2013's Ten-Day Vacation Winner: China
There are a billion reasons to visit China—and one of them is a bullet train that recently broke the world speed record in testing. The line, slated to open in 2013, will connect the country’s highlights: Beijing (Forbidden City and Great Wall), Xi’an (Terracotta Warriors), and Chengdu (giant pandas). Chengdu to Xi’an will take two hours, not 13 to 17; Beijing to Chengdu will take six hours, not 26. And there’s no shortage of places to stay: 1,200 hotels are being built in China over the next two years—more than in any other country worldwide.

Read more on traveling to Beijing, Xi'an, and Chengdu.
Check out the best hotels in Beijing, Xi’an, and Chengdu.

Could you use $2,500 toward your next vacation? Enter our Operation Vacation Sweepstakes for a chance to win! And while you’re there, check out more of our recommendations for the best trips in 2013. Whether you have two, four, or seven days to spare, we have the trip for you.