Family itinerary

China Visit 2026

June 17 to July 15, 2026

29 calendar days
6 main stops
21 planned entries

Destination photos

Places on the route

Shanghai skyline viewed from the Bund
Shanghai Pudong skyline from the Bund Wikimedia Commons
Tea plantation on Mount Mogan near Deqing
Deqing Tea terraces on Mount Mogan Wikimedia Commons
Leifeng Pagoda seen across West Lake in Hangzhou
Hangzhou West Lake and Leifeng Pagoda Wikimedia Commons
Nantong skyline along the Hao River
Nantong Skyline along the Hao River Wikimedia Commons
Meridian Gate entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing
Beijing Forbidden City Meridian Gate Wikimedia Commons
Sanya Bay coastline in Hainan
Hainan Sanya Bay coastline Wikimedia Commons

Trip calendar

Where we are each day

Travel Shanghai Deqing Hangzhou Nantong Beijing Hainan

June 2026

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17RDU to PVG
18Shanghai
19
20
21
22
23Deqing
24Hangzhou
25Nantong
26
27
28Shanghai
29
30Beijing

July 2026

1Beijing
2
3
4Hainan
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13Shanghai
14
15PVG to RDU
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31

Agenda

Day-by-day plan

21 entries

Trip start · Wednesday · Travel

Depart for China

DL 1388 departs RDU at 5:45 AM and arrives DTW at 7:35 AM. DL 389 departs DTW at 12:15 PM and arrives Shanghai Pudong at 3:20 PM on Thursday, June 18.

Scheduled flights: DL 1388 5:45 AM-7:35 AM, then DL 389 12:15 PM-3:20 PM +1 day; arrives Shanghai Thu Jun 18

DL 1388DL 389Family
Day 1 · Thursday · Shanghai

Arrive in Shanghai

Land in Shanghai and settle in. Draft notes mention Xin Guang Hotel / Yi Hotel.

Total travel: ~1-2h after landing for immigration, luggage, airport transfer, and check-in

ArrivalHotel
Day 2 · Friday · Shanghai

Business visit and Waigang

Morning business activity, then Shanghai Jiading Waigang area, shopping, walking, and an easy afternoon.

Total travel: ~1-2h local Shanghai / Jiading-Waigang transfers

JiadingWaigangBusiness
Day 3 · Saturday · Shanghai

Classic Shanghai day

People's Square, Nanjing Road, Oriental Pearl Tower, and an evening Huangpu River cruise.

Total travel: ~2-3h across metro, taxi, walking, and Huangpu cruise access

People's SquareNanjing RoadHuangpu Cruise
Day 4 · Sunday · Shanghai

Slow day in Waigang

Relax, walk, and keep the day open around Waigang.

Total travel: light local movement, ~30-60m

WalkOpen time
Day 5 · Monday · Shanghai

Shanghai Disney

Full day at Shanghai Disney Resort.

Total travel: ~1.5-2.5h round trip for Shanghai Disney transfers

DisneyTheme park
Day 6 · Tuesday · Deqing

Travel to Deqing

Head to Deqing and spend the rest of the day relaxing.

Total travel: ~2.5-4h door-to-door; HSR ~1h16-1h42 or car ~2h30

DeqingRelax
Day 7 · Wednesday · Hangzhou

Hangzhou West Lake

Visit West Lake and take a boat ride on the water.

Total travel: ~1-2h door-to-door; HSR ~16-25m or drive ~30-45m

West LakeBoat
Day 8 · Thursday · Nantong

Morning rest, then Nantong

Relax in the morning, then travel to Nantong in the afternoon.

Total travel: ~3-4.5h door-to-door; train ~2h12-2h22 or car ~2h40-3h10

NantongTransfer
Day 9 · Friday · Nantong

Business and dinner

Business day with a factory visit, followed by dinner together.

Total travel: ~1-2h local Nantong transfers for factory visit

Factory visitDinner
Day 10 · Saturday · Nantong

Family visit

Family visit day in Nantong.

Total travel: light local family visits, ~30-90m

Family
Day 11 · Sunday · Shanghai

Return to Shanghai

Relax in the morning and drive back to Shanghai.

Total travel: ~2.5-4h door-to-door; train ~1h12-1h46 or car/bus ~2h30

DriveReturn
Day 12 · Monday · Shanghai

Relax in Shanghai

Open day in Shanghai before the Beijing leg.

Total travel: light local Shanghai movement, ~30-90m

Open timeShanghai
Day 13 · Tuesday · Beijing

Train to Beijing

Travel by train from Shanghai to Beijing.

Total travel: ~6-8h door-to-door; HSR ~4h18-6h or flight ~2h15 airborne

TrainBeijing
Day 14 · Wednesday · Beijing

Tiananmen and Palace Museum

Beijing sightseeing around Tiananmen Square, the Palace Museum, Jingshan, and Qianmen if time allows.

Total travel: ~1.5-3h local Beijing sightseeing transfers

TiananmenPalace MuseumJingshan
Day 15 · Thursday · Beijing

Summer Palace route

Draft options include the Summer Palace, Yuanmingyuan, Tsinghua, and Peking University.

Total travel: ~1.5-3h local Beijing transfers for Summer Palace / university area

Summer PalaceYuanmingyuanUniversities
Day 16 · Friday · Beijing

Great Wall or city temples

Draft notes list the Great Wall, with Temple of Heaven / Beihai as alternate Beijing options.

Total travel: ~3-5h round trip for Great Wall option by car/bus

Great WallTemple of HeavenFlexible
Day 17 · Saturday · Hainan

Fly to Hainan

Fly to Hainan and begin the beach portion of the trip, planned for July 4 to July 12.

Total travel: ~7-9h door-to-door; flight ~4h05-4h25 plus airport time

FlightBeach stay
Day 18 · Monday · Shanghai

Fly back to Shanghai

Return flight from Hainan to Shanghai.

Total travel: ~5.5-7h door-to-door; flight ~2h35-3h10 plus airport time

FlightShanghai
Day 19 · Tuesday · Shanghai

Shanghai reset day

Relax in Shanghai and keep the day light before flying home.

Total travel: light local Shanghai movement, ~30-90m

PackingOpen time
Day 20 · Wednesday · Travel

Fly back

DL 388 departs Shanghai Pudong at 10:00 AM and arrives DTW at 12:15 PM on Wednesday, July 15. DL 1407 departs DTW at 3:50 PM and arrives RDU at 5:37 PM.

Scheduled flights: DL 388 10:00 AM-12:15 PM, then DL 1407 3:50 PM-5:37 PM; arrives RDU Wed Jul 15

DL 388DL 1407Flight home
Travel time estimates Checked May 17, 2026
Outbound flights · Wed Jun 17 DL 1388 RDU 5:45 AM → DTW 7:35 AM; DL 389 DTW 12:15 PM → PVG 3:20 PM +1 day

The Detroit to Shanghai leg arrives Thursday, June 18 local China time.

Shanghai → Deqing High-speed train: ~1h 16m-1h 42m

Car: ~2h 30m. Flight: not practical.

Deqing → Hangzhou High-speed train: ~16m-25m

Direct drive: ~30-45m. This is an easy short hop.

Hangzhou → Nantong Direct train: ~2h 12m-2h 22m

Car: ~2h 40m-3h 10m. Flight: not practical.

Nantong → Shanghai Train: ~1h 12m-1h 46m

Car/bus: usually ~2h 30m, traffic-dependent.

Shanghai → Beijing High-speed train: ~4h 18m-6h

Flight: ~2h 15m airborne, roughly ~5h door-to-door. Train is the calmer default.

Beijing → Hainan Flight: ~4h 05m-4h 25m

Use Haikou or Sanya depending on the beach base. Rail/drive is not sensible.

Hainan → Shanghai Flight: ~2h 35m-3h 10m

Haikou flights are about 3h to Shanghai; Sanya is similar or a little longer.

Return flights · Wed Jul 15 DL 388 PVG 10:00 AM → DTW 12:15 PM; DL 1407 DTW 3:50 PM → RDU 5:37 PM

The return reaches Raleigh on Wednesday, July 15 local time.

Add station/airport transfer time, security, luggage, and summer traffic. Recheck exact trains and flights when tickets open.

Source notes

Original itinerary photos

Handwritten itinerary covering Shanghai through Hainan and the return to Shanghai
Main route draft
Handwritten detail notes for Beijing and Hainan
Beijing and Hainan notes