China travel guide for first-timers

1. Check the visa rules

Many nationalities can now visit China without a visa for up to 30 days, and travellers passing through to a third country can use the 240-hour visa-free transit at most big airports. The list of countries and the rules change often.

Check the National Immigration Administration of China (nia.gov.cn) or your nearest Chinese embassy before you book. Our China visa-free page summarises how the two schemes work and who qualifies.

2. Set up mobile payments

China runs on Alipay and WeChat Pay: street food, taxis, metro tickets and museums all take QR-code payments, and many small places do not take foreign cards. Both apps now let visitors link a Visa or Mastercard; Alipay is the easier one to set up, so start with it.

Set up at least one before you fly, carry some cash as a backup, and keep a card for hotels and big shops. Step by step: Alipay for foreigners and WeChat Pay for foreigners.

3. Download the apps that work in China

• Alipay or WeChat: payments, plus mini-programs for taxis, bike rental and tickets.
• Amap (Gaode Maps) or Apple Maps: Google Maps is blocked and its data is out of date in China. Amap has an English interface.
• DiDi: ride-hailing, in English, also inside Alipay.
• Trip.com or 12306: high-speed train tickets in English.
• A translation app with offline Chinese and a camera mode.

4. Sort out internet and mobile data

Google, Gmail, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube are blocked on Chinese networks. A roaming plan or a travel eSIM from a provider outside China routes your data abroad, so these apps keep working. Hotel Wi-Fi and Chinese SIM cards do not.

Your own phone works in China as long as it is unlocked or your plan includes China roaming; check before you fly, because an eSIM has to be installed while you still have a connection. Keep a Chinese app for each job (Amap, DiDi, Alipay), since they work on any connection.

Many visitors also install a VPN before they leave home; VPN apps are hard to download once you are in China, and their legal status is unclear for visitors. A roaming plan or a travel eSIM is the simpler option for a short trip.

5. Get around by high-speed train

China's high-speed network links most big cities: Beijing to Shanghai takes about 4.5 to 6 hours, Shanghai to Hangzhou about an hour. Book on Trip.com or the official 12306 app with your passport number, and show the same passport at the station. Our China itinerary has routes for 7, 10 and 14 days, with train times and a cost estimate.

Book a hotel that accepts foreign guests

Hotels in mainland China need police approval to register foreign guests, and some, mostly small budget hotels and guesthouses outside the big cities, do not have it. Hotels listed on international booking sites almost always do.

On Trip.com, each hotel's policy section says whether it accepts guests from all countries; Staylist shows that line on each hotel page. Book before you arrive rather than walking in, and bring your passport: the hotel scans it and registers you, so you do not need to visit the police yourself. Our guide to hotels that accept foreigners in China covers check-in, deposits and payment.

6. Registration: the hotel does it for you

Foreign visitors must be registered with the police where they stay. In a hotel this happens automatically when the front desk scans your passport. Only if you stay with a friend or in a private flat do you register yourself, within 24 hours, online or at a police station: see China police registration for foreigners.

Is China safe for tourists?

Read your own government's advice before you go. The US State Department rates mainland China Level 2, 'exercise increased caution' (advisory of 4 September 2026), citing the arbitrary enforcement of local laws and exit bans; the UK Foreign Office publishes its own China advice. Both are linked below.

Day to day, what trips visitors up is practical: payments, blocked apps, the language barrier and crowds on holidays. Carry your passport, since trains, hotels and many museums check it.

Tips first-time visitors wish they had known

• Carry your passport every day: train tickets, hotels and many museums are booked and checked by name.
• Book big sights online in advance. The Forbidden City, for example, sells tickets online only, and popular dates sell out.
• Tipping is not expected in mainland China. Upscale hotels and restaurants may add a service charge to the bill instead.
• Metro stations have airport-style bag scanners; leave a few extra minutes.
• Avoid travelling during Golden Week (1 to 7 October) and Chinese New Year if you can: trains, sights and hotels are packed and prices rise.
• Keep the name and address of your hotel in Chinese on your phone to show taxi drivers.

Where to stay in China's big cities

Each city guide compares the areas on typical hotel price, transit and what guests say, with the best-rated hotels at every budget.