Most people I know that travel to Asia to go a few well-worn destinations: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and the various Southeast Asian countries where strong passport holders can travel visa-free, or worst-case, get a visa on arrival. Mainland China can seem daunting in comparison. Getting around without a Chinese-speaking friend or guide can be difficult. Its domestic internet exists largely independent of the rest of the world’s, ensconced behind the Great Firewall. Trying to get by with only cash and foreign credit cards will quickly become frustrating. With its own rising urban middle class fueling a vibrant domestic tourism industry, China in recent years has never really had to cater extensively towards foreign visitors.
Despite those difficulties however (and in some cases because of them!), I think China is a great place to travel. As someone that’s visited the mainland many times over the years — most recently in Nov 2024 — I’m writing this guide to provide a helpful reference of all the most important things you need to ensure a smooth trip.
Table of contents
Open Table of contents
Must-have super apps
Most communication and commerce in China runs on a few super apps — imagine using a single app to access all of WhatsApp, Uber, Venmo, and maybe the local DMV to boot. There are two that every traveler to China should download:
- Alipay - for payments, ride hailing, bike rentals, and food delivery
- WeChat - for virtually all communication with people and businesses, ordering food and drinks, and also payments
Chinese payments tech developed recently enough that they basically skipped straight from cash to mobile payments in a decade flat. In most other countries, random mom and pops or street vendors are likely to only accept cash. In China, the opposite is true: most will not carry any change, and rely instead on Alipay and WeChat Pay for transactions. Your travels will be much smoother if you also use these systems.
Alipay (支付宝 zhīfūbǎo)
(US App Store link, Google Play link)
Setup
Alipay, or 支付宝, is by far the easiest way to pay for things. Use the links above or search for Alipay in your respective app store to find the correct app. You may notice that the rating is lower than expected for such an important app - this is because it contains only reviews the (insert non-Chinese app store) version. Double check that the publisher name is something like “Alipay (Hangzhou) Technology Co, Ltd” and that the download count is reasonable to make sure you have the correct app.
Once you have it installed, sign up using a phone number. Then, go to “Account” on the bottom navigation bar. I don’t recall where exactly it shows up, but I would highly recommend also adding an email address as a login method to your account, in case you accidentally logged out and cannot receive two-factor authentication texts.
Now we can start setting up your payment methods. From “Account”, go to “Bank Cards” and add whichever credit or debit cards you plan on using for your travels, preferably one without a foreign transaction fee.
Next, tap on your account name and phone number, and navigate to “Identity Information.” Start the real name verification process, entering in your passport details and uploading the required pictures. While no longer required to access payments, There are other features gated behind real-name verification, such as the ability to generate QR codes for most public transit systems around the country.
Usage
There are two primary ways to pay for things: you can have your barcode scanned, or scan vendors’ QR codes yourself. Alipay and WeChat both have built-in QR code scanners, which you will probably get very familiar with during your travels.
WeChat (微信 weīxìn)
(US App Store link, Google Play link)
Everyone in China has a WeChat account. My grandma has a smartphone solely so that she can use WeChat to send stickers to the family group chat (and sometimes to call us). I’ve stayed at hotels that communicated with me directly through WeChat. If you hire a driver or a tour guide, they’ll probably ask you to communicate through WeChat. If you’re meeting up with somebody, you’ll probably be making plans through WeChat. If you’re staying with a family member instead of at a hotel, you can probably complete your required police registration through the local government’s WeChat mini-app.
Use one of the links above or search for WeChat in your app store to download the app. Compared to Alipay, WeChat will probably have more downloads and ratings because it is actively used outside of China. Use your phone number and/or email to register. Again, I strongly recommend adding both to reduce your chances of getting locked out.
You will need a friend or contact with an existing WeChat account to validate your account registration. While this isn’t a problem in China because everyone has an account, it can be a hassle for you if you don’t have any existing WeChat users in your network. If this is the case, try getting ahold of whoever your Chinese point of contact is and explaining your situation to see if they can help you create an account.
Once you’ve created your WeChat account, you should add as many people as you know as contacts. This is because the process for recovering an account or logging in on a new device depends on getting verifications from your WeChat contacts. Again, you do not want to get locked out of your WeChat account.
Even though it’s not strictly necessary, I would also recommend setting up WeChat Pay. While Alipay alone should be enough for your payments needs, there are are some stores (including for example very popular bubble tea chains) where the only way you can order is by scanning a QR code and paying through a WeChat mini program. Go to “Account” —> “Services” and look for something called “Wallet” that may also have an “awaiting verification” subheading. If you run into any issues, check out this guide that I found (link alive as of Dec 2024) that includes some screenshots of what to expect. Follow the instructions to complete WeChat’s real name verification process, and then add your bank cards like you did for Alipay.
Booking travel
Trip.com
I recommend using Trip.com to book all of your mainland-related hotels, train tickets, and airfare. Why?
- Airbnb no longer operates in China, and domestic alternatives such as Tujia are Chinese-only. Hotels in China are cheap these days, and Trip.com is likely to surface properties that know how to properly register foreign guests.
- Unlike Western airlines, most Chinese airlines’ websites have a terrible (and sometimes entirely broken) UX for non-Chinese travelers.
- While the official railway ticket booking service (12306.cn) is cheaper, it is also Chinese language-only, and only worth it if you’re on a tight budget, comfortable booking in Chinese, or buying lots of tickets.
- Trip.com has 24/7 English-language support available, which is useful if your group does not have any Chinese speakers.
Should I fly or take the train?
I generally recommend taking the train for any trip under 6 hours, or for any trip that has a reasonable (9-12 hour) overnight train option. Most Chinese airports are extremely far from the city center, and delays are common. Meanwhile, the high speed rail network is quite possibly the world’s most impressive, and the trains are almost always on time. The seats are more comfortable and provide more legroom, and it’s honestly just really cool to see different cities and countrysides zoom by your window.
Mobile data
Considering how many daily necessities revolve around having persistent internet access, I strongly advise ensuring that you’ll have persistent access to reasonably fast mobile data (i.e. no 2G-only plans). My specific recommendation depends on what phone you have and your budget.
If you are truly price insensitive, or your phone is still under contract with your carrier, buy whatever international roaming plan your current mobile carrier offers. Depending on the carrier this can be expensive as $10/day (AT&T), or no extra charge if you’re with Google Fi.
If you have an unlocked phone or are able to request that your carrier unlock the phone, and you don’t have high-speed international roaming included, I’d recommend using a prepaid eSIM from 3HK. They sell 30-day eSIMs that will get you firewall-free data in the mainland. It should be called the “30-Day Pass - Greater Bay Area 15GB”.
VPNs
If you’re using a roaming plan on your phone, you should have unfettered access to the entire internet. On any other device however, you’ll need a VPN to access Google services, western news, or any non-Chinese social media network. As of this writing, I’ve found that LetsVPN and Mullvad tend to work pretty well, though you may have to try multiple servers for the latter to get it to work properly.
Mapping and transportation apps
Google Maps does not work very well in China. You’ll need to hop the firewall just to use it, and most listings are not up-to-date.
Gaode Maps (高德地图 gāodé dìtú)
This is the most widely-used mapping app. However, it’s Chinese-language only, so it may be somewhat difficult to use without any language proficiency.
Apple Maps
If you have an iPhone, Apple Maps is your best bet for English-language navigation. However, it’s not quite as detailed as Chinese apps like Gaode.
Dīdī Chūxíng (滴滴出行)
Didi is the Uber equivalent of China. As I mentioned above, you can use Didi from its Alipay mini app, but you can also download the standalone app, which can double as an English-language map.
Finding restaurants and attractions
The difficulty here is that these apps are mostly Chinese-language only. The easiest way to navigate these is either to use an app’s built-in automatic screen translation service if available, or to take screenshots and translate them.
Dàzhòng Diǎnpíng (大众点评)
This is the Yelp equivalent of China, and the easiest way to find good food nearby to where you’re staying. The UI should have English language elements, but much of the app itself might still be in Chinese.
Xiǎohóngshū (小红书)
This is a another common way to search for cool bars, restaurants, and other things to do wherever you happen to be staying. Most of this is in Chinese.
Conclusion
Hopefully this guide is a good start! Feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or corrections, as the Chinese tech landscape continues to evolve.