China Travel Tips
Eight short guides cover the practical side of a China trip: visa-free entry and the 240-hour transit rule, setting up Alipay before you fly, booking high-speed trains with a foreign passport, staying connected past the internet filters, the apps worth installing, hotels that register foreign guests, ground rules like tipping and tap water, and the holiday crowds to plan around.
China is one of the easiest countries in the world to travel once three systems are set up: entry (visa or visa-free), payments (QR codes, not cards), and connectivity (a roaming eSIM). Travelers who sort those out at home report frictionless trips; travelers who skip the setup spend their first two days fighting it. These guides exist so you're in the first group.
Set up before you fly
Four things to sort out at home, in this order — entry rules first (they decide whether the trip happens), then payments, internet, and the apps that run everything else. Total setup time is about an hour.
China Visa-Free Entry & the 240-Hour Transit Rule
Who can enter China visa-free in 2026, how the 240-hour transit works, what documents you need, and the mistakes that get travelers turned around.
Read the guidePaying for Things in China
China is nearly cashless and foreign cards rarely swipe. Step-by-step: linking Visa or Mastercard to Alipay and WeChat Pay, fees, limits, and cash backup.
Read the guideInternet in China
Google, Instagram, and WhatsApp are blocked on Chinese networks. The clean fix is a roaming eSIM installed before you land — what works and what doesn't.
Read the guideThe 6 Apps That Run a China Trip
China runs on a handful of apps for payments, maps, taxis, and trains. The six that matter for foreign travelers and the setup to do before departure.
Read the guideOn the ground
How to move between cities, where to sleep, what surprises Westerners on day one, and the national holidays that can make or break an itinerary.
China's High-Speed Trains
China's 45,000 km high-speed rail is the best way between cities: booking with a foreign passport on 12306 or Trip.com, seat classes, and boarding flow.
Read the guideHotels in China
Not every Chinese hotel can host foreign guests. Why registration rules exist, how to filter for foreigner-friendly hotels, and what happens at check-in.
Read the guideChina Ground Rules
The ground rules Westerners ask about: no tipping, don't drink tap water, squat-toilet strategy, photography and drone rules, and emergency numbers.
Read the guideChina's Crowd Calendar
China's national holidays put hundreds of millions on the move at once. The dates to avoid, when shoulder seasons shine, and how they hit each region.
Read the guide