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Get trip-ready
Book-early alert
Travelling Jan 22 – Mar 2, 2027? That’s Spring Festival Travel (Chunyun). Book your trains and flights early or miss out.
See when to book
Our recommended hotels
Explore our hand-picked hotels for a more comfortable stay in China.
View recommended hotels
Popular trains don’t last... book early
Tickets for trains go on sale 15 days before departure, but you can prebook your train so you don’t miss your seat.
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Popular routes
Why trains are the best way to see China
Comfort Roomy reclining seats, big windows and a smooth ride at up to 350 km/h.
Price Fixed fares, often cheaper than flying once you count airport transfers.
Food Hot meals to your seat, plus a trolley and dining car on longer routes.
Working space Fold-down tables and power sockets at most seats.
Book-early alert
Travelling on these dates? Trains sell out fast, so book the day tickets open or miss out.
Spring Festival Travel (Chunyun)
Very busyJan 22 – Mar 2, 2027
Labour Day Holiday
Very busyApr 30 – May 6, 2027
Don’t want to prebook? Set a reminder and we’ll email you the day tickets go on sale, 15 days before you travel.
Free. We only use your email for this reminder.
Hotels that will actually check you in
Some Chinese hotels can’t register foreign passports. Book through Trip.com and filter for places that welcome international guests.
- Foreigner-friendly filter
- Free cancellation on most rooms
- Pick from our favorites
- Save with zero booking fees
Best of the Best
Tell us your itinerary and we’ll recommend our favourite vetted hotels and experiences.
Land with data that works
An eSIM gets you online the moment you land, so AliPay, WeChat, maps and messaging just work. Install it before you fly.
What's an eSIM?
A digital SIM that's built into your phone. You buy a data plan online, scan a QR code to install it, and it switches on when you land. No plastic card, no airport queue.
Why you want one in China
- AliPay and WeChat Pay need data to work
- Maps, taxis and translation from the moment you land
- Google and WhatsApp usually work without a VPN
- Cheaper than roaming, and you keep your home number
Our pick: we currently like Airalo as the best eSIM for most travellers. Read our full eSIM guide
Our recommended eSIMs
Best Overall Value
Airalo · Unlimited
Best for most travellers. A balance of speed, stability, price and customer service.
- 3GB a day at full speed, then 1Mbps
- The only eSIM on both China Mobile and China Unicom
- Published fair-usage policy
Absolute Cheapest
YeSIM · Prepaid
For travellers who need only a basic connection: maps, messages and payments, and not much scrolling.
- 30-day prepaid plans for light data use
- Built-in VPN on iOS
- Switches to the strongest network
Best Unlimited
Airalo · Unlimited
Set and forget. For heavy data users who want one plan that covers the whole trip.
- Never runs out: 1Mbps after 3GB a day
- No need to watch your usage
- Backup network if one gets congested
Add a cheap domestic flight, see more of China
China is huge, and a short domestic flight turns a day of travel into a couple of hours. Even on a short trip, one cheap hop gets you to the Terracotta Army, Zhangjiajie’s floating peaks or Guilin’s karst rivers.
- Fit one of China’s most spectacular sights into a short trip
- Short hops like Shanghai → Guilin or Beijing → Xi’an
- We search fares daily and only list ones at least 20% below usual
ReadyForChina Flight Watch
How we pick these fares
- We check 29 domestic routes for every day in the next 60 days.
- You only see fares at least 20% below that route’s usual price, the best one per destination.
- Prices come from recent traveller searches and refresh every 12 hours. Check the live price before you book.
Last updated Nov 3, 2026, 6:50 PM (China time)
Beijing → Hong Kong
Dec 15, 2026
from $55
45% below the typical $100
Found 1 day ago
Add a few days of harbour views, dim sum and hiking trails, a short hop from the mainland.
See this fare
Guangzhou → Chongqing
Nov 5, 2026
from $59
31% below the typical $86
Found today
A neon mountain megacity of stacked streets and riverside night views, and the starting point for Yangtze cruises.
See this fare
Guangzhou → Zhangjiajie
Nov 23, 2026
from $104
29% below the typical $147
Found 1 day ago
Hike among the sandstone pillars that inspired Avatar. Flying in skips a long rail trip to this remote corner of Hunan.
See this fare
Shanghai → Guilin
Nov 10, 2026
from $80
28% below the typical $111
Found today
Cruise the Li River through karst peaks to Yangshuo, then cycle past rice paddies. It's the classic China landscape.
See this fare
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Don’t forget travel insurance that covers China.Compare travel insurance
How it works
Verify your setup in under 2 minutes with our simple 3-step process
Set up your app
Follow our detailed guides to configure AliPay or WeChat Pay on your device.
Scan the test QR
Use our secure testing system to verify your payment setup works correctly.
Travel with confidence
Arrive in China knowing your mobile payments will work perfectly.
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The complete guide to digital payments in China
Everything you need to know about using AliPay and WeChat Pay in China as a foreign visitor. Setup instructions, tips, and common pitfalls to avoid.
Read the full guide
15-minute read
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