China Travel Guides

The stuff that actually breaks trips — visas, real-name bookings, payments — plus classic itineraries with the traps pre-flagged. Every guide ends one click from our AI planner, which re-checks the rules for your dates.

Getting in & getting around

• China Visa-Free Entry 2026: Full Country List & Rules
  57 nationalities can now enter China visa-free for up to 30 days. The full 2026 country list, what you need at the border, and what to do if your passport isn't on it.
• China's 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit: How US & Other Travelers Use It (2026)
  The 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit lets 54 nationalities — including Americans — see China without a visa. The catch: you must exit to a third country. Here's how to plan it.
• How to Book China Attraction Tickets with a Foreign Passport (2026)
  Most big Chinese attractions now require real-name advance booking — often through Chinese-only WeChat accounts. What works with a foreign passport, and what to do when it doesn't.
• Buying China High-Speed Train Tickets as a Foreigner: 12306, Passports & Pitfalls
  China's bullet trains are the best way between cities — if you can get a ticket. How foreigners register on 12306, when tickets release, seat classes, and the done-for-you shortcut.
• Alipay & WeChat Pay for Tourists (2026): Set Up Before You Land
  China is nearly cashless — but since 2024 both Alipay and WeChat Pay accept foreign Visa/Mastercard. The 10-minute setup that makes everything work, and the traps that remain.
• Forbidden City Tickets: Booking Window, Monday Closures & Backup Plans (2026)
  Forbidden City tickets release 7 days ahead at 20:00 Beijing time and sell out fast. Exactly how to get one with a foreign passport — and what to do when you can't.
• China Mobile Payment Guide for Tourists (2026): Alipay, WeChat Pay, Cards & Cash
  How payment actually works in China in 2026: QR codes everywhere, Alipay and WeChat Pay with a foreign card, where Visa/Mastercard still work, and how much cash to carry. Test your setup before you fly.
• How to Set Up Alipay as a Foreigner (2026): Step-by-Step With a Visa or Mastercard
  Step-by-step Alipay setup for foreign tourists: register with your own number, link Visa/Mastercard, pass the identity check, and test a real payment before arriving in China.
• How to Set Up WeChat Pay as a Foreigner (2026): Register, Link Your Card, Get Verified
  WeChat Pay for tourists: create a WeChat account with your own number, pass the sign-up check, open Wallet and link a Visa or Mastercard. Then test a real payment before your trip.
• Alipay or WeChat Pay Not Working With a Foreign Card? 9 Fixes (2026)
  Card declined in Alipay or WeChat Pay? The common causes for foreign tourists — bank blocks, name mismatch, verification, limits, personal QR codes — and how to fix each one.
• Alipay vs WeChat Pay for Tourists (2026): Which One Should You Set Up?
  Alipay or WeChat Pay for your China trip? A side-by-side for foreign visitors: setup difficulty, English support, where each is accepted, taxis, metro and fees. Short answer: set up both.
• Can You Use Visa or Mastercard in China? (2026 Tourist Guide)
  Where foreign credit cards work in China, where they don't, and the easy workaround: link your Visa or Mastercard to Alipay or WeChat Pay and pay by QR code anywhere.
• Paying for Metro, Buses, Taxis & Didi in China as a Tourist (2026)
  How visitors pay for transport in China: metro and bus QR codes in Alipay/WeChat, Didi taxis in English inside Alipay, regular taxis, and what to do if a code won't open.
• WeChat Sign-Up Verification for Foreigners (2026): How to Get Past the QR Check
  Stuck on WeChat's 'friend verification' or security check while registering abroad? Why it happens, who can scan for you, and how to get WeChat Pay working before your China trip.
• Halal Food in China: How to Find It, What to Order & Where (2026)
  Halal food is easier to find in China than most visitors expect. How to spot 清真 signs, why Lanzhou beef noodle shops are everywhere, and the best areas in Xi'an, Beijing and Lanzhou.
• Vegetarian & Vegan Food in China: Hidden-Meat Traps, Phrases & Where to Eat (2026)
  Eating vegetarian or vegan in China: the hidden lard, meat stock and chicken bouillon to watch for, Buddhist vegetarian restaurants, dishes that are meat-free anyway, and phrases that work. Also covers no-pork and no-shellfish requests.
• Where Locals Eat in Shanghai: Breakfast, Dumplings, Benbang Food & Food Streets (2026)
  Skip the tourist traps: what Shanghai locals actually eat. The four breakfast classics, xiaolongbao and shengjian, scallion oil noodles, old-school benbang restaurants, Huanghe Road and wet markets, plus how ordering and paying works.
• Which China Attractions Must You Book in Advance? Days-Ahead List by City (2026)
  The China attractions that need advance, real-name booking, and how many days ahead each one opens: Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Zhangjiajie, Huangshan, Dunhuang and Lhasa. Checked October 2026.
• Great Wall Tickets: Badaling vs Mutianyu vs Jinshanling — How Far Ahead to Book (2026)
  How to book Great Wall tickets with a foreign passport: Badaling (~7 days ahead, Chinese-only platforms), Mutianyu (a few days ahead, reserve the shuttle), Jinshanling (last tickets 17:00). Which section to choose.
• Terracotta Warriors Tickets: 7-Day Window, Passport Rules & Shaanxi History Museum (2026)
  Terracotta Warriors tickets need a mandatory advance reservation, opening about 7 days ahead, and the same original passport at entry. How to pair it with the Shaanxi History Museum (5 days ahead, 17:00 release).
• Chengdu Panda Base Tickets: Online-Only Booking, 14-Day Window & Passport Rules (2026)
  Chengdu Panda Base tickets are sold online only, with real-name booking up to 14 days ahead and no ticket windows on site. What foreigners need, the best time to go, and Dujiangyan Panda Valley as an alternative.

Classic itineraries — copy & optimize with AI

• 7 Days in China: The Classic Beijing + Xi'an Itinerary (2026)
  The proven first-timer route: 4 days of imperial Beijing, a bullet train, and 3 days of ancient Xi'an. Day-by-day plan with the booking windows and closure traps already handled.
• 10 Days in China: Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai — The Golden Triangle (2026)
  The classic golden-triangle route done right: 4 days Beijing, 3 days Xi'an, 3 days Shanghai, connected by bullet trains. Day-by-day with booking windows pre-flagged.
• 2 Weeks in China: The Complete First-Timer Itinerary (2026)
  Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu and Shanghai in 14 days — history, pandas, food and skyline in one loop. The full day-by-day plan with every booking trap flagged in advance.
• 5 Days in Chengdu: Pandas, Teahouses & Sichuan Food (2026 Itinerary)
  Chengdu rewards slowing down: giant pandas at dawn, bamboo-shaded teahouses, face-changing opera and the world's best spicy food. A 5-day plan locals would approve of.
• 7 Days in Yunnan: Kunming, Dali & Lijiang Itinerary (2026)
  Spring-weather Kunming, old-town Dali on Erhai Lake, and Lijiang beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain — the classic 7-day Yunnan arc, with altitude and transport notes built in.