EAST ASIA
China travel guides
China rewards a first trip built around a few well-linked cities: Beijing and the Great Wall, Xi'an and the Terracotta Army, Shanghai and the water towns, then Chengdu, Guilin or the Yangtze if you have more days. These guides cover entry and the 30-day visa-free period, how to pay and get online, high-speed trains and flights, what a trip costs all in, the best months, the 2027 holiday calendar, regional food, and itineraries of seven, ten and fourteen days. Hong Kong and Macau have their own guides.
Destination guides
Each guide helps you decide whether a place fits your trip, how long to stay, where to sleep, what to eat and how to get there.
Beijing and the north
The capital, its imperial palaces and the Great Wall.
Beijing
Three nights in Beijing: which imperial sights to book first, how passport tickets and Monday closures shape the days, where to stay, airport links and what it all costs.
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Great Wall
Which Great Wall section to visit from Beijing: Mutianyu, Badaling, Jinshanling or Simatai, with tickets, buses, trains, open sections and costs.
Read the guideXi'an and Zhangjiajie
The Terracotta Army, the city walls and the sandstone pillars of Hunan.
Xi’an
Two nights in Xi’an: booking the Terracotta Army and the Shaanxi History Museum with a passport, the City Wall, where to stay and what it costs.
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Zhangjiajie
Three nights in Wulingyuan: park tickets and gates, the lifts, the Grand Canyon glass bridge, Tianmen Mountain, where to stay and what four days cost.
Read the guideShanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou
The Bund, West Lake and the canal gardens of the Yangtze delta.
Shanghai
Three nights in Shanghai: the Bund and a river cruise, Yu Garden, the French Concession, Pudong, Shanghai Museum East, Zhujiajiao, airports and costs.
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Hangzhou and Suzhou
Two nights by train from Shanghai: West Lake and Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, then the Humble Administrator’s Garden in Suzhou, with bookings and costs.
Read the guideChengdu and Chongqing
Pandas, hotpot and the gateway to the Yangtze cruises.
Chengdu
Two nights in Chengdu: booking the Panda Base with a passport, Wenshu Monastery, Kuanzhai Alley, the Leshan Giant Buddha by train, where to stay and what it costs.
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Chongqing and the Yangtze
Two nights in Chongqing, three on a Yangtze cruise to Yichang, a night train to Shanghai: the 2027 fares, life on board, booking and the week's cost.
Read the guideGuilin and Yangshuo
Karst peaks, the Li River and rice terraces.
Make the important choices first
Entry, payments, transport, costs, seasons, holidays and food.
Entering China
Who can enter China visa-free for 30 days, when the waiver ends, how 240-hour transit works, and the arrival card, hotel registration, customs and safety rules.
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Payments and apps in China
How to pay in China with a foreign card on Alipay and Weixin Pay (WeChat Pay): fees, limits, cash, a passport SIM, and the map, ride and translation apps in English.
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Getting around China
Book China's high-speed trains on 12306 with a foreign passport, decide when to fly, and get from the airports and stations into town.
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First trip to China
How long a first China trip should be, then a week in Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai: what to book first, the trains, entry, paying and the cost per day.
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China trip cost
What 10 days in Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai cost for two sharing a room: about CNY 7,360, 10,140 or 15,950 a person, with every meal, train and ticket.
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Where to stay in China
Which part of each city to sleep in on a first China trip, from the Beijing hutongs to the Yulong River, with the nights to book, the ride in and real hotel rates.
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Best time to visit China
When to go to China by region and month: spring and autumn for Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai, rain and typhoon seasons, and the expected 2027 holiday peaks.
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China festivals and events 2027
China's 2027 festivals and holidays: Chinese New Year, Golden Week, Qingming, Dragon Boat, Harbin ice and Water-Splashing, and which dates are still unconfirmed.
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Food in China
Peking duck, Sichuan mapo tofu and hotpot, Xi’an noodles and Shanghai soup dumplings: where to try them, how to order, and what food costs a day at three levels.
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Health and safety in China
Travel advice for mainland China, drug tests and passport checks, scams, hospitals for foreigners, insurance, vaccines, water, air and the numbers to save.
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Solo female travel in China
Travelling alone as a woman in China: what the UK, German and French advice says, airport taxis and DiDi, sleeper trains, tea-house scams, the Great Wall and 110.
Read the guideRoutes with time to stay
Seven-, ten- and fourteen-day plans with their nights and transfer days.
China in seven days
Seven days in China: two nights each in Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai, the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army and two trains, with a budget for two.
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China in ten days
A ten-day China itinerary with nine nights in Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai, a Hangzhou day trip, timed-ticket booking, rail and flight legs and an all-in budget.
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China in fourteen days
Fourteen days in China: Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, three nights in Yangshuo and Shanghai with a Hangzhou day trip, three trains and one flight, with a budget for two.
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China and Mongolia in 2 weeks
Fourteen days from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar: the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, the K23 train across the Gobi, Kharkhorin, a ger camp at Terelj and the all-in cost.
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