If you’re traveling to China for the first time, and are searching for China travel tips, you’re definitely not alone – every traveler has a ton of questions when planning their first trip to China.
China isn’t the easiest place to travel to, but with a little bit of preparation, it’s not terribly complicated either, and anyone who’s been there before will tell you — it’s absolutely worth the effort.
So today, I’m breaking down the biggest questions and concerns that first-time China visitors have, including:
- If it’s difficult to travel China without knowing Chinese
- How to access the internet in China
- Whether China is safe to travel to
and everything else that all tourists ask about, every one of these is so important to know to avoid unpleasant surprises…especially #9, because if these are not done right, you’ll have trouble paying for things, getting around, or even ordering food.
I promise that by the end, you’ll know exactly what to expect and feel much more confident about your upcoming travels, so let’s jump right into these essential China travel tips!
Question #1: Can I travel around China without knowing Chinese?
The biggest source of nervousness for most tourists is due to the language barrier, and that completely makes sense. After all, how can you ask for help when you can’t speak the language?
But actually you don’t really need to worry about this.
This is because first off, translation apps have come a LONG way. For the sake of this video, I downloaded about a dozen different translation apps and tested them all for you. They all work fine but the simplest one and my favorite from the lot is Microsoft Translator. To start, I really like how there isn’t any sign up required, I could use the app right after downloading, and since it’s by Microsoft so of course it’s in English. This live translation feature is also so fast and accurate, and you can even flip half the screen so that the person you’re talking to can see the translated text on their side. A small touch but makes the whole conversation more seamless and natural. And I tested the photo translation on a menu too, and it did a great job on that as well as you can see.
I know that was very fast, so if you want a more in depth video going over how to use this translation app in China, let me know in the comments.
Secondly, Never underestimate the power of a smile! Something I’ve found through my travels is that friendliness transcends language. A smile and a slight nod to say hello or thank you totally works. Of course it’s bonus points if you can say a few phrases like hello, excuse me, and thank you, I think it’s a fairly universal and frankly human thing for people to open up more and find it endearing if they see you trying to connect in their language. It doesn’t matter if you’re saying it in wrong or with a strong accent, being genuine in your intent will come across and I can almost guarantee that you’ll get a smile out of the recipient. Chinese people are also generally very 热情, which translates to warm-hearted, helpful. And it’s not just because I look like a local, if you watch any China travel vloggers, you can see really cute interactions where locals go out of their way to help or recommend things. Like if you ask one person a question, people nearby will likely chime in to help as well.
And the last thing I’ll say on this topic is that larger cities like Beijing or Shanghai that see more tourists will have more English signs as well as folks who speak English. So it can be a great idea to make one of these larger cities your home base and then have the option to venture to less metropolitan parts for day trips if you want to. China’s rail network is seriously impressive and it’s really quick to get to nearby places like Suzhou within an hour.
So in short, don’t be intimidated by the language barrier, no one’s judging and I encourage you to embrace it as an opportunity to experience something new, which I think is a beautiful part of traveling. And if you have any fun stories about translation fails or how you communicate without speaking the local language, please let me know in the comments.
Question #2: How can I get mobile data and access the internet in China?
Given that you’ll need your phone for basically everything in China, it’s best if you get an eSIM or a physical SIM card set up ahead of time so that you have data the second you land. If your carrier offers an affordable fixed rate data roaming plan that works too.
Travel eSIMs are the simplest and quickest way and what I personally use. And If you’re using a travel esim, then you don’t need a VPN to access foreign apps. A quick fun fact that this is not because esims have built-in VPN persay, which is a common misconception, but more because your data is being routed outside of China, so it bypasses the restrictions. But the end result is that you’re be able to access your apps using your esim’s data, which is probably all you care about. I’ll link in the description some esim options I like and you can get further details in my esim video, which you’ll also find in the China travel guide playlist.
Now if you are planning to use hotel wifi to access these foreign apps, maybe you’re video calling family in the evenings or just unwinding by using social media, then you’ll still want to get a VPN. This is because even if you have an eSIM, you’re using the hotel’s internet for these actions, which will have these restrictions. I’ll share some VPN recommendations in a separate video later, I still want to test a few more before I share.
The only downside of esims is that you don’t get a local Chinese phone number, which can be helpful to get things like verification codes while you’re in China, or register for events (like I went to a pop up event and almost couldn’t get in the door without it), also you’ll get small discounts on things like when calling a Didi or when shopping, but these are all optional and you can get by without.
Some of you have told me that your phones don’t support eSIMs, in that case you’ll need to get a physical SIM card like this one here https://amzn.to/42OAJz8
You can also get one after landing in China, the price is going to be close to what it is on Amazon (maybe a little cheaper maybe a little more expensive depending on where). The only thing is that there may be a line, you’ll need to spend time setting it up, depending on when you land the store may not be open, just a lot of variables that I would prefer to avoid after a long flight
Question #3: What do I need to pack for my visit to China?
You’ll of course want to pack weather appropriate clothing, depending on the time of the year and which part of China you’re visiting this will look very different, but the north is always going to be colder than the south, so definitely do your research. I personally try not to pack too much clothes to save some room for souvenirs, and instead always book a hotel with a washer/dryer, which is something I highly recommend doing.
Some small things I always like to bring along are:
- Travel sized packs of tissues. This is because not all restrooms will have toilet paper readily available so it’s best to bring your own just in case.
- I also like to bring OTC basics like a couple of pain relievers, cold medicine, and allergy meds. While China will have similar ones, you don’t want to be hunting these down in a pharmacy if you run into a scenario where you’re not feeling well, so I would just bring a couple in case.
Question #4: Can I bring my non-CCC powerbank onto planes in China?
You’ve probably heard that power banks without the CCC mark will be confiscated at the airport. This rule is technically only for domestic flights, but travelers have occasionally reported it being enforced for international flights as well so I personally wouldn’t risk it. If you need one for the long flight I have a couple of recommendations that are CCC certified, and you can also pick one up in China, just keep in mind there’s are limits on the battery size as well (more information in powerbank video).
Question #5: Are there only squat toilets in China? Is it difficult to find sitting style toilets?
The squat toilets are probably the most common complaint…luckily you will always be able to find a sitting toilet at the airport, train stations, hotels, and malls. It’s usually the last stall or sometimes there’s a room separate from the female/male restroom marked “Disability accessible toilet”. For tourist attractions, it really depends, but for most public restrooms, especially for outdoor attractions you can expect for there to be only squat toilets.
And if squatting is an issue, then I would try to work into your schedule a stop at a hotel or mall every couple of hours.
Question #6: Is it safe to drink tap water in China?
It’s not advisable to drink water directly from the tap and you’ll often see signs saying something along the lines of “non-potable water” as it may be contaminated with bacteria, heavy metals, or other substances.
Instead the hotel will always provide you with bottled water, you’ll usually find a couple in the bathrooms to use for brushing your teeth and a couple throughout the room and you can always request for additional bottles as needed or purchase them for super cheap as well.
Question #7: Is it safe in China?
China is overall very safe, and I’ve never had any concerns about walking around even late in the evenings. You might hear of the occasional small scam, like someone getting overcharged, but things like violence or stealing is very rare, but of course use your best judgement and watch your things, but I’ve never felt unsafe during my travels there.
Question #8: How do I get around in China?
Getting around in China is super convenient and there are lots of options depending on where you’re going, if you’re trying to get around in a city like Shanghai, you’ll find an extensive metro system that’s very clean and cheap, we’re talking under one dollar USD for some of the nicest trains I’ve ever seen.
And if you don’t like the metro, rideshares and taxis are very affordable as well, my trips cost me on average under $10 USD.
And for long distance travel, you can use high-speed trains, which will zip you around different parts of China, like from Beijing to Shanghai, a distance of 1200km for under $100 in 4.5 hours, and allow you to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way.
Question #9: What apps do I need in China?
Given that China is very tech forward, there are a TON of apps, but here are a couple that are absolutely essential and need to be set up ahead of your trip.
The first two are Alipay and Wechat Pay, which are mobile payment apps. These are essential because you can’t use credit cards in China for the most part. Instead, basically everyone in China these days use Alipay and Wechat Pay Alipay is the easier of the two to set up, but I recommend you try to set up both so that you’re never stuck without a way to pay. You’ll find in my China travel guide playlist including step by step tutorials on setting up each so feel free to check that out.
You can also use cash if you want, as it is accepted everywhere, but just keep in mind that it’s not as common nowadays so you may not get the exact change meaning you may end up paying more. I still recommend still keeping about 500-1000yuan (from bank, ATM) or so on hand as a backup in case you run into problems with the mobile payment apps, but you likely won’t need it.
Next, you’ll want to make sure you have a rideshare app. Didi is the equivalent of Uber in China and is an incredibly affordable way to get between places, and ensures that you don’t get overcharged with the “tourist tax”. It also has built in translation so you don’t have to worry about communication issues with your driver either. You’ll find in the China travel guide playlist a video on how to set up Didi and use it as well.
The next app you’ll need is a map/navigation one so that you can find your way around, and for that I highly recommend Amap, which is very foreigner friendly, as you can see there’s an english version, I can type in places in english, and just everything you would need from a map application.
And then if you don’t speak or read Chinese, you’ll need a translation app like I mentioned earlier. And some great translation apps for China travel are Microsoft Translator, Papago, Google Translate, and Baidu translate.