China Travel Checklist: What to Pack
A base packing list for every China trip, extended with additional points based on your travel profile and location-specific tips for the cities on your route. It bundles the practical steps but doesn't replace the visa check for your passport's entry rules.
30 base items · 8 cities with extra tips · Last verified: 2026-07-31
30 items apply to every China trip, from the arrival card to the power adapter. Select your travel profile and the cities on your route to add tailored extra points – like timed-entry tickets in Beijing or cash reserves in rural regions. Vaccinations and medication rules aren't part of this list – see the health & medication page for those.
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Click the cities on your route – matching tips will appear below
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Beijing
Base Checklist for Every China Trip
Documents & Entry
Payment & Cash
Connectivity
Apps & Access
Accommodation & Registration
Tickets & Reservations
Arrival at the Airport
Know the Common Scams
Health & Cash on the Road
Last 48 Hours
Last verified: 2026-07-31 · Progress is saved only locally in this browser.
Full List
Full list: Documents & Entry
- Visa status checked via the Visa Check
- Passport valid at least 6 months beyond the return date, with 2 blank pages
- Return or onward-travel ticket ready as proof
- All hotel bookings saved as PDF (for the arrival card and registration)
- Digital arrival card filled in in advance, if available online
Full list: Payment & Cash
- Card compatibility confirmed in the Card Checker
- Alipay and/or WeChat Pay installed, card added, and tested with a small amount
- Cash reserve in CNY obtained (exchanged before departure or at the arrival airport)
Full list: Connectivity
- eSIM chosen and booked via the eSIM Comparison
- VPN app installed and tested once before departure (installation from within China is often blocked)
- Offline maps downloaded for the planned route
Full list: Apps & Access
- Translation app installed with an offline Chinese language pack
- Train-ticket app set up with a payment method added
- All apps clicked through fully at least once before flying without a home network
Full list: Accommodation & Registration
- All accommodation for the whole trip booked, with confirmations saved offline
- For private stays/Airbnb: police registration within 24 hours planned
Full list: Tickets & Reservations
- Passport-bound tickets for high-demand attractions reserved in advance
- Long-distance train tickets booked in advance for peak travel season
Full list: Arrival at the Airport
- Customs and arrival forms filled in and ready
- eSIM or VPN activated right after landing, before the home network drops
- Route into the city researched in advance – official taxi counter instead of touts at the exit
Full list: Know the Common Scams
- Politely decline invitations to tea ceremonies or art galleries from strangers
- Negotiate the taxi/rickshaw price beforehand or insist on the meter
Full list: Health & Cash on the Road
- Travel medical kit including your usual medications, with package inserts or a copy of the prescription
- Travel health insurance with China coverage arranged
Full list: Last 48 Hours
- Alipay payment, eSIM, and VPN fully tested one last time
- Important documents packed both digitally and on paper
- Emergency contacts and the address of your embassy/consulate saved
- Type A/I plug adapter packed
- Small CNY notes ready for the first hours after arrival
City-Specific Notes
Beijing
- Forbidden City: book tickets online with passport details at least 7 days in advance
- Great Wall at Mutianyu: reserve a timed-entry ticket in advance
- Agree the rickshaw price in the hutongs in writing beforehand
- Know about and decline the tea-ceremony scam around Wangfujing and Tiananmen
Xi'an
- Terracotta Army: reserve tickets at least 5 days in advance
- Don't accept spontaneous taxi "special offers" near the Bell Tower
- A halal phrase card is useful for ordering food in the Muslim Quarter
Shanghai
- From Pudong Airport: take the Maglev or metro instead of taxi touts at the exit
- Decline spontaneous "art student" invitations to teahouses on the Bund and Nanjing Road
- Buy Shanghai Disneyland tickets online in advance if needed
Chengdu
- Panda breeding center: morning time slots are often booked out days in advance
- Day trips (panda base, hikes) are best done with a driver booked in advance
Hangzhou
- West Lake gets very crowded on weekends and holidays – a weekday is better
Guilin
- Plan for extra cash – QR payment coverage is patchy in rural parts of the region
- At guesthouses in Yangshuo: you may need to handle the 24-hour police registration yourself
Guangzhou
- Check Canton Fair dates in advance – hotel prices can easily double during that period
- Crossing into Hong Kong is a separate entry/exit, not a domestic trip
Zhangjiajie
- Book the park ticket plus cable car/elevator together in advance
- Keep an offline translator ready – little English is spoken outside the hotels
Our own practical checklist based on generally known trip-preparation recommendations for China – not an official document. Please also verify specific rules on visas, cards, and eSIMs via the linked tools (Visa Check, Card Checker, eSIM Comparison), since details can change.
Once your bags are packed, the remaining step is booking the trip itself – see current direct flights from Europe to China.
FAQ
Does this checklist replace the visa check?
No. The checklist bundles the preparation steps, but points to specialized tools at the relevant spots – currently the Visa Check for your passport's entry rules. A card checker and an eSIM comparison are in preparation and will follow once verified data is available.
Why do the questions about my travel profile change the length of the list?
The base list applies to every China trip. Answers like "traveling with children" or "also planning rural areas" reveal extra points that are only relevant in those cases, instead of unnecessarily bloating the list for everyone.
What exactly does the city map add?
Many preparation mistakes are location-specific – like booked-out timed-entry tickets in Beijing or Xi'an, or patchy QR payment in rural areas around Guilin. Clicking a city on your route adds matching tips instead of making you search for them in a general text.
Is my progress saved?
Yes, but only locally in your browser (localStorage), not on a server. On a different device or after clearing your browser data, the list starts unchecked again.
Is this a complete, official checklist?
No. It's a practical, editorially compiled list based on generally known trip-preparation recommendations – not an official document and not a substitute for individually checking your visa, entry rules, and health requirements.
Related tools:Visa Check → ·Trip Cost Calculator →