum](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/chairman-mao-memorial-hall)
- Own rules: [Disneyland](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-disneyland) (Buy dated tickets ahead on official channels), [Lama Temple](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/lama-temple) (Reserve and buy in the official WeChat account), [Bell & Drum Towers](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/beijing-bell-and-drum-towers) (Book through 北京钟鼓楼 WeChat account), [Universal Beijing](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/universal-beijing-resort) (Buy dated ticket; reserve flexible products), [Shanghai Museum](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-museum-peoples-square) (Buy a timed ticket first (Americas show, to Nov 2027)), [Soong Ching Ling](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/soong-ching-ling-memorial-residence) (Buy in the WeChat mini-program first)

Book with the passport you will carry ([5](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/book-ahead)). Two traps: the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall booking site logs in with a mainland mobile number, so a foreign number may not work, and the National Museum is best booked on its English website with your passport ([Mao Mausoleum](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/chairman-mao-memorial-hall) · [National Museum](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/national-museum-of-china)). Until 14 November 2027 the People's Square building shows a single ticketed exhibition, The World Tree: Ancient Civilizations of the Americas (¥148 adult); the Chinese bronzes and ceramics are at Museum East, where entry is free ([Shanghai Museum](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-museum-peoples-square) · [Museum East](https://chinafootnotes.com/places/shanghai-museum-east)). Details are on [Book ahead](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/book-ahead).

## Can I do both?

Yes, by train. Tickets go on sale 15 days ahead, counting the travel day ([10](https://mobile.12306.cn/weixin/wxcore/ysqcx?type=null)). Stations, sale times and passports are on the [Getting around](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/getting-around) page.

Photo: The central waiting hall of Beijing South Railway Station, with blue seats between numbered gate counters under a ribbed roof. The waiting hall at Beijing South Railway Station, the station for Shanghai-bound trains (August 2022). Credit: 颐园居 · [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beijing_South_Railway_Station_20220831.jpg).

By high-speed train (fastest direct train on the date checked; times change with the timetable):

- Beijing to Shanghai: Beijing South to Shanghai Hongqiao, from 4 h 18 min (G25), [China Railway 12306](https://www.12306.cn/)

A simple seven days is Beijing for about 3.5 and Shanghai for 3: take the 17:00 train on day 4 and you reach Shanghai at 21:18 ([13](https://kyfw.12306.cn/otn/leftTicket/init)). For longer routes see [First trip to China: routes](https://chinafootnotes.com/notes/first-trip-routes).

Photo: The main waiting hall of Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station seen from a balcony, with rows of seats, ticket gates and advertising screens under a long skylit roof. Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station's waiting hall, where the Beijing trains arrive (March 2026). Credit: 颐园居 · [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hongqiao_Railway_Station_Waiting_Hall_20260322.jpg).

## When to go

Both are best from mid-April to May and mid-October to November, and both are crowded in the 1 to 7 October week, around 1 to 5 May and at Chinese New Year ([7](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/when-to-go)).

_Ratings are editorial readings of public indicators checked on 2026-10-06; train times are from 12306 queries for 17 and 20 October 2026 ([8](https://chinafootnotes.com/api/cities) · [13](https://kyfw.12306.cn/otn/leftTicket/init))._

## Sources

Numbers in brackets point to these sources; place names point to our place pages, which carry their own sources and check dates. Published 2026-10-09. Checked 2026-10-09.

- 1. [China Footnotes, Shanghai city page](https://chinafootnotes.com/shanghai) · read 2026-10-09 · site
- 2. [China Footnotes, Beijing city page](https://chinafootnotes.com/beijing) · read 2026-10-09 · site
- 5. [China Footnotes, Book ahead](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/book-ahead) · checked 2026-10-08 · site
- 6. [China Footnotes, Getting around](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/getting-around) · checked 2026-10-08 · site
- 7. [China Footnotes, When to go](https://chinafootnotes.com/before-you-go/when-to-go) · checked 2026-10-08 · site
- 8. [China Footnotes, cities data (ratings, reasons, areas, arrivals, next stops; six cities)](https://chinafootnotes.com/api/cities) · version 3f413bec8e5a, read 2026-10-09 · site
- 10. [12306 pre-sale period page](https://mobile.12306.cn/weixin/wxcore/ysqcx?type=null) · page date 2026-10-09 · official
- 13. [12306 ticket query (leftTicket), Beijing South, Shanghai Hongqiao, Hangzhou East](https://kyfw.12306.cn/otn/leftTicket/init) · queried 2026-10-09 for 2026-10-17 and 2026-10-20 · official

Cover picture: A forked path leads to two open doors: the Forbidden City in morning light and Shanghai's skyline at night, in a vintage screenprint illustration.