Your travel companion
A little know-how. A smoother trip.
From the first idea to your first bowl of noodles, find clear answers to the questions that come up along the way. Every guide includes its sources and the date it was checked.
Deciding to go
The big questions: entry requirements, timing and budget.
Can you enter China without a visa? The 2026 rules, plainly
Around 80 nationalities can now enter mainland China with no visa. Here is who qualifies, for how long, what the dates mean, and the trap most people miss.
240-hour visa-free transit in China, explained properly
Ten visa-free days in China on the way to somewhere else. The rules are specific and the eligible ports matter — here is how to actually qualify.
What a China trip actually costs
China is cheaper than most people expect for food and transport, and more expensive than they expect for hotels in big cities. Here is where the money really goes.
The worst times to visit China, and how to know next year's dates
Two weeks of the year are genuinely worth rearranging a trip around. The catch: next year's official holiday dates aren't published until late autumn.
The other visa-free routes into China most people miss
Beyond the 30-day scheme and 240-hour transit there are five more ways in without a visa — including a whole province, a cruise rule and a Hong Kong day-trip route.
China with limited mobility
China's metros, high-speed trains and newer scenic areas are often genuinely step-free, while its pavements, kerbs and historic sights frequently are not. An honest site-by-site and city-by-city account of what works, what needs booking, and what to leave off the list.
Before you fly
Sort the essentials now, so arrival feels easy.
How to use Alipay and WeChat Pay in China as a foreigner
China is nearly cashless and your credit card won't work in most places. Set up both wallets before you fly — here is exactly how, and what the fees are.
Do you need a VPN in China? Get an eSIM instead
A roaming eSIM gets you Google, WhatsApp and Instagram in China with no VPN, legally and reliably. It's the best twenty dollars you'll spend on the trip.
Why Chinese hotels turn foreigners away — and how to avoid it
Plenty of Chinese hotels cannot legally register a foreign guest, and you find out at check-in. Here's how to book around it.
Booking Chinese high-speed trains with a passport
China's rail network is the best way to move between cities. Booking it as a foreigner is easy once you know which channel to use.
What to pack for China (and what to leave behind)
China sells almost everything, cheaply. The packing list that matters is short, and it is mostly about the things you genuinely cannot buy or set up once you are there.
Landing in China: what actually happens, step by step
The arrival card is now online and free — and there are scam sites charging for it. Here is the whole sequence from plane door to kerb, plus the things you genuinely must not bring.
Cash and ATMs in China: how much to carry, and where to get it
China runs on QR codes, but the day your phone dies or Alipay's risk engine declines your card, cash is the whole plan. Here is how much, and which ATMs actually work.
Registering with the police in China
Every foreign visitor to China must have their address registered with the local police within 24 hours of arriving, and hotels do it for you but Airbnbs and friends' flats do not. Here is the law behind it, what to take to the station, what the fine is, and why it matters each time you change city.
On the ground
Practical help for the moments between the landmarks.
How to eat well in China without speaking Chinese
Most restaurants now order by QR code, in Chinese, with no waiter. Here is how that actually works, how to find the good places, and how to make a dietary requirement understood.
Is China safe for tourists? What the advisories actually say
Street crime is rare enough to be genuinely surprising. The risks every government actually warns about are different ones: arbitrary enforcement, exit bans, traffic, and a few things that are legal at home and not there.
Chinese etiquette for travellers: what actually matters
Most etiquette advice about China is either outdated or irrelevant to a tourist. Here is the short list of things that genuinely change how your trip goes.
Claiming China's departure tax refund as a tourist
Spend ¥200 in one shop in one day and you can claim VAT back on the way out. The rules got considerably more generous in 2025 and the paperwork mostly disappeared in 2026.
Getting around a Chinese city without speaking Chinese
The metro takes a QR code from Alipay in every major city, and DiDi solves the problem of pronouncing an address. Both work with a foreign card.
How to find the best food in China, and check it's still good
Any restaurant list goes stale within months. The durable skill is reading the Chinese apps and guides that locals actually use — here is how, without reading Chinese.
If something goes wrong in China
The emergency numbers that actually work, and the three-stage process for a lost passport that catches travellers out because an embassy document on its own will not let you board a flight home. Also hospitals, upfront payment, pharmacies, and getting the police report your insurer will demand.
Where to go
Get to know the places that make the journey.
Three days in Beijing, planned around the booking windows
A first-timer's Beijing, arranged so the things that sell out get booked in the right order and you never backtrack across the city.
Three days in Shanghai for a first visit
Shanghai needs less advance booking than Beijing and rewards wandering more. Here is a route that shows you the three cities Shanghai actually is.
Xi'an and Chengdu: five days, two very different cities
The classic second leg of a China trip. One city is Tang-dynasty history and the hardest museum booking in the country; the other is pandas, teahouses and the best food in China.
Guilin and Yangshuo: the karst landscape, done properly
The scenery on the ¥20 note, and the choice that decides the trip: which boat you take down the Li River, and whether you base yourself in Guilin or Yangshuo.
Visiting Tibet: the permit rules, which are unlike anywhere else in China
You cannot travel independently, you cannot apply for the permit yourself, and you cannot board the train without it. Here is how it actually works, and the timing that catches people out.
Hangzhou and Suzhou: lake, gardens, and the easiest days in China
Two cities under an hour from Shanghai by train, both largely free to walk, and both with the fiddliest free-ticket bookings in the country.
Yunnan: Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La, in the right order
The most rewarding slow travel in China, and the one region where altitude order matters: go up gradually, and the mountains are a pleasure rather than a headache.
Chongqing: the vertical city, and the Three Gorges cruise
A city built up a cliff where the metro runs through a tower block, and the usual upstream start of the Yangtze cruise. Most of the best of it is free.
Harbin in winter, and why you must check the dates yourself
The ice festival is the reason to go north, and its dates are announced late and can end early. Last season it closed three weeks ahead of schedule when the sculptures melted.
Shanxi: Pingyao's walled city and Datong's grottoes
The best-preserved walled city in China and a UNESCO cave complex, both a short train from Beijing — with two ticket rules that catch people out badly.
Zhangjiajie: the Avatar mountains, and the reservation that traps people
Three separate parks, three separate tickets, and a four-day pass that does not actually guarantee you can get back in. Here is how to plan it so the mountain is the hard part, not the booking.
Guangzhou and Shenzhen: the food trip with no queues
Two cities half an hour apart by train, 14 minutes from Hong Kong, holding the best eating in China and almost no foreign tourists. This guide covers how to split four days between them, what to eat, and why the theme parks and the tower are a waste of your time.
Nanjing: six capitals, one wall, and a memorial you need to prepare for
An hour and a quarter from Shanghai sits a city that was China's capital under six dynasties, with the country's most complete city wall and one of its most difficult museums. This guide gives a three-day shape, says plainly what the Massacre Memorial contains, and explains how locals actually eat salted duck.
Qingdao: German streets, Tsingtao draught, and buying your own dinner
A German colonial town grafted onto the Shandong coast, with a brewery from 1903 and a mountain that falls into the sea. This guide gives a three-day shape, explains the market-to-beer-house system locals eat by, and says why the beer festival and the famous pier are not worth your time.
Xiamen and Gulangyu: book the ferry before you book the flight
Gulangyu ferry tickets have been real-name, capped and sold 15 days ahead since February 2026, which means your Xiamen dates are decided by a boat booking. This guide leads with that, then covers four days on the island city, the satay-noodle habit, the peanut-allergy problem and what to skip.
Inner Mongolia: go between late June and early September, or not at all
The grassland is green for about ten weeks a year and outside them the trip has no point. This guide covers the season, why the grassland and the desert cannot be joined by train, a five-day shape from Hohhot, salty milk tea, and why vegetarians should think hard before coming.
Xinjiang: distances, two clocks, and the permits that decide your route
Xinjiang is a sixth of China, runs on two clocks two hours apart, and needs a border permit for Tashkurgan and a licensed hotel everywhere. This guide covers the practical mechanics, a ten-day shape through Urumqi, Turpan and Kashgar, and why Uyghur food is the easiest in China for a foreign palate.
No guides found. Try a broader search, such as “visa” or “train”.
Find your next stop
Looking for a particular place?
Explore city guides with attractions, local food and the practical details.