5-Day China: Beijing & Shanghai Itinerary
By the China for Travelers editorial team · Published 2026-06-06 · Updated 2026-09-04 · 5 days · Beijing · Shanghai
Compiled by our Chongqing-based editorial team. This plan draws on aggregated 2024–2026 r/travelchina trip reports, official attraction information and published itineraries. The Beijing→Shanghai high-speed-rail time and price are pulled live from our 12306-sampled rail dataset, not estimated.
Budget. Budget roughly US$120–200 per person per day excluding international flights — a short trip front-loads cost into tickets and one HSR leg (~¥553–700 second class). See our China trip-cost guide for a per-day breakdown by travel style. Full cost breakdown →
Day by day
Day 1Beijing
Arrive Beijing
- Transfer to a central hotel (Wangfujing / Qianmen — walkable to the core sights)
- Set up Alipay / WeChat Pay + an eSIM tonight; a short Qianmen / hutong walk to fight jet lag
Getting around · Amap-verified
- MetroAirport (PEK / PKX) → Central Beijing1h–1h20mAirport Express + one metro transfer — see the PEK and PKX airport guides
- CarAirport (PEK / PKX) → Central Beijing50m–1h20mPrivate transfer — easiest with luggage after a long-haul flightBook a private airport transfer →
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Day 2Beijing
Forbidden City, Tiananmen, Temple of Heaven
- Tiananmen Square early, then the Forbidden City south-to-north on a pre-booked timed ticket (passport at the gate)
- Jingshan hill behind it for the rooftop panorama
- Temple of Heaven in the late afternoon for the park life; Wangfujing dinner
What to know before you go
Temple of Heaven 天坛公园
- Last entry
- park 21:00; monuments 17:30 summer, 16:30 winter — the monuments’ clock is the one that decides the visit
- Ticket
- through-ticket ¥34 1 April–31 October / ¥28 in winter; park-gate only ¥15 / ¥10
- On a passport
- Passport at the gate. Buying the cheap park ticket to save money is the classic mistake here — it covers the trees and not the Hall of Prayer.
- Getting in
- Tiantan East Gate on Line 5 puts you at the gate nearest the Hall of Prayer, which is the end most people want to start from.
Getting around · Amap-verified
- WalkForbidden City (north gate) → Jingshan Park≈9 min700 m across Jingshan Front Street — the climb is the panorama the day is built around
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Day 3Beijing
Great Wall day trip (Mutianyu)
- Full day at Mutianyu — cable car up, toboggan down, fewer crowds than Badaling
- Back in the city for an early night before the Shanghai leg
Getting around · Amap-verified
- CarCentral Beijing → Mutianyu Great Wall1h30m–2h≈72 km; Amap off-peak drive 1h32m, tour coaches budget 2h each way
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Day 4Shanghai
Morning HSR to Shanghai, the Bund
Beijing → Shanghai by high-speed rail4h 18m · ¥626 – ¥695 2nd class · 51 trains/day
- Morning high-speed train Beijing → Shanghai (the flagship corridor — see the rail card for the exact time)
- Afternoon arrival, check in near the Bund
- Evening: the Bund waterfront for the Pudong skyline at night
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Day 5Shanghai
Yu Garden, French Concession, depart
- Yu Garden + bazaar early, then a fast French Concession walk (Wukang Road)
- Transfer to PVG (Maglev from Longyang Road) or SHA for the flight home
What to know before you go
Yu Garden 豫园
- Last entry
- 16:00 — the 16:30 figure is when the garden is cleared, not when you can still get in
- Ticket
- ¥40 in peak season (1 April to 30 June and 1 September to 30 November) and ¥30 in the low season (1 July to 31 August and 1 December to 31 March)
- On a passport
- a passport works at the window. ⚠️ The garden is small and the bazaar is not — budget an hour inside the walls and treat the rest of the block as a separate, free, much later-opening thing.
- Getting in
- Metro Lines 10 and 14 stop at 豫园. ⚠️ The station is named for the bazaar it sits under, not for the garden gate — the ticketed garden is a few hundred metres further in, past the crowds most visitors mistake for it.
The former French Concession 上海法租界
- Hours
- the streets are open at every hour; shops and cafés set their own, and the lanes are at their best late morning to early evening
- Ticket
- Free — it is a district of streets, and nothing about walking it is ticketed
- On a passport
- the plane trees are the attraction and they cost nothing. ⭐ The value here is a whole afternoon of walking rather than any single address, which is why it survives a rainy day better than the towers do.
- Getting in
- Tianzifang is beside 打浦桥 on Line 9. ⭐ But the Concession is better entered on foot from the east and walked west — the point is the streets between the landmarks, not the landmarks.
Getting around · Amap-verified
- MetroYu Garden → French Concession (Wukang Rd)≈40 minMetro Line 10 or 14 + a short hop
- MaglevLongyang Road → Pudong Airport (PVG)≈25 minThe Shanghai Maglev covers the 30 km in ≈8 min at a capped 300 km/h (its record 431 km/h has been suspended since 2021)
- CarCentral Shanghai → Pudong Airport (PVG)45m–1h10mDoor-to-door private transfer with luggage — alternative to the MaglevBook a private airport transfer →
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FAQ
- Is 5 days enough for Beijing and Shanghai?
- Yes, for the highlights of each. Five days gives Beijing three days (Forbidden City, Great Wall, Temple of Heaven) and Shanghai two (the Bund, Yu Garden, French Concession), linked by one high-speed-rail leg. It skips Xi'an and the Terracotta Army — add those and you want at least 7–10 days.
- Should I fly or take the train between Beijing and Shanghai?
- Take the train. The Beijing–Shanghai high-speed line is China's flagship corridor — about 4.5–6 hours centre-to-centre, frequent departures, and you skip airport-security overhead. The day-4 rail card shows the live duration, price and frequency from our 12306-sampled dataset.
- Beijing first or Shanghai first?
- Beijing first is the usual choice: the heavier sightseeing (Great Wall, Forbidden City) is front-loaded while you have energy, and Shanghai at the end is an easier wind-down with strong departure connections (PVG/SHA).
- How much does a 5-day Beijing + Shanghai trip cost?
- Roughly US$120–200 per person per day excluding international flights, depending on hotel tier, plus one HSR leg (~¥553–700 second class). See our China trip-cost guide for a full breakdown by budget / mid-range / comfort.
Adapt this plan
Method. Inter-city rail figures (duration, price, trains/day) are pulled live from our 12306-sampled rail dataset and link to the full route page — they are not estimated or duplicated here. The within-day “getting around” times — airport runs, the Great Wall / Terracotta Army / Panda Base day trips, and the marked walking legs — are derived from Amap (高德地图) routing sampled in May 2026 and baked in at build time. The day-by-day editorial plan’s sourcing is disclosed in the note above the fold. Tour inventory, ticket prices and opening policies change — verify specifics before you commit. Last reviewed 2026-09-04.