China travel tips?
Discussion
I'm going to China next month for three weeks to visit Beijing, Zhangjiajie, Guilin and Shanghai. I have never been before and all I have booked so far is flights (international and internal). My plan was to take the train from Zhangjiajie to Guilin and flights everywhere else.
Can I book hotels as I go? If so, where is best to book? I see Trip.com suggested a lot. I need an eSIM and AliPay, but what else should I know or do before I go?
Thanks
Can I book hotels as I go? If so, where is best to book? I see Trip.com suggested a lot. I need an eSIM and AliPay, but what else should I know or do before I go?
Thanks
Out of all your named places, I have only been to Zhangjiajie by high speed train. Avatar (film) country. Was on a private party guided tour. Really enjoyed it. I was the only person in the group stupid enough to walk up the 999 Stairway to Heaven steps. There's a video on youtube of a Land/Range Rover driving up those steps.
Mate got McDonalds delivered to the train's catering car at a named station via an App!
Get a local tour guide if you can. Saves you lots of time in what, where, how.
Mate got McDonalds delivered to the train's catering car at a named station via an App!
Get a local tour guide if you can. Saves you lots of time in what, where, how.
I leave later this week for Beijing. First visit.
Apps wise I have
Alipay
Wechat / Wechat pay (note my wife was denied it for some reason)
Amap (google maps for China)
LetsVPN
Trip.com
For hotels I have used Trip.com exclusively.
I have never used them before, so we will have to see how it goes. I believe they are Chinese owned and are the default provider so they integrate well. You build points / credits too. Be aware most hotels charge 500CNY (about £50) for deposit at check in.
Trains, book well in advance. The trains we have booked have all sold out fairly quickly. We had to re-arrange a couple of them as we did not get tickets on release. I also used Trip for the train tickets as yes its a tiny bit more expensive than the direct booking but its all in English and simple.
I would advise you book hotels as far in advance as you can as Asian pricing applies i.e the closer you book the more expensive it can be - although there are exceptions. A lot of hotels allow you to book and cancel quite close to the check in date (7 days ish) for full refund if needed.
Using Trip for eSim.
Note, when setting stuff up if you get the option to set up with your phone number or email - generally pick email because your phone number wont work. Also if your location is not listed (i.e UK) then pick Singapore. Amaps is an example.
Its a broadly cashless country but I am going to take some CNY with me.
Make sure your credit card thats linked to Alipay is free of charges for forex.
Also note that Alipay charge a 3% fee for payments over 200CNY (£20 ish)
Make sure you understand the limits for what you can carry on the trains. Plus CCC approvals for power banks.
Its a bit of a mine field tbh but I have found a few good groups on FB and Reddit.
HTH
Apps wise I have
Alipay
Wechat / Wechat pay (note my wife was denied it for some reason)
Amap (google maps for China)
LetsVPN
Trip.com
For hotels I have used Trip.com exclusively.
I have never used them before, so we will have to see how it goes. I believe they are Chinese owned and are the default provider so they integrate well. You build points / credits too. Be aware most hotels charge 500CNY (about £50) for deposit at check in.
Trains, book well in advance. The trains we have booked have all sold out fairly quickly. We had to re-arrange a couple of them as we did not get tickets on release. I also used Trip for the train tickets as yes its a tiny bit more expensive than the direct booking but its all in English and simple.
I would advise you book hotels as far in advance as you can as Asian pricing applies i.e the closer you book the more expensive it can be - although there are exceptions. A lot of hotels allow you to book and cancel quite close to the check in date (7 days ish) for full refund if needed.
Using Trip for eSim.
Note, when setting stuff up if you get the option to set up with your phone number or email - generally pick email because your phone number wont work. Also if your location is not listed (i.e UK) then pick Singapore. Amaps is an example.
Its a broadly cashless country but I am going to take some CNY with me.
Make sure your credit card thats linked to Alipay is free of charges for forex.
Also note that Alipay charge a 3% fee for payments over 200CNY (£20 ish)
Make sure you understand the limits for what you can carry on the trains. Plus CCC approvals for power banks.
Its a bit of a mine field tbh but I have found a few good groups on FB and Reddit.
HTH
Thanks
Yes trains I ll book early. There s only the Zhangjiajie to Guilin one that s critical. Others I could use Didi for taxis I think.
I definitely won t book accommodation in advance though. We will stay flexible and book on the day or day before. We re doing budget places for most of it which seems easy enough in China.
It seems sensible to get a power bank and charger when I arrive as they are cheap and I assume really easy to find.
Yes trains I ll book early. There s only the Zhangjiajie to Guilin one that s critical. Others I could use Didi for taxis I think.
I definitely won t book accommodation in advance though. We will stay flexible and book on the day or day before. We re doing budget places for most of it which seems easy enough in China.
It seems sensible to get a power bank and charger when I arrive as they are cheap and I assume really easy to find.
I'm flying out to Chongqing tomorrow, just checked the hotels I booked (on trip.com) and they're either sold out or more expensive now. They're all cancellable up to the day of check in at 18:00 (one of them is even up until 23:59!) so I don't see why you would not just book now and cancel later if required.
The high speed trains you really need to be on the ball for and check for availability exactly 2 weeks before the journey which is when they are open for booking. I used the official railway 12306 app which is available in English, trip.com charges an admin fee.
BTW do not attempt to go there in the first week of May, going to China during public holidays is not for rookies!
The high speed trains you really need to be on the ball for and check for availability exactly 2 weeks before the journey which is when they are open for booking. I used the official railway 12306 app which is available in English, trip.com charges an admin fee.
BTW do not attempt to go there in the first week of May, going to China during public holidays is not for rookies!
Ridealong said:
Complete your digital "arrival card" before you travel/arrive in China as you may not get a signal on your phone or the free WiFi is not working at immigration.
Just done mine today. If you are doing it on PC then make sure you use the "ArrivalcardfillingPC" version as the regular version does not jive with IE/Chrome etc.I agree with the hotels, book them and select a hotel with cancellation right up to 24 hrs before for max flexibility.
It seems this is what the 1000s and 1000s of locals are doing so by not doing this you are limiting your options.
Prebook hotels on Trip.com, They need to register you with the police.
Hotel deposit is quite large, I paid 200 USD for 4 nights, took a week for the reservation to clear, factor that in for the length of your trip
Make a test payment (online QR code) with AliPay before you leave for your peace of mind
I set up Didi, honestly Taxis are so cheap (£10
for 30 mins through a toll to airport) might as well grab one off the street. I didn’t use Didi.
Passports everywhere, tickets are booked through them and you scan them to gain entry.
We (Norwegian, me and 16 year old blonde daughter) did get stared at even in Beijing but no photo requests, people will assume if you’re white, you’re Russian but you’ll go some time without seeing another ‘European’ face, it’s quite fun.
In Beijing, honestly don’t set yourself up for getting excited about food. Best places always seem to be food courts in the (many) large shopping malls.
I got sunburned last week in Beijing, be careful … no smog to protect you (!)
esim dropped to ‘LTG’ (2G) in the Metro so needed to use my debit card, it was OK though. ‘Saily’ esim was great, people rave about the Trip.com one though.
For ‘historic’ stuff in Beijing we did the Forbidden City / Great Wall and Temple of Heaven (all though Trip.com) and that was enough.
Reddit had a ChinaTravel WeChat group which is great with locals answering questions within an hour
…..As this is Pistonheads, Yangwang in Beijing don’t keep a U9 Extreme in stock … I tried !
Hotel deposit is quite large, I paid 200 USD for 4 nights, took a week for the reservation to clear, factor that in for the length of your trip
Make a test payment (online QR code) with AliPay before you leave for your peace of mind
I set up Didi, honestly Taxis are so cheap (£10
for 30 mins through a toll to airport) might as well grab one off the street. I didn’t use Didi.
Passports everywhere, tickets are booked through them and you scan them to gain entry.
We (Norwegian, me and 16 year old blonde daughter) did get stared at even in Beijing but no photo requests, people will assume if you’re white, you’re Russian but you’ll go some time without seeing another ‘European’ face, it’s quite fun.
In Beijing, honestly don’t set yourself up for getting excited about food. Best places always seem to be food courts in the (many) large shopping malls.
I got sunburned last week in Beijing, be careful … no smog to protect you (!)
esim dropped to ‘LTG’ (2G) in the Metro so needed to use my debit card, it was OK though. ‘Saily’ esim was great, people rave about the Trip.com one though.
For ‘historic’ stuff in Beijing we did the Forbidden City / Great Wall and Temple of Heaven (all though Trip.com) and that was enough.
Reddit had a ChinaTravel WeChat group which is great with locals answering questions within an hour
…..As this is Pistonheads, Yangwang in Beijing don’t keep a U9 Extreme in stock … I tried !
sneijder said:
Make a test payment (online QR code) with AliPay before you leave for your peace of mind
Where did you test this? I found one site that I tried and one CC worked but my Halifax Clarity didn't. Halifax said it was them refusing payments to that place and not a general block but they weren't totally sure. It's made me consider getting another card before I go.Matt.. said:
Where did you test this? I found one site that I tried and one CC worked but my Halifax Clarity didn't. Halifax said it was them refusing payments to that place and not a general block but they weren't totally sure. It's made me consider getting another card before I go.
I think it was this link .. Best just link credit card for piece of mind. I tried set my daughter up on AliPay too with my credit card, failed as she had to be 18. I made sure with my bank to they knew I’d be there, they said no issues with Chinahttps://chinaway.app/money/test-pay
Matt.. said:
Isn't that the case in many places now?
I've not seen anything anywhere to say I cannot book hotels on the day?
The language barrier is *very* real, We were in a ‘5 Star’ (Beijing Nuo Wangfujing) .. The concierge still couldn’t speak a word of English, everything was through Google Translate App (Download Chinese - Simplified) I’d not want the stress of a walk up trying to book a hotel roomI've not seen anything anywhere to say I cannot book hotels on the day?
Taxi Drivers won’t speak a word of English, I simply put my destination in AMap and handed my phone over for them to follow .. (AMap is light years ahead … shows traffic light count down live further down the road)
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