China is not always the easiest place to travel for a western tourist, and that’s kind of what we love about it. It can be a lot easier, though, if you are prepared and know a few important things in advance. This post covers those things.
I live in New York, but have traveled to China several times. After my most recent trip, I decided to compile a list of the 10 most useful tips, which will make travel to China significantly smoother. Here are my 10 best practical tips for foreigners visiting China.
1. Amap is the Only Map
Amap Global is a Chinese navigation app that offers the most reliable location and transit information inside China. It has an English version, though some of the locations and features are still only listed in Mandarin.
Download Amap on Apple or Android or use the web version. (Not sponsored or affiliated, I just really like the tool.)
This free map app should replace all other map apps while you’re in China, because the other ones will usually be wrong. Google Maps, specifically, has completely different, incorrect locations for popular tourist attractions. Amap is also the best way to get detailed public transit directions, which are not shown in Google Maps at all.
Overall, the app works great. However, it does have a few quirks. For one, the English search feature isn’t always great. You have to look up locations exactly as they appear in the app. It also works best if you select specific gates or entrances, and some randomly don’t work as expected.
But once you’ve got the locations, the directions between them are precise. Most impressively, it provides excellent subway instructions complete with directional information, real-time stop progression, and station exit details.
2. Alipay is King
Move over cash. You’ve been replaced.
Mobile payment methods — specifically Alipay and WeChat Pay — have all but replaced cash and credit cards China. With a scan of a QR code, you can buy everything from a subway ticket to a Starbucks coffee to a ¥10 toy at a street stand.
Alipay is the best option for foreigners, as it’s the easiest to set up and does not require a Chinese phone number. Before your trip, download the app and add a credit card. You might have to go through a passport verification process, but it’s pretty straight forward. You’ll also have to set up a pin, which you’re prompted to enter after every few purchases.
To pay with Alipay, open the app. For most transactions with a person — such as at restaurant or a shop — you will click the “Pay” button and the vendor will scan the QR code on your app. For transactions with a machine — such as a vending machine or ticket kiosk — you will click the “Scan” button in your app and scan the QR code presented on the machine’s screen.
You will need cellular service to use Alipay effectively. It should technically work offline after your first successful payment, but I’ve read mixed reports of this actually working in practice. This leads us to …
3. Pay for an International Data Plan
If your visit to China is counted in days not weeks, an international data plan with your existing carrier might be worth the extra cost. Here’s why.
You’re most likely going to need some cellular connection in China. You’ll need service for things like looking up directions in Amap, paying for things in Alipay or accessing tickets or touring information in other apps.
Free wifi is available in many public places, however, you almost always need to receive a text code to access it. That means you can’t access the wifi without using cellular, and thus you cannot use wifi to replace cellular like you can easily do in other places.
And if you’re going to need cellular data anyway, using your existing provider is going to allow you to use your phone exactly the way your used to. (Read: The Great Firewall of China will not block the apps and websites it does on local cellular and wifi.) If you use a Chinese sim, you will be subject to these restrictions.
Before you plan to use international roaming, be sure to check the price with your carrier. The prices are actually getting more reasonable than in the past. For example, an international day pass with US-based AT&T is $15 per day. For US-based Spectrum, many plans include free international roaming!
4. Always Carry Your Passport
Your passport is your most prized possession anywhere abroad, but especially so in China.
As a foreigner in China, you are legally required to carry your passport at all times. It must include your visa, or you must also have any visa-free documents ready for inspection. Police may ask to see this information at any time.
Though random inspections of tourists is unlikely (in major cities at least), you will need to show your passport to enter many major tourist attractions. On top of that, your passport often serves as your actual ticket. For example, on China Railway, your train ticket is loaded to your passport. Even at Shanghai Disneyland, tickets were loaded directly onto our passport.
This means you need to have a secure place to store your passports and carry them on your person. We recommend keeping them in a Ziploc bag (emergency waterproofing) inside a zippered cross-body bag, such as a belt bag or purse. Then, make sure you don’t leave that bag anywhere. (I left my bag with our passports in a restaurant once, and it was the most terrifying 30 minutes of my travels.)
5. If You Can’t Learn Mandarin, Download Google Translate
Of all the countries I’ve been to (and I’m approaching 50), China has the least amount of English. There’s enough to get by — train announcements and signs are in English, and some restaurants and hotels have some English — but it’s not like Europe where everything is offered up in English.
I love this about China. You have to work for it — but the trick is to work smarter not harder. Enter Google Translate — specifically the camera feature. With this, you can point your camera at any sign or menu and read it in English.
There are actually plenty of translate apps that will do this, but I’ll throw Google a bone (like they need it) because I threw shade earlier at Google Maps.
If you can learn one thing in Mandarin though …
6. Practice Your Xièxiè
Xièxiè means thank you. You can use YouTube or Google to hear the proper pronunciation. It tends to be tough for English speakers to get right. Our attempts usually come out somewhere between shee-shee and shyeh-shyeh.
Any attempt at this, though, tends to get positive reactions from Chinese locals. Sometimes with a mix of laughter, but we nearly always heard the standard bú kèqi (you’re welcome) response back with a smile.
It’s easy to stand out as a westerner in China, and we found that a simple gesture of kindness went a long way in feeling a little more connected.
7. If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail
That’s Taylor Swift for “Be sure to plan ahead!” I’ve been to China a few times now, and every time, I manage to mess up a major itinerary item.
There’s a few things going on here. For one, most of the tourism industry in China is dominated by domestic travelers. (According to this article, 85% of tourism spending in 2024 was by Chinese tourists.) So, much of the most useful content and tools are in Mandarin.
There’s also surely some subtle cultural differences — things that domestic tourists just know that a foreigner wouldn’t be aware of at all. Add to that huge crowds, different security measures, and some actually ancient sites that demand a different level of maintenance, and you’ve got an entirely different matrix for planning travel activities.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that itinerary planning in China demands respect, advance planning, and attention to detail. Many major attractions require advance booking, with timed ticketing, and sell out quickly. Others may have huge crowds or long waits at certain points of the day. All will likely require specific entry points or gates. It’s a lot to keep track of.
For every single attraction on your list, whether it’s as simple as a park or as complex as the Forbidden City, check all the following details.
- Advance tickets. Are they required and are they timed? How do you get them? When are they released? Do they sell out?
- Hours. When does it open and close? What day(s) is it open? Do different elements or sections have different hours? (For example, a park may be open every day but the temples inside may be closed on certain days.)
- Crowds. Is this a popular attraction? When are the lines the longest? Can I arrive early or late? How long will this take, including security and entry?
- Entry gates. Where can you enter the attraction? Is there more than one gate? Which one is most convenient for the attraction? Which one has the closest public transit?
- Additional measures. You will need your passport, but do you need anything else? Are backpacks allowed? Is there a dress code?
Don’t be like me, who has still failed to see the Forbidden City. Plan ahead.
Read More! I wrote about my previous struggles in Beijing during Chinese New Year on my sister site.
8. Third Party is a Fine Party
Because of all the reasons listed in Tip #7, booking tickets for attractions in advance is key! Unfortunately, booking things in China from outside of China can be a real struggle. We have run into translation problems, crashing websites, and rejected credit cards many times.
Read More! I talk more about this in regards to booking train tickets on China Railway in this post, too.
We found that booking through third parties is the way to go. While you almost always pay more (sometimes a little, sometimes a lot), but we think it’s worth it. These third parties usually provide English support, reliable payment transactions, and overall ease.
Just be sure to do your research first. Make sure you’re completely clear on how the ticketing will work, and what you will receive. Always check the reviews too, and only book with highly rated vendors.
For example, I used Get Your Guide to book our tickets to Temple of Heaven of Beijing. It was highly rated, but several people commented about having trouble with their tickets. It turns out, this vendor sent a separate link with the actual ticket. You had to use that QR code, not the one provided by Get Your Guide, to access the temple. Once I knew that, I followed the steps, and everything worked perfectly.
9. US Type A Plugs (Usually) Work
One thing I loved about our recent trip to China was how seamlessly our tech worked. When traveling, we always have so many things to charge (phones, headphones, tablets, battery packs, white noise machine). Trying to keep everything charged with one or two converters is such a pain.
We were thrilled to see that most every hotel and train we visited supported Type A plugs. Coming from the US, that’s exactly what we had!
To be safe, you can go ahead and throw in Type I converter, but we never needed ours.
Note! The standard voltage in China is 220 V, versus 120 V in the US. If your device is not dual voltage (commonly older hair straighteners and razors), you may need a power converter to prevent damaging your device.
10. Get the 10 Year Visa
If you’re visiting China for less than 10 days from select countries, you might not need a visa. However, if you’re visiting China for even one day, you’re going to leave wanting to come back again.
Maybe you messed up getting a ticket to the Forbidden City like me or you must eat that scallion pancake from that one street stand one more time. Maybe you went to Shanghai and Beijing, which just left you wanting try the robot legs on Mount Tai and see the Zhongshu Library in Chengdu.
China is huge and walks a delicate balance of ancient and futuristic. It’s challenging, which only makes it that much more rewarding. While most of its tourists are domestic, the international tourists who do visit often find themselves wanting more. Visiting China isn’t checking a box, it’s opening a door. There’s a good chance you’ll want to use that 10 year Visa again.
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