Use the in-app prompts. Keep your home SIM available for verification messages.
China arrival operating guide
Set up the practical parts of your China trip before you fly.
A structured guide for payment, phone, transport, food, reservations, and the essential apps. Work through it in order, or open the task you need now.
Your preparation
0 of 6 essentials checkedDo this before departure
Set up two ways to pay, plus a small cash fallback.
Use Alipay or WeChat Pay as your primary way to pay, keep an international bank card ready as backup, and carry small-denomination RMB for the first day.
Make a low-value payment after landing before relying on it for a taxi or a late meal.
Use cash or a second payment method if a merchant, connection, or verification step fails.
Visual walkthrough
Alipay or WeChat Pay setup
- Install before departure.Register with your mobile number and choose English where available.
- Open Wallet or Cards.Add an eligible international card and use the name exactly as shown by your bank.
- Complete verification when prompted.Do not leave it until you are already standing at a checkout counter.
- Make one small test payment.Save a screenshot of the successful payment for reference.
App interfaces change. Follow the action labels and verification prompts, not a remembered button position.
Do this before departure
Choose your data plan and protect your arrival connection.
Your first priority is reliable data for payment, hotel messages, maps, and translation. Decide the plan before the airport.
Fastest setup
Good when your phone supports eSIM and you only need data. Check coverage, data limit, hotspot policy, and activation timing before purchase.
Keep your own number
Useful when SMS verification matters. Compare the daily price, data cap, throttling, and whether calls are included.
Useful for longer stays
Consider this when you need more data or a local number. Requirements and plans vary, so confirm them with the carrier on arrival.
About VPNs: do not treat any provider as a guaranteed solution. Availability and rules can change. Prepare offline maps, saved addresses, tickets, and contact details so critical tasks do not depend on a single connection.
Offline essential
Save these before boarding
Hotel name and Chinese address, passport copy, flight and rail bookings, payment backup, emergency contact, and your first destination on AMap.
Do this before departure
Save your hotel in Chinese. Learn one official rail flow.
For local travel, do not depend on an English hotel name. For high-speed rail, use your passport details exactly and leave generous station time.
Official 12306 rail flow
What to expect when booking
1Add passenger
Enter passport details exactly.
2Search route
Check the actual departure station.
3Choose train
Confirm date, time, and seat class.
4Pay and save
Keep the order and passport together.
- Use the official 12306 website or app.Register and add the passenger before tickets go on sale.
- Search by city and station.Large cities can have several stations; confirm the station against your hotel route.
- Arrive early with the same passport.Allow extra time for security, passport verification, and finding the gate.
Order with confidence
Fifty classic dishes, with the information a first-time visitor needs.
Use the filters to find a dish by region or preference. Ingredients vary by restaurant; for a serious allergy, show your message and ask again before ordering.
A restaurant may not be able to guarantee against cross-contact. If your allergy is severe, confirm directly with staff and choose a simpler dish when unsure.
Check before you build the day
Do not assume a famous sight is walk-in.
Reservation rules are attraction-specific. Use this order: official attraction page, official city visitor page, then the verified mini-program or app named by that source.
Find the official page
Check whether a date, time slot, passport, or identity verification is required.
Confirm the channel
Use only the website, official account, or mini-program specified by the attraction or city authority.
Save proof and ID
Keep the booking confirmation and bring the original passport used for booking.
Palace Museum / Forbidden City
Foreign visitors can use the Palace Museum's English website and must bring the original ID used for booking for manual ticket checking. Do not assume same-day availability.
Beijing official guidanceTemple of Heaven and museums
Some venues use their own official WeChat account or official website, and may require a ticket QR code plus the corresponding ID.
Visit Beijing official ticketing hubCheck museum rules individually
Many sites no longer need reservations, but major museums can still require them. Confirm the rule for your exact date rather than using a city-wide assumption.
Shanghai official updateKeep the setup small
Install only the apps that solve a real arrival problem.
Do not download everything. Make payment, navigation, communication, rail, translation, and document access work before departure.
Alipay + WeChat
Set up payment and messages; keep your home number active for verification where needed.
AMap + translation
Save the hotel in Chinese, download language support, and practice one route.
Official 12306
Add passenger details and keep the passport you used to make the booking.
Documents folder
Keep offline copies of hotel, bookings, emergency contact, and a taxi card in one place.
Final check
Before you leave for the airport
Payment tested, data plan active, hotel address saved in Chinese, official rail booking saved, and key reservation rules re-checked.