China Travel Tips: Money, Phone, Hotels and Arrival
Get the everyday things sorted, so you can spend your time discovering something new.
Everyday essentials
Internet in China: Will WhatsApp, Gmail and Google Maps Work?
Understand mainland app restrictions, Wi-Fi versus roaming and travel eSIMs, bank SMS, and the offline backups to prepare before flying.
Eating in China with Dietary Needs: Ordering, Ingredients and Allergies
Practical restaurant ordering in China, QR-menu fallbacks, ingredient checks and preparation for travelers with medically important food allergies.
Emergency Help in China: Illness, Lost Passports and Phone Access
Mainland China emergency numbers, practical medical-help steps, foreign passport loss procedures and recovery after losing phone or payment access.
China Packing Rules: Power Banks, Chargers and Medication
Check mainland domestic flight CCC requirements, international power bank rules, train limits, chargers, baggage allowances and medication paperwork.
Plan the Cost, Book the Room, Make the Arrival
Build Your 10-Day China Trip Budget
Add up rooms, transport and daily spending with clear solo and shared-room examples.
Book a China Hotel with Your Foreign Passport
Choose the right branch and room, settle late-arrival details, and know what to do if check-in fails.
Get from Arrival to Your First Hotel
Follow the first-day steps for connectivity, transport, payment problems and an arrival after midnight.
The China arrival card: use the official route.
Find official arrival-card guidance and prepare the travel and accommodation details you may need.
China entry requirements: what to check.
Organise your passport, entry permission, onward travel and accommodation information before departure.
Alipay in China: Set Up, Pay, and Handle Common Problems
A practical guide to linking an eligible overseas card, paying merchants, checking charges, and keeping a backup payment method.
WeChat Pay for your China trip.
Prepare WeChat payments with an eligible overseas card and a sensible backup plan.
China Travel Apps by Task
A practical phone checklist for payments, mobile data, maps, transport and the information to keep offline.
How to Buy and Use China Train Tickets with a Foreign Passport
Book China trains with a passport: understand ticket release, 12306 and agents, station names, confirmation, boarding, sold-out trains and changes.
How to Pay in China as a Visitor
Learn how visitors can pay in China, set up Alipay or WeChat Pay, use QR codes, compare cards and cash, and recover when a payment fails.
China eSIM, local SIM or roaming?
Compare mobile data options for China by phone compatibility, SMS needs, activation, hotspot support and arrival-day reliability.
China Maps: Apps, Addresses and Station Entrances
Prepare a map app for China, save Chinese addresses and avoid wrong station, attraction-gate and hotel-branch mistakes.
Use DiDi without guessing the pickup point.
Prepare a DiDi ride in China: registration, payment, airport pickup, vehicle checks and what to do if your driver cannot find you.
Accommodation registration: hotel or private stay?
Understand who registers your stay in China, the 24-hour rule for private accommodation and the new nationwide online registration service.
Choose the right transport for each journey.
Compare China trains, flights, metro and taxis by total journey time, luggage, arrival location and the risk of a missed connection.
China Trip Cost: A 10-Day Budget for Couples and Solo Travelers
Enter your own costs in CNY (Chinese yuan) to estimate a China trip budget, and compare illustrative 10-day budgets for a couple or solo traveler.
How to Book a Hotel in China with a Foreign Passport
Choose and book a China hotel with a foreign passport. Check the exact property, room occupancy, late arrival, deposits and registration, and know what to do if check-in fails.
Your First Day in China: From Landing to Your Hotel
Follow a practical first-day plan from immigration to your hotel, with options for late transport, lost internet, failed payments, flight delays and check-in after midnight.
Best Time to Visit China
Choose travel dates for Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie and Guilin by weighing seasons, route pace, holidays and booking flexibility.