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Many people, including us, ask themselves many questions before deciding to visit China. Knowing some things in advance would definitely make our planning much easier. There was no place where we could find them all together. We probably spent days searching for every piece of information.
This is why we prepared a summary of all the key things you need to know before travelling to China. This will help you set up everything for an unbelievable experience.
Table of Contents
How to get to China?
The main gateway to China is Beijing Capital Airport (PEK). Another airport serving international routes is Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG).
There are three main national airlines: China Air, China Eastern, and China Southern. I recommend you check Skyscanner for cheap tickets.
For more information on how to find and book the cheapest airplane tickets click here
What is the best time to travel to China?
That is a hard question that doesn’t have a general and unifying answer. Because of its size, finding the best time to travel to China depends on the cities and region(s) you want to see. Generally looking the best time to visit is in spring (April and May) and autumn (September and October). Temperatures are mild and it’s not so humid. We travelled through China in October and we couldn’t had asked for better weather.
You will often read to avoid travelling to China around the most significant national holidays (Chinese New Year and Independence). But based on our experience we wouldn’t want to go any other time. During October public holidays you can experience China much more in-depth and see additional cultural performances.
Try to avoid visiting China in summer (high temperatures) or winter when temperatures fall below -5° Celsius (23°F).
Is travelling to China safe?
China is a relatively safe country during the day and at night. I never felt insecure as there are many controls and police all around. However, we recommend you always take precautions when visiting a new destination.
As with any other large cities, pickpocketing is common. Avoid isolated areas, small alleys, and keep an eye on your belongings. And pay attention to taxi drivers or any drivers as they can overcharge you or rob you. Besides theft and scams, the risk of more severe criminal acts is low.
Is a trip to China expensive?
Your travel expenses depend on several different factors, including the season of travel, a destination within China, and other parts that are in your control.
You can find accommodation of all ranges and it is up to you to decide what is possible according to your budget. Visiting China around public holidays is of course more expensive.
Food prices also vary from city to city. The most expensive meal we ate was in Hong Kong.
The cost of transportation within the cities is almost minimal. If you like to experience the culture, we recommend you walk around or use the metro and bus. If your budget is higher, you can also use taxis.
The cost of travelling between cities is reasonable. Trains are usually cheaper than flying, but we also got one-way tickets for 150 EUR.
If you are travelling to China on budget, you can cut expenses by not booking tours and travelling to more distant sights like the Great Wall of China by bus.
Travelling to China – Visa requirements
To enter China, you will need a tourist visa. You can get one at the nearest Chinese embassy or consulate. And how to apply for a travel visa to China?
- You need to apply fro visa on Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) using the online application. You need to upload a photo of you (48mm x 33mm) that has one coloured background. The colour should be light and not dark. They will ask you to provide all your data, including your job position, emergency contact, and exact dates for each city you will visit. After completion, make sure to download the document with a summary of the data and application number.
- Once submitted, scheduled an in-person appointment. Depending on your country, you can either schedule it on the CVASC website or visit the Chinese embassy during their official hours. If scheduling online, you need to provide the number you received in step
- Prepare all the documents:
- printed and signed Application form,
- printed and signed Declaration form,
- copy of the appointment receipt,
- copy of your passport with minimum 6 months validity,
- copy of your residence permit, social security card,
- printed flight tickets, hotel booking, train tickets, car rental confirmation, tours or similar that confirm where you will be for the whole duration you entered into the application.
The embassy employee will check your data and proceed with the payment.
4. Collect your passport with a visa in 14 days.
How to get around China?
There are several different options to travel within and between the cities in China. The security procedures are the same, whether flying or taking a train.
a) By plane
The most convenient and fastest way to travel around China is by plane. Three airlines are operating on domestic routes: Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern. We flew with all of them and were satisfied with the service.
The flight tickets are generally not too expensive. Our flight from Shanghai to Xi’an during the national holidays was 160 EUR.
b) By train
Travelling around China by train is a popular way for locals and tourists. They are modern, punctual, fast, and offer a lot of space so you can feel comfortable. We recommend using high-speed trains (G trains) to reduce the travel time needed to get from one point to another. For example, Beijing’s bullet train to Shanghai only takes 4, 5 hours. The regular train needs 6,5 hours or more.
Booking train tickets can get a little complicated if you don’t speak Chinese. We recommend to use a trusted third party and get them delivered to an address in China or collect at the railway station. See more details on the process under point 7.
Price: High-speed train is from 70 – 80 EUR (2nd class) and 105 – 130 EUR (1st class). Regular train costs 20-30 EUR (2nd class) and 35-45 EUR (1st class).
c) By bus
This is by far the cheapest option to travel around China. It’s the usually most convenient way to get to more rural areas. For booking longer rides use English commercial sites. There you can check bus schedules and book tickets online.
For the rides within the city, buses can be a relatively complicated way of transport. Most of the time, the signs are only in Chinese and you have to have coins for payment.
d) By subway
Main cities now have a subway system ranging from only two to several operational lines. This transport mode is punctual and fast, but the stations are generally quite far apart. We didn’t find it convenient at all. It took us more time to walk to the next station and then walk for an even longer time to arrive at the next sight. So we only used it to travel to the outskirts of big cities.
On the plus side, the signs are in English, making it easy to navigate. You have to choose your destination and the system will calculate the fair. Pay attention as you can only exit at that particular station.
How to travel around China by train? How to book train tickets?
A straightforward process if you understand Chinese and not so if you don’t. And you also need to have a local phone number and ID to finalise the booking.
Foreigners should buy the tickets through a trusted third party. The company will go to the train station instead of you and buy the tickets when they go on sale, which is 30 days before your departure date.
We recommend using the Trip website to check on the timetable and find the train that best suits you. Then we bought the train tickets through China Highlights. Why is it good to use their service? Because popular trains get quickly booked. There is no guarantee you will be able to get the tickets once you arrive in China.
After the booking, you receive all the updates through email. They also provide you with instructions on how to pick up your train tickets. You will be able to do so at any train station in China, but you have to pick them all at once.
On the day of your departure, you should arrive at the train station at least an hour before. You need to go through the same security check as at the airport. The trains are clean, comfortable, and fast. You can place your luggage at the top area above your seat or at the dedicated area.
How to book accommodation in China?
We booked most of our accommodations using either Booking.com or Hotels.com.
We have encountered some problems in the inland China and were left without a hotel room in Xi’an. Imagine arriving super early in the morning (2 a.m.) tired from a long day behind you and with a new activity booked at 7 a.m. You just want to have a shower and do a quick power nap. But once you find your hotel the room is no longer booked.
Follow these simple tips to avoid situations like this:
- If you want your hotel to actually understand you (e.g. speaking English) book a 4 or 5 start hotel or an international one. Our hotel in Xi’an had 3 stars and nobody spoke English, which made resolving the issue much more difficult.
- The same rule should be applied for internet connection. Cheap hotels do not offer internet connection and if they do, it is super slow.
Can you travel through China without a guide?
Yes, there is no problem travelling through China without a tourist agency or booking a guide. However, we recommend booking tours for specific sightseeing landmarks like the Great Wall of China or Longshu rice terraces.
Can you travel through China without speaking Chinese?
Contrary to what many believe, it isn’t hard to travel through China without speaking the language.
China’s official language is Mandarin, but different areas have their dialects. We cannot say it’s not challenging at moments without speaking the language. It can be hard to find someone who speaks English. But sooner you embrace it, the more you can enjoy it.
We had some unexpected complications. When we arrived in Xi’an late at night, we found out that our hotel cancelled the booking. As it was during the National day, it took us almost the entire next day to find new accommodation.
Challenging are also roads and buses, which only have Chinese signs. We do recommend you download the Chinese language translation app accessible offline.
How to get internet connection in China?
Like any other destinations in Asia, it’s generally not so difficult to find an internet connection. In the main Chinese cities, free WiFi is available around hotels and in better restaurants. But don’t expect too much when it comes to speed. We had a difficulty to find open public networks that would actually work.
If being connected all the time is super important for you, we suggest getting a prepaid SIM card. You can buy it at the airport or the providers’ main stores by showing a foreign passport. You can also order it online, but it has to be delivered to and address within China.
How to access Western apps?
The accessibility of certain websites is highly controlled in China. And we are not talking about small and unknown sites. We are talking about the ones you cannot live without while travelling like Google, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook. But there is a solution.
The Virtual Private Network (VPN). You will need to use a VPN that changes your phone’s IP address. Doing so, it gets around these restrictions, allowing you to access sites that you usually use. Make sure to subscribe to a VPN service before you leave your home. There are free trials available or you can subscribe to the service at a low price.
Can you pay with a credit card in China?
It depends on the city you are visiting. It is almost impossible to pay with a credit card in restaurants, museums, and shops in Beijing, Xi’an or Guilin. You can only pay for your accommodation. There is no problem paying with a credit card for some tourist attractions, restaurants not in the traditional markets, metro tickets, and hotel accommodation in Shanghai and Hong Kong. The latter is the only place where you can pay with a credit card everywhere you go.
The one thing that works everywhere, even in informal economy, is paying with mobile apps such us WeChat and Alipay.
Where to exchange money in China?
You can exchange the money already after you arrive at the airport. However, we noticed that the exchange rate is not favourable. There are also people walking around that will change your money. We advise not to do any business with them. They offer a slightly lower exchange rate, but you have to exchange a higher amount.
Most banks in China accept EUR and USD. However, if you don’t have a bank account opened, the commissions can be high.
The best option is to withdraw the money from Visa or Mastercard at the ATM of one of China’s main banks (Bank of China, China Construction bank, Agricultural Bank of China or Industrial and Commercial Bank of China).
Do you need to bargain for everything?
Travelling to China doesn’t mean you will need to bargain at all. Unless you want to buy something on the street or fake markets targeting foreigners such as the Silk market in Beijing. We have also found this useful in souvenir markets in Xi’an.
The reason is that prices are inflated for the foreigners. The starting price you will hear might sounds like a joke. The first price offered for a jacket in the SIlk market was 1,200 yuans. In the end, I got it for 155 yuan.
You feel uncomfortable bargain? So did I at the beginning. But following below tips helped me a lot when:
- Never show enthusiasm
- Your first price offered should be lower than what you are willing to pay at the end. You need to show them your are trying to find a compromise by slightly raising it during the negotiation.
- Walk away and wait for the vendor to come to you.
- When you agree to a price you shouldn’t walk away.
You still have some questions regarding travelling to China? Don’t hesitate to ask them in the comments.
If you find this article useful, please share it with other.
We are two travel passionistas, who are always in the minds of planning their next travel trip and creating memories. Get honest tips and all the details, learn from our mistakes and enjoy our travel guides so you can have the best time!
It’s a very useful information, thank you very much for sharing!
So happy to hear you find it useful 🙂 Thank you!
Wow! This was such a thorough guide! So nice to have it all in one place like you mentioned! If the opportunity to travel to China comes, I will, for sure, be referring back to this! Thank so much! 🙂
The aim is to have everything in one place as it can quickly become really overwhelming. I’m really happy to hear you find it useful 🙂 If you decided to visit China, you can always contact me for any questions.