If you’ve already read our post about why we chose China, this is where we get into the details — the actual day-by-day itinerary of our trip.
We spent about 12 days across three major Chinese cities: Chengdu, Chongqing, and Shanghai. That was just enough time to fully immerse ourselves in the food, culture, streets, and people of China
It was an incredible experience! Let us walk you through it.
Our Itinerary
We flew from Ho Chi Minh City to Chengdu as our first stop. Since we live in Vietnam — a tropical country — there was quite a temperature gap, especially since we chose to travel toward the end of the year.
I checked the weather beforehand and saw that Chengdu was the least cold compared to Chongqing and Shanghai. So we decided to start there to ease ourselves into the cooler climate.
The temperature in Chengdu at the time was around 8–12°C, which felt manageable — not too cold for us.
We stayed in Chengdu for about 6 days, which gave us plenty of time to explore the city’s most iconic spots.
Here’s a breakdown of our itinerary across all three cities. I’ll be writing separate, detailed posts for each destination so you can use them as a reference when planning your own trip.
- Chengdu
Duration: 6 days, 5 nights
Places we visited:
- Chunxi Road
- Taikoo Li at night
- IFS Shopping Mall
- Jinli Ancient Street
- Wuhou Shrine
- China Giant Panda Base
- Chengdu Library
- Streets around the Mercure Hotel
- Chongqing
Duration: 5 days, 4 nights
Places we visited:
- Chaotianmen Square
- Raffles City Shopping Mall
- Luohan Temple (Chongqing)
- River cruise on the Two Rivers
- Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street
- Hongya Cave
- Streets around the Hilton Chongqing — Zhong Shan San Lu, Du Zhong area
- Shanghai
Duration: 2 days, 1 night
- Haichang Shanghai Ocean Park
As I mentioned in our earlier post about our first time in China, there weren’t any convenient flights from Chongqing back to Ho Chi Minh City. So we “hitched a ride” through Shanghai for our flight home.
While we were there, we stopped by the Haichang Ocean Park in Shanghai to see the penguins, polar bears, dolphins, and the highlight — the Mermaid Fairy Tale Show. It was truly impressive!
You can watch the Mermaid Fairy Tale Show and explore Haichang Ocean Park in our video:
The City That Left the Biggest Impression
When it comes to impressions, each city left a different mark on me.
Chengdu — Peaceful and Adorable
Chengdu has this calming energy. The people are quiet and unhurried, and everything seems to move at its own gentle pace. What struck me was the contrast — it’s a massive, bustling city, yet it somehow feels peaceful and laid-back. I think that contradiction is exactly what made it so memorable.
On top of that, pandas are everywhere — phone charms, posters, bags, stuffed animals — which gives the whole city this incredibly cute vibe.
I’m sure I’ll be back in Chengdu before long!
Chongqing — A City Within a City
What blew me away about Chongqing were the buildings lit up at night and the roads layered on top of each other. A city within a city. A road within a road.
There’s literally a road above you and another one beneath your feet. The way the transportation infrastructure is built in Chongqing is mind-blowing — you can’t help but feel a sense of awe.
The city sits in a basin and is elevated compared to Chengdu, which explains the unusual, multi-level road structures. And then there are the lights — Chongqing’s buildings are absolutely covered in them. If you visit Hongya Cave at night, you’ll see the whole area glowing like something out of a storybook.
Shanghai — Modern and Polished
Shanghai is a modern, developed city where everything feels premium. We didn’t get to go deep into the city, but even from the airport, you could sense how advanced it was — one of China’s top-tier cities for sure.
Which City Is the Most Beautiful at Night?
At night, the central districts of all three cities are packed with people and buzzing with energy.
In Chengdu, Taikoo Li and Chunxi Road come alive after dark. In Chongqing, it’s the area around Chaotianmen Square and Raffles City.
For me, Chongqing wins the night. The sparkling lights are mesmerizing, and Hongya Cave at night has this magnetic, almost enchanting quality that really gets to you.
That said, the Taikoo Li area in Chengdu at night is also stunning — you walk through fashion boutiques designed in traditional Chinese architectural style, housing luxury brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel, all glittering under soft lights.
Chengdu at night is no less beautiful than Chongqing — just in a different way.
If We Could Go Back, Where Would We Go?
Chengdu, without a doubt. We have a real soft spot for it, and there are still places we didn’t get to visit — especially Mount Xiling Snow Mountain, which we had to skip due to a personal issue.
Second would be Shanghai, since we barely got to experience it.
China has so many more incredible destinations — Beijing, Nanjing, Qingdao — and we’ll definitely be making time to visit them in the future.
Final Thoughts
Thanks for taking the time to read this. We hope our itinerary gives you some useful ideas for planning your own China trip.
Feel free to use our itinerary as a starting point and adjust it to your own interests!
We wish you wonderful, unforgettable adventures on your journey.
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Disclaimer: This content is based entirely on our real, firsthand travel experience. Nothing here was written by AI or fabricated in any way. Every story, observation, and recommendation comes from what we actually saw, tasted, and lived through during our trip. All content is originally produced by Machan Walker.
