Two proven routes — a tight 10-day single-hub sprint, or a 30-day multi-city sweep. Pick by your visa route, budget and how many cities you want to haul.
Best on the 240-hour transit visa-free route. Base in one hub — Shanghai is the default — shop Nanjing Road and malls, do a day trip to Hangzhou (high-speed rail, ~1h) for silk and tea, and Suzhou for gardens and silk. Light, high-yield, low logistics.
Shanghai → Hangzhou → Suzhou → Nanjing. Flagship malls and the instant-refund pilot in Shanghai; silk/tea in Hangzhou; gardens + silk in Suzhou; history and commerce in Nanjing. Connected by fast, frequent rail. Strong for gifts and fashion.
Guangzhou → Shenzhen → (Hong Kong onward). Guangzhou wholesale and Baiyun; Shenzhen Huaqiangbei electronics; exit to Hong Kong for the transit leg. Best for electronics and volume buying.
Chengdu → Chongqing → Kunming. Chengdu gifts, spice and panda goods with instant refund; Chongqing megacity retail; Kunming spring-city gateway. Great for food gifts and a slower pace.
A 10-day single-hub sprint (Shanghai base + Hangzhou/Suzhou day trips) on the transit route, or a 30-day multi-city sweep (Yangtze Delta, Greater Bay, or Southwest) on the 30-day visa-free route.
The 240-hour transit visa-free allows travel within allowed areas, but most shoppers base in one hub to stay smooth; multi-city hopping fits the 30-day unilateral visa-free route better via high-speed rail.
The Greater Bay route — Guangzhou and Shenzhen (Huaqiangbei) — is best for electronics and volume buying, with an onward leg to Hong Kong.
Use instant refund in pilot cities (Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Chengdu, Sanya, parts of Guangdong) and the airport refund elsewhere; keep forms and goods for verification.
Policy numbers change. Before you book, confirm the current eligible-country lists, ports and participating tax-refund stores on the official English sources below.