China advice for my son!
Discussion
Please see his request for advice below - many thanks in advance folks!!
I have just booked flights to Shanghai in August/September next year. Bit of context, we are from the UK, and will be 22. We don’t speak any Chinese. We both have extensive travelling experience, but never to China.
We want to visit Shanghai, Beijing, HK and maybe other places (please recommend). We will look to fly back to the UK on the 18th/19th September. Within this time, we also wanted to go to Seoul for a few days. Our current idea/rough plan was UK —> Shanghai (4 nights) —> Beijing by train (4 nights) —> Seoul (3 nights) —> HK (3 nights) (Or any idea that makes more sense). But obviously there is a few nights surplus, so any additions/extra days in any place let me know.
As students, we will be on a budget, so will definitely be looking at hostels and B&Bs etc, as well as free/cheap experiences.
We want to see the famous sites if course, but I’d also like to experience some maybe lesser known experiences/sites that China has to offer, so please do your best.
I am super excited to visit, and reading this sub about other non-Chinese speaking visitors having a great time is super reassuring.
Any information/tips would be greatly appreciated, where to stay, what to see and where to eat.
I have just booked flights to Shanghai in August/September next year. Bit of context, we are from the UK, and will be 22. We don’t speak any Chinese. We both have extensive travelling experience, but never to China.
We want to visit Shanghai, Beijing, HK and maybe other places (please recommend). We will look to fly back to the UK on the 18th/19th September. Within this time, we also wanted to go to Seoul for a few days. Our current idea/rough plan was UK —> Shanghai (4 nights) —> Beijing by train (4 nights) —> Seoul (3 nights) —> HK (3 nights) (Or any idea that makes more sense). But obviously there is a few nights surplus, so any additions/extra days in any place let me know.
As students, we will be on a budget, so will definitely be looking at hostels and B&Bs etc, as well as free/cheap experiences.
We want to see the famous sites if course, but I’d also like to experience some maybe lesser known experiences/sites that China has to offer, so please do your best.
I am super excited to visit, and reading this sub about other non-Chinese speaking visitors having a great time is super reassuring.
Any information/tips would be greatly appreciated, where to stay, what to see and where to eat.
Nobby Diesel said:
Please see his request for advice below - many thanks in advance folks!!
I have just booked flights to Shanghai in August/September next year. Bit of context, we are from the UK, and will be 22. We don t speak any Chinese. We both have extensive travelling experience, but never to China.
We want to visit Shanghai, Beijing, HK and maybe other places (please recommend). We will look to fly back to the UK on the 18th/19th September. Within this time, we also wanted to go to Seoul for a few days. Our current idea/rough plan was UK > Shanghai (4 nights) > Beijing by train (4 nights) > Seoul (3 nights) > HK (3 nights) (Or any idea that makes more sense). But obviously there is a few nights surplus, so any additions/extra days in any place let me know.
As students, we will be on a budget, so will definitely be looking at hostels and B&Bs etc, as well as free/cheap experiences.
We want to see the famous sites if course, but I d also like to experience some maybe lesser known experiences/sites that China has to offer, so please do your best.
I am super excited to visit, and reading this sub about other non-Chinese speaking visitors having a great time is super reassuring.
Any information/tips would be greatly appreciated, where to stay, what to see and where to eat.
I am going to copy/paste this to my eldest, who spent 4 years there teaching English ... he is a seasoned traveller and during the pandemic and following years, he became quite adept at seeking out the lesser know n stuff. He is in Copenhagen ATM - but will report back if he has anything. I have just booked flights to Shanghai in August/September next year. Bit of context, we are from the UK, and will be 22. We don t speak any Chinese. We both have extensive travelling experience, but never to China.
We want to visit Shanghai, Beijing, HK and maybe other places (please recommend). We will look to fly back to the UK on the 18th/19th September. Within this time, we also wanted to go to Seoul for a few days. Our current idea/rough plan was UK > Shanghai (4 nights) > Beijing by train (4 nights) > Seoul (3 nights) > HK (3 nights) (Or any idea that makes more sense). But obviously there is a few nights surplus, so any additions/extra days in any place let me know.
As students, we will be on a budget, so will definitely be looking at hostels and B&Bs etc, as well as free/cheap experiences.
We want to see the famous sites if course, but I d also like to experience some maybe lesser known experiences/sites that China has to offer, so please do your best.
I am super excited to visit, and reading this sub about other non-Chinese speaking visitors having a great time is super reassuring.
Any information/tips would be greatly appreciated, where to stay, what to see and where to eat.
It was a few years ago now, so excuse the lack of detail and random nature.....
Get a proper VPN before you go - lots of restrictions on what you can see on-line. I can't remember which payment system to use, but they don't do ApplePay and similar.
Do the over night train between Shanghai and Beijing - cost effective and an experience! Make sure you've got food & drink for the journey.
Public transport is very good.
Great Wall - worth getting a private guide to get there early and avoid the crowds from the coach trips.
Do Peking Duck in Beijing - again, an experience worth paying for.
I'll ask my daughter as well, as it was her we were visiting, she did an internship in Shanghai.
Get a proper VPN before you go - lots of restrictions on what you can see on-line. I can't remember which payment system to use, but they don't do ApplePay and similar.
Do the over night train between Shanghai and Beijing - cost effective and an experience! Make sure you've got food & drink for the journey.
Public transport is very good.
Great Wall - worth getting a private guide to get there early and avoid the crowds from the coach trips.
Do Peking Duck in Beijing - again, an experience worth paying for.
I'll ask my daughter as well, as it was her we were visiting, she did an internship in Shanghai.
Be mindful of the visa situation. Triple check on Trip Advisor China forum if I was you 3-4 months before - just post your in/out etc and someone with the exact knowledge will reply.
As above, alipay and wechat. Get it sorted before you go - with wechat you will need to get a 3rd person to approve you. Same for sim and vpn get it done before you go.
Learn "I scan you" or "you scan me"... youtube is your friend.
Remember significant restrictions on what you can take on trains, power banks, aerosols etc. All will be confiscated if outside their specs. Use Trip.com to book things as its Chinese owned. Be very aware that it is sometimes more difficult to just try and do hostels and B&Bs..... these places are often not approved to take British people and they will refuse you a room on arrival so I advise to find places on Trip as they are approved.
There is a major holiday in mid / late September where the whole country will go on holiday within China....
If going August be aware of the heat and humidity.
Check for opening times carefully, esp in Beijing because Mondays the Forbidden City is closed which makes the Great Wall very busy on Mondays and then on Tuesdays the Forbidden City can be very busy. But its always busy.
The above is just a light dusting of what I gathered before my trip to China - before it got cancelled at the last minute. We are currently planning to go in March / April 2026.... there is a good FB group called China Travel Guide & Visa News.
As above, alipay and wechat. Get it sorted before you go - with wechat you will need to get a 3rd person to approve you. Same for sim and vpn get it done before you go.
Learn "I scan you" or "you scan me"... youtube is your friend.
Remember significant restrictions on what you can take on trains, power banks, aerosols etc. All will be confiscated if outside their specs. Use Trip.com to book things as its Chinese owned. Be very aware that it is sometimes more difficult to just try and do hostels and B&Bs..... these places are often not approved to take British people and they will refuse you a room on arrival so I advise to find places on Trip as they are approved.
There is a major holiday in mid / late September where the whole country will go on holiday within China....
If going August be aware of the heat and humidity.
Check for opening times carefully, esp in Beijing because Mondays the Forbidden City is closed which makes the Great Wall very busy on Mondays and then on Tuesdays the Forbidden City can be very busy. But its always busy.
The above is just a light dusting of what I gathered before my trip to China - before it got cancelled at the last minute. We are currently planning to go in March / April 2026.... there is a good FB group called China Travel Guide & Visa News.
I was there a couple of months ago.
Make sure you sort out the Visa.
Download an sim before you go and then all apps basically work. WhatsApp , google maps etc
You need Alipay to pay for anything. But again very easy , link it to a credit card. But every shop needs AP
Didi or Alipay for taxis. They are very very cheap. I used Alipay as I found Didi didnt always work (more likely user error). One thing to know is you have to go into the app after you have used the taxi and make payment.
Make sure you sort out the Visa.
Download an sim before you go and then all apps basically work. WhatsApp , google maps etc
You need Alipay to pay for anything. But again very easy , link it to a credit card. But every shop needs AP
Didi or Alipay for taxis. They are very very cheap. I used Alipay as I found Didi didnt always work (more likely user error). One thing to know is you have to go into the app after you have used the taxi and make payment.
Hong Kong has a lot to offer and 3 nights is not long, but if you have time to get the fast ferry over to Macau and back as a day trip, it's well worth it. Macau has really interesting architecture and great food, Portuguese-influenced.
There is also shed loads of hiking in HK so if they're on a budget and want to see the other side of HK (i.e., not the city) then a day walking some of the trails would be time well spent.
e.g., sections 1 and 2 of the MacLehose trail are stunning - https://www.discoverhongkong.com/uk/explore/great-...
Ignore the 'very difficult' label - it's just a hike on a path!
There is also shed loads of hiking in HK so if they're on a budget and want to see the other side of HK (i.e., not the city) then a day walking some of the trails would be time well spent.
e.g., sections 1 and 2 of the MacLehose trail are stunning - https://www.discoverhongkong.com/uk/explore/great-...
Ignore the 'very difficult' label - it's just a hike on a path!
Ok as promised…. The words from my eldest….
“If they are flying to Shanghai and want to go south to HK, they may as well head south, as opposed to flying in all different directions.
They can travel from Shanghai to cities like Hangzhou and Suzhou (close together and connected by train), and then move down the coast to Xiamen, a great coastal city, and if they are looking for something natural, head to Guilin (again, connected by train) and finally to Guangzhou and Shenzhen before heading over the border to HK.
They can then decide whether to fly from HK to Seoul (which I would leave out for another trip, to be honest)”
Happy to pass on further Qs if you have any!
“If they are flying to Shanghai and want to go south to HK, they may as well head south, as opposed to flying in all different directions.
They can travel from Shanghai to cities like Hangzhou and Suzhou (close together and connected by train), and then move down the coast to Xiamen, a great coastal city, and if they are looking for something natural, head to Guilin (again, connected by train) and finally to Guangzhou and Shenzhen before heading over the border to HK.
They can then decide whether to fly from HK to Seoul (which I would leave out for another trip, to be honest)”
Happy to pass on further Qs if you have any!
I’m in Wuhan at the minute and due to travel on to Shanghai tomorrow.
As others have said.
Sort your visa out before travel, I used the Edinburgh office e and it was £161 for an express visa which was a 2 day turnaround in this instance.
As your travel is later in the year you will be able to use the normal service for cheaper.
Download Alipay and link your bank card to it before you travel. Very easy to do and very easy to use while you’re here.
Holapay is the e-sim that I am using for my trip.
Again, download the app, chose the dates you are you are travelling and the cost will be based upon the number of days you require it.
I believe holapay has a built in VPN? But I already had NordVPN and all my apps, googlemaps, WhatsApp etc … work as normal.
A couple of people I am travelling with brought power banks which they believed to be compliant within China, but they had them taken away at the airport on arrival. I didn’t bring one with me and haven’t had the need for one while I’ve been here, but it is something to bear in mind.
View across the Yangtze River tonight in central Wuhan.
As others have said.
Sort your visa out before travel, I used the Edinburgh office e and it was £161 for an express visa which was a 2 day turnaround in this instance.
As your travel is later in the year you will be able to use the normal service for cheaper.
Download Alipay and link your bank card to it before you travel. Very easy to do and very easy to use while you’re here.
Holapay is the e-sim that I am using for my trip.
Again, download the app, chose the dates you are you are travelling and the cost will be based upon the number of days you require it.
I believe holapay has a built in VPN? But I already had NordVPN and all my apps, googlemaps, WhatsApp etc … work as normal.
A couple of people I am travelling with brought power banks which they believed to be compliant within China, but they had them taken away at the airport on arrival. I didn’t bring one with me and haven’t had the need for one while I’ve been here, but it is something to bear in mind.
View across the Yangtze River tonight in central Wuhan.
gotoPzero said:
Out of interest how did they take stuff on arrival at the airport? Did they search their bags on the way out a la Mexico?
The power banks you mean?They travelled a day ahead of me but I believe they took them off them as they went through the regular airport security and bad scanners.
I know bags weren’t subject to any additional searches beyond the normal scanning they do at every airport.
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