Plan Your First Trip to China for beginners 2024-2025
I recently shared this guest post sharing some tips for planning a trip to Japan, and now I’m doing something similar for those planning their First Trip to China. However, this was done by someone else, not by me. Katie O’Donoghue, to be exact.
What You Need to Know on Your First Trip to China
She and her husband currently live in Tianjin, First Trip to China, and she contacted me offering to provide my dear readers with a little beginner’s guide to China, as it’s another country that I know very little about. I’ve never visited China before and hope to one day, but before then I feel the need to learn more.
I want to learn more about First Trip to China history, culture, and social structure. I also want to learn more about how best to travel around the country – both logistics as well as making sure I see everything I want to see.This article offers essential tips for planning a trip to China, covering key aspects and providing a solid starting point for your travel plans.
China for Beginners:
So, read on to find out everything a beginner needs to know about First Trip to China! Thanks to Katie for writing these wonderful tips. Learn more about her and her blog in the section below the article.
Here are Katie’s essential tips for planning a trip to First Trip to China, including when you should travel, what you should pack and why it’s so important to check the weather
Think ahead to plan the best time to visit First Trip to China
China isn’t the kind of country you can just go to – you need to apply for a visa in advance and should have a plan so you know where you’re going and even the name of the hotel you’re staying at.
You can travel to these cities visa-free via China as a transit destination, but this limits your stay in China to just 144 hours, so it’s best to plan ahead, apply for a visa at the nearest embassy or visa application center and enjoy your stay on your long trip to China. Learn how to find the best places to visit in China
Planning a First Trip to China
Google Maps is great for planning a rough itinerary of your trip before arriving in China, but you won’t be able to see street views of hotels and restaurants because they won’t be available once you arrive in China. Also, few hotels (especially those in smaller cities) are reviewed on Tripadvisor , so you’ll need to change the apps and sites you look at to book accommodation and activities in First Trip to China.
We booked hotels and checked reviews through Ctrip.com. You can use the English version and translate any Chinese reviews into English. Also, prices on this app are usually cheaper than other hotel comparison sites.
Download the right app to make traveling in China easier
There are some important China travel apps you’ll want to download before you go. If you want to access social media or Google, you’ll need a VPN (Virtual Private Network) as many sites are blocked in First Trip to China – we personally use Express VPN as we live here and it’s the most reliable, but apps like STAR VPN are free and effective if you’re just checking emails then that’s fine.
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Didi is a useful app if you want to go to more remote places and use car transport (it’s the Chinese equivalent of Uber ), and Pleco is similar to You can access Google Translate without needing a VPN.
We also used Google Translate (via VPN ) because they have a photo option where you can take a photo of Chinese text and it will translate it for you, which is very handy in restaurants or when taking public transportation. Review the weather forecast before your trip to China
Checking the weather before planning a trip to China is important for two reasons.
Firstly, parts of First Trip to China have extremely cold winters. Famous for its annual Ice and Snow Festival, it is not uncommon for temperatures to reach -30 degrees Celsius in places like Harbin.
Conversely, anywhere south of Shanghai won’t reach sub-zero temperatures, but it will still be colder in the fall and winter, although most places don’t have heating due to government regulations, so be aware of this if traveling in China during the winter. However, starting in April, the weather starts to warm up, and China can be very warm in the summer.
Secondly, you have to understand that when it is cold, most factories in northern China are working overtime to heat all the apartments and dense cities. This means that pollution levels are at an all-time high, and cities like Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Tianjin, etc. will experience more days of smog than sunshine.
In general, plan to visit China between April and October to enjoy the best weather and the best air quality. Find out when Chinese national holidays are before you travel.
First Time Travel to China
As with most travel, it’s always a good idea to be aware of national holidays at your destination. This is even more important when traveling to First Trip to China. The so-called Golden Week is in the first week of October, while the Chinese New Year is usually around February.
As these are two of the most important holidays for Chinese people, most locals take some time off, so attractions, shops and restaurants may be closed and hotels and other accommodations may be particularly busy. This also means that travel prices go up and major attractions are very busy.
Therefore, my best advice is that you avoid traveling to China during these times. Packing Tips for a First Time Travel to China
Generally speaking, as we discussed above, China has cold winters and warm and humid summers, but temperatures can vary greatly depending on where you are in China. Bring layers of clothing and appropriate shoes – walking in rural areas (and even some cities) can be difficult due to the uneven ground.
I also brought mosquito spray. Personally, I feel like I’ll be bitten to death when the next spring comes and the temperatures rise. I use a mixture of spray and lemon body product, which seems to be doing the trick.
Learn some Chinese before traveling to China
It doesn’t take much, but try to learn some Chinese before you move to China. Basic phrases like ‘Hello’ (Nee how) mean hello, ‘Thank you’ (Shieh-shieh) mean thank you, and ‘How much?
(Du ō shǎo ) means “how much?” Knowing a few words might boost your confidence. Before we moved, we used an app called ChineseSkill that taught us some very basic Mandarin and was also a fun, engaging app to practice.
Before visiting China for the first time, learn how to use chopsticks!
If you’ve visited Asia before, this may not be important to you, but before we moved, I was extremely bad at using chopsticks, and once we arrived in First Trip to China. I had to learn it quickly or I would have starved to death!
Very few restaurants (maybe the Hard Rock Cafe?!) have cutlery like they do in Europe and other Western countries, and I wish I had practiced using chopsticks before we moved to China. Still, the fact that I had to eat so hard for so many days shows that I’m a quick learner!
Take the time to learn more about Chinese history and culture before traveling
Most itineraries in First Trip to China will undoubtedly include a visit to a museum, memorial, or major attraction. Try to read up on the history before you come; while many museums will have some English translations, you’ll rarely find English guides in quieter cities, and not all museums and attractions will offer that much information in English.
So be sure to do some reading and research on the places you’ll be visiting in First Trip to China so that you know more about what you’ll be seeing and doing, rather than relying on English translations that may not exist.
China for Beginners: Some Extra Important Tips for Your First Travel in China
Finally, some small notes:
Tipping is not required in First Trip to China, in fact, it may be considered impolite to tip locals. In the market, always bargain unless the price is listed somewhere and visible.
WeChat Pay is everything, but as a visitor, using WeChat Pay might be more difficult unless you have a Chinese or international card that WeChat accepts.
So, bring plenty of cash with you as few stalls and markets accept credit card payments.
Don’t drink water from the Chinese tap.
When traveling in winter, please wear a mask to avoid pollution.
Keep toilet paper in your bag and practice your squatting skills anytime, anywhere!
Oh, and for many of the reasons listed above, you may also want to carry hand sanitizer or hand sanitizer with you.
