China Travel Guide for First-Time Visitors (2026)
Start here: entry rules, payments, apps, transport, cities, safety, internet and the first 24 hours in China.
A first China trip feels easier when the basics are solved in the right order. Use this pillar guide as your starting point, then open the specialist guides for payments, trains, apps, arrival and itinerary planning.
Rules, fees and app features can change. Recheck official sources shortly before departure.
Start with entry and documents
Confirm passport validity, visa or visa-free eligibility, transit rules and hotel check-in requirements before you book nonrefundable plans. Save copies of your passport, reservations and emergency contacts offline.
Build a payment backup system
Set up one primary mobile-payment app, prepare a second option, carry a physical card and keep modest RMB cash. China is convenient when mobile payment works, but backups matter when a card issuer, app rule or phone battery fails.
Prepare your phone before departure
Install payment, maps, translation, rail, ride-hailing and hotel apps before you fly. Choose roaming, eSIM or local SIM data, then save your hotel address and first arrival route where you can reach them without signal.
Choose a realistic first route
For one week, keep the route to one or two cities. For two weeks, four bases is usually enough. Build in recovery time after arrival and avoid fragile long-distance transfers on the final day.
Use the specialist guides next
After this overview, read the Alipay, WeChat Pay, train, airport arrival and travel-app guides for the exact steps you will use on the ground.
Estimate your budget, build a packing checklist, then turn the plan into a route.
Open Travel Toolkit ↗