China Travel Guide
First Time in China Travel Guide
Essential China travel tips for first-time foreign visitors, including Alipay, WeChat Pay, eSIM, VPN, trains, maps, translation, hotels, and useful apps.
Quick answer
Before your first China trip, set up payment, internet, maps, translation, and transport tools. These five things solve most travel problems for foreign visitors.
Before you arrive
Do these before your flight so your first day in China is much easier.
- Install Alipay and WeChat
- Add your international card to Alipay
- Buy or prepare eSIM or roaming
- Check whether you need a VPN for your normal apps
- Install Trip.com for hotels and trains
- Save your hotel address in Chinese
Apps that matter most
You do not need every Chinese app on day one. Start with the tools that solve payment, communication, transport, and navigation.
- Alipay for payment and transport
- WeChat for messaging and some services
- Trip.com for trains and hotels
- Apple Maps or Amap for navigation
- Google Translate or another translation app
Common first-time problems
Most problems happen because visitors arrive without payment, internet, or Chinese addresses ready.
- Foreign cards may not work everywhere directly
- Google Maps may be incomplete
- Some apps require phone verification
- Many restaurants use QR-code menus
- Train stations can be large and busy
Need help with your exact trip?
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