![\"travel](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/traveltochina.jpg\")
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This guide contains pretty much all the info that you’ll need to prepare your trip to China. However, note that in this article we don\u2019t go into detail about any tourist destination or itinerary. <\/p>\n
If you\u2019d like to learn more about a particular destination, The Great Wall of China at Mutianyu, for example, click here to access our collection of tourist guides<\/a>. <\/p>\n If you want to learn more about a particular touristic itinerary, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n If you want to travel to China, you need a Visa<\/strong>. In order to get the Visa, you have to apply at a Chinese consulate or CVASC<\/a> (Chinese Visa Application Service Center) in your country.<\/p>\n In order to get your Visa, you’ll need:<\/p>\n If you’re applying for a tourist Visa (o L Visa), you’ll also need: <\/p>\n It will take between one and four working days to get the Visa. Take note that if you only plan on visiting Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan for less than three months and you hold a “Western passport,” then you don’t need a Visa.<\/p>\n Finally, if you are going with someone to China for tourism, you can get an online group visa<\/strong>. The Chinese online visa is a cheaper and more convenient way to obtain a Chinese visa (compared to the CVASC). Click here to read our guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Many people are scared to come to China without a guide. The main reasons are probably the language barrier and a culture that is perceived as completely different.<\/p>\n I can’t deny the fact that there is indeed a language and cultural barrier. However, Chinese people are quite good at understanding what tourists want, especially if you are willing to pay!<\/p>\n Moreover, in the last twenty years, China has built impressive infrastructure (airports, railways, subway systems, hotels), so traveling has become quite easy.<\/p>\n Finally, so far, China is probably the safest country that I’ve visited. For all these reasons, don’t discard the “independent travel” option, if this is what you want.<\/p>\n However, China is a huge country and if you wish to visit several provinces and only have one or two weeks, a tour is probably your best bet, as you won’t lose time trying to figure out how to get to the train station or to the hotel. Moreover, if you want to get a permit to travel to Tibet, you’ll have to do it through a specialized travel agency.<\/p>\n I strongly recommend you buy travel insurance<\/a><\/strong> before coming to China.<\/p>\n Although basic health care may be cheap in Asia, if you come down with something a bit serious like food poisoning, you will have to pay 300-400 USD (if you want to go to an international hospital where people can speak English).<\/p>\n Also, if you get really sick and need to stay at the hospital for several days, you’ll most likely end up spending thousands (or even tens of thousands of USD).<\/p>\n For short-term trips – let’s say less than 6 months – I recommend World Nomads insurance<\/strong><\/a>. Besides medical care, you’ll also be covered in the case of trip cancellation, stolen luggage, or evacuation (just make sure to read the terms of service before buying it!).<\/p>\n I book all my accomodation through Agoda<\/a><\/strong>. The reason is that they have a wide choice of hotels and offer the best prices out there.<\/p>\n Some tips on booking a hotel in China:<\/p>\n I recommend that you update your diphtheria\/pertussis\/tetanus (DPT), poliovirus, typhoid, hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccinations (and any other vaccines that are done by default in your country). <\/p>\n If you plan to travel to rural areas, it may also be a good idea to get the vaccines for Japanese encephalitis and rabies. Here you will find<\/a> an in-depth guide on the topic.<\/p>\n In any case, you should contact your doctor, as he\/she will know your immunization history and can decide what’s best for you<\/strong>. <\/p>\n I also like to bring some medicine when I travel to Asia. There are three main reasons. First, at all, communication may be difficult and you don’t want to argue in Chinese when you need an anti-diarrhea pill. Second, a lot of the medicine that you find in Asia is fake. You don’t want to buy a fake antibiotic when you need a real one.<\/p>\n Finally, our anti-bodies are different from the antibodies developed by Asian people. Therefore, Asian medicines aren’t the best fit for a Western guy (or girl), as they have been tested for people that have a different set of antibodies!<\/p>\n Here is the list of medicine that I bring from Europe: aspirin, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and anti-diarrhea drugs.<\/p>\n I don’t suggest you book your flight with any particular company. Instead, visit a couple of flight search engines and find the cheapest price<\/strong>. Click here<\/a> to read our guide for buying a flight to China<\/p>\n Some tips on booking an international flight to China:<\/p>\n Getting a decent Internet connection isn’t an easy task in China. The connection is slow compared to the West and many websites such as Google, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube o WordPress.com are blocked.<\/p>\n You can still access them, but you need to buy a VPN service. At the moment we recommend ExpressVPN and VyprVPN.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Your western phone will probably work in China<\/strong><\/a> (unless it\u2019s very old). The problem is that if you use a foreign phone card, you’ll end up spending a lot of money. The most practical solution is to buy a Chinese SIM card.<\/p>\n You can buy a SIM card at any of the stores of one of the main national operators<\/strong>, which are China Mobile, China Unicom, or China Telecom. To get the card, you have to take your passport with you. For less than 150 Yuan, you will have a prepaid SIM card, a monthly data plan, and a little bit of money for calls.<\/p>\n If you want to call abroad with your Chinese SIM card, you’ll need to ask the operator to enable the international service. In this case, you’ll have to pay at least 300 Yuan.<\/p>\n However, if you want to avoid looking for a store and making yourself understood by someone who probably doesn\u2019t know a single word of English, you can purchase a prepaid SIM card before going to China<\/strong>. Portals such as SIM Easy<\/a> or Amazon<\/a> offer prepaid SIM cards with a data plan starting at 25 EUR (or 30 USD).<\/p>\n Before you depart for your trip to China, you should make sure that you have a handful of apps available on your phone. The reason is that many foreign apps are blocked in China<\/a>. Let\u2019s review some of the most popular and useful ones.<\/p>\n First of all, I recommend you to download a VPN. You should preferably do this before you enter China as many of the VPNs are blocked. You won\u2019t be able to visit the websites or download the apps in the Apple Store on Google Play.<\/p>\n I also recommend you to go for a paid VPN as these are more reliable, faster, and easier to use.<\/p>\n So what is a VPN? VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and help you bypass the Great Firewall. Without a VPN, you cannot visit or use many popular websites and applications<\/a>, such as:<\/p>\n One of the best VPNs in the market is Express VPN<\/a>, which is fast and easy to use. That said, you also have plenty of other options, including NordVPN<\/a>, and VyprVPN<\/a>. For more information, I recommend you to visit our separate article that lists the best VPNs for China<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another application that is useful, not only in China, is Google Maps. Keep in mind that Google is blocked in China<\/a> so you won\u2019t be able to use the application unless you have a VPN, this is the case for most people at least.<\/p>\n Sure, you can use Google Maps in offline mode but it\u2019s not as useful and you won\u2019t be able to navigate your way in real-time.<\/p>\n Google Maps is one of the most popular applications among travelers and helps you to navigate the streets with ease. You can see how long it takes to travel from point A to point B with different transportation options.<\/p>\n Baidu Maps, China\u2019s equivalent of Google Maps, is not that easy to use as it can only be used in Chinese. You can input the addresses in pinyin format, but you must recognize Chinese characters to use the app.<\/p>\n Uber pulled out of the Chinese some years back and they don\u2019t use Grab there either. Thus, you must download Didi Chuxing<\/a> before you depart for China. Again, it\u2019s best to do this before you leave your home country, making sure that you can connect your debit\/credit card with the application.<\/p>\n There are several benefits of using Didi Chuxing compared to regular taxis. First of all, the taxis are generally cleaner and newer, which adds to the comfort. Secondly, you won\u2019t have to write down or show the destination on your phone. Keep in mind that most Chinese taxi drivers don\u2019t speak English so this can be a hassle.<\/p>\n Finally, the drivers won\u2019t be able to scam you by taking detours. You input your pick-up destination and the arrival-destination and the application calculates a fixed rate beforehand. You can travel with ease.<\/p>\n You should also download at least one application to be used for translation and where Pleco<\/a> is one of your best options. The application has helped numerous foreigners to learn Chinese and it\u2019s also useful if you want to converse with Chinese people.<\/p>\n Pleco allows you to draw characters, write English, Chinese characters, or in pinyin. You can also save words in so-called flashcards if you want to memorize and practice your Chinese. <\/p>\n What speaks for Google Translate as a better option than Pleco is that you can translate complete sentences instantly and listen to the sentences by audio. However, it has two problems you need to use a VPN to use it and Chinese translations are usually pretty bad.<\/p>\n WeChat<\/a> is China\u2019s equivalent to WhatsApp and used by more than 1 billion people. Over the years, WeChat has created its own eco-system, nowadays, you can even make purchases through the application and browse the net. <\/p>\n WeChat is useful if you have friends or business contacts in China, keep in mind that they generally don\u2019t use WhatsApp as it\u2019s blocked. Besides, it has a \u201cPeople nearby\u201d function that allows you to connect with people in the vicinity.<\/p>\n WeChat is a great application if you want to stay in touch with people within China and to keep in touch with new contacts.<\/p>\n The Chinese currency is called Renminbi<\/em> (RMB). However, you will never hear:<\/p>\n “It costs 100 Renminbi.”<\/p>\n Chinese people use the word Yuan<\/em> (\u5143) or much more often, the word kuai<\/em> (\u5757), which literally means “piece.”<\/p>\n When making payments in China, it\u2019s important to keep the following in mind:<\/p>\n For tourists, there are several options for making payments in China:<\/p>\n Cash<\/strong><\/p>\n While currently, almost nobody uses cash in China, it is still accepted at all businesses. To obtain cash, there are multiple options:<\/p>\n Mobile apps<\/strong><\/p>\n In China, the most common payment methods are WeChat and Alipay, two apps that allow mobile payment by scanning QR codes.<\/p>\n Alipay offers tourists the possibility of opening an account that is valid for a limited period of time. You can read our complete guide on Alipay here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite being the most used app to pay in China, WeChat can\u2019t be used by tourists<\/a>, as it has to be linked to a Chinese bank account and a local telephone number.<\/p>\n If you want to learn more about payments with mobile applications, you can read our complete guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Union Pay cards<\/strong><\/p>\n Even though credit cards aren\u2019t widely used in China\u2019s, many businesses accept payment if you use the Chinese Union Pay credit circuit.<\/p>\n Tourists have the possibility of obtaining rechargeable Union Pay debit cards. If you want to learn more about this option, you can read this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n I love Chinese trains. They are cheap, fast and connect all the country. Nowadays, you can travel from Beijing to Shanghai in only five hours. If you take into account that train stations aren’t too far from downtown whereas airports are far away, traveling by train is probably faster.<\/p>\n You can even go to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, by train, though it will take about 45 hours from Beijing or Shanghai.<\/p>\n For domestic flights such as Shanghai-Beijing, I recommend cTrip<\/a>, a Chinese agency that offers excellent prices and has the advantage of having its website in English and accepts payment via certain credit (or debit) cards like MasterCard, Visa or Union Pay (Chinese network).<\/p>\n The only websites that we know of where it\u2019s possible to find domestic flights for a lower price than cTrip are Spring Airlines<\/a> and Qunar<\/a>.<\/p>\n Spring is a \u201cbudget\u201d airline, which means that they offer limited flights and itineraries. Thus, you will have less flexibility. The problem with Qunar is that the site is only in Chinese. <\/p>\n Besides medicine, which I’ve listed above, and a universal plug adaptor<\/a>, there isn’t anything in particular that I recommend you bring to China.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you like to read, bring enough books or buy an Amazon Kindle<\/a> as it’s very difficult to find English books in China. Even in Beijing and Shanghai, the choice is quite limited (Hong Kong is the exception).<\/p>\n Clearly, if you are going to Beijing<\/a> in January, it will be bloody cold so you’ll need winter clothes. Conversely, if you are traveling to Hainan island, you won’t need them (but in this case, bring a\u00a0 bathing suit!).<\/p>\n Here you will find<\/a> the complete list of the things that I bring with me when I travel around China (and a couple of tips on how to pack your stuff).<\/strong><\/p>\n As I’ve already said, China is as big as Europe. Therefore, there isn’t one best season during which to visit China<\/a>. It depends on where you are going. Here is some general advice:<\/p>\n Chinese nightlife deserves an article of its own. What I can say here is that in Beijing, most of the clubs are located in Sanlitun, that is, the ex-pat zone close to Dongzhimen subway station. It’s the same for Hong Kong, where most of the clubs are located in Lan Kwai Fong<\/a> (usually called LKF). As usual, Shanghai is a different world and the clubs are scattered<\/a> all around downtown (the old French concession).<\/p>\n As I’ve already said, China is probably the safest country I’ve visited. Regardless, there are some common scams that target curious foreigners, especially in Beijing and Shanghai’s tourist attractions such as Wang Fu Jing or People Square.<\/p>\n It goes like this: a friendly girl approaches you and starts to ask you a lot of questions in good English (they are usually students). At some point, the girl tells you that she knows a good tea house just around the corner and invites you to follow her.<\/p>\n You guys order something, drink your tea, eat your fruit and keep chatting. Then, when you ask for the bill, the waiter expects you to pay some ridiculous amount of money (200 USD, for instance).<\/p>\n I know several people that have gotten scammed this way.<\/p>\n Never accept to get into a black taxi, even if the line for taxis is long. You’ll most likely end up paying a ridiculous amount of money.<\/strong><\/p>\n Most Chinese taxi drivers are honest: they will always switch on the taximeter and bring you to your destination via the shortest route. However, especially at the airport and close to the most popular tourist attractions, you may encounter some fraudulent taxi drivers.<\/p>\n I’ve heard about:<\/p>\n An effective way to avoid most taxi scams is to show the taxi driver that you aren’t a tourist by talking a bit of Chinese as soon as you get in the cab. You just need to tell them:<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Travel](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/traveltochina.jpg\" "\\"Travel")
<\/p>\nHow to get a Chinese Visa<\/h2>\n
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Here you find our complete guide to getting a Chinese Visa (including how to draft the invitation letter)<\/a><\/div>\n![\"china](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/chinatrip.jpg\")
The Karakorum Highway: a difficult place to reach without a guid!<\/span><\/p>\nTour or independent travel?<\/h2>\n
Click here to read our article on China tours<\/a><\/div>\nTravel Insurance for China<\/h2>\n
Click here to read our article about travel insurance for China<\/a><\/div>\nHotels and hostels in China<\/h2>\n
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Here you will find our article on hotels in China<\/a><\/div>\nVaccines and medicine<\/h2>\n
Flying to China<\/h2>\n
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![\"China](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/trainschina.jpg\" "\\"China")
The Hongqiao train station in Shanghai<\/span><\/p>\nInternet<\/h2>\n
Here you can find our complete guide about the internet in China<\/a><\/div>\nPhone cards<\/h2>\n
Here you can read our complete article on the best prepaid SIM cards for China<\/a><\/div>\nBest apps for traveling in China<\/h2>\n
VPN: Express VPN and more<\/h3>\n
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Navigation: Google Maps<\/h3>\n
Taxis: Didi Chuxing<\/h3>\n
Chinese dictionaries: Pleco and Google Translate<\/h3>\n
Social: WeChat<\/h3>\n
Here you can read our full article about the apps we recommend for traveling to China<\/a><\/div>\n![\"ATM](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/moneyinchina.jpg\" "\\"RenMinBi\\"")
<\/p>\nMoney, ATMs and credit cards<\/h2>\n
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China by train<\/h2>\n
Here you will find our guide for traveling by train in China<\/a><\/div>\nDomestic flights<\/h2>\n
What to bring?<\/h2>\n
When to travel to China?<\/h2>\n
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![\"china](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/chinatravels.jpg\" "\\"China")
Autumn in China… pretty cool, isn’t it?<\/span><\/p>\nCommon sense and cultural issues<\/h2>\n
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![\"Street](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/triptochina.jpg\" "\\"Street")
<\/p>\nFood and drinks<\/h2>\n
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![\"Nightlife](\"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/nightlifeinchina.jpg\" "\\"Nightlife")
<\/p>\nNightlife in China<\/h2>\n
Scams in China<\/h2>\n
Tea scam<\/h3>\n
Taxi scams<\/h3>\n
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