Whatever your views on Keir Starmer’s mission to China, the announcement that British citizens will soon be able to visit visa-free is a big plus for travellers. True, we’re only getting what most EU countries have already had for a year or so – up to 30 days of visa-free travel – but anyone who’s wrestled with the current system knows what a gauntlet it is.
Under the current rules for Britons, only transit passengers en route to a third country can visit China visa-free, and for no more than 10 days. Everyone else must apply online for a full tourist visa, pay a hefty fee (from £87), book an in-person appointment in London, Manchester or Edinburgh – bad luck if you live in Penzance – get photographed and fingerprinted, present a full itinerary, then wait, nervously, for the result. Little wonder so many travellers, if not put off visiting entirely, opt for organised tours to offload some of that administrative pain.
With the new visa-free deal, however, you’ll be able to book flights on a whim and jet off with nothing more than a passport and phone in your pocket.And unlike Donald Trump, Xi Jinping doesn’t want to see your social media history – unless, of course, you happen to use Chinese platforms, in which case he’s already seen it.
But should you really go it alone in the Middle Kingdom, without the bubble-wrap of an organised tour? What about money, hotels, trains, attractions, restaurants, surveillance and safety? Here’s what you need to know.
Accommodation
China is supremely well furnished with freshly-built, high-spec hotels, bookable via all the usual suspects like Expedia and Booking.com. You’ll find all the international chains in major cities, but do also consider newer mid-range Chinese brands such as Atour and Ji Hotel (Quanji), both of which I’ve found to be excellent.
Ji Hotel in Shanghai, China
Ji Hotel is a leading mid-sized hotel brand in China, with locations in Beijing and Shanghai — Yves Dean
If you prefer Airbnb, you’re out of luck: the brand left China in 2022. The local equivalent, Tujia, is really only geared for Chinese users. Similarly, if you’re on a shoestring budget, you might find yourself turned away from the cheapest properties – it’s simply too much hassle for them to process foreign passports.
Trains, planes and taxis
China is vast, so any itinerary more ambitious than a city break means taking high-speed trains or flying. Booking domestic flights is no different than anywhere else – Trip.com is a Chinese-owned booking website and my go-to.
Usually a better choice than flying, China’s high-speed rail network is a marvel – by far the biggest and fastest in the world. Book online (Trip.com, once again) and it’s also completely ticketless: your passport acts as your ticket just as a Chinese ID card does for locals.
Chinese high speed train going through countryside
China’s high-speed railway network has the biggest and fastest trains in the world — Xuanyu Han/Moment RF/Getty
For taxis, most Chinese hail them using Didi, China’s Uber equivalent, and you should too. It beats standing for an age at the roadside and sidesteps the inevitable language barrier, since most drivers won’t speak any English. Pro-tip: use the version of Didi that comes with the Alipay app (see below).
Seeing the sights
Prepare for some mild to annoying friction. Many major attractions require pre-booking online, but this isn’t a viable option for tourists since the booking platforms are all in Chinese. Places do understand this and often sell tickets to foreign tourists on the day – but be sure to arrive first thing, and always bring your passport. Even better: speak to your hotel front desk ahead of time, or message them at time of booking, and they can try to buy the tickets for you.
The Great Chinese menu
Accessing the full array of Chinese gastronomy, from Chongqing hotpot to Lanzhou beef noodles, is no longer the hurdle it once was. Photo menus are standard, either printed or viewed on your phone by scanning a QR code, so you can at least point at something appetising if you don’t know any Chinese. Google Translate’s camera function (if you can get it working) is a godsend in restaurants. And if all else fails, you’re never far from a Starbucks or McDonald’s.
Cash, cards and QR codes
Here’s where it starts to get tricky. The old conundrum – finding an ATM that actually accepts your bank card – seems almost quaint today in China’s brave new world of payment apps. While the renminbi, “the people’s currency”, is still the legal tender, in practice, every transaction happens with a smartphone. And forget trying to tap with your usual contactless card, Google Pay or Apple Pay – it’s a totally different system.
Instead, you’ll need one of two Chinese apps: WeChat (Weixin, to give it its proper name) or Alipay (Zhifubao). Whether you’re paying for a coffee, a taxi fare or a mantlepiece-sized Terracotta Warrior, you use the app to scan a QR code, or have your code scanned by the merchant.
Woman paying with a phone, using QR code in a supermarket in Shanghai
You must use QR codes on WeChat or Alipay to purchase items — iStock Unreleased
Alipay gets my vote – download it from the App Store or Google Play, sign up with your passport and UK mobile number, tether a credit card and you’re good to go. It’s economical too: for transactions under 200¥ (about £20) there’s no extra charge, and the app gives you a heads-up when the 3 per cent fee kicks in.
Getting connected
Tiresome as it is to harp on about technology, there’s no avoiding it. To use Alipay and WeChat – in short, to simply exist in China – your phone will need to be online. The neatest solution by far (though perhaps not the cheapest) is to use your own network’s roaming services. This also means you bypass the dreaded “Great Firewall”, so your go-to apps stay unblocked.
Another option is to buy and set-up a China eSIM (from a company like Nomad) before you fly, which also gets around the Great Firewall. You can also pick up a Chinese SIM card in the arrivals hall at Beijing and Shanghai airports, but if you go this route you’ll also need a VPN if you want to post on social media, message home or even just keep up with emails.
VPNs are hit-and-miss in China, however, and must be set-up before you fly. That said, if you’re chasing the ultimate independent-traveller setup, a local SIM with VPN also gives you a Chinese phone number, which is useful for things like unlocking some shared bikes and ordering takeaway to your hotel.
Surveillance and safety
Accept the fact that you’re being monitored. Your passport details are passed to the police in every city you stay in, CCTV cameras are everywhere, and anything you write on WeChat can be read. It shouldn’t affect your trip in any meaningful way, but you may want to delete any Chinese apps once you’re home.
Woman using her smartphone
There’s no way to avoid being digitally monitored in China – you may want to delete Chinese apps when returning home — d3sign/Yiu Yu Hoi
The upside is that China is one of the safest countries you can travel in, day or night, with just the occasional petty tourist scam to watch out for. Some parts of China – most notably Tibet – require special permits and organised travel. Drug laws are zero-tolerance, even for trace amounts, and political demonstrations are naturally a strict no-no.