China Travel Guide 2026

China rewards the traveller who prepares. Few countries pack as much into one trip: the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Army, Shanghai's skyline across the river from its colonial waterfront, pandas in Chengdu and the limestone peaks along the Li River, all linked by the world's largest high-speed rail network. It is also a country with its own apps, its own way of paying and its own internet, so the details you sort out before you fly decide how smooth the trip feels. Here is how to plan it, plus the entry rules, the payment setup and the connectivity details worth getting right at home.

Why visit

China is several trips in one country. Beijing is imperial history on a monumental scale, from the Forbidden City to the Great Wall an hour north of town. Xi'an adds the Terracotta Army and a complete Ming-era city wall you can cycle around. Shanghai is the country's modern face, and Chengdu its most relaxed big city, famous for pandas, teahouses and food that is properly spicy.

Then there are the landscapes: the karst peaks of Guilin and Yangshuo, the sandstone pillars of Zhangjiajie, and West Lake in Hangzhou. Getting between them is easier than most first-timers expect, because fast trains link almost every city on this list. China suits curious, organised travellers best: the reward for a little planning is a trip that feels nothing like anywhere else.

Best places to visit

For a first trip, Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai are the classic triangle. Add Chengdu for pandas and food, and Guilin and Yangshuo or Zhangjiajie for landscapes. Hong Kong and Macau are separate destinations with their own entry rules; if you add them, treat them as their own leg.

Getting there

Most long-haul flights land in Beijing (Capital or Daxing) or Shanghai (Pudong), with Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shenzhen as the other big international gateways. An open-jaw ticket, into Beijing and out of Shanghai or the other way round, avoids backtracking on the classic route. You can also arrive overland from Hong Kong on the high-speed train from West Kowloon.

Before you land, fill in China's digital arrival card online (see "Visa and entry" below). Set up your payment apps and download the apps you'll need at home too, because both are much harder once you arrive.

When to go

Spring and autumn are the sweet spots for weather. The catch is the national holidays: the May Day holiday at the start of May, Golden Week from 1 to 7 October, and the weeks around Spring Festival (Chinese New Year, in late January or February) put hundreds of millions of people on the move. Trains sell out, prices jump and the big sights are packed. If your dates overlap, book trains and hotels early, or read our guide to China's Golden Week.

Summer brings heat, rain in the south and school-holiday crowds, while typhoons can affect the southern and eastern coasts from May to November. Winter is the bargain season: cold in Beijing, but the Forbidden City and the Great Wall are at their quietest.

How many days do you need?

How much does China cost?

Day to day, China is good value. A bowl of noodles or a plate of dumplings costs little, city metros are cheap and many parks and temples charge modest entry fees. The Forbidden City, for example, is ¥60 from April to October and ¥40 the rest of the year. Rooms in Beijing and Shanghai are what move the total, together with the high-speed trains between cities, so price your route before you settle on a budget.

Itineraries

Both routes start in Beijing and end in Shanghai, the natural open-jaw. Flip them if your flight lands in Shanghai.

Swap Chengdu for Zhangjiajie if hiking matters more to you than pandas, and keep at least two full days in Beijing even on a tight schedule.

Getting around

High-speed rail is the backbone of a China trip: fast, punctual and comfortable, and usually more convenient than flying once you count the trip to the airport. Book on China Railway's official 12306 website or app, which has an English version, or through a travel agency app. Tickets are tied to your passport, which you scan at the gate, so there's no paper ticket to lose. Busy routes sell out around holidays, so book as soon as your dates are fixed.

For the longest legs, such as Guilin to Shanghai, a domestic flight saves most of a day. In cities, metros are cheap, clean and signposted in English in the big centres. Ride-hailing apps are the easiest way to take a taxi, and you can call one from inside Alipay or WeChat without installing anything else. Avoid unmarked or unmetered taxis.

Where to stay

Hotels register foreign guests with the police on arrival, so expect the front desk to scan your passport. Some small guesthouses and budget hotels aren't set up to take foreign passports, so book through a platform that says the property accepts international guests, and confirm before you pay if in doubt.

Paying in China

China runs on mobile payments. In cities, almost everything, from metro tickets and street food to museum bookings and ride-hailing, is paid by scanning a QR code with Alipay or WeChat Pay. You can still pay with cash and, in bigger hotels and shops, with an international card, but the two apps make daily life far simpler, and both now accept foreign cards.

Splitting a large bill into payments under ¥200 avoids the platform fee, and paying by cash or card at a hotel avoids it altogether. Your mobile data matters here too: you need a working connection to show or scan a QR code, which is one more reason to land connected (see "Mobile data & eSIM" below).

Things to know before you go

Visa and entry

The 30-day policy has been extended in stages and currently runs to the end of 2026. If your trip falls after that, check the latest position with the Chinese embassy in your country before you book. Our guide to digital arrival cards in Asia covers the arrival card in more detail.

What to eat

Culture and etiquette

Tipping isn't customary in mainland China, outside some high-end hotels and tour guides. At the table, don't leave chopsticks standing upright in a bowl of rice, which recalls funeral offerings, and expect shared dishes in the middle rather than individual plates. Meals are social and often loud, and the host usually pays for the group.

Queues can be looser than you're used to, so hold your place politely at stations and sights. Keep conversations about politics low-key, and ask before photographing people, especially at religious sites. A few words in Mandarin go a long way: "nǐ hǎo" (hello), "xièxie" (thank you) and "duōshao qián?" (how much?).