The China trip checklist: six weeks out to arrival day

Most China trip anxiety comes from doing the right things in the wrong order. This checklist is ordered by when each task actually matters.

Six weeks before

• Check your passport. Most airlines want six months of validity. Some visa categories want blank pages. Renew now if needed.
• Decide your entry route. Are you using 30-day visa-free entry, 240-hour transit, or a tourist visa? Read the rules, not a social post. If your route returns to the same country, the transit waiver does not apply.
• Book flights with a refundable or changeable fare if your visa route is not confirmed.
• Check your bank’s foreign transaction fees and tell it you are traveling.
• Buy travel insurance that covers medical care in China and, ideally, trip interruption.

Four weeks before

• Book the big attractions that require real-name reservations: the Forbidden City, major museums, the Terracotta Army, Zhangjiajie tickets, popular train routes.
• Reserve hotels in the neighbourhoods you actually want, not just near the station.
• Buy your eSIM or decide on a local SIM. Check whether it routes outside mainland China.
• Install and test a VPN if you need one. Do this before departure; downloads can be blocked inside China.
• Download offline translation and maps.
• Check visa processing times if you need a tourist visa. Apply earlier than you think.

One week before

• Install Alipay and WeChat. Verify your passport, link cards, and test a small payment if possible.
• Download the 12306 or Trip.com app and verify your passport for train booking.
• Save your hotel address in Chinese and screenshot it.
• Make offline copies of passports, visas, insurance, bookings and emergency contacts. Keep one set in the cloud and one on your phone.
• Pack a universal power adapter, a power bank and any prescription medicine in original packaging with a copy of the prescription.
• Check the weather for each city; China spans tropical, temperate and subarctic climates in the same month.
• Get ¥300–500 in cash or plan to withdraw at the airport. Small notes are more useful than large ones.

Two days before

• Re-check your entry route against the official NIA page. Policies change.
• Check train tickets and station names. Beijing South is not Beijing West. Shanghai Hongqiao is not Shanghai Station.
• Download the airline app and check the terminal.
• Charge everything and pack cables in your cabin bag.
• Share your itinerary with someone at home.

Arrival day

1. Follow the signs for foreign passports or the transit counter.
2. Keep your passport and onward ticket accessible.
3. Collect your bag, then activate your eSIM or buy a local SIM.
4. Test Alipay or WeChat Pay with a small purchase.
5. Take the airport express or metro if it is running; use the official taxi queue if not.
6. Check in and confirm the hotel has registered you as a foreign guest.
7. Buy water and a local snack; jet lag is easier with a walk and daylight.

Daily carry

• Passport (required for attractions, train stations and hotel check-in).
• Phone with a charged power bank.
• A little cash.
• Tissues; many public toilets do not provide them.
• Hand sanitizer.
• A screenshot of your hotel address in Chinese.

Emergency numbers

• 110 police
• 120 ambulance
• 119 fire
• 12308 Chinese foreign ministry consular protection hotline
• Your embassy’s local number

English may be limited on emergency lines. Ask your hotel to call if you can. For non-urgent medical care, international clinics in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu are expensive but English-speaking; public hospitals are cheaper but require translation help.

The one thing people forget

China is not a last-minute destination. The attractions that require passport-based reservations, the trains that sell out, and the payment apps that need verification all reward planning. You do not need a minute-by-minute itinerary. You do need the first three days booked and the apps working before you land.