10 ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO CHINA

Send

This list of best tips for traveling to China It is a reflection of our two trips to the country and our experiences, with which we hope to help you organize this incredible destination that at times, can be a bit more complicated than expected but in the end, it will give you incredible surprises.
With breathtaking landscapes, a fascinating culture and villages that seem to be anchored in the past, a trip to China is a mix of experiences, in which on many occasions we assure you, you will feel outside your comfort zone, but we also assure you , will be the reason to live a fascinating and unforgettable trip.

Based on our experience of the trip to China in 25 days and the trip to Tibet to which we add a few days visiting Shanghai, we leave you a list of those that are for us 10 essential tips for traveling to China. We start!

1. What is the best time?

First and foremost when you think of what is the best time to travel to China It is to take into account that the large dimensions of the country mean that, depending on the area or areas you want to visit, time varies greatly.
Despite that and at general levels we want to leave you a classification by zones and seasons of the year so you can more or less get an idea of when to go to China.

High season (from May to August): during these months and despite some periods of heavy rains, the holidays usually cause the majority of tourist places in the country to suffer large agglomerations.
Mid season (from February to April and September and October): with a much more benign time, especially in spring, this would be the perfect time to visit China, especially the northern part of the country.
Low season (November to February): Although the north of the country is usually very cold at this time, the south is still relatively warm and there is not much local tourism, so it can be a good time to plan the trip.

2. Security

Currently we can say that traveling to China is totally safe, although as in all destinations in the world, it is important to travel with common sense and not bring many valuables in sight in places you do not know or move at night through areas that you are not sure are safe.
In addition to this, it is important to know that in mainland China, gambling, distributing religious material and drug trafficking or possession are totally prohibited, and there are cases of foreigners to whom the death penalty has been applied for these crimes.
In addition to these recommendations for a trip to China It is important to comply with the laws and respect the customs of the country to avoid any problem or embarrassing situation.

Another thing that can help you if necessary is to bring a copy in the cloud of your personal documentation such as passport, driver's license, travel insurance policy ... etc. In case of theft or loss, having a copy will allow you to do the paperwork in a much easier and faster way.

Guilin

3. Requirements for entering the country

Spanish citizens must carry a passport with a minimum of 6 months validity to enter China. In the case of Hong Kong and although the authorities report that the minimum is 3 months of validity in the passport, there have been cases of refusal of entry, so it is important to take it into account and travel with a passport with at least 6 months of validity
In addition to this requirement, if you are going to travel for tourism and more time than the cases indicated below, you must apply for a visa, with which you can stay for tourism for 30 days and make one or more entries to the country. From this point to travel to China, being quite complex, we will talk in the next section of tips.

If you are going to travel to Hong Kong or Macao, if you are Spanish, a visa is not required for stays of less than 90 days.
In addition to this, you should keep in mind that transit time without a visa in Beijing has been extended to 144 hours. In order to make this entry you must show that you have a one-way ticket to another country (a round-trip ticket to Spain does not work) and leave China in this period of time.

In case of transit in and Shanghai and / or the neighboring provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu you can request a special transit visa for 144 hours, also demonstrating and as in the previous case, the possession of a one-way ticket to a third country.

Shanghai

4. Visa for China

This we believe is one of the tips for traveling to China more important since in addition, it is one of the ones that creates more confusion and doubts when starting to prepare the trip. Whether for a trip to China or to Tibet, remember that it is always necessary to process the visa and in case of Tibet, you must first process the visa to China and then, through the agency (you have to remember that you cannot enter Tibet for free and it is necessary to do it with a travel agency that provides you with a guide and driver), manage the permission to visit Tibet.

Depending on your residence, you can apply for a visa to China in Madrid or Barcelona. In the first option you can process it online or in person and in Barcelona only in person.
The price difference is quite considerable, being in Barcelona 60 euros and in Madrid 175.35 euros for the visa of an entry, two tickets or multiple entries in ordinary regime (urgent service is more expensive), which includes the price of transport, both back and forth.
The price difference is due to the fact that in Barcelona it is processed directly at the Consulate while in Madrid the procedure is done by a external company identified by the Chinese Embassy or Consulate to handle the daily work of visa procedures.
We, although we have Barcelona only 60 kilometers away, being a face-to-face procedure and that can only be done on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., entails going there and losing one morning, both for the procedure as for the collection, in the two trips we have made, we have managed the Chinese visa in Madrid and by mail.

The first thing that we recommend, before doing anything, is to enter the official website and read all the points that refer to the processing. Once you have read the entire application process and frequently asked questions, you can enter the option "Quick access"and from there access the application form of the visa process to China.
The most advisable thing is to fill in each of the 4 pages, always saving at the end of each one of them, so that they provide you with an application number with which you can make inquiries afterwards or modifications for 30 days, provided you have not submitted the Official request in the offices or by post.

We, both to travel to China and to Tibet, request a "single entry" visa, since in the first we will enter China through Beijing and leave through Hong Kong and in the second, we will enter Shanghai and leave through Lhasa, making a stopover in Chengdu.
Something very important before applying for a visa for China, is to know that if your travel itinerary includes a visit to Hong Kong, but then return to China to continue the trip or catch a flight, since in this case you must request a double entry visa, since Hong Kong is not China.

Once you have completed the form you just have to print it and attach it in an envelope with the following documentation:
- Passport with 6 months validity and 2 empty pages
- Photocopy of the page where the passport data comes out
- Passport photo format
- Visa application
- Air tickets, hotel reservations ... etc or failing the Letter of Invitation from the Travel Agency in case you make an organized trip or go to Tibet.
- Sheet with the data where you want the passport to be returned

All this you have to put in an envelope and send it by Seur, or another carrier, to the following address:
Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Madrid
C / Agustín de Foxá, 29, 4th floor
28036 Madrid
Phone: 0034-913145918
Fax: 0034-917321959
Email: [email protected]

In case you want to go personally to this center of Madrid the schedules are:
Monday to Friday (closed official holidays and weekends)
Application delivery: 9: 00-15: 00
Payment and visa collection: 9: 00-16: 00

The price of an envelope per Seur is 13 euros and once they receive all the documentation in Madrid and manage it, they send you an email indicating the total amount (visa + fees + service + return transport) that more or less they are about 175.35 euros per person (almost 50 euros more expensive than in 2015), and that you must pay by credit card or bank transfer so that they can return the passport with the visa.

You have to take into account when traveling to China that the visa expires after 3 months, so it is recommended apply for a visa more or less with a month or month and a half before the trip, since the procedures by mail are usually about 10-15 days. If the procedure is face-to-face, the management period decreases to about 5 or 6 working days.

The Total price of the Chinese Visa in 2017 was 175.35 euros per person:
60 euros visa + 66.55 management service fee + 26 euros transport + VAT

Before managing anything, we recommend that you read the official pages carefully since this type of procedure can vary greatly over time, so it is essential to have updated information.
Remember that the advice we give is always based on our experience, in which we manage a tourist visa for only entry to China.

The Great Wall of China

5. Vaccines and travel insurance

The first and most important thing when you travel to China or any other destination in the world, is to go to your nearest vaccination center. As we always say, the internet is amazing to organize your trip, but for health matters it is very important that it is a doctor who determines, valuing your medical history, places you are going to visit and even the time in which you travel, what vaccines are The really necessary.
Despite what has been previously mentioned, we can tell you that currently there is no mandatory vaccine for a trip to China, except for Yellow Fever for travelers from endemic countries, although Tetanus-Diphtheria, Triple Viral, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B and Typhus, Cholera and Rabies are recommended, depending on the situation.

In addition to the visit to the doctor, it is very important to have the best travel insurance, so that in case you need it, have the best care in the best centers of the country and in this case, have a translator who can act as an intermediary .
We always travel insured with Mondo, with whom we carry a totally adequate insurance to the needs that we will have during the trip. Hiring your insurance here with Mondo, just for being a Street Travelers reader, you have a 5% discount.
For more information you can check this post about the best travel insurance for China.

6. How to start the trip

The first and most important to travel to China It is to be clear on how many days you have for that, deciding which of the places to visit in China make you more excited and want to include in your route.
Once you are clear about this, the next point will be to look for a flight. In principle the most logical, if you want to make a linear route through the country is to opt for a multi-destination flight with which you can enter for example Beijing and exit through Hong Kong or Shanghai. We always use this flight search engine with which we find the best prices and options.
The next part of the organization of the trip to China will be the reservation of hotels especially if you travel in high season or coincide with a local holiday. For this we advise you to use this accommodation search engine that has thousands of options at the best prices.
If you are going to travel by train through the country, one of the most appropriate and recommended ways you should know that they cannot be booked from outside China and that the most tourist routes are often sold out easily. For this it is important to have a intermediary to carry out these procedures and so you can ensure your ticket.
We did it with China DIY Travel, a couple of Australians who live in China and who not only managed all the tickets we needed, but also helped us polish the initial itinerary, modifying it a bit and thereby earning a day extra.
In addition they send you along with the electronic tickets, a Word with the phrases in English, with the translation in Chinese, so you can show them to the transport with which you go to the station / airport and this procedure is much easier.

The next point would be to evaluate the excursions and tours you want to do, to be able to book them in advance and secure the place, especially in high season. Among the most important and tourist would be:

Peking

7. Money exchange

The currency of China is the Renminbi (RMB) and its unit is the yuan (CNY), although both names are used interchangeably. Currently the equivalence is 1 euros = 7.85 yuan Renminbi.
Although there are many travelers who choose to change their countries of origin, at the airport or in exchange houses, today and after our experience traveling, we believe that it is best to pay with card everything you can and take from ATMs to avoid high agency fees and bad change.

We recommend using the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.

In addition to this, we leave you some Basic recommendations on money when traveling to China:

In case you do not want to use the N26 or the BNXT, before traveling to China it is advisable to notify your bank, since there are some entities that must activate the debit / credit cards so that you can both pay and get money in China, already This option is locked by default. This also happens if you want to make a transfer to China or have to charge you.
ATMs in China, at least those that we have used, have only allowed us to withdraw 5000RMB in each operation, so if you need more money, you will have to make more withdrawals.
Remember that ATMs can usually charge about 10-15 euros for withdrawal. Keep this in mind if you use a Spanish card.
It is very important to also carry cash to be able to pay in shops that do not accept cards or to pay small amounts in little tourist places.

Xian warriors

8. Internet in China

If you want to have internet in China, something very necessary today, especially considering the amount of applications we use in our trips and the need to be in contact with our family and friends, you can choose several options:

Buy a SIM card at the airport or at a phone shop in the city.
Buy one Holafly SIM card, with which you will have internet from the moment you land, saving you all the time of the negotiations and making the whole process to have internet in China much more comfortable, fast and easy.
In this case, with the Holafly SIM you will have several Gb to surf the Internet (depending on the option you choose), they will send it to you for free at home, you will keep your WhatsApp number and you will have support service in Spanish in addition to VPN included , so you don't have any problem when connecting. You can buy your Holafly prepaid SIM card here with a 5% discount for being our reader.

More information on the Holafly post, the best prepaid SIM card for travel

The theme of the VPN is something you ask us as you move forward in the organization of your trip. Keep in mind that at travel to China You will find yourself with great censorship on the internet that will not allow you to connect to social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or to search engines such as Google, among many others.
Despite this, there is a way to skip this censorship and it is through a VPN or Virtual Private Network, with which you will connect from China through a virtual network to the Internet and as we discussed, it is already included in the Holafly card.

We leave you the post How to connect to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram in China where you can see all the details for connect to internet from China.

Fenghuang

9. China route

Although there are hundreds of options to organize an itinerary through China and more because of its dimensions, it is difficult to make a route that fits the times and tastes of all travelers.
Despite this and taking into account our experience when traveling to China we want to give you an example of a route through most of the tourist places in the country.
The trip begins with a flight to Beijing visiting the Confucius Temple, Qianmen, Tiananmen Square and the Temple of the Lamas in Beijing on the first day.
The second day in the city we advise you to visit the Pearl Market, the Drum Tower, the Bell Tower, Qianhai Lake, Nanluogu Hutong, Suoyi Hutong, Wangfujing and the Temple of Heaven, one of the things to do in Beijing that you can't miss
The next day we propose you to enjoy one of the great cherries of the cake, doing a Trekking between Jinshanling and Simatai in the Great Wall of China. This is not exactly an easy trekking, so if you do not want to complicate so much or do not want to make so much physical effort, a great option is to book this Excursion to the Great Wall of China in Spanish.
On the third full day in the city you can visit the Forbidden City of Beijing in the morning, to spend the afternoon getting to know Jingshan Park or Coal Hill, Dashilar Street, Qianmen Hutongs and Olympic Village.
On the last day in the city you can visit the Summer Palace, the Panjiayuán Market and the Beijing Hutongs to catch a night train from Beijing to Datong in the late afternoon.

The second stage of the trip to China will take you on an excursion to the Hanging Monastery and Yungang Caves in Datong to catch another night train to Pingyao at night, where the next day you can make a route through the places to see in Pingyao in a day.
The next day will take you by train to Xi'an where that day you can visit the Muslim Quarter and the next day make one of the star visits of China: the Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an.

The next stage will take you on a flight to Chengdu, where you can visit the Panda Bear Conservation Center in Chengdu and the next day take an excursion to the impressive Big Buddha of Leshan.

Leshan Buddha

From here the next stop will be the landscape that inspired the film Avatar, bringing to reality the How to get to Zhangjiajie, one of the most incredible landscapes in the country.
Our recommendation when traveling to China is that you dedicate a minimum of two days to the Zhanjiajie National Park, enough time to get to know its most tourist areas and enjoy the Avatar Chinese mountains for the afternoon of the second day, make the transfer to Fenghuang, One of the most beautiful towns in the country.

The next day will be following a route through the places to see in Fenghuang for the next day to make the transfer from Fenghuang to Guilin, to dedicate that afternoon to know the city and the next day to make an excursion to the Rice Terraces of Longshen.

The next day you can take a Li River Cruise to Yangshuo for the next day to follow the list of things to see and do in Yangshuo, among which you can not miss a bike route around Yangshuo: Big Banyan tree, Moon Hill and Yulong Bridge.

At this point of the trip, the next stage will be to go from Guilin to Hong Kong, where you will spend the last days of the trip making a route through the places to see in Hong Kong as well as making a trip to Macao in one day and a route through Lantau, all of them included among the essential things to see and do in Hong Kong.

In case you have more days when traveling to China, a good option is to extend the trip with a visit to Shanghai, where we recommend you to spend an average of 2-3 days to complete this list of things to see and do in Shanghai.

10. More tips for traveling to China

Other of the best tips for a trip to China They are:

Keep in mind that transportation in China is super punctual, especially at the departure time. However long the journey may be, the next transport will depart at its scheduled time.
The difference between the price of a taxi in the street and a taxi calling from the hotel can be 20-30%. The problem is that sometimes street taxis will not want to take you, without giving you any explanation, because the hotel will be the only option.
Carry alldirections pointed in chinese It makes things a lot easier. Hotels, places to visit, buses ... etc, even if it seems a lie if you do not take it you can have a bad time so that they understand you.
Depending on the time you travel do not forget to bring sunscreen. In the Chinese Wall and the Li River Cruise, if it is sunny, it can be extremely hot.
Carry toilet paper or kleenex in your bag. Although it seems a lie, there are many restaurants that do not have.
InChina the voltage is 220V, the frequency 50 Hz and the plugs Type A / C / I.
And last but not least, one of the best tips for traveling to China is to do it with an open mind, without willingness to judge and with the firm intention to enjoy. We do not deceive you if we tell you that it is not a country where the trip is easy due to the cultural difference, but we assure you that you will receive an unforgettable gift every day.

You can find more tips in this post of recommendations to visit China.

Zhangjiajie National Park

Do you want to organize a trip to China for free?
Get it here:
The best offers of Flights to China here
The best hotels at the best prices in China: here
Get € 35 for your reservation with AirBnb here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
Book the best tours and excursions in Beijing in Spanish here
Book your Airport⇆Pekín transfer here
Book the best tours and excursions in / from Hong Kong here
Rent your car for a trip to China at the best price here