China Travel Tips
China is a bucket list tier destination for good reason. It’s a country with staggering contrasts: ancient historical sites, jaw-dropping scenery, fascinating culture and food, futuristic cities, and plenty more to cater to every type of traveler. If it’s your first time in China, you are in for a mind-blowing trip you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
We’ve visited before, and boy, has it changed! With the rapid development and implementation of visa policies to facilitate travel, it’s the perfect time to visit China. But, the language barrier, lack of resources in English, and logistical challenges can seem daunting and a little intimidating without the right preparation. Understanding what to expect when visiting China can make all the difference.
We’ve assembled our top China travel tips and advice to help you plan a trip to China, focusing on the mainland rather than its special administrative regions. Although our itinerary also included Hong Kong and Macau, travel there is generally smoother, thanks to familiar apps and less of a language barrier. So, without further ado, here are the things to know before visiting China.
Things to Know about Visiting China
Applying for Visa
After years of COVID restrictions, China finally reopened its doors to international visitors in 2023 and launched enticing transit visa programs for various nationalities in 2024. These short-term visas, ranging from 24 to 144 hours, are issued upon arrival in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and others. It allows you to explore the city where you land as long as you have onward tickets booked to depart from the same city. However, they don’t permit intercity travel. That’s a wonderful opportunity to add a stopover in China for those of you planning a holiday around Asia.
The transit visa didn’t cut it for us as we wanted to explore freely and visit lesser-known parts of China. To do that, you need to apply for a standard tourist visa. While applying for visas is rarely fun, China has streamlined the process by removing the need to present proof of roundtrip tickets, hotel reservations, and detailed itineraries. After consulting the Chinese embassy, the process is generally straightforward. You must ensure your passport has at least six months’ validity and two blank pages, complete the visa application form, provide proof of residence, and attend an in-person interview.
Best Time to Visit China
You can never go wrong traveling in the shoulder season – the weather is usually mild, prices are lower, and top attractions are less congested. In China, the shoulder seasons are mid-February to April and September to October. But even during the off-season, you may have to embrace the crowds at popular attractions like the Forbidden City. It would be wise to try to avoid traveling during Chinese holidays. With a population of 1.4 billion people eagerly traveling at the same time, you will be rubbing shoulders in thick crowds and battling for tickets if you don’t take into account the following dates. Unless you want to immerse yourself in the festivities, that is.
Chinese New Year: late January to mid-February
Labor Day: first week of May
National Day: first week of October
How to Plan Your China Itinerary
This is probably the most exciting part of planning a trip to China. If it’s your first time in China, you may want to focus on the bigger cities that house those iconic attractions on your bucket list. Start in a gateway city like Beijing or Shanghai, and add must-see destinations like Xi’an. These are the golden trio for Terracotta Warriors, Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and the glitzy Bund. For a futuristic side of China, go off the beaten path and include Chongqing and Hangzhou. Nature and hiking aficionados should include Zhangjiajie’s otherworldly landscapes, which inspired the scenery in the film Avatar. Intrepid travelers will love visiting the Three Gorges Dam and scenic spots of Yichang and taking photos with the world’s largest statues of Mao Zedong in Changsha. For a cultural twist, consider adding Macau or Hong Kong – the two special administrative regions of China. Our China destination guides will help you craft the perfect China itinerary.
Hot Tip: Be sure to check the weather by region and pack appropriately. Beijing and Xi’an have four distinct seasons, with snow in winter, while Shanghai alternates between wet and dry, remaining warm most of the year.
Payment Methods
China is largely a cashless society. Yes, cards like Visa and MasterCard are accepted at international hotels and shops in big cities, but payment apps are king even among street vendors. Installing these payment apps before arrival is the most important thing to do when you plan a trip to China. Download AliPay and WeChat, link your international card, and carry some Renminbi (about $100) only for emergencies.
AliPay is your Chinese e-wallet used not only for everyday payments but also for accessing the metro and buying transport tickets. WeChat, on the other hand, is multifunctional. It’s the preferred chatting app akin to WhatsApp and is also used to book attractions. Using these apps is as easy as scanning a QR code.
Hot Tip: You’ll rely on your phone constantly in China, so it’s imperative to always keep it charged. Carry a portable power bank on you or find one at rental hubs widely available all over the cities in China.
Transportation
We would take trains over planes any day. Luckily, in China, high-speed trains are often a faster and more convenient alternative to flying. Claiming the title of "the world’s longest bullet train network", the speeds on these trains range between 124 and 217 miles per hour and connect major cities efficiently. Trains are modern, punctual, and swift to board and deliver you right into city centers.
Tickets go on sale 15 days before departure, which is important to stay on top of as popular routes sell out quickly during busy periods. Buy your tickets ahead of time on Trip.com – the best China travel service in English used for everything, from reading reviews to purchasing tickets and booking flights and hotels.
Transportation in cities is seamless, too. The metro, bike-sharing, and ride-hailing services are easily accessible via your smartphone. The AliPay app covers metro tickets, which is the most affordable way to get around cities in China and skip traffic. And the DiDi app (China’s equivalent to Uber) makes car services hassle-free. Just copy-paste Chinese addresses from Trip.com. You may face communication issues if you take a regular taxi service, so make sure to prepare your addresses in Chinese and have a translation app handy.
Hot Tip: Be sure to always have your passport on you. Not only will you need to scan it to board trains and enter attractions, but it is also a legal requirement to carry the original on you at all times.
Accommodation
When you fly into China, it’s a requirement to register with the police within 24 hours. Large hotels handle this for foreign visitors, but smaller establishments may not be authorized to accept foreign passports. If you want to secure a booking in a small local hotel, be sure to ask where to proceed with registration. To simply your stay, book with international hotel chains or hotels advertised on Trip.com, which have the facilities to accommodate foreign visitors.
Accessing Foreign Sites
There are two Great Walls of China – the one in Beijing you are dying to see, and the other blocks foreign websites called the Great Firewall. This means Google, Meta, and many other sites will not be accessible to you in China. On the one hand, that’s a nice digital detox, on the other, you don’t want to be locked out of your email and banking while overseas. Install a VPN across all your devices before departing, and have a few backups just in case. Here is a list of VPNs recommended by China Highlights Travel Guide.
Staying Connected
Wi-Fi is ubiquitous in China but often requires a local number for activation. If you love going off the beaten path like us, you’ll need data to stay connected. Consider an eSIM for short trips of up to one week. The bonus is that using an eSIM can also bypass the need for a VPN since the server is based outside China. For extended stays, it’s worth getting a local SIM card for cheaper data and wider coverage.
Maps
You’ll notice when creating your China itinerary that finding sites and attractions on Google Maps isn’t always easy. While you can get by in big cities like Shanghai and Beijing, the more off the beaten path you go, the less accurate the directions will be and, at times, non-existent. The next best thing is Apple Maps. In Yichang, we had to lean on Baidu Maps to get around because the directions elsewhere were not reliable enough.
Although Baidu Maps is completely in Chinese, it recognizes the location typed in pinyin – the Romanized spelling of Chinese characters based on pronunciation. If you are traveling with a companion or multiple devices, you can use the translation camera function on one phone to decipher Baidu on the screen of the other simultaneously.
Language Barrier
The language barrier is probably one of the biggest concerns for travelers visiting China for the first time. English is spoken in major cities but less so off the beaten tourist track. Learn a few basic phrases and rely on translation apps. Google Translate is the trusty one that works with a VPN. You should also download Baidu Translate, which is more accurate with technical things and has a helpful voice function. Pleco is another popular translation app that works offline.
Cultural Customs
Cultural practices are important things to know before visiting China. Our advice is to be aware, open-minded, and embrace everything about the destination. You are a visitor passing through, so if you observe something different, be respectful and try to understand. Here are some etiquette tips.
China is conservative, so follow a modest dress code, especially if you are going to more rural places.
It's the norm to carry your own tissues or wet wipes.
Have a mask on you in case air pollution gets high and you have respiratory issues.
Be prepared for curious looks and to be asked for photos. Take it as a compliment and strike a pose as long as you feel comfortable.
You will quickly realize China is safe when you see the unbelievable surplus of CCTV. Still, keep your wits about you because pickpocketing and scams do happen.
Expect minimal personal space, especially noticeable in queues, which may be accompanied by some pushing. Be friendly but stern, or get left behind.
If you are invited somewhere by a local, bring a small gift as a token of appreciation.
Tipping is not expected.
Local Cuisine
Chinese cuisine is incredibly diverse, with varying levels of spice. If you are a foodie like us, learning more about local culinary traditions will be an important part of your China itinerary. Refer to our guide about Food in China and take a food tour in each region so you can familiarize yourself with the heritage and things to try.
Due to the language barrier, it might be harder to accommodate food requirements at local establishments. You may want to prepare a written note in Chinese and ask your hotel concierge to cross check it for you. Sharing style dining is the norm, especially when dining in a group. And whatever you do, never stick your chopsticks vertically into your rice bowl – it resembles a funerary symbol of joss sticks in a pot. When in doubt, sit back and observe what the locals are doing.
We hope these China travel tips and advice help you plan an unforgettable visit. Have you visited China? Share your tips and experiences in the comments below!