Still deciding what you want from the trip? Read Why visit China? for ideas before choosing a route.
Start with the arrangements that affect the rest of the trip. You don’t need to plan every hour. If your bookings are already in place, skip to the final travel checklist.
Choose the step you need.
Check your entry conditions
Before making non-refundable bookings, establish which entry route fits your passport, reason for travel, dates and onward journey. Visa-free entry and visa-free transit have different conditions.
Use the China visa and entry guide to identify what applies, then confirm it with the relevant Chinese embassy or consulate and the National Immigration Administration. For transit, establish whether the onward journey qualifies before buying it.
Finish with: a confirmed entry plan and a list of the documents it requires. Save the relevant official page with your bookings.
Get connected
Choose a connection that works for your arrival, then keep access to the number your bank and payment apps use for verification. On a local Chinese connection, Google, WhatsApp, Instagram and many other overseas services don’t work; the internet, eSIM and apps guide explains how each option handles that and which apps to install.
| Option | A useful starting point if… | Settle this before paying |
|---|---|---|
| Your existing provider’s roaming | You want to keep using your current SIM with little setup | Mainland China coverage, data cost and whether incoming verification texts work |
| A travel SIM or eSIM | You want to arrange data before leaving home | Phone compatibility, activation, coverage and whether it’s data-only |
| A local operator’s SIM | You want a mainland number as well as data | Available plan, calls and texts, phone compatibility and passport registration |
This is a choice of setup, not a ranking of providers. A data-only plan doesn’t receive messages sent to your usual phone number. If your phone supports two active SIMs, plan which handles data and which receives those messages; otherwise, ask your provider how to keep that access.
For a local SIM, the government’s daily-life services guide lists passport-based applications at China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom offices. Ask the operator to demonstrate activation and show the plan terms. Current prices and support depend on the plan and your phone.
Install Alipay or WeChat, Amap for maps, DiDi for rides and a translation app with offline Chinese, and sign in to each before departure. Keep the first hotel’s Chinese address and booking available offline.
Finish with: a chosen data option, its activation instructions and a way to receive account-verification messages.
Set up payments
Choose Alipay or WeChat Pay, add an eligible card and complete any requested checks before flying. Keep a physical card and some renminbi cash as backup.
Follow the separate app instructions in the Alipay and WeChat Pay guide. It explains what a completed setup looks like, how shop payments differ from transfers and what to do when something fails.
Finish with: a card listed in your chosen app, access to bank approval messages and a backup way to pay. Confirm the first real merchant payment once you arrive.
Your first arrival
Choose a hotel first, then plan the journey to its actual entrance. Use your airport code, terminal, likely time out of arrivals and luggage to choose transport.
Arriving at Beijing Capital Airport (PEK)? The airport arrival guide compares train, taxi and bus, gives terminal boarding points and shows a full rail journey to Chongwenmen. Beijing Daxing (PKX) is a different airport. For another arrival city, use that airport or station’s official transport page rather than applying the PEK route.
Confirm late check-in if needed. Hotels handle accommodation registration for foreign guests. For a non-hotel stay, arrange registration with your host: the NIA’s September 2026 guidance requires it within 24 hours of arrival at the accommodation and says the host should help with the first online registration.
Finish with: a saved Chinese hotel address, a full arrival route, a late-arrival backup and agreed check-in arrangements.
Choose a manageable route
Choose the place you most want to spend time in, then add another only if the travel day is worth it. Count the journeys to stations, checks and hotel changes as part of that day.
Planning 10 to 14 days? The Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai itinerary shows how many nights to spend in each city, when to move and which city to drop if you have less time.
Or start with a visit you can picture: the Temple of Heaven walking route, Shanghai’s waterfront or a Dujiangyan outing from Chengdu. Leave room for food, neighbourhood walks and rest between booked sights.
Finish with: a small set of places you want to visit and room in the schedule for the journeys between them. If you’re stuck between two options, ask one planning question with your dates and priorities.
Before you fly
Open the China travel checklist and tick off what you’ve finished. It’s a final check, so you don’t need to read the setup instructions again.
Sources and updates
Updated 29 October 2026. The linked payment, daily-life and accommodation sources were checked on that date. The entry guide links to the authorities responsible for rules that depend on your passport and route.