Everything we end up explaining to guests on day one — visas, payments, trains, internet, etiquette and food — written plainly, updated for 2026, and free of affiliate noise.
China reopened fast, and the rules are not one rule. This section separates unilateral entry, treaty exemption, 240-hour transit and regional schemes — because turning up on the wrong one gets you refused at check-in.
The single biggest pre-trip anxiety. The honest version: your phone will work better than you expect if you set it up on the ground in your home country, and much worse if you leave it to the airport.
The question is not “is there internet in China” — there is, everywhere, fast. The question is whether the internet you get can reach the apps you need.
Every “does X work in China” query has the same two-part answer: not on Chinese networks, yes on a travel eSIM or roaming line. Here is the whole list in one place.
China skipped plastic and went straight to QR codes. Your foreign card still has a role, but it is a supporting one. Set up two wallets before you fly and you will never queue at an ATM.
China is close to cashless, but not cardless. Your Visa works — through a QR wallet, not a terminal. Fifteen minutes of setup at home removes the biggest daily friction of a China trip.
You will use cash less than you expect and need it more urgently than you plan for. The right number is smaller than guidebooks say, and the right notes are specific.
Forty-five thousand kilometres of high-speed line, a booking system designed for Chinese ID cards, and stations the size of airports. Everything here is about the twenty minutes before you board.
The rail network is the single best thing about travelling in China, and the single most intimidating. Both come from the same fact: it is run like an airline, at scale, in Chinese.
The booking system was built for Chinese ID cards and has been retrofitted for passports. It works — but the order of steps matters, and one failed verification can lock you out of the trip you planned.
The first ninety minutes in a new country set the tone for the trip. Here is the sequence, the costs, and the two decisions worth making before you land.
Chinese food is regional, seasonal and intensely local. This section is about the mechanics — reading a menu, ordering for a table, handling allergies — plus the dishes worth crossing a city for.
Nothing here is exotic. It is the ordinary stuff — how to hand over a card, how loud is too loud, when a queue is not a queue — that decides whether a trip feels smooth or awkward.
Most China itineraries fail for one reason: too many cities, too little time on the ground. These are the frameworks we use when we build a route for a guest.
Tell us your dates and what you actually want to see. A guide who lives there replies within 24 hours — with a plan and one clear total.
