China Travel Tips: Visa, Payments, VPN and Packing

These China travel tips cover the five things to sort out before a first trip: how you enter the country, Alipay, a VPN, train tickets and what goes in your bag. Get those right and China is one of the easiest places in Asia to travel.

China often impresses before you even leave. Futuristic cities, a history that runs back thousands of years and a culture that is its own thing: it's easy to picture a trip that is complicated to organise. The reality is different. China has modernised at remarkable speed and has become very accessible to foreign travellers. Preparing for it mostly means knowing a handful of rules that differ from Western habits, and this guide goes through them in the order you'll need them.

China travel tips at a glance

The short version: check your entry rules, set up Alipay before you fly, install a VPN as soon as you land, book trains and flights for the long distances, and pack light. Everything else on this page is detail on those points.

• Entry: UK passport holders can currently enter visa-free for up to 30 days; US travellers should check whether they need a visa or qualify for transit.
• Passport: valid for 6 months after your return date.
• Payments: download Alipay and add your Visa or Mastercard before you leave.
• Internet: Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked, so install a VPN as soon as you arrive.
• Getting around: high-speed trains for most routes, domestic flights for distant provinces.
• Water: bottled or boiled, never from the tap.
• Clothes: layers, plus shoes that slip off easily.

China visa free: what UK and US travellers need

Visa rules are the part of this guide that changes most, so each line below is dated. Before you book anything, check the official lists again, because they get revised.

UK travellers

UK passport holders can enter China without a visa for up to 30 days for tourism, business, family or friend visits, or transit, according to the National Immigration Administration list (17 February 2026) and the gov.uk entry requirements for China, as of November 2026. The gov.uk page says the arrangement runs until 31 December 2026. The 30 days are counted from 00:00 on the day after you enter, and the rule applies to ordinary passports.

There is nothing to apply for before departure beyond holding a valid passport. If your plans stretch past 30 days, the visa route below applies instead.

US travellers

The United States is not on China's unilateral visa-free list, so US citizens normally need a visa. The one exception is transit: the 240-hour visa-free transit exists for eligible travellers passing through China on the way to a third country. Check your own eligibility against the 240-hour transit policy before you rely on it. There is also a 24-hour transit stay without a visa, listed by the National Immigration Administration on 20 August 2026.

Because lists change, read the National Immigration Administration visa-free list before booking flights. The same list is the place to look if you hold another nationality, or if a visa-free stay won't cover the length of your trip.

If you need a visa

The process is well established. You fill in an online form, then submit your file at the visa centre. On tailor-made trips, our local experts provide the documents your visa file needs, such as invitations and a detailed programme, so a long trip of three weeks or more is no obstacle. You can start your request here.

Passport validity

Whatever your situation, with or without a visa, your passport must still be valid 6 months after your return date. Check the expiry date when you book your tickets, not the week before you leave.

Pay with your phone: Alipay, WeChat, cash and cards

In China almost everything is paid by phone. Download Alipay before you leave, add your Visa or Mastercard and scan the seller's QR code. That is the whole system, and it works from small street stalls to big hotels.

This is the biggest change to prepare for, because at the till your habits from home won't help you. The good news is that these payment systems are now open to foreigners. Add your international card to the app before you travel, so that it's ready when you land and you aren't sorting it out with a flat battery in an airport queue. WeChat is the other app you'll see everywhere, and Alipay is the one to set up first.

Cash still has a role. The yuan, also called renminbi, is legally accepted, and it's useful to carry a little for the odd occasion when a phone payment isn't possible. Your physical bank cards, though, will hardly work for paying directly, except in luxury hotels. They do work in ATMs, so a card is how you get cash out when you need it.

Stay connected: VPN, SIM card and apps

You need internet access in China for your payment, translation and map apps, and the Chinese internet blocks many Western sites: Google, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Gmail. A local SIM is subject to the same restrictions, so install a VPN app as soon as you arrive.

There are two ways to deal with the blocks, and they suit different travellers.

• Local SIM plus VPN: a local SIM card gives you data from the moment you land, but it runs on the Chinese network with its restrictions. To reach WhatsApp, Google and your other usual apps through it, the VPN has to be on your phone.
• Roaming through your home operator: the "international" option on many home plans often gives access to everything without blocking, because the traffic goes through your home country. Check the costs carefully with your operator before relying on it.

Apps worth having

• Alipay: to pay almost everywhere.
• A voice translation app: Google Translate or Baidu Translate are both useful for communicating. Remember that Google Translate is itself a Google service, so it needs the VPN too.
• A map app: Apple Maps, for example, helps you find your way around the big cities.

Getting around: high-speed trains and domestic flights

China is huge, and its transport network is one of the best-performing in the world. The high-speed network covers almost the whole country, and the trains are extremely punctual, clean, modern and fast. They are also the best way to watch the landscapes go by while you travel in comfort. The fastest G-trains typically reach up to 350 km/h.

You'll need your passport to buy a ticket and to board. Tickets can typically be booked up to about 15 days ahead, and English-language booking services make it straightforward without queueing at a station window.

For the distances between far-apart provinces, a plane is the most logical option. Airports are modern and procedures are efficient, which lets you combine very different regions in one trip. If you'd like to see how trains and flights fit together on an actual route, the 2-week China itinerary shows one way to do it.

Water, health and pharmacy

Tap water in China is not drinkable. Bottled water is very cheap, and boiled water works too. Hotels and trains always provide hot drinking water, which comes from the local habit of drinking tea, so you can refill a bottle most of the day without paying for it.

Bring a small basic kit for headaches and digestion. Pharmacies are plentiful in the cities, so it doesn't need to be large.

What to pack for China

Don't load up. You can find almost everything on the spot, so pack the essentials and leave room in the bag.

China has a pronounced continental climate. Summer is hot and humid, so bring light clothes and a light sweater, because air conditioning in public places is very strong. In winter the north is very cold and the south milder. Layers are the easiest way to adjust to any time of day. For a fuller answer on what to wear in cities, temples and each season, see what to wear in China.

The small things matter more than the clothes:

• Shoes that are easy to take off: you often remove them to visit temples or to enter someone's home.
• A power bank: your phone pays, translates and finds your way all day, so it will drain.
• An adapter: Chinese sockets are often compatible with flat European plugs (type C), but a universal adapter is safer for the three-pin sockets.

Etiquette and culture

The Chinese are welcoming and often curious about foreigners. A few habits make daily life smoother.

• Stay calm: getting angry or raising your voice makes you "lose face". If there is a problem, stay calm and keep smiling. It's the best way to get help.
• Expect curiosity: in remote regions, locals may want to take a photo with you. It is a sign of welcome.
• Show respect: a nod or a smile is often enough to say hello, and respect for elders is a fundamental value.

All of China runs on a single time, Beijing time, however far west you travel. Set your phone to it and train times will make sense.

Plan your China trip with a local expert

Once these few practical points are sorted, you'll find a modern country that is easy to travel in. The hard part is turning a list of places into a route that works: which cities by train, where a flight saves a day, how long to stay in each.

Tell us when you want to travel and our China experts will design the trip with you. You can create your tailor-made China trip, or browse China trip ideas first, such as the 10-day Essentials of Imperial China.