Last Updated on May 13, 2026 by Laura
China a place that leaves you speechless and at the same time full of things to say. The adventure of a lifetime for travellers who are ready to go one step beyond their usual adventurous trip. On my bucket list since I am probably able to read, but with only six months in deep dive planning, this China trip was a sudden decision that is my mind for over 20 years. In this blog, I will condensate 6 months of my research and 3 weeks of my on the ground experience to provide you with the best first timer’s guide to China you will need to organise your own trip.
Why China?
If you look online this year, it seems that every single person you know is going to China. Suddenly everyone is in a very Chinese period in their life. Despite the algorithm of your social is partially the culprit of this concentration of, not always useful, content, it is also true that China has recently relaxed some of its visa entries. This brought an influx of visitors from many new countries, with the UK added on the list of the 30-days visa-free countries just one month ago. To me, China has always been my secret dream. As historian who specialised in medieval traveling (including the Silk Road), and as a human being who has discovered from a DNA test to possess a 25% Asian inheritance, China has always been my sacred graal.
Until now, I never had the chance to visit. Nevertheless, a few years ago my husband was proposed a job near Shanghai and we accepted to move, but in the end this didn’t happen. Indeed, visitors visa are more relaxed but working visa are quite tricky to obtain (especially years ago). Since then, I always wondered how different my life would have been if we had moved there.
I still feel bittersweet about it. Indeed, it felt like an occasion that we lost (not because of our fault) and will never happen again. Anyway, this link with China has always been strong for us. A few months ago the stars aligned and we finally manage to book that trip that we were chasing for years!
How to prepare for China
Preparing for China can feel a bit tricky. Indeed, even if China is on your bucket list for over 20 years and you “think” you know a lot about it. Store that knowledge into a drawer in your mind because probably all you know about this country isn’t true or partially true. For ages, we’ve been bombarded by information on China that have been highly filtered by Westernised propaganda. This described this country either as an enemy, or obsolete or irrelevant. Now that China is finally open more to foreign tourists, the reality that has been revealed shows how for years the Western collective mind has been brainwashed by fake information.
So, how to prepare for China when all you know doesn’t perfectly match reality and the information you can find online is very limited? First, delete any pre-conception you might have in your mind, then search for reliable information. This is given only by relatable sources and people who experienced first hand and can give you a glimpse of what you need for your trip.
In my case, I tried to start preparing from scratch. Similar to what I do with any other country, also for China what I wanted to figure out was
- What to visit
- When to visit
- How to visit
These, albeit basic, are 3 of the things that in my opinion will most affect your trip. That’s why I’ll touch down on each of them to help you understanding which direction your trip will take. A sub-category that you want to consider is also accommodations in China as it’s slightly different from the rest of the world.
What to visit in China
If you look at the above map, you’ll see a large amount of green flags and a few orange spots. The green flags are the places I want to visit in China (ideally). While the orange spots the ones I’ve already been. Now, despite this seems crazy to your eyes (and probably it is) it makes you realise that 3 weeks of my trip in China barely scratched the surface of this immense country. Indeed, I still count hundreds of green flags against a bunch of orange spots.
In a few words, don’t try to make the impossible possible. China is way too big for a short trip. Use your time wisely as any region you will touch down is really worth your attention and appreciation. If you have just a week and never been to China before, start from Beijing and the nearby areas. Not a fan of ancient history? Pick Shanghai instead of Beijing.
What to visit in China firstly depend on your preference (history, shopping, technology, nature etc,). Secondly on the amount of time (and money) you have. With a longer trip you’ll might be able to squeeze more, but at the same time you’ll need to make short touchdowns in each of the places you’ll go. On the other side, a shorter trip will allow you to focus more on one area. However, you’ll visit less destinations. When I visit new countries, I always start from the main places and then build the itinerary around them adding smaller areas. I hope this helps!
When to visit China
In a country with billions of people, deciding when to visit is crucial and will determine the fate of your trip. Indeed, if by chance you decide to travel in one of the major national holiday (Chinese New Year, Golden Week etc.) your trip might be badly affected by extreme crowd. This means very long queues, impossibility of viewing certain attractions, public transport overloaded. Therefore, for a much more pleasant visit, I would highly recommend planning your trip outside the national holidays.
A second thing you might want to consider is also seasonality. Indeed, China is a vast country with a wide range of temperatures during the year. For example, Beijing tend to be very cold and snowy in the winter and Shanghai is extremely hot during summer. Summer season in general tend to be very hot and humid with a high percentage of rain nationwide. Best seasons to visit remain Spring and Autumn. We just visited in spring and temperature were absolutely perfect. Weather was also OKish most of the time with rain found only in the Zhangjiajie area (but this is one of the wettest regions in China so we can’t complain).
How to visit China as a first timer
This is a question that might sound a bit unexpected. However, because China is huge the problem of how to move from one place to another will soon knock to your door. Therefore, unless you are planning to stay only in one big city and do short-distance day trips, you’ll have to figure out how to move around places that are quite far between each other.
As a first suggestion, I will say that you’ll need to forget self-driving unless you are staying for a very long time. Indeed, China doesn’t recognise foreign driving licences. This means that you’ll need to apply for a temporary Chinese driving license in order to drive. I’m not sure about the process on this but, seems complicated and very likely will require a Chinese mobile number.
My top two recommendations on how to move around China are by plane and by high speed rail. Plane is so far the most time-convenient way for destinations that would require 6-7 hours even by high speed rail. However, it might come with a higher bill. So it’s up to you judging if you prefer speed vs saving money.
I have to say for experience that high speed rail is not necessarily cheaper than flying, especially on long routes. Yes, you might save 50$ or so, but I found that train tickets are still on the medium-high price range in China.
The best platform where to book train tickets in China is Trip.com. There is also an app called Railway 12306. Nevertheless, after various attempts, I discovered that without Chinese mobile number I wasn’t allowed to book any ticket there. I also booked my domestic flights on Trip.com. The app has a convenient timeline where you can have all your reservations in one place.
Some route recommendations following my experience
Following my experience if you take any of these routes, I can recommend either if it’s best to fly or take the HSR.
- Beijing to Xi’an – Either fly or take HSR
- Xi’an to Chengdu – HSR
- Chengdu to Zhangjiajie – Fly
- Zhangjiajie to Shanghai – either HSR or fly
Where to stay in China
Once you have replied to all your 3 main questions, the immediate following one is “now where I stay?”. China has thousands of incredible accommodations at prices that from a Western perspective look ridiculously cheap. When I first saw those prices I was a little doubtful, but once there I discovered that most of these places are excellent. But let me break down what you need to know.
How to book hotels in China
First, Booking.com and similar are pretty much useless. Indeed, there is only a fraction of the accommodations you can find in China as 99% of them are on Trip.com instead. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised about this app. Not only because of the huge variety, but the prices were much lower than Booking.com. Moreover, it allows you to print/show a double Chinese/English confirmation so that you can easily communicate at the check-in.
Lastly, all the addresses of the hotels are in both languages and you can copy them on Didi to avoid getting lost. This seems silly but I can assure you it will be vital.
When to book hotels in China
Second, some of the best accommodations go away super fast. I believe the best time to start booking your preferred places is one year to six month before if your visit is not falling on a Chinese holiday period. This is particularly important if you are travelling with small children as family rooms seem somehow limited.
Family rooms in China
On this (third), I noted a strange thing when searching family rooms. These don’t show up. Whether I searched on the hotel website directly or through Trip.com the first option popping up was always a double room marked as for 4 people. This despite the family filter applied. I found it very odd.
Because family room filter rarely worked, I had to scroll down all they type of rooms available at my interested hotels and check for a room category with multiple beds. For months I couldn’t figure out why only hotels in China had this (quite annoying) issue. Then I discovered that in China children up to 14 can, most of the time, sleep for free in any room. Therefore, Chinese people often book a double room with children either sleeping on the floor or sofa or (when the room is large) in an extra removable bed.
While this seemed odd to me, because in Europe for safety reasons many hotels won’t allow sharing a very small space with just one bed. In China this seems pretty normal, so if the description allows up to 4 people, it means that the hotel allows you to use that room for your entire family.
Of course, it doesn’t mean that you must book that room, but this will show up anyway in your results. Since this can’t be avoided, for now, the best thing is scroll until you find the room that you need. Family rooms are usually quite down in the selection as the rooms are usually displayed according to the mq.
Hotels categories in China
Once you start digging for hotels in Trip.com you’ll surely find dozen of incredibly cheap hotels that look absolutely stunning. I’ve seen rooms at $20 and $40 in very pretty hotels. While I can’t confirm that all of them are legit and nice as they seem, it’s true that you can find very good deals in China! Particularly with local chains such as Crystal Orange, Mehood, Atour etc. The most important thing is to check out the reviews. If great part of them are positive, you can go with a light heart that it would be a decent place.
If you, like me, prefer upper category/luxury hotels China has plenty of them. From international recognised chains (Four Seasons, Six Senses, Fairmont etc) to local superstars such as Upper House, Niccolo, The Puli etc. Prices can be varied depending on the city with Shanghai having similar prices to other big metropolis. However, in general I found luxury hotels to be around 10/20% cheaper compared to other international cities.
Foreign-banned hotels in China
While doing the research for my trip, I learnt that some hotels don’t accept foreigners in China especially in countryside cities with limited infrastructures to register foreign passport. Indeed, Hotels must report foreigners to local police within 24 hours. If a hotel staff member makes a mistake in the manual entry process for a passport, they may face heavy fines.
While I can’t confirm if this still applies or not, as we didn’t personally had any issue, it’s true that in 2024 the Chinese Government officially banned hotels from refusing foreign guests. To avoid this particular issue, make sure to use Trip.com for booking. Indeed, the app already filters hotels according to the acceptance. So all the hotels you see should be fine with foreign passports.
Is it safe to travel to China?
Differently from what most people think, China is very safe. Probably one of the safest places I have ever been alongside Japan and South Korea. Even busier cities like Beijing or Shanghai never felt off, even late at night. We were also travelling with kids (and perhaps receiving lot of attention for this) but never felt unsafe or on alert. The only thing I think some people might find uncomfortable is the excessive attention that foreign tourists receive. Indeed, especially in smaller villages, people rarely see foreigners so you need to expect lots of social interactions.
People asking for photos, people filming you, people who just approach you because they are curious. If you are travelling with kids (especially twins like me), triple that attention. This might get you uncomfortable and I admit that sometimes we found odd that people were openly staring at us like we were some kind of aliens. Nevertheless, most people don’t have bad intentions, they are just genuinely curious. My tip is to learn a few Chinese words/phrases and strike a conversation with them. They will be mind blowed even if your Chinese is not good. We had so many good conversations this way and we literally met the sweetest people!
Is China children friendly?
Absolutely yes! Hands down China is one of the most family friendly countries we ever been, and we travel quite a lot! Is not only that each place in this country has very good family-friendly infrastructures, it’s also that kids are not a nuisance! We honestly felt so much welcome everywhere we went and Chinese aunties are seriously the best! We always found: very good playgrounds (even inside hotels!), people ready to help in any single occasion, restaurants happy to take kids simpler orders, so many children friendly attractions. If you are thinking to visit China with your kids, please do! The trip is long from Europe or the US but you won’t regret it (neither your kids!).
Is travelling to China expensive?
Travelling to China compared to other European countries feels more affordable. However, this depends also on the type of services you use and the type of holiday you want to do. Shanghai, for example, has a cost of living very similar to other European counterparts. It was much more “expensive” compared to Beijing or Chengdu.
It’s true that you can find food of exceptional quality for less than $5 at any street market, and the metro is extremely convenient in any city you go (not like London). However, if you think to stay at luxury hotels and dine at upper scale restaurants prices will become much steeper, a bit cheaper than Europe but still not on the economy range.
Estimate cost a trip to China for 3 weeks
While China is definitely more affordable than other countries, it’s true also that 3 weeks full time budget might not be for the pocket of everyone. Therefore, I will provide you here with an overview of the budget you might need for a family of 4 for a full 3 weeks travel either if you are on a budget or on a splurge.
Travel on a budget to China
China is a great place for a budget trip but there are things you might not necessarily help you saving much, such as trains. For a 3-week trip for 4 people (2 adults, 2 kids under 6) you’ll need to account between 3k to 5k depending from which part of the world you are flying. Things where you can apply maximum savings are:
- Hotels – There are very good budget options all over China
- Food – Great prices almost everywhere, street food is very affordable
- Souvenirs – Lots of shops with convenient deals
Budget options are a bit restricted on flights, trains and certain attractions. Indeed, flights are always an incognito depending on the period of the year/destinations. Trains in China can be affordable on 2nd class on short routes, but prices hike steeply in longer trips. Moreover, certain attractions such as the National Park in Zhangjiaje have forced 4-day tickets that are nominally expensive.
Travel on a Medium-high budget in China
If you can afford to have a medium to high budget for your trip to China you should account that a trip for 4 people as per above might cost between 7k and 10k. This is the budget I’ve planned for our trip and, as you can see from the picture above, (this is an approximative calculation), most of my budget was spent between Hotels and Transports (flights + trains).
As we love a lot street food and we stayed mostly outdoor, we were able to save more on food. However, overall we didn’t refrain our expenses, so I feel this budget was quite comfortable for our trip. We mixed five and four stars hotels as with the children it was hard to find suitable options but I was pretty satisfied of our choices. If all my initial hotels choices had family rooms available my total expense would have probably ranged around 8/9k.
People who want to splurge in ultra luxurious stays need probably to double the amount accounting at least 20/25k for 3 weeks.
Note for couples
One thing that need to be noted on either scenarios is that family rooms tend to be roughly 30 to 40% more expensive than double rooms for couple. This is one of the reasons why I think many Chinese families with small children opt for just a regular double room rather than a family one. If I was travelling just with my husband, we would probably have saved at least 30% of the budget. So, if you are a couple you probably can account 3/4k for a budget trip and 5/7 k for a medium/high budget trip. Ultra luxury stays probably won’t have much difference so as a couple you’ll probably range between 15/20k.
Of course these are rough calculations based on my personal expenses in a short period. Prices fluctuate a lot in the travel sector and hike steeply during peak season(s).
Essential information for visiting China for the first time
In this section of the blog I will provide you with the essential information you must have before your first trip to China. These are extremely important for your trip to proceed smoothly and I would recommend taking notes! The section is divided into smaller chapters so that you can jump in the one(s) you need the most.
Passport on hand is vital
One thing you’ll learn pretty much since landing in China is that your passport is the most precious thing you can have with you. Indeed, it’s used almost for everything related to travel, security, access and even purchases. 9 out of 10 times when entering an attraction the ticket is your passport. Taking the train? The ticket is your passport. Booking a cab? You’ll need to connect your passport to the app.
When going out, make sure your passport stays with you all the time and don’t leave it to the hotel as this might be requested in the most unexpected places.
I believe the reason for this lies in the big amount of automation that China has. Chinese residents can just use their ID card to do everything but foreign people don’t have this type of card so they must use passports instead. Furthermore, this will probably give access to your movements around the country, which of course might be monitored in case of law infractions.
Internet and VPN
You might or might not have heard this before, but China has in place a system famous as “The Great Firewall of China”. This is a a massive surveillance and censoring system that basically block any information, website and app coming from outside China. This means that most apps you have on your phones including Google Maps, Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook simply won’t work in China.
Don’t panic. The good news is that tourists, if coming prepared, can simply deceive the system either through their e-sim or VPN. Let me go in detail. If you are planning to go to China, instead of getting a Chinese sim card, is better if you buy an e-sim. Why? Because most e-sim have a sort of VPN active that allows you to use your phone the same way you use it at home.
For my trip, I personally selected Airalo e-sim and my phone didn’t have any issues at all (you can use my code LAURA00440 for a small discount). Having internet is particularly important in China because most (all?) payments are either through Alipay or WeChat Pay, and you will need internet to use those apps.
If your phone doesn’t support an e-sim and you prefer to buy a Chinese sim card, make sure to activate a reliable VPN on your phone. I personally use Surf Shark, however I have to say that with the e-sim, I didn’t need to activate this for the trip.
Essential apps for your trip to China
Before you depart for China, and I want to stress the word BEFORE, make sure to download and set up all the apps you need for your trip. Indeed, we relied heavily on these apps and I don’t know how we could have survived without them. I will dedicate a more in-deep article on this but for now, make sure to save the essential list below. Also there is an update on few of these apps as before they were open to foreign, now they work only with Chinese numbers. Make sure to read this carefully.
Airalo
As I said before, Airalo e-sim was to me essential to remain connected at all times. I was able to call my family on Whatsapp and use Instagram to post my stories. Also their data packages are very convenient, I ordered the 50 GB one but in 3 weeks barely used 20 GB. Their app is also very convenient as you can track how much data you have used and eventually top-up your account if you need more.
Please note that wi-fi at any hotel we tried was pretty useless as it is still subjected to the GFW so it works very slowly and only for certain websites.
If you want to buy an e-sim, make sure to search “China” on the Airalo app and select your data package. Use the code LAURA00440 for a discount.
Alipay
Alipay is probably one of the most important apps you can download for your trip to China. From this app you can basically do anything, from paying and order a taxi, food and even use public transport. However, to us the most important function remained payment. Indeed, as soon you will land in China you will notice that everywhere there are QR codes or barcode scanners. These are meant to be used by Alipay (or WeChat, on this later).
To activate the payment mode you’ll need to link Alipay to your credit/debit card. We decided to link two different cards: a Revolt card for daily payments and taxi and a credit card for bigger payments (e.g. hotel bills). However, I have to note that when the hotel offered a regular credit card payment (via pos), I opted for that option because with Alipay any transaction over 300 yuan paid a commission fee.
Alipay is basically the nationwide approved method of payment. Is accepted everywhere, even for small payments. So, it’s basically essential for your holiday.
Make sure you download and set up Alipay before your trip in order to have access to the international version with English language settings. Once there, the risk is that it will be set up in Chinese and ask for a Chinese number so better to download this in your country.
WeChat/WeChat Pay
WeChat is basically the enhanced Chinese version of WhatsApp. It’s used for basic message communications but also for many other different things. Among these, paying. I admit I prefer Alipay for payments because it’s a little more user friendly, but it happened a few times that the vendors didn’t have Alipay and I had to resource to WeChat Pay.
Other useful functions of WeChat include the live translations of your chats. So for example, I used this a lot with our Didi drivers, they wrote in Chinese and the text was automatically translated for us.
Moreover, WeChat has also a function that supports “mini programs” these are literally mini programs that take you to ticket sales or table reservations, pre booking etc. Many attraction have a “WeChat Mini Program” that you can use to buy tickets. For example in order to book a reservation for Tian’amen Square, you’ll need to do this via a WeChat Mini Program.
Amap
One of the main apps blocked by the Great Firewall is Google. This doesn’t mean that Google doesn’t work at all but because it can’t connect properly, it doesn’t find the exact location you need and can pinpoint only general place. You can also resource to Apple Maps but despite more accurate than Google, I didn’t find this amazing. That’s why I decided to use what Chinese people use: Amap. I really loved this app! It reminded me a bit of Naver (the South Korean version of Google Maps) but much more precise.
I literally saved all my places on Amap and I could built my itinerary very easily. The map is incredibly accurate as, among the options, it gives you the public transport times and various buses/metro lines, the taxi fare and eventual route and also the walking option.
Trip.com
Trip.com has been the revelation of this trip. Until now I always used Booking.com or Expedia for my accommodations. However, because China has many restrictions, Trip.com was the only option that allows you to book nationwide accommodations that you simply can’t book elsewhere. Moreover, the app is very comprehensive and here you can find (and book) Chinese trains, tickets for various attractions and even flights! The best thing is that the app has a loyalty program that you can enroll and receive benefits every time you book something.
Didi
Didi is the Chinese version of Uber. It’s incredibly convenient and it basically was our main way to move long distance and around most cities. It works exactly like Uber but it can be connected to your Alipay account so you can call a cab either from Didi app or Alipay. It’s quite inexpensive and we never paid more than $50 for very long distance ride (1 hour/1.30 hour)
Tips for taking Didi at train stations and airports
Unlike Uber, which in Europe is regarded as a betrayal of main taxi drivers, Didi in China is well integrated into train stations and airports. However, many tourists get confused as when they arrive they follow the directions for taxis and then can’t order one online because that is not the right spot for doing so. Indeed, Didi taxi (and other hailing services) have their own assigned space inside stations/airports.
Therefore, next time you go to China, if you want to take a Didi to reach your destination instead of following the “Taxi” sign, follow instead the signs “E-Hailing Cars” “E-Hailing Pick-up Point” or simply “Didi pick-up point”. This pick-up point is much more organised than one can ever imagine. Indeed, there are numbered bays where to wait and even screens where you can see live your driver! I’m not even sure why in Europe we are so obsolete!
Meituan
Meituan is one of the food delivery apps that is used in China, here one can check also restaurant reviews. Depending on the city where you are staying, is connected also to Alipay. Unfortunately, I had a few issues with this app. First, I wasn’t able to download it before my trip. I managed to get it in China but I never made it work indeed, neither via Alipay or the app itself my phone number worked.
It seems that accepts only Chinese numbers. One night, we wanted to order a take away but despite a great number of attempts with two phones and two different numbers nothing worked. We had to ask help to one of the ladies who worked at the hotel. I wish you I could give you more insight on this app but my experience finished once the app blocked my order because of my non-Chinese number.
Language barriers in China
In my mind, I was expecting that by being very advanced technological country, with many Chinese students worldwide, China was more proficient in English. However, the reality is that language barriers, even in big cities like Shanghai and Beijing are still enormous (in this sense, South Korea is quite similar). The struggle in communication is very real and in a way or another this will affect your trip. In the 3 weeks that we spent around the country, we managed to strike a decent conversation in English with just two or three people.
Of course, I never expect that people would speak English fluently when this is not their first language (it’s not even mine!), but of course I was a bit concerned when arriving in big international 5 stars hotels and the employees at the reception couldn’t understand a single word. Basically my level of Chinese equalled their level of English, so in the end we understood each other, but sometimes it took a great effort to get to a point.
It wasn’t always like this but, I would say that 80-90% of the time I communicated via translation apps. So, keep this in mind and this is also another reason why you must have internet as otherwise you’ll don’t understand anyone!
However, don’t get discouraged as I said this only to set up your expectation in the right way. This shouldn’t be a reason for worry as despite the language barrier, Chinese people are super friendly and even if via a translator app, I had so many funny conversations around!
Health
There is a lot of misinformation around China when it comes to health. A part of this is, of course, due to China being the epicentre of Covid-19 just a few years ago. On the other side, western health concerns associate China to “strange food” and ” poor hygiene conditions”. Once you are there, you will actually be very surprised on how much clean China is! Not a single paper on the street, cleaning in real time, food quality very controlled.
China is one of the few countries where I literally ate whatever appealed me on a street market without having any single (stomach) issue. Literally, the quality of the food we tried was exceptional and vendors were cleaning their stuff very carefully.
Any single hotel we’ve been, from the top five star ones to the countryside home-stays were spot-on. I’m not sure if we have been just lucky, but we were eating street food out pretty much every day and in three weeks our tummies were full and happy.
Of course, tummy bugs or food poisoning can happen anywhere, so just trust your instinct (and smell) as usual and you’ll be fine.
Traveling with allergies in China
This is something that I really care to talk about as a person who has many allergies, including one to peanuts.
Travel with Peanut Allergy in China
As a word or warning, you have to know that peanuts in Chinese are used A LOT. They are used openly (you can see them) and subtly (e.g. as part of a dough). Peanut allergy doesn’t seem very much diffused or known in China so, merchants don’t necessarily specify the ingredients of the dishes you see. Especially in food markets.
For example, one night while we were eating in Dashilan (Beijing), we ordered a traditional Jianbing when I noted the lady sprinkling a bunch of peanuts when preparing the first one. So I asked her (in Chinese) if that were peanuts, she confirmed this and I asked her to prepare the second one without it (all in Chinese).
I found peanuts in the most unthinkable dishes: bread, sort of mochi, candies, hot pot sauces. They basically put them anywhere they can. So, it’s extremely important that if you have a peanut allergy, you learn a few phrases in Chinese that can save your life.
- I have a Peanut allergy = 我对花生过敏 – Wǒ duì huāshēng guòmǐn.
- Excuse me, does this dish contains Peanuts?= 请问，这道菜里有花生吗？- Qǐngwèn, zhè dào cài li yǒu huāshēng ma?
- Can I have the list of ingredients please? 请问可以提供一下配料表吗？- Qǐngwèn kěyǐ tígōng yīxià pèiliào biǎo ma?
If you are unsure of the pronunciation, make sure you print some travel cards you can use promptly at restaurants or street food markets. If you feel something is not right, better not to risk.
Other allergies
For any other additional allergy you have, you can repeat the same type of phrases above but changing the ingredient. As both me and my husband have a lactose intolerance, we also checked a few times about oat milk and I love that China is actually an heavy oat milk-based country! As a suggestion, especially to those travellers who have dangerous allergies, come always prepared. Bring your medicines, prepare your travel cards with translations, don’t be scared to ask.
China seemed unfamiliar with many common western allergies but this doesn’t mean they can’t accommodate your request. The jianbing lady, when she learnt about my allergy, literally cleaned the whole cooking area to prepare my dish. My allergy is not of anaphylactic type (even if with peanuts you never know), but I was very grateful of her care about it.
The Food
Food in China is unbelievable! So spicy, so tasty, so good! Traveling across different regions makes you appreciate the various nuances that similar dishes have developed in different parts of the country. At the same time, each place has its own specialties and unique dishes that is difficult to replicate out of that area.
“Strange” food in China
I don’t like the word “strange” but you will see that many people (who have no idea) will try to warn you about the seemingly “strange” food of China. I honestly think there is no strange food anywhere. Just because something doesn’t belong to your cultural taste it doesn’t mean it’s strange. Yes, there are unusual culinary traditions in China (like chicken feet?), but they belong to the country’s culture and even if they might not be your cup of tea, but nobody is forcing you to eat them.
I’ve been to many markets in China, and I haven’t seen anything shockingly strange for my eyes. On the contrary, I was very curious about vegetables and fruits that I never seen anywhere else before. Moreover, I believe that food taste is very subjective and often culturally influenced so, even when I see unusual dishes or ingredients, I don’t judge. Most of the times, I try whatever I see (unless allergic to something). If it doesn’t match my taste, the story ends there. Like, for example, in China I’ve tried a type of pan-fried tofu with many spices. I don’t know if it was the ingredients or the consistence but I really didn’t like it. This was the only thing that tasted odd to me while my husband liked it.
Food you must try in China
I think that stating all the food you need to try in China is a little too ambitious as there is so much to try! So, I’ll keep this section short and tell you 10 main dishes that I loved and where to find them.
Top 10 dishes to try in China
- Jianbing – Traditional Beijing breakfast. It’s a sort of pancake filled with a crispy cracker, veggies, spices and optional ingredients. It’ now a staple in many street food markets
- Shengjian bao – Probably my favourite thing to eat at any time of the day. This bao bun is a pan-fried version of the Xiaolongbao and has a crispy bottom and yummy filling. I found it mostly in Beijing and Shanghai
- Dandan noodles – Traditional of the Sichuan cuisine, these noodles are SPICYYY!!! They feature the unmissable Sichuan pepper and other pickled vegetables. You can find them in Chengdu and Sichuan region
- Gan Bian Si Ji Dou – Trust me when I say that green beans will never be boring again with this recipe. Traditional of Sichuan, these dry-fried green beans are so good! They are mixed with Sichuan pepper and minced pork I found them both in Chengdu and Hunan province.
- Hot Pot – This is a stable of Chinese cuisine and you can find it basically anywhere but if you want a very good one, opt for the Sichuan hot pot!
- Wonton Soup is the comfort food per excellence! We found it almost anywhere and there are many types both vegetarians and with meat/fish.
- Jipinhe – Called also “Chinese scone” this flaky pastry is the perfect snack on the go. Filled with scallions and pork meat is yummy and inexpensive. You can find it at any street market.
- Cong you bing – similar to Jipinhe but made out of dough, this type of pancake is fried and served super hot! There are various version of it but I prefer the one with scallions and meat.
- Roujiamo – known as the “Chinese hamburger” this is a traditional dish of the Shaanxi province. Despite having some variation, the main one with meat and peppers is the best one you can try. You can find it in Xi’An.
- Chaofan – better known as “egg fried rice” this simple dish was at the base of our meals most of the time. Even if I tried egg fried rice before, in China they do it simply better and you will gonna love it.
The places
As you could see from the map I posted above, my China bucket list has a never ending list of places and things to do. So, it was quite complicated to remain humble and admit that I couldn’t cover all that ground in 3 weeks. (especially with the kids). For this reason, I had to made a choice based on a rational decision. So I asked myself: if by any chance this is the only time in your life that you will have the opportunity to visit China, what are the places that you must visit at any cost?
Although I know I want and will to return to China, I don’t know when this will happen (and this crazy world who never knows). So, I drafted my 3-weeks itinerary in a way that all the things that one must do at least once in a lifetime in China would be covered. Of course my once-in-a-lifetime China list might be different than yours and you can add more things (or take out others) but here below you’ll find what for me was absolutely a must do in China as a first-time visitor.
Visit the Forbidden City
At the centre of Chinese history for more than 500 years, the Forbidden City IS the place everyone must visit in China. Indeed, visiting was a monumental bucket list moment for me. Built over 14 years starting in 1406, it took over one million people to complete this project.
Sources always claimed the palace has 9,999 rooms but more recent studies confirm that only 8,886 are currently existing. Despite this, the Forbidden City remains the largest imperial palace complex on Earth.
How to visit the Forbidden city aka the Palace Museum
Tickets for the Forbidden City (of which modern name is Palace Museum) go live a week before. There is a daily cap of 30,000 visitors per day and I can assure you this is punctually met. Therefore, make sure to put that date on the calendar and book your tickets!
Booking the tickets via Trip.com here is the easiest way! You can choose between morning and afternoon admission.
Hike the Great Wall of China
Hiking the Great Wall of China was one of the things I wanted to do since I was a teenager. For a period, I was so obsessed by it that my husband (at the time we were uni students) created a photoshopped picture of me floating over the wall. LOL. This dream of mine never left me. Therefore, hiking the wall was at the top of my things to do in China.
Stretching for over 21,000 km, the Great Wall of China is probably one of the most famous fortifications on Earth. UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has been continuously built from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD. Visiting/Hiking it all today is not possible because many sections are damaged beyond possible repair.
Most people don’t realise actually that most of the best “visitable” part of the Wall (the one you see everywhere in the pictures) is actually the Ming construction near Beijing. However, some of the currently fully open sections (either restored or partly restored) are: Badaling, Mutianyu, Jinshanling, Simatai, Jiankou, Gubeikou and Huanghuacheng.
Visiting the Mutianyu Great Wall
Because I’ve heard that Badaling is very crowded, I opted for the Mutianyu section. This is a bit further from Beijing and you’ll need at least 2h on a taxi/bus to reach it. The entire Mutianyu section has a length of 5.4 Km that we managed to complete in a few hours.
You don’t necessarily need to pre-book online because there is no limit in the number of visitors at the moment. However, if you don’t have a car and don’t want to take a taxi, I recommend pre-booking an organised group bus that will take you there and back.
From my experience, the best time to visit is either very early in the morning or very late in the afternoon (from 3 pm onwards).In this way, you will avoid the peak crowd and might even have the wall all for yourself.
Be amazed by the Terracotta Army
The discovery of the Terracotta Army is probably one of the most important finding in the 20th century. Buried for centuries in a field near Xi’an in the Shaanxi region, they were found accidentally by local farmers digging a well in 1974.
Excavations on the area lead to unearth more than 8,000 of them, still protecting the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, since 200s BCE. Now, their excavation site has become a huge museum attracting millions of visitors every day.
I’ve seen countless of documentaries on the Terracotta Army, but seeing them in real life is something I will never forget. Only when you see the pits (where they were found) in person, you realise the immense scale of this project and its huge historical value.
How to visit the Terracotta Army
Of all the places I visited in China, this is probably one of the few ones where I recommend having an expert guide. This because there is so much to know about the site and warriors and a guide can highlight things for you that you won’t notice otherwise. English speaking guide are available at the centre’s tourist information. Otherwise is better to proceed with an organised tour. This one has very good reviews.
There is a mini program on WeChat where to pre-book tickets in advance. But this is only in Chinese and wants a specific time to reserve your ticket. If you don’t know exactly at what time to visit, is best to buy the ticket on location. The museum is super crowded but the afternoon (after 2 pm) is much more manageable to see and go around without pushing hundreds of people.
The museum is at about 45/50 mins drive from central Xi’an. We pre-arranged a taxi with a driver we met at the airport that became our friend (hi Chuo!), but you can just book a Didi car or ask your hotel if not going with a tour.
Walk the walls of Xi’An
Despite many people go to Xi’an only for the Terracotta Army, I wanted to stay in the city for a couple of days because this place is the historic (and iconic) starting point of the Silk Road. Xi’an is very beautiful and undervalued by international tourism. It’s very worth a longer stop and I honestly want to go back already! One of the things I wanted to visit the most was the Medieval fortification of the city. These are the best preserved set of walls in the entire country. They stretch for about 13 km at an height of 12 mt. encircling the old part of the city since 1379.
At night, they are beautifully illuminated and the vibe seems straight out of a C-drama. You’ll need to buy a ticket to enter, but once there you can stay as long as you want. Because the walls are huge, many people opt for a bike rental to circle them all. We decided to walk part of them since we were with the kids. We also found a beautiful lantern festival that made our visit extra special!
See the Panda in Chengdu
Panda is the animal symbol of China. Since I was a child, I always dreamed of seeing one but I’m not a great fan of animals kept in captivity, so this encounter never happened. Since September 2025, Pandas are no longer an endangered species and being downgraded as “vulnerable”. Part of this was due to the great job that China has done at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
This is not only one of the best place where to see Panda in China, but also a place that ensure fair treatment of the animals who are “host” of the centre for breeding and conservation until released in the wild. The research centre has two bases. One in the outskirts of Chengdu and another in Dujiangyan. Which one to visit is up to you and your schedule. We opted for the one near Chengdu.
Tips for visiting the Panda in Chengdu
If you want to make the most of your day visiting the Panda at the Research Base, make sure to go at early morning. Possibly at opening time. Indeed, Pandas like fresher temperatures and early morning to mid morning is the best time to see them active, trying to get their bamboo.
Afternoon, especially if warm, is more a nappy time for them. They also tend to hide in the bushes/trees to find fresher spaces so you won’t see much.
We arrived at 9.30 am (opening time is 8.30 am) and by the time we reached the last villa (around 11 am) the Panda were still asleep! Luckily we managed to see a few of them awake and around but people who arrived too late probably didn’t have that chance.
To speed up also your entrance (as it’s usually pretty crowded), I recommend you to book in advance your tickets. We booked our tickets from Trip.com here and it was a very fast and smooth entry.
Walk above the clouds in the Avatar Mountains
If you have watched Avatar, you’ll probably know this place as Pandora or Halleluja Mountains. Its real-life counterpart is named Zhangjiajie National Park and it’s located in the heart of Hunan region. While many visit this area mostly for the National Park (where the famous movie is inspired), this area is actually incredibly rich of really beautiful places to visit. My recommendation is to spend from 5 days to a week here as there’s a lot to do and you won’t regret it.
We spent 5 full days here and I believe we still need a second round. For the purpose of this must-visit list for first timer’s visitors I picked-up only the National Park. Indeed, this is the most famous location in Zhangjiajie and surely the one you don’t want to miss out on your trip.
Tips for visiting the Zhangjiajie National Park
One of the reason why you need many days in this area is that at least two to three days are needed just for the National Park. Indeed, this area is huge and one day isn’t certainly enough to visit all. So, make sure to plan accordingly to your itinerary inside the park.
Moreover, the tickets for the park have a timed entrance and get sold out very quickly. Especially those between 8 am and 10 am. Therefore, once you know your travel plans, make sure to book your entry tickets.
Trip.com is the best place to book your ticket and any extra package on top such us the Bailong Elevator or the Tianzi Cable Car. Book your tickets here!
If you want to avoid the crowd, go very early in the morning and book your hotel close to the main entrance. We stayed at the lovely Sanhe Resort that is at just 6 mins by car from the entrance and has a free shuttle bus for the hotel guests.
Climb the 999 stairs of the Heaven’s Gate
Unmissable stop in the Zhangjiajie area, the Tianmen Mountain is an incredible sight. Indeed, it’s mostly famous for the 999 staircase of the Heaven’s Gate but the real gem it’s actually the top of the mountain itself. Climbing the 999 steps is of course the true bucket list moment but this is definitely not for everyone. Indeed, despite the first two ramps are pretty easy, the more you climb the more the stairs become steep and small (and slippery if it’s raining).
If you don’t feel to embark in this climb, don’t panic as there is another (easier) way to reach the top of the mountain. Indeed, they built a 11-ramp escalator literally inside the mountain. It takes a good 20/30 mins to go up (depending on the crowd), probably the same amount of time required for the regular stairs but with zero effort (just triple the patience).
If you are in doubt between the two, just take the escalator. Especially in uncertain weather. We got caught in the worst of the storms while there and I think I would have completely panicked if I was on the stone staircase.
Tips for your Tianmen Mountain visit
Despite being located in the Zhangjiajie area, the Tianmen Mountain is not part of the National Park. Indeed, the latter is closer to the town of Wulingyuan while Tianmen Mountain is actually in Zhangjiaje City. The two places are at about 40/50 mins by car from each other.
Many people underestimate this information and don’t book the correct accommodation for each place finding themselves travelling hour each day to go from one place to another. Therefore, make sure to book a hotel in Zhangjiajie city when going to the Tianmen Mountain. We stayed at the Hampton by Hilton Tianmen Mountain that is perfectly located in front of the Tianmen Mountain Cablecar.
Similar to the National Park, also here you have to pre-book your tickets in advance and choose between line A, B and C. I will do a more in-depth article on this but for now, I’ll give you a brief explanation.
Which line is the best for Tianmen Mountain?
- Line A: Tianmen Mountain Cableway Up (slower 30+ mins) + 99 bends road bus (not for those with motion sickness) – Tianmen Cave express Cableway Down (faster 10/15 mins)
- Line B: Express Cableway up (faster) – 99 bends road bus + Tianmen Mountain Cableway down (slower)
- Line C: Express Cableway up + Express Cableway down
According to my experience (I did line A with a VIP package), I would say that unless you really want to have the thrill of the 99 bends road or have a particular love for the slow cable car, the best route at the moment is Line C. In this regard, an important update is that the Tianmen Mountain Cableway used to reach the top of the mountain making Line A the most convenient. However, since November 2025 there are restoration works on the upper part of the cable car. These will last for a couple of years and it means that the cable car is currently reaching only half of the route previously covered by the Line A. So you will have to complete the second part by bus, crossing the infamous 99 bends road.
Therefore, if you have motion sickness or don’t want to waist two hours just to go up the mountain, make sure to pre-book your tickets as soon as possible and choose Line C. You can pre-book your tickets on Trip.com here.
Visit the ancient city of Fenghuang
China is full of ancient and beautiful cities but Fenghuang? Is probably one the most incredible ones. Built around 1,300 years ago on the banks of the Tuojang River this city is always been a strategic gateway connecting the provinces of Hunan and Guizhou.
The translation of the name Fenghuang means Phoenix. Indeed, a legend says that two phoenixes were so in love by the beauty of the city that they settle here.
Fenghuang is one of the best preserved ancient towns in China with over 200 ancient residential buildings, bridges and temples. It was on my bucket list for a long time and I’m very happy to have finally visited.
Tips for your Fenghuang visit
While many people online say that half day/ a day trip is enough to visit Fenghuang, I love to dissent. Indeed, this is one of those places made for slow travel. I think that the ideal is staying two days to fully capture the beautiful essence of this city.
Make sure to book one of the ancient stilted houses on the riveside (diaojiaolou) to get the best view from your own room. We booked this house right on the Snow Bridge and we really loved it.
Fenghuang is located in the Hunan province, so it fits well within a wider itinerary that includes the Zhangjajie area.
Explore the Wangxian fairy valley
High on my bucket list for China there was a place that is arguably the best most photogenic valley I ever seen. And it’s completely man-made. Indeed, Wangxian valley, locally known as Vagoo Scenic Area, it’s a completely reconstructed Eastern Han Dynasty Village. A sort of hybrid between a theme park and a luxury themed resort (similar to Borgo Egnazia in Italy). During the past years this place has become a real sensation over the internet and it looked so beautiful that it honestly doesn’t seem true.
Since I had a very positive experience at Borgo Egnazia despite being a completely fake village, I wanted to visit this place too and see if it was worth the hype. The feedback? OMG yes, it’s 1000% worth the visit and much more incredible than I ever expected.
It’s so well-made to be completely baffling as at one point my eyes couldn’t really tell if what I was looking was really old or not. Differently than Borgo Egnazia here visitors can enter even without a room inside the resort by paying a fee. Guests who are staying overnight have a separate dedicated entrance, after-hours freedom and private areas and of course waived entrance fee.
There is so much to do and see here that honestly one day wasn’t enough. I’m already planning to go back!
Stay at the iconic Shanghai’s Bund
Last but not certainly least, Shanghai. It was on my bucket list for quite a long time but I didn’t expect to love it that much! It definitely was one of my favourite cities in China. So crowded but at the same time so full of authentic quiet corners. I always said that if I made it to Shanghai, I had to stay in the iconic area of the Bund. At the top of my list, one of the most famous historical hotels of the city: the Fairmont Peace Hotel.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s expensive and definitely not for the pockets of everyone, but I love a good splurge when it’s worth and you know that I have a passion for historical hotels! The Bund is a top central area to stay in Shanghai so you should expect high prices in most of the hotels in the area, especially those with frontal view of the promenade. Some more affordable options in the area are The Bund Puyan Hotel or The Westin Bund Centre.
Things to do in Shanghai
Of course, Shanghai is not just the Bund and there are countless of things to see and do. I honestly say that we could have easily spend two weeks here without getting bored. If you have time, make sure to plan at least for 5 days. This will allow you to visit the city at a good pace and add also a few day trip to its beautiful water towns such as Suzhou or Zhujiajiao.
One of my favourite areas in the city was the French Concession. Not only this is a beautiful historical area but it’s full of nice cafes and boutique shops. Unmissable stops are certainly the Yu Garden and the Jing’an temple. If you want to mix shopping and historical sights Xintiandi is the perfect neighbourhood. Indeed here you can find the historical brick houses of Shanghai (shikumen) converted into lovely restaurants and shops. Don’t forget to have a taste of the best Shenjian bao in the Yuyuan mall.
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