Know before you go: China

Quick answer: Most tourists from Western Europe, the UK, Canada, Australia, and dozens of other countries can now enter mainland China visa-free for up to 30 days, pay for almost everything via Alipay/WeChat Pay linked to a foreign card, and get around fast on China’s high-speed rail network — but always double-check current rules before you fly, since China’s entry policy has changed several times in the past year.

Visa & entry

China has dramatically expanded visa-free access. Citizens of 50 countries holding ordinary passports can enter mainland China and stay up to 30 days for business, tourism, visits to family and friends, exchanges, or transit, with no visa and no advance application. As of February 17, 2026, ordinary passport holders from the United Kingdom and Canada can enter mainland China and stay up to 30 days with no visa at all, bringing the list to 50 countries, with the whole scheme running through December 31, 2026. The list skews heavily European, but also includes much of Asia-Pacific (Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam), several countries in the Americas (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay), and parts of the Middle East (UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Türkiye).

Important exception: the United States is not on the 30-day visa-free list, so US passport holders still need a visa to fly in for a normal trip. American travelers (and others not covered) can instead use the separate 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit policy, which applies to eligible nationalities at 60+ ports of entry, useful only if you’re transiting to/from a third country.

Practical entry requirements for visa-free travelers: your passport must be valid for at least six months and have two blank pages, and you must register with the local Public Security Bureau within 24 hours of arrival (hotels normally do this automatically). Every day you spend in China counts against your 30 days, with no “pause” mechanism, whether you’re in Beijing, Shanghai, or a remote village. Since late 2025, China has also rolled out a digital option: foreigners may fill in and submit entry information online before coming to China through the NIA official website, the “NIA 12367” app, WeChat/Alipay mini-program, or by scanning a QR code.

Bottom line: rules, country lists, and durations have shifted multiple times in the last 12 months and could change again — always verify your specific nationality’s status on the official NIA website or your nearest Chinese embassy/consulate before booking flights.

Getting around

High-speed rail is the backbone of long-distance travel and extremely reliable. China’s high-speed rail is currently the world’s largest, fastest, and most punctual transportation system, with a top speed of 350 km/h, journeys like Beijing to Shanghai taking just 4.5–6 hours, and connections to almost all provincial capitals and major cities. Tickets are booked through the official 12306 app/website or via the English-friendly reseller Trip.com. As of 2026, the 12306 platform fully accommodates international credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, and JCB, and passport-based registration is standard, with the “Real-name Verification” process optimized for non-residents. Note that most train tickets are released 15 days in advance at 14:00 Beijing Time, and popular routes sell out fast around holidays. Your passport doubles as your boarding pass — China rail is fully paperless, with your passport doubling as your boarding pass all the way from purchase to platform.

Within cities, metro systems in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and other major hubs are modern, cheap, and English-signed; pay with a transit card, Alipay/WeChat mini-programs, or your phone tapped directly on gates. For taxis and ride-hailing, Didi is the dominant app since Uber doesn’t operate in China; Didi has an English-language app that works reasonably well for foreigners, and can also be accessed as a mini-program inside Alipay or WeChat. For maps, locals recommend searching your destination in Apple Maps in English (since it uses accurate Chinese local data providers) rather than Google Maps, which has a GPS offset issue in China that makes it unreliable, then pasting the Chinese address into Didi.

Money & costs

China’s currency is the Renminbi (RMB/yuan, ¥). While China is often called cashless, the reality is more nuanced — in major cities, most restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores, taxis, and tourist attractions accept mobile payments linked to international Visa and Mastercard cards. Alipay and WeChat Pay are the two dominant apps, and both now support foreign cards without needing a Chinese bank account: foreigners can link international credit cards to Alipay and WeChat Pay without a Chinese bank account as of 2026. Generally, install both apps before your flight, verify your passport, test one small payment, and keep a little RMB cash as backup.

Fee structures vary and are worth checking with your bank beforehand — single transactions of ≤200 RMB typically incur 0% cross-border handling fee, covering most daily tourist expenses, while transactions over 200 RMB carry a fixed 3% cross-border handling fee, on top of whatever your home bank charges. Standalone foreign credit/debit cards are hit-or-miss outside chain hotels and larger stores: international cards are usually accepted in high-end hotels and tourist restaurants/shops, but far less in small local places, where mobile payment is expected. Carry a small cash reserve — 100–300 RMB in cash — for small stalls, taxi edge cases, or network failures. Note that setup experiences and limits shift often, so verify current transaction limits directly with the platforms and your card issuer, recognizing that policies shift frequently.

Best time to visit

China’s size means climate varies enormously by region, but the two classic “shoulder season” windows remain the most comfortable for most itineraries:

• Spring (April–May): Mild temperatures across eastern and central China, blooming landscapes (cherry blossoms, peonies), and generally lower rainfall than summer — ideal for Beijing, Xi’an, Yangtze/Guilin, and the eastern coast.
• Autumn (September–October): Widely considered the best all-round season — clear skies, comfortable temperatures, and excellent visibility for mountain and countryside scenery (Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Tibet). This is also a peak domestic travel period.
• Summer (June–August): Hot and humid in most of the country, monsoon rains in the south, but ideal for high-altitude/northern destinations like Tibet, Xinjiang, or Inner Mongolia.
• Winter (December–February): Cold in the north (great for winter sports in Harbin/Heilongjiang) but mild and pleasant in the far south (Yunnan, Hainan, Guangxi).

Avoid, if possible: Chinese New Year/Spring Festival (dates vary, roughly late Jan–mid Feb) and the first week of October (National Day “Golden Week”), when domestic tourism surges and transport, hotels, and attractions are extremely crowded — as reflected in immigration data showing tens of millions of border crossings during these holiday periods.

Emergencies & safety

Unlike many countries, China has no single