Visiting China: Tips and everything you need
This guide contains almost all the information you need for planning your trip to China: visa requirements, travel insurance, vaccinations, guides, planes and trains, hotels, Internet and phone cards.
You'll also find tips on where to eat, what to take to China, when travel to China, how to avoid common problems and how to negotiate prices.
PS Subscribe to our newsletter via the form on the top right corner of the website to download the Travel Phrasebook free Chinese / Spanish.
You will find the most common greetings, phrases for help, orient, communicate with a taxi driver or a seller. It also contains the most common foods and drinks and finally the numbers. The idea is to provide a summary document that you can print and use once you get to China
How to get a visa to China?
If you want to travel to China you need a tourist visa (L visa is also called). To obtain a visa you have to apply at the Embassy or Consulate of China. Here you can find the nearest consulate in your city.
You will need:
A passport with at least six months validity and two blank pages.
A recent photo of 2 Ã-- 2 inches.
An application form (which can be downloaded from the website of the Chinese Consulate in which you will apply for a visa).
Between 30 and 140 dollars (the price depends on your nationality).
It may also be necessary (check with your consulate)
A financial test.
Return ticket.
A hotel bill.
It will take between one and four working for the visa days, although the process can be accelerated (paying) Note that if you're only going to travel to Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan for less than three months, many of passports need no visa, On the links below you can see the list of countries that do not require a visa to Hong Kong
Here you will find our complete guide to getting a visa to China
China Travel the Karakoram Highway, a place inaccessible without a guide
Organized trip or trip free
Many people are afraid to come to China without a guide. The main reasons are probably the language barrier and a culture that is perceived as completely different.
I cannot deny the fact that there is indeed a cultural and language barrier. However, the Chinese are very good at understanding what tourists want, especially if you're willing to pay!
Moreover, in the last twenty years, China has built an impressive infrastructure (airports, railways, metro systems, hotels), so travel within China has become very easy.
Finally, China is probably the safest country I've visited. For all these reasons, do not discard the option of "independent travel", if this is what you want.
However, China is a huge country and if you want to visit several provinces and only have one or two weeks, an organized tour is probably the best option because you will not waste time trying to find a way to get to the station train or hotel.
Here you will find our handy guide to everything you should know before hiring a China Tour
Fly to China
I do not suggest any specific company to book your flight. Instead, better consult a couple of flight search engines to find low airfare. Personally I've been using Last Min since 2007 for all my international flight tickets as we always offer the best price and have never had any problems.
Here you will find our guide with some tips to find the best deals on flights to China
Travel Insurance for China
I recommend that you buy a travel insurance before coming to China.
Although the basic care can be expensive in Asia, if you have something a little more serious, such as food poisoning, you'll pay about 300-400 Euros (if you go to an international hospital where people can speak English).
Also, if you really get sick and need to stay in hospital for several days you will be lucky if you end up spending thousands (or even tens of thousands of euros).
Here are our listings of health insurance in China.
Vaccines and drugs
I advise you to update your diphtheria / pertussis / tetanus, polio, typhoid, hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccination here you will find an in-depth guide on the subject.
In any case, you should consult your doctor as you know your vaccination history and can decide what is best for you
I also like to bring some drugs when I travel to Asia. There are three main reasons. First of all, communication can be difficult and I will not discuss in Chinese when I need an anti-diarrhea. Second, many of the drugs that can be found in Asia are fake. You do not want to buy a fake one antibiotic when you need really.
Finally, our antibodies are different from the antibodies developed by Asians. Therefore Asian medicines are not the best choice for a man (or woman) west, as they have been tested for people who have a different set of anti-bodies!
Here the list of medicines in Europe bring me aspirin, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and anti-diarrheal.
Travel Guide
I'm not a big fan of guidebooks. However, I realize that many people like to have a guide when traveling. If you really want one, just get the Lonely Planet China.
Chinese threnodies The Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai
Hotels and hostels in China
Personally I book my hotels - and B - with Agoda.es. The reasons, they have a wide selection of hotels and offer the best prices in the market.
Some tips for booking a hotel in China:
Do not forget to bring your passport at check-in, as it is mandatory.
If you want to deal with a receptionist who is able to speak English or book a 3-5 star hotel or an international hostel. I have stayed in many cheap Chinese hotels and usually there is no one who can speak English.
Same for the Internet. Most hotels in China do not offer free and if they do not work well.
You can find our guide to hotels in China.
Internet
Finding a decent internet connection is not an easy task in China. The connection is slow compared with the West and many websites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube are blocked or WordPress.com.
You can still access them, but you must purchase a VPN service. For now recommend Strong VPN to work pretty well.
You can find our complete guide to the Internet in China
Telephony
Your phone will probably work in China (unless you bought before 2001). The problem is that if you use a phone card outside China are going to end up spending a prohibitive amount of money. The most practical solution is to compare yourself a Chinese SIM card.
You can find a card at any kiosk or store that exposes the "poster China Mobile Mandarin). However, if you want to access Internet on your phone will have to go to a store of China Mobile. You can find them almost everywhere. If opting for the second option, remember to bring your passport with you.
There are different rates to enable an Internet connection on your phone, from 10 to 100 RMB per month. If you just want to check your mail and newspaper occasionally, about 10 or 30 RMB should be sufficient. Note that the connection is very slow and it will be very difficult to do anything else other than checking e-mail or chat.
The procedure to buy the card is very simple and if you load your card with 100 RMB (about 12 Euros or 16 dollars) going to be able to communicate about a month (unless you're planning on spending your time calling abroad).
If you want to call abroad with your SIM card will have to order Chinese international service attendant. In this case you would have to carry at least 300 RMB.
If work or personal issues you do not want to lose touch with your home country or work, I suggest you purchase a virtual number and once you have a SIM China associate with it. People who call you will only pay a local call and you somehow 3 cents a minute (depending on the company you choose). Personally I use Kolbe and now I'm quite satisfied with their service.
Here you can read our article on how to receive calls when you're in China using a virtual number
ATM in China
Money, ATMs and Credit Cards
The Chinese currency is called Rimini (RMB). However, you will never hear:
"This costs 100 RMB."
The Chinese use the word yuan (
or, more often, the word kunai
, which literally means "piece".
So far 10 Yuan are about 1.62 dollars or 1.24 Euros. You can use this currency converter to check the current value of the dollar or other currency against the RMB.
I've never had problems withdrawing money with my VISA or MasterCard in European ATM from leading Chinese banks (Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Agricultural Bank of China or).
Actually I've never had any problems withdrawing money at a Chinese ATM. Also, unless you are in the middle of nowhere, I found an ATM on almost every corner. Just make sure there is the symbol of Visa or MasterCard at the cashier
After entering your credit card or debit card at the ATM, do not forget to click on "English" or another language so you can understand what you're doing.
Shopping malls, bars and restaurants also accept some level cards. However, in small shops or small restaurants have to pay cash.
China train
I love Chinese trains. Cheap, fast and are connected across the country. Today you can travel from Beijing to Shanghai in just five hours. If you think train stations are not far away from urban centers, while the airports are far away, traveling by train is probably faster.
You can even go to Lhasa, Tibet's capital, by train. Even if it will take about 45 hours from Beijing or Shanghai.
Here you will find our complete guide to train travel throughout China.
Domestic flights
Although I prefer train travel, China is huge and sometimes need to take a domestic flight. My favorite search engines are internal flights Crip and Quran simply because they offer the best deals.
While Crip is in English and Western accepts credit cards, Quran website is in Mandarin and only accepts Union Pay cards (the Chinese circuit credit and debit cards).
Some tips for traveling with a plane in China:
Even if most Chinese airports are new and very well organized, handle too many flights per day. Generally speaking, in the morning time flights take off, whereas after the start 15:00 delays. At night it's a nightmare and most flights are delayed due to traffic on the runway. Choose wisely when your flight!
The company offering the best prices is Spring Airlines. You can think a little like China Ryan air. Like Ryan air, you pay for what you get. Do not expect free food or too legroom!
What to wear?
In addition to medication, which I mentioned above, and a universal adapter plug, there is nothing special to recommend bringing to China.
If you like reading books or bring sufficient Bring an Amazon Kindle and in China is very difficult to find books in English and virtually impossible in other languages. Even in Beijing and Shanghai, the choice is quite limited (Hong Kong being the exception).
Obviously if you're going to Beijing in January will be extremely cold so you will need winter clothes. Conversely, if you're traveling to Hainan Island do not need it (but in this case bring a swimsuit!).
You can find the list of things to bring with me when I travel China (and a few tips on how to put your stuff in a backpack).
When to travel to China?
As I said, China is as big as Europe. Therefore there is no better time to visit the country. Depends on where you go. Then some general tips:
Avoid the Chinese national holidays such as the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) holidays or October. 1. China has? Billions of people, and during these periods are all traveling. Believe me when I say you do not want to be in a train station the week before the Spring Festival.
In summer it will be very hot everywhere (the exception is the province of Yunnan, where you'll find a comfortable temperature between 20 and 25 degrees). In addition, the Southeast Coast (from Shanghai to Hong Kong) is affected by typhoons.
I do not like Chinese spring. It rains a lot and also receives Beijing sandstorm! As an example, here you can see the statistics of precipitation in Hangzhou (located 200 km south of Shanghai).
China during the winter can be extremely cold (-40 degrees even in the north). In Shanghai, the temperature can reach zero and may even snow once or twice a year, but not so terrible. Conversely, winter is a good time to travel around southern China because it will not be too hot.
Fall is probably the best time to travel to China. There is little rainfall and the climate is temperate.
When traveling to China Autumn in China... nice, huh?
This guide contains almost all the information you need for planning your trip to China: visa requirements, travel insurance, vaccinations, guides, planes and trains, hotels, Internet and phone cards.
You'll also find tips on where to eat, what to take to China, when travel to China, how to avoid common problems and how to negotiate prices.
PS Subscribe to our newsletter via the form on the top right corner of the website to download the Travel Phrasebook free Chinese / Spanish.
You will find the most common greetings, phrases for help, orient, communicate with a taxi driver or a seller. It also contains the most common foods and drinks and finally the numbers. The idea is to provide a summary document that you can print and use once you get to China
How to get a visa to China?
If you want to travel to China you need a tourist visa (L visa is also called). To obtain a visa you have to apply at the Embassy or Consulate of China. Here you can find the nearest consulate in your city.
You will need:
A passport with at least six months validity and two blank pages.
A recent photo of 2 Ã-- 2 inches.
An application form (which can be downloaded from the website of the Chinese Consulate in which you will apply for a visa).
Between 30 and 140 dollars (the price depends on your nationality).
It may also be necessary (check with your consulate)
A financial test.
Return ticket.
A hotel bill.
It will take between one and four working for the visa days, although the process can be accelerated (paying) Note that if you're only going to travel to Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan for less than three months, many of passports need no visa, On the links below you can see the list of countries that do not require a visa to Hong Kong
Here you will find our complete guide to getting a visa to China
China Travel the Karakoram Highway, a place inaccessible without a guide
Organized trip or trip free
Many people are afraid to come to China without a guide. The main reasons are probably the language barrier and a culture that is perceived as completely different.
I cannot deny the fact that there is indeed a cultural and language barrier. However, the Chinese are very good at understanding what tourists want, especially if you're willing to pay!
Moreover, in the last twenty years, China has built an impressive infrastructure (airports, railways, metro systems, hotels), so travel within China has become very easy.
Finally, China is probably the safest country I've visited. For all these reasons, do not discard the option of "independent travel", if this is what you want.
However, China is a huge country and if you want to visit several provinces and only have one or two weeks, an organized tour is probably the best option because you will not waste time trying to find a way to get to the station train or hotel.
Here you will find our handy guide to everything you should know before hiring a China Tour
Fly to China
I do not suggest any specific company to book your flight. Instead, better consult a couple of flight search engines to find low airfare. Personally I've been using Last Min since 2007 for all my international flight tickets as we always offer the best price and have never had any problems.
Here you will find our guide with some tips to find the best deals on flights to China
Travel Insurance for China
I recommend that you buy a travel insurance before coming to China.
Although the basic care can be expensive in Asia, if you have something a little more serious, such as food poisoning, you'll pay about 300-400 Euros (if you go to an international hospital where people can speak English).
Also, if you really get sick and need to stay in hospital for several days you will be lucky if you end up spending thousands (or even tens of thousands of euros).
Here are our listings of health insurance in China.
Vaccines and drugs
I advise you to update your diphtheria / pertussis / tetanus, polio, typhoid, hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccination here you will find an in-depth guide on the subject.
In any case, you should consult your doctor as you know your vaccination history and can decide what is best for you
I also like to bring some drugs when I travel to Asia. There are three main reasons. First of all, communication can be difficult and I will not discuss in Chinese when I need an anti-diarrhea. Second, many of the drugs that can be found in Asia are fake. You do not want to buy a fake one antibiotic when you need really.
Finally, our antibodies are different from the antibodies developed by Asians. Therefore Asian medicines are not the best choice for a man (or woman) west, as they have been tested for people who have a different set of anti-bodies!
Here the list of medicines in Europe bring me aspirin, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and anti-diarrheal.
Travel Guide
I'm not a big fan of guidebooks. However, I realize that many people like to have a guide when traveling. If you really want one, just get the Lonely Planet China.
Chinese threnodies The Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai
Hotels and hostels in China
Personally I book my hotels - and B - with Agoda.es. The reasons, they have a wide selection of hotels and offer the best prices in the market.
Some tips for booking a hotel in China:
Do not forget to bring your passport at check-in, as it is mandatory.
If you want to deal with a receptionist who is able to speak English or book a 3-5 star hotel or an international hostel. I have stayed in many cheap Chinese hotels and usually there is no one who can speak English.
Same for the Internet. Most hotels in China do not offer free and if they do not work well.
You can find our guide to hotels in China.
Internet
Finding a decent internet connection is not an easy task in China. The connection is slow compared with the West and many websites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube are blocked or WordPress.com.
You can still access them, but you must purchase a VPN service. For now recommend Strong VPN to work pretty well.
You can find our complete guide to the Internet in China
Telephony
Your phone will probably work in China (unless you bought before 2001). The problem is that if you use a phone card outside China are going to end up spending a prohibitive amount of money. The most practical solution is to compare yourself a Chinese SIM card.
You can find a card at any kiosk or store that exposes the "poster China Mobile Mandarin). However, if you want to access Internet on your phone will have to go to a store of China Mobile. You can find them almost everywhere. If opting for the second option, remember to bring your passport with you.
There are different rates to enable an Internet connection on your phone, from 10 to 100 RMB per month. If you just want to check your mail and newspaper occasionally, about 10 or 30 RMB should be sufficient. Note that the connection is very slow and it will be very difficult to do anything else other than checking e-mail or chat.
The procedure to buy the card is very simple and if you load your card with 100 RMB (about 12 Euros or 16 dollars) going to be able to communicate about a month (unless you're planning on spending your time calling abroad).
If you want to call abroad with your SIM card will have to order Chinese international service attendant. In this case you would have to carry at least 300 RMB.
If work or personal issues you do not want to lose touch with your home country or work, I suggest you purchase a virtual number and once you have a SIM China associate with it. People who call you will only pay a local call and you somehow 3 cents a minute (depending on the company you choose). Personally I use Kolbe and now I'm quite satisfied with their service.
Here you can read our article on how to receive calls when you're in China using a virtual number
ATM in China
Money, ATMs and Credit Cards
The Chinese currency is called Rimini (RMB). However, you will never hear:
"This costs 100 RMB."
The Chinese use the word yuan (
or, more often, the word kunai
, which literally means "piece".
So far 10 Yuan are about 1.62 dollars or 1.24 Euros. You can use this currency converter to check the current value of the dollar or other currency against the RMB.
I've never had problems withdrawing money with my VISA or MasterCard in European ATM from leading Chinese banks (Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Agricultural Bank of China or).
Actually I've never had any problems withdrawing money at a Chinese ATM. Also, unless you are in the middle of nowhere, I found an ATM on almost every corner. Just make sure there is the symbol of Visa or MasterCard at the cashier
After entering your credit card or debit card at the ATM, do not forget to click on "English" or another language so you can understand what you're doing.
Shopping malls, bars and restaurants also accept some level cards. However, in small shops or small restaurants have to pay cash.
China train
I love Chinese trains. Cheap, fast and are connected across the country. Today you can travel from Beijing to Shanghai in just five hours. If you think train stations are not far away from urban centers, while the airports are far away, traveling by train is probably faster.
You can even go to Lhasa, Tibet's capital, by train. Even if it will take about 45 hours from Beijing or Shanghai.
Here you will find our complete guide to train travel throughout China.
Domestic flights
Although I prefer train travel, China is huge and sometimes need to take a domestic flight. My favorite search engines are internal flights Crip and Quran simply because they offer the best deals.
While Crip is in English and Western accepts credit cards, Quran website is in Mandarin and only accepts Union Pay cards (the Chinese circuit credit and debit cards).
Some tips for traveling with a plane in China:
Even if most Chinese airports are new and very well organized, handle too many flights per day. Generally speaking, in the morning time flights take off, whereas after the start 15:00 delays. At night it's a nightmare and most flights are delayed due to traffic on the runway. Choose wisely when your flight!
The company offering the best prices is Spring Airlines. You can think a little like China Ryan air. Like Ryan air, you pay for what you get. Do not expect free food or too legroom!
What to wear?
In addition to medication, which I mentioned above, and a universal adapter plug, there is nothing special to recommend bringing to China.
If you like reading books or bring sufficient Bring an Amazon Kindle and in China is very difficult to find books in English and virtually impossible in other languages. Even in Beijing and Shanghai, the choice is quite limited (Hong Kong being the exception).
Obviously if you're going to Beijing in January will be extremely cold so you will need winter clothes. Conversely, if you're traveling to Hainan Island do not need it (but in this case bring a swimsuit!).
You can find the list of things to bring with me when I travel China (and a few tips on how to put your stuff in a backpack).
When to travel to China?
As I said, China is as big as Europe. Therefore there is no better time to visit the country. Depends on where you go. Then some general tips:
Avoid the Chinese national holidays such as the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) holidays or October. 1. China has? Billions of people, and during these periods are all traveling. Believe me when I say you do not want to be in a train station the week before the Spring Festival.
In summer it will be very hot everywhere (the exception is the province of Yunnan, where you'll find a comfortable temperature between 20 and 25 degrees). In addition, the Southeast Coast (from Shanghai to Hong Kong) is affected by typhoons.
I do not like Chinese spring. It rains a lot and also receives Beijing sandstorm! As an example, here you can see the statistics of precipitation in Hangzhou (located 200 km south of Shanghai).
China during the winter can be extremely cold (-40 degrees even in the north). In Shanghai, the temperature can reach zero and may even snow once or twice a year, but not so terrible. Conversely, winter is a good time to travel around southern China because it will not be too hot.
Fall is probably the best time to travel to China. There is little rainfall and the climate is temperate.
When traveling to China Autumn in China... nice, huh?
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