Check your visa first
50 countries enter visa-free for 30 days; everyone else needs a visa or the 240-hour transit. Check before you book, not after.
Start here
Sort these three before you fly
The three things that decide whether a first China trip goes smoothly. Do them at home, not at the airport.
Set up payments at home
China is cashless. Bind your foreign card to Alipay or WeChat Pay before you leave — airport Wi-Fi is a bad place to debug a bank verification. — coming soon
Sort internet before you fly
Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked in China. A VPN or a foreign eSIM has to be ready before the plane touches down. — coming soon
Featured guide
Start with the question every visitor asks first
Visa & entry · China
China Visa-Free Countries List 2026: 50 Countries, 30 DaysNew
The full, verified list of who can enter China without a visa — plus how the 30 days are counted, expiry dates, and what to do if your country is not on the list. Verified October 31, 2026.
First destination · China
The China cluster, in the order you'll need it
A first-time visitor to China hits these stages in exactly this order. Each guide answers one stage properly, then hands you to the next. One guide published so far; the rest are in progress.
Can you enter?
- China visa-free countries list 2026 New
- 240-hour visa-free transit — coming soon
- Visa-free entry for US passport holders — coming soon
- Visa-free entry for UK & EU passport holders — coming soon
- Port visas: who can actually get one — coming soon
- Hainan 30-day visa-free — coming soon
Can you pay?
- How to set up Alipay as a foreigner — coming soon
- WeChat Pay: setup, limits, failures — coming soon
- Alipay vs WeChat Pay for tourists — coming soon
- Cash in China: can you still pay cash? — coming soon
- Why your foreign card fails — and the fix — coming soon
Meanwhile: bind your foreign card to Alipay before you leave — it covers most daily spending in China.
Can you get online?
- Best eSIM for China — coming soon
- China SIM cards: real-name registration — coming soon
- What apps work in China (and what doesn't) — coming soon
Meanwhile: Google and WhatsApp are blocked in China, so a VPN or a foreign eSIM must be ready before you land.
Can you get around?
- Booking high-speed rail on 12306 — coming soon
- Trip.com vs 12306 for China trains — coming soon
- China train seat classes explained — coming soon
- Riding the metro with Alipay — coming soon
- DiDi in English — coming soon
Meanwhile: high-speed tickets are tied to your passport — book on 12306 or Trip.com and bring the passport you booked with.
Can you stay, and land smoothly?
- Can foreigners stay at any hotel in China? — coming soon
- Registering your stay: the 24-hour rule — coming soon
- First 24 hours in China: the checklist — coming soon
- Shanghai first trip: 3-day itinerary — coming soon
Meanwhile: your hotel registers your stay for you at check-in — that covers the 24-hour rule for most visitors.
The method
The prep chain
Every destination we cover follows the same six links, because every first-time visitor hits them in the same order.
1
Visa & entry
Can you enter, for how long, and what do you show at the border?
2
Payments
Will your card work, and what breaks when it doesn't?
3
Connectivity
How do you get online on arrival, and which apps work?
4
Trains & transport
How do you book and ride like a local, not a tourist?
5
Hotels
Which places accept you, and what must you confirm in writing?
6
First 24 hours
One checklist that ties the other five together.
What's next
Then, worldwide
After the China cluster, the same prep playbook expands country by country — same chain, same standard. Europe is next.
How we handle facts. Visa lists, payment limits, and refund rules change often, and stale advice is worse than no advice. Every guide carries a verification date, and policy facts are checked against official sources (immigration authorities, foreign ministries) before publication. Always double-check official sources before you travel.