China Travel Kit

Solve the problem in front of you

Travel playbooks

Get help with payments, train tickets, hotels and staying connected. Find steps to try, Chinese phrases you can show someone and backup options if your first plan does not work.

A CR400AF-BZ high-speed train on the Xuzhou–Lanzhou railway near Xianyang.
A CR400AF-BZ high-speed train on the Xuzhou–Lanzhou railway near Xianyang.
Photo source & licenseCR400AF-BZ Train on Xuzhou-Lanzhou High Speed Railway Xianyang Section, Jan 4 2023.jpg · Credit: P. K. Koo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photographed 2024Resized and converted to WebP; display framing may crop the photograph. The photograph and these versions retain the linked license.
getting around

Your First High-Speed Train in China: Booking and Boarding

You want to take a train in China and need to choose the right station, book with a passport and know what to do when verification, payment or the gate does not work.

Checked Oct 25, 2026

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People seated around tables at an outdoor teahouse in Chengdu’s People’s Park.
A teahouse in Chengdu: one kind of local experience you may arrange in person. This photograph does not show a booking app.
Photo source & licenseTeahouse in Peoples Park - Chengdu, China - DSC05353.jpg · Credit: Daderot · CC0 · Photographed 2015Resized and converted to WebP; the display framing may crop the photograph.
booking help

Booking Experiences with an Overseas Phone Number

You want to join an experience, but the booking form, phone verification or service language may not fit your documents and overseas number.

Checked Oct 25, 2026

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Platform screen doors at Xujiahui station on Shanghai Metro Line 1, photographed in May 2026.
Platform screen doors at Xujiahui station on Shanghai Metro Line 1, photographed in May 2026.
Photo source & licenseShanghai Metro platform screen doors at Xujiahui May 2026.jpg · Credit: 4300streetcar · CC BY 4.0 · Photographed 2026Resized and converted to WebP; display framing may crop the photograph. The photograph and these versions retain the linked license.
getting around

Getting Around: DiDi, Metro and Taxis

You need a reliable way to reach a Chinese address when ride-hailing, a transit QR code, your payment method or spoken directions fail.

Checked Oct 22, 2026

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The lobby of Wangjiang Hotel in Chengdu. Check-in requirements should be confirmed with your own hotel.
The lobby of Wangjiang Hotel in Chengdu. Check-in requirements should be confirmed with your own hotel.
Photo source & licenseLobby in Wangjiang Hotel - Chengdu, China - DSC02886.JPG · Credit: Daderot · CC0 · Photographed 2015Resized and converted to WebP; display framing may crop the photograph. The photograph and these versions retain the linked license.
accommodation

Hotel Check-in and Accommodation Registration

A hotel says it cannot host foreign guests or process your passport, or you are staying in a home or rental and do not know how to register.

Checked Oct 22, 2026

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The interior of Beijing Capital International Airport, Terminal 3, photographed in 2009. A setting photograph for your arrival preparations.
The interior of Beijing Capital International Airport, Terminal 3, photographed in 2009. A setting photograph for your arrival preparations.
Photo source & licenseBeijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3 Interior 20090818.jpg · Credit: 颐园新居 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photographed 2009Resized and converted to WebP; display framing may crop the photograph. The photograph and these versions retain the linked license.
before you go

Your 72-Hour Pre-Departure Checklist

You are close to departure and need to find document, payment or connectivity gaps without relying on outdated generalisations.

Checked Oct 22, 2026

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Payment service center at Beijing Capital International Airport, Terminal 3. This is a location photograph, not an app setup screen.
Payment service center at Beijing Capital International Airport, Terminal 3. This is a location photograph, not an app setup screen.
Photo source & licensePayment service center at ZBAA T3 Arrivals (20240207140327).jpg · Credit: N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photographed 2024Resized and converted to WebP; display framing may crop the photograph. The photograph and these versions retain the linked license.
payments

Set Up Alipay & WeChat Pay with a Foreign Card

You want to pay by phone in China, but your overseas number, bank card, or a merchant's QR code may not work as expected.

Checked Oct 25, 2026

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Using a smartphone. A subject photograph; it does not show a particular Chinese mobile network or eSIM service.
Using a smartphone. A subject photograph; it does not show a particular Chinese mobile network or eSIM service.
Photo source & licenseSmartphone Use.jpg · Credit: Océanos y dados · CC0 · Photographed 2015Resized and converted to WebP; display framing may crop the photograph. The photograph and these versions retain the linked license.
connectivity

Stay Connected: Roaming, eSIM and Local SIMs

Your phone has no usable data, an overseas service is unreachable on the current network, or a banking SMS cannot arrive when you need it.

Checked Oct 22, 2026

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