Trip to China

The list adapts to you

When you add it, the checklist asks a couple of questions and keeps only the items that fit your situation.

• Traveling with kids? NoYes

What's inside

1. Check current visa rules

   Visa-free policies have changed several times in recent years. Verify the current rules and length of stay for your passport before booking.

2. Book hotels that accept foreigners

   Not every Chinese hotel is licensed to host foreigners — you can be turned away at check-in. Filter on Trip.com for 'accepts foreign guests' and double-check reviews.

3. Set up Alipay before you leave home

   China runs on QR payments: without Alipay or WeChat Pay even buying water gets hard. Link your foreign card in the app before the trip and test it — cash is increasingly awkward.

4. Carry some cash yuan

   Cash is accepted ever more grudgingly, but it saves you when the app fails. Keep small bills — big notes are hard to break.

5. Buy travel medical insurance

   Good foreigner-friendly clinics are private and pricey. Make sure your policy covers China and ideally includes translation assistance.

6. Set up a VPN before entering

   Google, WhatsApp, Instagram and YouTube don't work in China. Installing a VPN once inside is nearly impossible — do it beforehand. Roaming data through your home carrier bypasses the block entirely.

7. Choose eSIM or roaming wisely

   Tourist eSIMs routed via Hong Kong or Singapore usually come unblocked — a handy VPN alternative. A local SIM needs your passport and lives behind the firewall.

8. Download an offline translator

   English barely works outside luxury hotels. An offline Chinese pack plus photo translation for menus and signs is survival gear.

9. Install Amap (Gaode) maps

   Google Maps doesn't work in China and its coordinates are offset. Locals use Amap — Chinese interface, but accurate routing and transit; Apple Maps also works decently there.

10. Book train tickets in advance

    High-speed trains are sold against your passport via 12306 or Trip.com; popular routes sell out days ahead. Your passport is your ticket at the gate.

11. Reserve top attractions ahead

    The Forbidden City, Terracotta Army and major museums require advance passport-linked booking — same-day tickets often simply don't exist.

12. Carry your passport at all times

    You'll need it at train stations, museums and occasional checks. A copy doesn't always satisfy — keep the original on you and photos in the cloud.

13. Grab the hotel's business card in Chinese

    The hotel's English name means nothing to a taxi driver. A card from reception or a screenshot of the address in characters gets you home every time.

14. Check plugs and pack a universal adapter

    Chinese sockets mix types A, C and I at 220V: European plugs usually fit, but not everywhere. A universal adapter ends the guesswork.

15. Bring a thermos or travel mug

    Free boiling water flows in trains, airports and hotels — the whole country drinks hot water and tea. Your own thermos turns that into endless tea on the road.

16. Pack a first aid kit

    Fever reducer, stomach remedies, sorbent, plasters and your regular meds. In a Chinese pharmacy without the language it's easy to buy the wrong thing — bring what you trust.

17. Scout the local spice level

    Sichuan and Hunan burn for real; the north and east are gentler. Learn 'bu yao la' (not spicy) — it saves both stomach and mood.

18. Carry tissues and hand sanitizer

    Public restrooms often have neither paper nor soap. A pocket pack of tissues isn't paranoia, it's standard practice.

19. Make copies of your documents

    Photos of passport, visa and insurance to cloud storage; paper copies packed separately from originals.

20. Put a contact note in your kid's pocket Yes

    A note with your phone number, the hotel name in characters and 'I'm lost, please call my parents' in Chinese. In a train station crowd it's worth more than gold.

21. Agree on a meeting point Yes

    Crowds in Chinese cities are overwhelming. At every big venue — station, park, museum — pick an obvious meeting point first, in case you get separated.

22. Pack familiar food for your kid Yes

    Local food challenges even adults: spice, unfamiliar textures. Snacks from home plus supermarket fruit and yogurt keep everyone fed.

23. Kids' first aid kit Yes

    Child-dose fever reducer, tummy remedies, thermometer, plasters. Finding a familiar kids' medicine in a Chinese pharmacy is a quest with no guarantee.