Dreaming of traveling to China? This unique country blends ancient history, stuning landscapes, and futuristic cities, but it can be a challenge for first time travelers. Whetere you’re exploring famous cities like Beijing and Shanghai or venturing to lesser-known destinations like Zhangjiajie or Guilin, this guide has everything you need to make your trip to China unforgetabble: Itineraries, practical tips, essential apps and ways to move around with ease. Get ready to discover the Asian giant like an expert!
2024 brought great newst for many travelers: countries like Spain, Italy, Portugal and France signed an agreement allowing citizens to travel to China visa-free for 15 days. This eliminates complex paperwork and reduces visa requirements.
Unsure which visa suits your trip? Message me on Instagram, and we’ll figure it out.
Before we dive in, my fist advice is: have patience. Traveling through China requieres it. Communication barriers, crwoded attractions, and cultural differences can make it challenging. Eventhoug it’s not easy, the culture and landscapes will amaze you, so keep calm and enjoy the experience.
It’s time, lets talk about what you came here for.
What to visit in China? - Suggested itinerary
Deciding where to go in China is no easy task. It depends on you interests, times, and budget. From iconic landmarks like the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Bund in Shanghai, to natural wonders like Guilin’g rice terraces or Zhanghiajie National Forest Park, there’s something for everyone.
Althoug, international tourism in China is growing, I feel theres many places still to discover. This massive country offeres a mix of: vibrant cities, majestic mountains, mistical deserts and paradisiac beaches. I share with you my itinerary, I planned it to have a mix of nature, culture and innovation. Hope this helps you guide you travel plans to China in 2024.
Day 1: Arrival in Beijing; explore the city and walk through the streets.
Day 2: Beijing – The Forbidden City.
Day 3: Beijing – The Great Wall Of China (Jinshanling section, the less crowded section of the Great Wall of China)
Day 4; Buller train to Shanghai – Bund, Yu Garden.
Day 5: Shanghai – Pudong district, Shanghai Tower.
Day 6: Shanghai – Zhujiajiao Water Town
Day 7: Fly to Hong Kong; visit Macau (free transfer form Hong Kong Airport)
Day 8: Hong Kong – Monster Building, Victoria Peak, Tsim Sha Tsui, Chi Lin Nunnery.
Day 9: Bullet train to Guiling – Elephant Trunk Hill, night market, Sun and Moon Pagodas.
Day 10: Gulin – Li River Cruice to Yangshuo
Day 11: Bullet train to Zhangjiajie; explore downtown.
Day 12: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park – Avatar Mountains.
Day 13: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park – Golden Whip Stream and Tianmen Mountain.
Day 14: Bullet train to Chengdu – Panda City: Tianfu Square, Kuand and Zhai Alleys, Anshun Bridge.
Day 15: Chengdu – Leshan Giant Buddha, Giant Panda Reasearch Base.
Day 16: Bullet train to Xi’an – Bell & Drum Towers, Muslim Quarter.
Day 17: Xi’an – Terracota Warriors. Guardians of the first emperor of China
Day 18: Bullet train to Beijing.
Day 19: Departure from Beijing.
As you can notice, I stayed longer than 15 days travleling around China althoug i Had the 15 day Visa-Free visit to China. If your plan is to stay longer than 15 days, you can exit and re-enter China to reset you visa-free period. Traveling to Hong Kong or Macau counts as exiting China.
Got any must-see destinations in China? Share them in the comments!
Getting Around China: Trains, Flights, and More
Perfect! You have a planned route? Now it’s time to see whats best for you. China vast size can make traveling between destinations a bit tricky, so you better plan how to move around China. Althoug it’s a massive country, it has a well-connected transportation network that will allow you to move easily through out all China.
- Traveling China by Train.
High speed rail is my top pick to travel aorund China. With speeds over 300 Km/h and with the second largest railway system in the world, you can reach almost any place in China “quickly”. Tickets go on sale 15 days prior to departure so i Reocmmend you buy them with time. You can use Apps like Trip.com to try to book it before and although they do not guarantee the ticket, the app will try to buy it for you as soon as tickets are released.
If you’d like to safe some money, try buying them directly in train stations in China and avoiding third party commisions. Although i tried but failed, you can try using the official app called Railway12306 where you can buy without commision. As of 2024 I was not able to use it since I didn’t had a Chinese bank account but maybe you will be able.
Nigth trains with sleeping cabins are also a good option for long journeys. Eventhough I did not took any, it can be a good way to safe hotel money and manage to travel during the night. There’s 2 types of cabins, sharing with 3 people or with 5 people.
Traveling China by Plane
Almost every city has an airport and traveling by plane in China it’s ideal for long distances. Major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu are well connected and you can find fligths from all around. It’s useful to save some time on your trips and head straight to your destination. Chinese airlines websites can be a bit tricky but you can use platforms like Tip.com or Skyscanner.
- Traveling China by Bus.
Although is the cheapest option, I think it’s the least convenient for long distances. It can be a good idea if you’re plannning short trips between towns and you you have the time.
- Traveling China by Didi.
China’s Uber, it’s useful for short distances or emergencies. It’s not the cheapes option but can save the day when public transport isnt an option. In my case I stayed longer walking around Yanghuo and missed the last bus, so it was the only way to get back to Guilin for a similar price.
Essential Apps for Traveling in China
Your phone will be your best friend in China, from paying in little street markets to booking tickets. Having the correct apps can make your life easier since many daily activities rely on mobile apps. Here you can find some of the most important apps to travel around China:
- AliPay y WeChat
Essential for payments in China as cash and credit or debit cards are rarely accepted. Both apps work to pay in restaurants, hotels, and tours. Almost everything you do, can be paid through the apps.
I still recommend taking some cash with you since you could rarely still find someplaces that will not take digital payment. In my case, I had to pay 2 bus tickets with cash since they did not take either AliPay or WeChat and finding ATM can be a bit tricky. We traveled with less than 50 USD converted to Yuans and it was enough to travel around for all our stay since most of the thing we payed using the apps. As in any other country, with the digital era, it’s a good idea just to have some cash in hand to help you in some situations.
Aside from beign payment platforms, both apps also offer mini-programs that will help you on your day to day in China. AliPay, has integrated Didi and a translator. While WeChat is bigger on this and with the mini-programs you can book different tickets such as Tianmen Square in Beijing and Zhangjiajie National Park. WeChat also works as our WhatsApp and it has an instant translator, so you can communicate with people and it will automatically translate to your language and for them in Mandarin.
Both apps, can be a bit tricky to register since you need to validate your information and registert a bank card and the app itself is not very friendly. Have into consideration that as a foreigner you can only use this payment apps inside China. I installed them in New Zealand and I tried checking if it worked but received a message not allowing me because I don’t have a Chinnese Bank Card registered.
Here you will find a mini guide on how to register on both Apps: Guide to register and use AliPay and WeChat in you trip to China.
Did you manage to register? If you have any question, send me a message through Instagram and I’ll try to help you.
- Translator App
Since less than 1% of the population speaks English in China, a translator app is a must. Try using one that allows you to download different languages that way it will work even if you are offline. I used the one installed by default on Iphone and it worked perfectly.
Chinesse people are very friendly and they will try to help you if you have any question, be calm and be prepare to spend long time with the translator app.
- Holafly / e-Sim
Everytime I travel I find very useful to be conected to Internet to look for any information I need and be able to use the diffetent apps I have on my phone since I arrive.
Although it’s a bit more expensive, I always buy an e-Sim before arriving for these reason while I manage to get a Sim and buy a plan that works for me.
In the case of China, I recomend buying before a reliable e-Sim provider that includes a VPN. China has a lot of restriccions in apps that we use in our day to day such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Netflix and anything Google related. So having a VPN will help you bypass China’s internet restrictions and be able to use all your apps.
There’s a lot of apps that you can use to download e-Sims. For China I found out Holafly had the VPN integrated already and it offered me the best price for the service and time I needed.
- TRIP.COM
Although I was eneymy of using this type of platforms always, this will be your best friend in China. I usually prefer booking directly with the airline or the train company in case there’s a cancellation or delay since the airline will response, but here in China is not easy and this is your go-to app for booking trains, hotels and even tour activities.
There’s a Mini-program of Trip.com in AlyPay but I used it directly through their own app for convenience.
Most of the booking you make have free cancelation until the last minute but when you book, they will take the payment. If you decide to cancel, you will have to wait some days for the refund to go back to your account.
- MAPS.ME
I was never a fan of Maps.me but saddly I will have to tell you to get use to it. Since Google is not allowed in China, that means Google maps has not all the accurate information. Yes, you will be able to use Google Maps if you have a VPN, but most routes or places you look for are not correct or you can’t even find them in the app.
Maps.me has more updated information with street names and different bussines. One cool thing about Maps.me that google can’t do in China is that it will let you know which exit you need to take in the metros or train station and that can help you a lot since they are massive.
- MetroMan
China has 45 cities with more than a million habitants so that means cities are big and that the chance of arriving to a city and having a subway system it’s quite big. This app, offers you detailed information about over 40 Chinese cities subways systems and how to navigate them. Just imput, which station are you starting and where are you heading and it will tell you subway times and which route is faster for you with the price.
Visa Requirements for your trip to China
Do you need a visa to China? As in any other trip you’ve made, check your restrictions and make sure you have everything necessary for your migration process. Visa requirement depend on your nationality. In my case, beign a dual citizen of Colombia and Spain, I have the opportunity to use the passport that best benefits me for each country.
Saddly, as Colombian, we do need a visa to enter China. From what I was able to check, getting a chinese visa is not really hard, it’s just a matter of doing the rigth paperwork and taking it to the embassy (in Bogotá for the case of Colombia)
On the other side, as I mentioned, begining of 2024, different european countries have an agreement with China and their citizens will be able to travel Visa-free for 15 days. If you’d like to visit China for a longer period, you will need to apply for a different visa which as for Colombians, from what I’ve read it’s not complicated, it’s just paperwork and time.
Hong Kong and Macau since they where British and Portuguese colonies until recently, they have different restrictions than continental China. Both Colombian and Spanish passports can access Hong Kong and Macau for 90 days without applying for a Visa.
Pro Tips for Traveling in China
- Passport
Always carry your passport with you. Almost everywhere you go they will ask for it. It’s required for trains, most touristic sites and now and then you will find random street checks.
- SIM
Before traveling to China, everywhere I read, it said it was quite difficult to get a local Sim. I always try to have an actual Sim where I can use to call and use for emergencies. I went to a cellphone company in downtown Beijing and I was able to get a local Sim only with my passport. Having a local number helped me receiving verification codes for some apps and bookings.
- Plug
China hasa fantastic plug since it accomodates for a lot of countries. The plug contains (Type A,C and I). So if you come from most of America, Europe or Australia you wont need a convertor.
On new buildings, most plugs also come integrated with USB ports so you can charge your devices easily.
Book Tickets Early
If you want to make sure you’ll be able to visit some places, make sure to book your entrance with some time. Popular sites like the Forbidden City in Beijing, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Tianmen Square or Terracota Army in Xi’an usually are sold out and it can be hard to get tickets on the same day.
- Be Culturally Flexible.
From crowded spaces to unique etiquette, keep an open mind. China is China and their culture is completly different from what you are used to. You’ll find people spitting in the street,screaming or burping and thats completly normal for them.
You will loose your personal space since you arrive, people will be pushing you and trying to cut the line, some will ask you for a picture with them and its very normal. Just always remember to be openminded.
- Tissues or wet wipes
Although you’ll find very good public restrooms everywhere, some times they don’t have any tissues. If you have space I recommend taking some with you and making your batrhoom trips more confortable.
¿Tienes alguna pregunta sobre cómo planificar tu viaje a China en 2024? ¡Déjame tus dudas en los comentarios o escríbeme por Instagram, estaré feliz de ayudarte! Si te gusto esta guía y te fue útil, ¡compártela con otros viajes que también estén planeado explorar el gigante asiático!
Do you have any question planning your trip to China? Drop them in the comments or DM me on Instagram – I’m happy to help! If you found this guide helpful, share it with fellow travelers planning to explore the Asian giant!
