Guides

The practical parts, checked regularly. Every guide shows when it was last verified, and you can tell us when something has changed.

Pick your passport to see whether you can enter China visa-free, use the 240-hour transit rule or need a visa, and what to have ready at the border.

Paying in China

China is close to cashless. Set up one of the two mobile wallets before you fly and the whole trip gets easier.

eSIMs, roaming, and which of your usual apps will and won't work once you land.

High-speed rail, metro cards on your phone, and hailing a taxi without speaking Chinese.

Which hotels take foreign guests, what the booking sites are good for, and how to pick a neighbourhood.

How much language you need, the translation tools that work, and the handful of phrases worth learning.

Set up the official railway app with your passport, buy, change and refund tickets, and get through the station with no paper ticket at all.

Set up DiDi with your own phone number and card, book a car from inside Alipay, and take a street taxi without a word of Chinese.

The numbers to call, how pharmacies and hospitals work for visitors, and the steps to take if you lose your passport.