If you love nature and food, we recommend this Southwest route: Chengdu → Chongqing → Guilin, 7 days. See pandas and eat Sichuan food in Chengdu, eat hotpot and see night views in Chongqing, see Li River scenery in Guilin. This route is cooler and more relaxed than the northern route, perfect for slow travel.
Arrive in Chengdu on day 1. Afternoon: Giant Panda Breeding Research Base (go early, pandas sleep in the afternoon). Evening: Jinli or Kuanzhai Alley, eat hotpot. Day 2: Dujiangyan and Mount Qingcheng, see the world-famous water conservancy project. Day 3: in Chengdu city—People's Park for tea, Sichuan opera face-changing.
Take the high-speed train to Chongqing on day 4 (about 1.5 hours). Chongqing is a mountain city, buildings are staggered high and low, very magical. Afternoon: Hongyadong for Spirited Away-style night view, evening: authentic Chongqing hotpot. Day 5: Wulong Karst, the filming location of "Curse of the Golden Flower."
Take the high-speed train to Guilin on day 6 (about 4.5 hours). Day 7: take a Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo, see "Guilin scenery under heaven." Evening: wander Yangshuo West Street, eat beer fish.
This route is "great food + beautiful scenery." Sichuan food in Chengdu, hotpot in Chongqing, beer fish in Guilin—among China's best food. The scenery is also stunning: Mount Qingcheng, Wulong Karst, Li River, all top-tier. Budget: about 6,000-8,000 RMB per person.
