For food and city life
Chengdu and Chongqing offer a useful contrast in pace. Give each city several nights and treat the transfer as part of the trip, not an invisible gap.
For history and architecture
Beijing and Shanghai offer different ways to read a city. With limited time, choose fewer major attractions and more room to explore their surrounding neighborhoods.
For landscape lovers
Build Zhangjiajie into the route with weather flexibility. Check connections before combining it with distant cities and avoid a tight onward departure after a mountain outing.
Make the route your own
The best sequence depends on your arrival city, mobility, travel dates and appetite for moving hotels. Start with a rough shape, then verify transport before committing.