China is one of the easiest countries in the world to travel in once your phone is set up, and one of the most frustrating if it is not. Almost everything here runs through two apps, a mobile payment account and a map that actually works. None of that can be sorted out at the departure gate.
Most first-time visitors lose their first day to tasks they could have done at home: installing Alipay, adding a bank card, downloading an offline map, and checking whether their phone plan will work when the wheels touch down.
This guide walks through the setup in the order you should do it. It is written for travellers from Europe, North America and Australia, but the steps apply to most international visitors.
A note before you start. Rules, fees and app features in China change quickly. Wherever this guide states something that can change, it links the official source and asks you to confirm it before you fly. Nothing here overrides the current rules shown in your own app.
What you need to arrange before you fly
Six things, in this order. Everything else can wait until you are in the country.
- Two payment-capable apps installed: Alipay and WeChat
- A data plan that will work the moment you land
- A map app that works in mainland China, with your hotel address saved
- A translation app with a Chinese offline pack
- Hotel and train bookings, or the apps to make them
- Passport, and visa or visa-free eligibility confirmed for your nationality
Step 1: Install the two apps that matter
Two apps do most of the work in China. Install both before you leave home, on the phone you will actually carry, and finish registration while you still have your home number and a reliable connection.
Alipay
Alipay (支付宝, Zhifubao) is the payment app most foreign visitors end up using. It is also a small operating system of its own: ride-hailing, train tickets, attraction bookings, translation and city services all live inside it.
Download it from the App Store or Google Play, or start from the official site: alipay.com.
- Install the app and choose the international registration path. A foreign mobile number is accepted.
- Complete identity verification with your passport. The name must match your passport exactly, including middle names.
- Add an international bank card in the card section of the wallet.
- Set a payment password, and enable biometric unlock if your phone supports it.
- Make a small test payment if you can. Some features only wake up after the first successful transaction.
WeChat (微信, Weixin) is the messaging app almost everyone in China uses. Even if you never send a message, you will need it: small businesses share menus, addresses and booking confirmations through WeChat, and WeChat Pay is accepted almost everywhere Alipay is.
Official product information: Tencent WeChat.
- Install WeChat and register with a number that can receive SMS abroad.
- Complete the security verification step. New registrations are sometimes confirmed by an existing user, so arrange this with a friend or your hotel before you fly.
- Add a profile photo and set a display name that people can match to your booking.
- Activate WeChat Pay and add a bank card.
- Open the Mini Programs tab and look around. These are lightweight apps inside WeChat for taxis, museums, restaurant queues and train tickets.
Tip: Register both apps before departure. Verification on a foreign number can be slow, and some steps become much harder once you are on a Chinese network without SMS access to your home number.
Step 2: Make mobile payments actually work
What linking a foreign card really involves
Both Alipay and WeChat Pay accept many international cards, but not every card works, and not every card works for every payment. Cards from some issuers, prepaid cards, and cards with international transactions switched off are the ones most likely to be refused.
Before you fly, tell your bank your travel dates. A card frozen for suspected fraud on day one is the most common reason a first trip starts badly.
Fees and limits
Both apps have applied fees to some international-card transactions above a threshold, and both set per-transaction and daily limits. Those numbers change, and the current ones are shown inside the app when you add a card. Do not budget from a figure in a blog post. Check the payment screen in your own app, and treat any number you read elsewhere as out of date.
Cash and a backup route
Mobile payment is close to universal in Chinese cities, but not absolutely universal. Keep a few hundred yuan in cash for small stalls, rural buses, temple donation boxes and the occasional shop whose scanner is down.
Bring two cards from different issuers, and think about a third route: a travel card, or a second phone with a separate wallet. Redundancy is cheap. Being unable to pay for a taxi at midnight is not.
| Payment method | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Alipay with a foreign card | Shops, metro, attractions, online bookings | Some cards are refused; fees apply above a threshold |
| WeChat Pay with a foreign card | Small vendors, markets, splitting a bill with locals | Verification can take longer than Alipay |
| Cash (RMB) | Stalls, rural areas, emergencies | Small shops may struggle to give change |
| A second bank card | Backup if the first card is blocked | Must have international transactions enabled |
Step 3: Decide how you will get online
This choice shapes everything else on the trip. There are three realistic options, and they behave differently in practice.
International roaming
Your home operator's roaming plan is the simplest option. Your number keeps working, so verification codes still arrive, and you never touch the SIM tray. It is usually the most expensive per gigabyte, and speeds depend on the roaming partner.
A travel eSIM
A travel eSIM is a data-only plan you install before departure and switch on when you land. It is usually cheaper than roaming and leaves your home SIM in place for SMS. Your phone must support eSIM and must be carrier-unlocked.
A Chinese SIM card
A local SIM gives you a Chinese number, which some local services and delivery apps prefer. It requires in-person real-name registration with your passport at an official carrier store, and it means swapping SIM cards or carrying a dual-SIM phone.
| Option | Setup | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| International roaming | Nothing to install; enable data roaming | Highest per gigabyte | Short trips, anyone who needs SMS codes |
| Travel eSIM | Install before you fly, activate on landing | Middle | Most first-time visitors |
| Chinese SIM card | Buy in a carrier store with your passport | Lowest per gigabyte | Longer stays, repeat visits |
What about Google, WhatsApp and Instagram?
Be realistic about this. Several international services are not reliably reachable from a standard connection inside mainland China. At the time of writing this includes Google's search and mail, WhatsApp, Instagram and some others. Some travellers report that roaming connections and travel eSIMs behave differently, because the data is routed through their home or provider network. That varies by operator and by plan, and it is not something you should depend on.
Plan around it instead of gambling on it. Download offline maps, save copies of every booking, install your airline and hotel apps, and tell people at home which app you will actually be using. WeChat works inside China, so that is the practical channel for daily contact.
We are deliberately not offering workarounds here. Network conditions and rules can change without notice, and a confident promise about connectivity is worse than a cautious one.
Step 4: Install a map that works
AMap (Gaode)
AMap, known in Chinese as Gaode Ditu, is the most accurate navigation app for Chinese cities. Recent versions include an English interface, and public transport routing is good. Install it before you fly and try the search box at home, so the interface is not new to you on arrival.
Apple Maps
On iPhone, Apple Maps works in mainland China and uses local map data, so addresses and transit directions are generally reliable. If you already use an iPhone, this is the lowest-effort option.
Google Maps
Do not count on Google Maps for navigation in mainland China. Map data is offset, business listings are thin, and the service is not reliably reachable. Use it for planning before you travel, not for finding a restaurant door.
Tip: Save your hotel's name and full address in Chinese characters, then take a screenshot. A driver, a shopkeeper or a station guard can read a screenshot. Almost none of them can read a romanised address.
Step 5: Set up taxis and ride-hailing
DiDi
DiDi is China's dominant ride-hailing app and it has an English interface. It works with international cards and with Alipay and WeChat Pay, and it shows a fare estimate before you confirm.
- Install DiDi and register with your phone number.
- Add a payment method. Alipay is the least friction if you have already set it up.
- Set the pickup point carefully. Large stations have designated ride-hailing zones, and the app tells you which one applies.
- Check the model and plate number before you get in.
- Keep the destination on screen so you can show the driver.
Street taxis
Official taxis use a meter. Ask the driver to switch it on, and expect a small night surcharge. Have your destination written in Chinese, and ignore drivers who approach you inside the terminal offering a flat fare.
Step 6: Book hotels and trains before you fly
Hotels
International booking sites cover most city hotels well, and Trip.com has strong China coverage with English-language support. Check two things before you book: whether the property accepts foreign guests, and whether the rate is refundable.
A small number of budget hotels are not licensed to receive foreign guests. This is rare in major cities but worth confirming in smaller towns, where a cheap online rate can turn into a long walk at midnight.
Trains and 12306
China's high-speed rail network is the best way to move between cities. The official booking channel is 12306, which publishes an English website and app: 12306 English site.
- Register with your passport details exactly as printed.
- Search by city pair and date. Note that station names differ from city names, and large cities have several stations.
- Book and pay, then save the order number offline.
- Collect a paper ticket if you need one, or use the passport lane at the gate. Many stations now read passports directly.
- Carry the passport you booked with. In practice, it is your ticket.
Third-party sites such as Trip.com also sell Chinese train tickets with English support and a service fee. For a first trip, that can be a reasonable trade if you would rather not learn a new booking system on holiday.
The Chinese government publishes an English guide for foreign visitors covering transport, payments and daily life: Guide for foreigners in China.
Step 7: Prepare translation before you need it
Translation is the difference between a good meal and a guessing game. Set it up in advance, not at the table with a queue behind you.
- Install a translator that offers a downloadable Chinese offline pack: Apple Translate, Google Translate or Microsoft Translator all do.
- Download the offline pack while you still have fast, free internet at home.
- Test camera translation on a photo of a menu or a sign.
- Save four phrases as screenshots: no chilli, no coriander, no peanuts, and the bill please.
Tip: Offline translation is noticeably weaker than online translation. Download it anyway. It is what you will have in a basement restaurant with no signal and no English menu.
Step 8: Passport, visa and entry paperwork
Passport
Your passport should be valid well beyond your stay, and it needs blank pages. Check the expiry date before you book anything, then check it again when you book the flight. Replacing a passport takes weeks.
Visa, or visa-free entry
China has expanded visa-free and transit visa-free arrangements considerably in recent years, but eligibility depends on your nationality, your port of entry and the length of your stay. There is no single rule that applies to every passport, and it is a mistake to plan from a summary.
Check the National Immigration Administration for your own nationality before booking: National Immigration Administration.
If your trip depends on a visa-free arrangement, confirm it again in the week before departure, and keep a screenshot. Airlines check eligibility at check-in, and they are stricter than the border.
On arrival
- Keep an offline copy of your hotel booking and your return ticket.
- Expect fingerprints and arrival formalities at major airports. Allow extra time.
- Fill the arrival card accurately. The address should be your first night's accommodation.
- Keep the entry stamp page intact. You may be asked to show it at hotel check-in or on departure.
Step 9: Understand the accommodation registration rule
Every foreign visitor's stay in China must be registered with the local public security authorities. Hotels do this for you. If you stay anywhere that is not a hotel, the responsibility becomes yours.
Hotels
Hotels register guests automatically when you check in with your passport. Keep any registration slip you are given; it is occasionally requested, and it costs nothing to hold on to.
Staying somewhere that is not a hotel
The National Immigration Administration now provides a nationwide online service for foreign visitors to register a stay at a non-hotel address. This replaces the earlier city-by-city trial arrangements and applies across the country.
Official notice and instructions: Online accommodation registration for foreign nationals.
Register within the period stated in the notice, and keep proof of registration. If the online service does not cover your area or your documents, the local police station remains the fallback.
Your pre-departure checklist
Work through this the week before you fly, not the night before.
- Passport valid for at least six months, with blank pages
- Visa, or visa-free eligibility confirmed for your nationality
- Alipay installed, registered and verified with your passport
- WeChat installed and registered, with a verification route arranged
- At least one international card linked, and a second card packed
- Bank notified of your travel dates
- A few hundred yuan in cash, or a plan to withdraw at the airport
- Data option chosen: roaming, travel eSIM or Chinese SIM
- Offline maps downloaded and your hotel pinned
- Translation app installed with the Chinese offline pack
- Hotel, flight and train bookings saved offline
- Hotel name and address saved in Chinese characters
- Copies of your passport and visa stored separately from the originals
- Your embassy's contact details saved on your phone
A note on sources and changing rules
Payment fees, app features, connectivity and visa rules all change. This guide links an official source wherever a rule is stated, and it is worth re-checking the payment and immigration pages in the week before you fly.
- Chinese government guide to payment services for foreign visitors
- Guide for foreigners living and travelling in China
- National Immigration Administration
- China Railway 12306, English site
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Have a question? Preparing for your first trip to China? What is still unclear \u2014 payments, internet, maps, or something else? Ask below. We update this guide based on the questions travellers actually ask, and your question might help another visitor prepare better.
\nImages are AI-generated illustrations and are intended for visual reference, not as documentary photographs.