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For 80% of first-time visitors Palombo recommends starting in Beijing and…

2026-08-03 · 12:49 UTC ·@thealepalombo ·2 min read

Brief

Alessandro Palombo (Italian, married to a Beijing-born Chinese) advises most first-time visitors to China to begin in Beijing and Shanghai, hire a guide and car if possible, and avoid peak summer/winter. He warns against treating China as a one-week trip, recommends adding secondary cities only on 3+ week trips, and responds to expat pushes for Suzhou/Hangzhou/Guangzhou; thread dated 2026-08-03.

Why it matters

For 80% of first-time visitors Palombo recommends starting in Beijing and Shanghai, not Shenzhen, and to view China as more than a one-week destination; incorporate secondary cities only if you can stay 3+ weeks.

Key details

  • He advises hiring a guide and a car if possible and avoiding peak summer and peak winter; he claims China offers luxury "better than Dubai" at a fraction of the cost.
  • Author details and context: Alessandro Palombo (Italian) is married to a Beijing-born Chinese; the thread was published 2026-08-03 12:49:54+00:00 and pushes back against expat suggestions to prioritize Suzhou, Hangzhou, or Guangzhou as first stops.
Source evidence

"First time in Italy? Definitely skip Rome, too boring, go to Pienza or Mantova first".

I've read some comments from Westerners living in China getting angry because we didn't recommend, as a first introduction, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Guangzhou etc.

We stick with our advice for first-timers to China. For 80% of people, as a first introduction to China, start with Beijing and Shanghai. It'll work. We do recommend getting a guide and a car, if you can.

If you can stay 3+ weeks of course this changes everything and you should incorporate secondary cities.

I think many of you who live in China have lost touch with the reality of people who've never been to the region and may not be as familiar with Asia as you may think.

If you're an experienced traveler, someone who loves to plan adventures, has plenty of time or wants to backpack through Inner Mongolia, well clearly you are not in the 80% this first post is directed to.

I'll cover secondary cities in my next posts, if you like it. If you live in China and want to share your perspective, with some insights about your region, or propose alternative travel plans: share them, I'll repost them! I'm sure many will find them very interesting

Alessandro Palombo (@thealepalombo)

I'm Italian. My wife is Chinese, born in Beijing.

Many of you have asked how to visit China for the first time. So we sat down and prepared this 101: which cities, in what order, and how to do a first trip properly.

We are both international. She studied in the US and worked in Hong Kong, then Europe. I've lived in more countries than I can count. We know well what most of you will look for in this trip: this is the advice we give our closest friends.

The short version: start with Beijing and Shanghai, leave Shenzhen for a second trip, and don't treat China as a one-week destination. And mind the weather: avoid peak summer and peak winter.

The good news: you are going to luxury you have probably never seen, better than Dubai, at a fraction of the cost.
Thread 🧵

— https://nitter.net/thealepalombo/status/2083977352460267624#m