20 Must-Know China Travel Tips for Your First Trip

Most of the China travel tips still circulating were written before 2023, and the big ones have since flipped: who needs a visa, how you pay, which apps work. The twenty below are current. Each one is short on purpose. Where a topic needs a full page, we link to it, and if you want the long-form overview, read visiting China for the first time alongside this list.

1. Visa rules come first in any list of China travel tips

Check your passport before you book flights. China runs a unilateral 30-day visa-free program for 50 countries, authorized through 31 December 2026. Most of Europe is on it, along with the UK and Canada (added in February 2026), Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, the Gulf states and much of South America. Holders of those passports enter for up to 30 days of tourism or business with the passport and an onward ticket.

The United States is not on that list. Americans either apply for a visa, usually the L tourist visa, or use the 240-hour visa-free transit: ten days, open to 57 nationalities since 20 August 2026, at 65 ports across 24 provinces and regions. The condition is strict. You must be flying on to a third country or region, so New York to Shanghai to Seoul qualifies and New York to Shanghai to New York does not. Inside the window you can cross provincial lines within the 24 eligible regions. This scheme replaced the old 144-hour rule in December 2024; our page on the 240-hour policy that replaced the 144-hour rule covers the detail, and do I need a visa to go to China covers everyone else.

If you enter, including on the transit scheme, you file an arrival card. Since 20 November 2025 you can do it online before you fly through the National Immigration Administration site or app; the paper card at the border is still accepted.

2. Time your trip around the Chinese calendar

China is too big for one climate, but spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are the comfortable months across most of the country.

Spring: Cherry blossoms in Beijing and Hangzhou parks, mild days, few rainouts in the north.
Autumn: Cool, dry weather and fall color in places like Jiuzhaigou and Huangshan.

The dates that matter more than the weather are the national holidays: Spring Festival in late January or February, the May Day break (1 to 5 May in 2026) and National Day Golden Week (1 to 7 October). Domestic travel peaks, trains sell out, and hotel prices double.

3. Plan for the language barrier

Mandarin is the national language. English is common at international hotels, airports and the main sights in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, and thin almost everywhere else, especially with older people and in smaller towns. A few phrases go a long way:

Ni hao (你好): Hello
Xie xie (谢谢): Thank you
Duo shao qian (多少钱): How much?
Wo bu hui shuo zhong wen (我不会说中文): I don’t speak Chinese.

Bring a translation app, but pick the right one. Google Translate has been blocked in mainland China since October 2022. Its offline Chinese pack still works for text and the camera if you download it at home, and Apple Translate, Microsoft Translator, Baidu Translate and Youdao work with no VPN; see can I use Google Translate in China for the comparison. Pleco is the dictionary serious learners use. An app handles a menu. It does not handle a negotiation, a contract or a hospital, and for business meetings or anything high-stakes a professional Chinese interpreter is worth far more than a phrase list.

4. Set up WeChat Pay and Alipay before you fly

China is not a cash economy. It runs on Alipay and WeChat Pay, and since 2023 both accept foreign Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB and Diners cards after a passport check, with no Chinese bank account needed. Payments of CNY 200 or less carry no wallet fee; above that the wallet takes 3%, plus whatever your card issuer charges for foreign transactions. A passport-verified account can spend up to USD 5,000 per transaction and USD 50,000 a year.

Pro Tip: Set up both apps at home, while your own SIM still receives your bank’s verification texts. Some counters show only one QR code. Our guide to using WeChat Pay and Alipay in China has the menu paths and what to do when a payment fails.

5. Sort out the Great Firewall before you land

Google, Gmail, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are blocked on Chinese mobile networks and hotel wifi. There are two ways around it. The simpler one is an international travel eSIM whose data routes through a gateway outside the mainland, which lets those apps work with no VPN; check the plan’s routing before you buy, because some are filtered like a local SIM. The other is a VPN. Only government-approved VPNs are technically legal, and enforcement has aimed at sellers rather than tourists, but either way VPN websites and app-store listings are blocked from inside China, so install and test one at home.

Pro Tip: Keep a second option ready. A VPN that works on day one can stop working on day four.

6. Use the trains and the metro

China’s public transport is among the best in the world, and it is cheap.

High-speed trains: They link every major city and run on time. Book through Trip.com or the Railway 12306 app, both of which take a passport. The ticket is tied to your passport, which you show at the station gate, so keep it on you.
Metro: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and most large cities have extensive networks, signed and announced in English.
Buses and taxis: Buses are cheap but hard to read without Chinese. DiDi, the local ride-hailing app, works in English and inside Alipay, and spares you the address conversation.

Pro Tip: For metro routing, Amap and Apple Maps give English directions in every major city. The single-city subway apps travelers used to hunt down are no longer needed.

7. Learn the etiquette that matters

People are welcoming, and nobody expects a visitor to know everything. A few practices are worth knowing.

Gifts and cards: Give and receive gifts and business cards with both hands.
Chopsticks: Never stand them upright in a bowl of rice. It resembles incense at a funeral.
Queues and space: Crowds stand close on the metro and in stations. It is not personal.
Paying the bill: Hosts often insist on paying. Offer once or twice, then accept gracefully.

Pro Tip: If you have business meetings, a small gift from your home country is a good opener.

8. Choose between a local SIM and an eSIM

A Chinese prepaid SIM is sold at airports and carrier shops against your passport, and it gives you a Chinese number, which some apps and deliveries want. It also puts you behind the Firewall. An international eSIM is the better default for a short trip: install it before departure and you have data the moment you land. Chinese carriers’ own eSIMs are not sold to foreign passports. Hotel wifi is everywhere but filtered.

Pro Tip: Check that your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM before you travel.

9. Carry a little cash anyway

The currency is the renminbi (RMB), counted in yuan (¥). Your phone covers almost everything, but keep a few hundred yuan in small notes for a dead battery, a rural stall or a temple ticket window. Since 1 February 2026 businesses are not allowed to refuse renminbi cash, so it is a dependable fallback.

Exchange: Banks and airport counters. Never street changers.
ATMs: Bank of China, ICBC and other major bank ATMs take Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay. Your daily withdrawal limit is set by your own bank, so ask before you go. The card side is covered in what credit cards are accepted in China.
Cards at the till: Handing over a foreign card works at international hotels, airports and high-end retail, and almost nowhere else.

Pro Tip: If a terminal offers to charge you in dollars or euros, decline and pay in yuan. The merchant’s exchange rate is worse.

10. Look after your health

China is a safe country to travel in. The things that actually go wrong are stomach trouble and medicine at customs.

Vaccinations: None are required unless you arrive from a yellow fever country. The CDC recommends routine shots plus hepatitis A and typhoid for most travelers; see vaccines for China.
Medicine: Codeine, pseudoephedrine decongestants such as Sudafed, and ADHD stimulants such as Adderall are controlled or banned, and a prescription from home is no defense. Bring everything else in its original packaging with the prescription or a doctor’s letter.
Air quality: It varies by city and season. An app such as IQAir shows the daily index; wear a mask on bad days.

Pro Tip: Do not drink tap water. Hotels usually provide bottled water, and high-speed trains have hot water dispensers.

11. Eat regionally

Chinese food is a dozen cuisines, not one.

North: Wheat over rice: dumplings, noodles, steamed buns.
South: Rice, lighter flavors, steamed seafood and dim sum.
West: Heat and spice, especially in Sichuan and Yunnan.
East: Sweeter, richer cooking around Shanghai and Hangzhou.

Eat where Chinese people eat and the food is both better and cheaper. Try the street food too: jianbing (a savory breakfast crepe) and tanghulu (candied fruit on a stick).

Pro Tip: Carry tissues. Many small restaurants do not provide napkins.

12. Bargain in markets, not malls

Bargaining is expected in markets, particularly for souvenirs, clothing and electronics. Start at about half the asking price, stay friendly, and be ready to walk away. That last move usually produces the real price.

Pro Tip: Prices in malls, chain stores and anything with a printed tag are fixed.

13. Do not worry about tipping

Tipping is not customary in China and is not expected in restaurants or taxis. In international hotels, porters may accept a small tip, and private guides on multi-day tours often receive one. If someone declines, do not push.

14. Expect squat toilets

Public restrooms range from spotless to basic, and squat toilets are still common outside malls, airports and hotels, especially at older train stations and rest stops. Carry your own tissues and hand sanitizer, because many restrooms have neither paper nor soap.

15. Book the big sights in advance

The headline sights now sell tickets online, in advance and against your passport number. The Forbidden City turns walk-ups away, and the Terracotta Army runs on real-name reservations too. Book as soon as your dates are fixed, and earlier still around the national holidays.

16. Know the common scams

The classic is the tea house scam: a friendly student wants to practice English, suggests tea or a bar, and the bill arrives in four figures. The other is the unlicensed taxi tout at airports and train stations.

Pro Tip: Never let a stranger who approached you choose the venue. Use the official taxi rank, where drivers run the meter, or book a DiDi.

17. Buy travel insurance

Take out a policy before you go. Public hospitals are inexpensive by Western standards, but the international clinics most visitors prefer are not, and hospitals often want payment upfront. Make sure the policy covers medical evacuation if you are heading somewhere remote.

18. Pack for China’s rules, not just its weather

Travel adapter: Mainland China runs on 220V with Type A and Type I sockets. Hong Kong and Macau use the UK-style Type G.
Power bank: Since 28 June 2025 power banks without a clear CCC mark are banned from domestic flights, and most bought abroad lack one. Buy a CCC-marked one locally if you have internal flights, and keep it in your carry-on.
Walking shoes: You will walk far more than you expect, especially on the Great Wall.
Layers: Pack for the cities on your itinerary. Beijing winters are bitter; Guangzhou summers are hot and wet.

Pro Tip: Our travel to China checklist has the full packing list.

19. Getting around China’s megacities

Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou are enormous, and crossing one can take over an hour. Use the metro for distance and DiDi for the last stretch. Official taxis are metered and cheap. Have your hotel’s name and address in Chinese characters saved on your phone, because many drivers cannot read an English booking.

20. Respect cultural and religious sites

Buddhist temples, Taoist shrines and Confucian temples are working places of worship. Dress modestly, speak quietly, and do not photograph where signs ask you not to. The monks and worshippers are not part of the exhibit.