First trip hub

First Trip to China? Start Here

Do the difficult, identity-dependent jobs before you depend on them. This path keeps each rule in one detailed guide and tells you what to do next when a payment, booking or arrival step fails.

Planning flow last reviewed: 20 August 2026

1
Before choosing a route
Confirm that the route is legally and practically possible
Entry basis, holiday dates and scarce attraction reservations can invalidate a route before transport is booked.
Must do
Choose the correct entry path
Keep ordinary visa-free entry, 240-hour transit, visa entry, Hong Kong and Macau rules separate.
Must do
Check the official holiday calendar
National travel peaks change rail inventory, museum slots and realistic city pacing.
Recommended
Choose cities by usable days
Use the How Many Days and Book These First sections on each city guide before adding another stop.
2
Before flights, hotels and trains
Book an arrival that still works after a long flight
The airport or station, first-night area, passport name and transfer buffer matter more than a generic city-centre label.
Must do
Book a usable first night
Match the passport name, reception hours, property type and accommodation-registration path.
Must do
Set up rail identity early
Account activation, passenger verification, ticket purchase and the station gate are separate jobs.
Recommended
Protect the arrival buffer
Allow for immigration, baggage, customs, terminal changes and the exact onward station.
3
Two to four weeks before departure
Build and test the digital stack
Network access is a dependency for wallets, maps, ride hailing, bookings and recovery. Set up independent fallbacks at home.
Must do
Choose primary and backup connectivity
Compare roaming, travel eSIM and a mainland SIM by device support, trip length and local-number needs.
Must do
Set up two payment paths
Test a merchant payment and keep a second wallet, issuer, physical card and RMB fallback.
Recommended
Install apps by task
Keep the smallest useful set for maps, translation, booking, ride hailing and communication.
Recommended
Learn the map workflow
Save Chinese place names and exact POIs instead of relying on approximate English pins.
4
Final 72 hours
Make the first day work offline
Recheck high-volatility rules and put the documents needed at the airline, border, station and hotel in one offline folder.
Must do
Recheck entry and complete the free Arrival Card
Use the official NIA channel and retain the port device or paper-card fallback.
Must do
Save an offline document pack
Include passport copies, onward travel, first stay, Chinese addresses, insurance and critical reservations.
Recommended
Check power banks and medicines
Domestic-flight CCC screening and controlled-medicine rules are different from a normal packing checklist.
5
Landing to the first two hours
Restore the dependencies in the right order
Complete immigration and customs first, restore connectivity, test one small payment, then navigate to the exact accommodation.
Must do
Follow the arrival sequence
Keep onward and accommodation details immediately available at immigration, then collect baggage and choose the correct customs channel.
Must do
Navigate to the exact destination
Confirm the airport terminal, rail station, exit and Chinese hotel address before moving.
Must do
Complete accommodation registration
A hotel normally submits it; a private address may require the guest or host to act within 24 hours.
6
Your first day
Test the systems before a high-stakes day
A small failure on day one is easier to recover from than a wallet, map or ticket failure during a timed departure.
Recommended
Run a small payment and navigation test
Use a normal merchant payment, one AMap route and one ride-hailing or transit flow.
Recommended
Confirm the next train and scarce ticket
Match station, time, name and passport before the cancellation or change window closes.
7
When something fails
Recover without creating a second problem
Secure sleep, transport, identity and liquidity first. Preserve the exact error and use the owner guide instead of repeatedly changing account data.
Must do
Use the safety and recovery guide
Prepare for a lost phone or passport, urgent care, insurer contact and local emergency services.
Recommended
Use 12367 for immigration-service questions
Document the consultation and reconcile it with the current written rule; a hotline answer does not replace the final port decision.

Turn the plan into a pre-departure checklist

Save your progress across entry documents, connectivity, payments, transport, accommodation, health and departure tasks.

Open the China travel checklist

Confirm that the route is legally and practically possible

Choose the correct entry path

Check the official holiday calendar

Choose cities by usable days

Book an arrival that still works after a long flight

Book a usable first night

Set up rail identity early

Protect the arrival buffer

Build and test the digital stack

Choose primary and backup connectivity

Set up two payment paths

Install apps by task

Learn the map workflow

Make the first day work offline

Recheck entry and complete the free Arrival Card

Save an offline document pack

Check power banks and medicines

Restore the dependencies in the right order

Follow the arrival sequence

Navigate to the exact destination

Complete accommodation registration

Test the systems before a high-stakes day

Run a small payment and navigation test

Confirm the next train and scarce ticket

Recover without creating a second problem

Use the safety and recovery guide

Use 12367 for immigration-service questions

Turn the plan into a pre-departure checklist