Decision
Beijing or Xi'an?
Two imperial capitals, three days to spare. Which one earns the short trip.
Compare
The China decisions travellers get stuck on
Four choices that change a China trip more than the packing list. Each one gets a table, a set of verdicts and the numbers behind them.
The short answer
Most China planning comes down to four choices: Beijing or Xi'an for a short trip, a private or a small-group trip, the Three Gorges by river or by land, and Tibet by train or by air. Each comparison below gives you a table, a verdict for your situation and the real numbers — fares, journey times and altitudes — so you can decide before you ask for a quote.
- Four comparisons cover the decisions most travellers stall on, from which city to see first to how to reach Tibet.
- Every table is built to be read in a minute, with fares in yuan, journey times in hours and altitudes in metres.
- Each page ends with verdicts — 'if you are X, pick Y, because Z' — rather than a compromise answer.
- Nothing here is our price: these are market fares and entry fees. We quote for your own dates.
Decision
Private or group?
Freedom for your party against the price and company of a small group.
Decision
Yangtze cruise or overland?
The Three Gorges from the river or from the bank, and who should choose each.
Decision
Tibet by train or flight?
Two hours in the air or 21 on the rails, and what each does to altitude.
How to use these pages
Each comparison is built the same way: a table you can read in under a minute, a set of verdicts that name a winner for a specific situation, and a longer explanation underneath. They are written to be skimmed first and read in full second.
The tables compare the two options on the things that actually change a trip — journey times, altitudes, cost, pace and who each one suits.
- Start with the table if you already know roughly what you want.
- Read the verdicts if you are weighing two specific situations.
- Use the FAQ below each table if you need exact fares or timings.
What the numbers are, and what they are not
Fares, entry tickets and journey times are current market prices and published timetables, given in yuan (¥) and hours. They change, so treat them as a baseline rather than a quotation.
Our own prices are not listed anywhere on the site. When you ask for a plan, the quote is built for your dates, your party and the hotels you choose, with named hotels and a day-by-day itinerary.
If your decision is not here
These four cover the choices travellers raise first, but they are not the only ones: Chengdu or Guilin, the Silk Road in May or in October, a rail pass or point-to-point tickets. Ask us and we will answer with the same kind of table.
Every enquiry is answered within one working day, by a consultant who has been to the places in question, and the answer costs nothing.