China travel checklist: 17 things to do before you go
Everything on this list is something you cannot fix from the airport, or cannot fix cheaply once you land. It is ordered by when to do it: the items with waiting times first, the setup that needs your own wifi next, and the packing last. Tick items off as you go and your progress is saved on your own device, so you can come back to it over the next few weeks.
Entry rules, payment apps and mobile data change often. Items that link to an official source were last checked on 26 September 2026.
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Entry rules, payment apps and mobile data change often. The items marked with a link were last checked on 26 September 2026 — confirm with the official source before you rely on them.
2–4 weeks before
Start the things that take time5
A passport renewal takes weeks, a visa decision can take longer, and hotels that can register foreign guests book out in high season. Everything here has a queue attached to it, which is the only reason it comes first — none of it is hard, it just cannot be rushed at the last minute.
Documents
How much validity you need depends on your nationality, your visa type and how long you are staying — a blanket “six months” does not apply to every passport. Look up the rule for yours, and start a renewal early: it takes weeks and it is the one item here you cannot fix at short notice.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs — embassies and consulates ↗Documents
Many nationalities can now visit China visa-free for short trips, and there is a separate rule for transit passengers. The rules change often, so confirm on the Chinese embassy or consulate site for your passport before you book anything non-refundable.
National Immigration Administration (official) ↗Documents
Most hotels can, but a few budget places are not set up for foreign passports. Booking platforms usually show which is which — worth checking before you pay.
Checking in: the phrases →Money
Scanning a QR code is how China pays for almost everything, and both apps now accept international cards. Do it at home while you still have your bank's SMS and a reliable connection — it is much harder to sort out from inside China. Which cards are accepted changes, so check before you fly.
Alipay — official info for international visitors ↗Paying in China: the phrases →Money
Foreign-card payments are sometimes flagged the first time they are used abroad, and unblocking it from another country is slow.
About a week before
Set things up at home, while it's easy8
Mobile data, apps, offline maps and the Chinese you'll actually use. All of it is far easier on your own wifi than on airport wifi — and the phrases need a few days of listening before they come out of your mouth without thinking.
Phone
An eSIM or a roaming plan is far easier to set up at home than at the airport. You need data to pay, to translate, and to call a car.
Phone
Some of the services people use daily are not available in mainland China. Decide what you will use instead before you fly, and save offline copies of anything you need on the way in — tickets, bookings, addresses.
Phone
Useful when signal drops, essential when you are navigating on foot. Do it on hotel wifi the night before, not in the street.
Chinese for directions →Chinese
These come up dozens of times a day, and the first thing you say usually sets the tone for the rest of the exchange.
30 everyday phrases →Chinese
Prices, taxi fares, platform numbers, hotel floors, phone numbers — numbers reach you before any sentence does, and you cannot gesture your way through a till. You need 0–10 plus two rules: 万 means ten thousand, and 两 replaces 二 before a unit.
Chinese numbers 0–10,000 →Chinese
Spice level and allergies are the two things you cannot gesture your way out of, and menus outside big hotels are rarely in English.
Restaurant phrases →Chinese
Drivers rarely speak English, and the single most useful sentence you own is pointing at an address and saying “please take me here”.
Travel phrases →Chinese
“I don't speak Chinese”, “please help me”, “I'm lost”, “call a doctor”. Reading them once at home is the difference between panic and a sentence you can actually say.
Emergency phrases →
The day before
Pack, and save what you'll reach for4
Nothing here takes more than ten minutes, but each one is the difference between a calm first day and a stressful one. Do them the night before, at home, not in a taxi with no signal.
Money
You will rarely need it, but if a phone dies or an app refuses to load, a few hundred yuan is what gets you back to the hotel.
Phone
China runs on 220V with type A, C and I sockets. Your phone is your wallet, your map and your translator at the same time — running out of battery is a real problem, not an inconvenience.
Documents
Hotel check-in, ticket desks and any police report may all ask for the details. A photo means you do not have to carry the real thing everywhere you go.
Chinese
Screenshot it or keep it on your home screen. You will show this screen to a taxi driver more than once, and you will not want to be spelling it out.
Hotel phrases →
Your ticks are stored on this device only — no account, nothing uploaded.
While you're in China
Once the admin is done, the day-to-day part is a few phrases in the right situation. These 165 phrases are grouped by where you'll be standing when you need them.
Questions people ask before a trip
What should I prepare before travelling to China?
Three stages, in the order you actually have to do them. Two to four weeks out: passport validity, entry rules for your nationality, accommodation that can register foreign guests, setting up Alipay or WeChat Pay, and telling your bank. About a week out: mobile data, checking which apps may not be reachable, offline maps, and the Chinese you will use most — everyday words, numbers, restaurant, taxi and train, and emergency phrases. The day before: cash as backup, a power bank and plug adapter, a photo of your passport, and your hotel's address saved in Chinese. That is the 17-point checklist on this page.
Can I use my credit card in China?
Sometimes — hotels, airports and large stores usually take cards. For everything else, from taxis to small restaurants to convenience stores, people pay by scanning a QR code with Alipay or WeChat Pay. Both apps now accept international cards, and setting them up before you fly is much easier than sorting it out after you land.
Do I need a visa to visit China?
It depends on your passport. Many nationalities can enter China visa-free for short trips, and there is a separate rule for transit passengers. These rules change often, so confirm on the Chinese embassy or consulate site for your nationality before you book anything non-refundable.
Do I need to speak Chinese to travel in China?
In big-city hotels and airports you can often get by in English. Taxis, small restaurants, shops and train stations are a different story — there is frequently no English at all. A few dozen phrases cover almost every situation, which is what this site is for: every phrase comes with Chinese characters, pinyin and audio that works offline.
How many Chinese phrases do I need for a trip?
Around 30 everyday phrases (hello, thank you, yes, no, excuse me, I don't understand) plus 10 to 15 in each situation you expect — restaurant, taxi and train, hotel, shopping and emergencies. This site has 165 free phrases across those six situations, all with audio and pinyin.
Start with the phrases you'll use on day one
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