A First Timer’s Quick Guide to Traveling in China

China surprises first-time visitors in both directions. The country is bigger, more efficient, and more digitally advanced than most travelers expect. It’s also harder to navigate without preparation than almost anywhere else in the world. The reason isn’t that China is chaotic. It’s that the country runs on a completely different digital infrastructure than the rest of the world, and the tools you’ve used for other international trips don’t work here.

Once you have the right setup, China is one of the easier major countries to get around in. But that setup has to happen before you fly. Showing up without a plan is the biggest mistake first-time visitors make, and it’s the one that can make your trip frustrating, not rewarding.

Here’s what to handle before you go and how to think about the trip once you arrive.

Set Up Mobile Payments Before You Fly

Cash is functionally obsolete in major Chinese cities. Street vendors, taxis, restaurants, museums, and most shops expect mobile payment via Alipay or WeChat Pay. Foreign credit cards are accepted at some hotels and luxury venues, but are unreliable almost everywhere else. Trying to travel around China on cash is possible…but painful.

Both Alipay and WeChat Pay now support foreign-issued Visa and Mastercard, which was a significant change a few years ago, and the reason China has gone from nearly impossible to navigate as a tourist to fairly straightforward. Download both apps before you leave, link your cards, and complete the identity verification process while you’re still home. Verification can take several days and requires uploading a passport photo, so don’t leave this task until you’re at the airport.

A few things to know:

• Per-transaction limits apply for foreign cards. Alipay caps single transactions at the equivalent of around $5,000 USD, with daily and annual limits as well.
• Small fees apply for transactions over 200 yuan on foreign cards, though smaller transactions are typically free.
• Both apps work as super-apps, with built-in features for taxis, train tickets, food delivery, and translation. Once you’re set up, Alipay alone can handle most of your daily logistics.
• Carry a small amount of cash anyway. Older vendors in rural areas, small temples charging entry fees, and the occasional taxi driver still prefer it.

Book Trains in Advance

China’s high-speed rail network is one of the wonders of modern infrastructure. Over 45,000 kilometers of track connect almost every major city, with trains running frequently and arriving on time. A trip from Beijing to Shanghai (about the distance from New York to Atlanta) takes about four-and-a-half hours by rail and costs less than a domestic flight.

The booking process used to be difficult for foreign travelers, and it’s better now, but still not as easy as buying a Eurail ticket. Whichever app you use, book in advance for popular routes, especially:

• Beijing to Shanghai, the most heavily traveled corridor.
• Anything during Chinese New Year (late January or February), May Day (early May), or National Day (first week of October). Tickets for these periods can sell out weeks ahead.
• Connections to and from Xi’an, Chengdu, and Hangzhou during peak summer travel times.

Tickets are linked to your passport number, so once you’ve booked, you can skip the ticket window. Scan your physical passport at the automated gates and board. Bring the passport you used to book, not a different one – the numbers have to match.

A second category worth knowing: sleeper trains! China still runs overnight sleeper services on routes the high-speed network doesn’t cover well, and they’re a useful way to cover ground without losing a day.

Get the Right Maps and Translation Apps

Google Maps doesn’t work properly in mainland China. The data is intentionally offset from real coordinates due to mapping regulations, which means even when the app loads, your pin will be 100-500 meters from where it claims to be. This is true for most Western mapping services.

Other options:

• Apple Maps has localized data and works pretty accurately in China.
• Amap (Gaode Maps) is the most accurate Chinese-language option.
• Baidu Maps, similar to Amap, is also Chinese-first.
• Maps.me is an offline option that works well for navigation in smaller cities and rural areas.

For taxis, the DiDi mini-app in Alipay is a good option. It handles the address translation for you, pays the driver directly, and lets you avoid the conversation that would otherwise be required to get anywhere. DiDi also has its own standalone app with an English interface.

For translation, Google Translate works if you download the language offline pack before you arrive. The live camera feature, which translates characters in real time, is useful for menus, signs, and museum placards. Microsoft Translator and Pleco (which is specifically dictionary-focused) are good backups.

Sort Out Internet Access

China’s internet operates behind what’s commonly called the Great Firewall. Google, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, X, YouTube, and many Western news sites are blocked. So is most of the Google Workspace ecosystem, which is a problem if you use Gmail or Google Drive for work.

The standard workaround is a VPN. Some VPNs work in China, others don’t, and the situation changes regularly. Set up and test a VPN before you arrive, because most VPN websites are also blocked once you’re inside the country. ExpressVPN, Astrill, and Surfshark have historically worked, but check current reviews close to your travel date.

International roaming on your home cell plan also bypasses the firewall for most providers, since the traffic routes through your home country’s network. This is the easiest solution for a short trip if you can afford roaming charges, and it’s what many business travelers do.

For longer trips, a local SIM or an eSIM with international data is the more economical choice, but you’ll need a VPN to access Western sites.

Pick Two or Three Regions

China is bigger than the continental United States, and the standard mistake first-time visitors make is trying to see too much of it. Beijing to Shanghai is far! And Shanghai to Chengdu is farther. Adding Xi’an, Guilin, and Hong Kong to a two-week trip is technically possible but exhausting, and you’ll spend most of your trip in transit.

A more manageable first-trip itinerary:

• Beijing for history, Xi’an for the Terracotta Warriors, Shanghai for modern China. Two to three days each, plus a buffer day.
• Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Suzhou for the canals and gardens, then south to Guilin or Yangshuo for the karst landscapes.
• Chengdu for pandas and Sichuan food, plus a multi-day extension into the Tibetan or Yunnan regions.

Whatever you pick, build in a slow first day. The flight to China is long, the time difference is significant, and jet lag will wreck the start of your trip if you try to power through it. A day of rest at the front, even if you only walk around the neighborhood and eat one good meal, pays off across the rest of the trip.

Visa and Entry

China’s visa rules have shifted multiple times in recent years and continue to evolve. As of 2026, citizens of many countries can use a 240-hour visa-free transit policy when connecting through China to a third country, which is the easiest way to make a short visit without a full visa application.

For longer trips, a tourist visa (L visa) is the standard option, applied for through a Chinese embassy or consulate before travel. Processing times vary but typically take one to two weeks. Some countries have visa-on-arrival arrangements for specific destinations, like Hainan Island.

Check the current rules close to your departure date. Visa policies in China change more frequently than in many other countries.

Featured image by jiangkun lai on Unsplash