China Travel Inspiration & Guides
Useful Advice for a Wonderful China TourChina is a fantastic holiday destination because of its rich history, diverse customs, and stunning landscape, from the Great Wall in Beijing to the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an to the skyscrapers of Shanghai and beyond.
Need some inspiration for your China tour or don't have ideas about where to start planning or what to do there? Here we sort out helpful travel tips, city guides from our seasoned travel specialists, and some interesting facts about China to give you an easy and convenient way to start. Things like what is not supposed to skip in the country, how to make the most out of your stay in each city, and what is behind a kaleidoscope of Chinese festival foods ... All are with an answer here.
Please feel free to contact us if you need more or cannot find something you are looking for, our pleasure to help.
How Can I Get My Visa to Visit China?For a simple L visa application, you can first make an appointment with the Embassy. Then submit your visa application form along with your passport, proof of legal residence or stay and your travel itinerary. Within 4-5 working days you will receive your visa to enter China.
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Where to Go on A Visa-Free Visit to China 2023 / 2024When traveling abroad and visiting a foreign country, visas have always been an important part for visitors to deal with. However, as technology advances and overseas adventures increase around the world, visa policies are becoming more convenient and...Read More >> - Most Important Chinese Festivals to SeeTraditional Chinese festivals play an important part in China's history and people's lives from ancient to modern. These festivals cover nearly all the natural and cultural understandings including primitive beliefs, sacrificial culture, astronomical...Read More >>
- Top 10 Off-the-Beaten-Path Attractions in ChinaWhen visiting China, many people will first consider visiting Beijing to see the Great Wall, Xi'an to see the Terracotta Warriors, Shanghai to marvel at modernity, and Chengdu to see the adorable pandas. But China has much more to offer. In this article...Read More >>
- The Best Travel Time of Year to ChinaChina, located in East Asia, covers an extensive land area of nearly 96 million square kilometers and is fringed by a coastline stretching for thousands of kilometers. On the one hand, China is blessed with a wide variety of natural scenery, from desert...Read More >>
- 10 of the Best Luxury Hotels in ChinaWith China's growing economy and abundant tourism resources, a very large number of domestic and foreign tourists are attracted to the vast land of China every year. Then there are a lot of luxury hotels in China for tourists to choose from, which can...Read More >>
- Useful Travel Tips for Your First Trip to ChinaChina is a time-honored and fascinating country that offers a wealth of cultural heritage and natural scenery. From the bustling cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou to the enchanted natural landscapes of Guilin, Huangshan, and Zhangjiajie, China...Read More >>
Video Inspiration
China Travel FAQs
- Do I need a visa for a China tour?
Visitors from most countries need a tourist visa to travel to mainland China. If Hong Kong is your destination, you may enjoy a visa-free stay for 14 days, as long as you are a citizen of American, Canadian, Australian, and South African citizens or most European countries.
There is also a visa-free policy for visitors traveling through China, which can last up to 144 hours. For the details, please check:
Transit Through China in 144 Hours: Visa-Free Policy 2023 / 2024
- What documents are needed for visiting China? 1) All foreigners to China must have a valid passport and a China visa. Note that the passport should be valid for a minimum of 6 months after your visit to China and the visa should be approved before you enter China. The most common type of visa is single-entry visa which is usually valid for 3 months and allows a maximum stay of 30 days.
2) Visit Tibet: to enter Tibet, foreigners must hold a Tibet travel permit which shall be obtained 15 days before entering Tibet. A Tibet permit is sufficient if you only stay in Lhasa, however, if you want to extend to the "unopened" areas, an Alien's travel permit issued by the PSB of Tibet is required. In addition to a travel permit, a fitness certificate from a registered doctor is also required to show that you’re fit to travel and your blood pressure and heart condition are normal to acclimatize the high altitude of Tibet.
3) Visit Hong Kong: People from most countries are exempted from applying for a China visa if only travel and stay in Hong Kong.
4) Just in case of need, we suggest you bring your medical record attached with your doctor's name, address and phone number, emergency contact name and phone number, and your insurance company's name, address and phone number. - Do I need tour guides when traveling in China? If it is the first time for you to come and travel in China or the first time to visit new areas, we suggest that you have tour guides, because, without tour guides, you are on your own, while our guides are professional and experts in local areas, who can give you more information and knowledge about the places you are going to visit.
- What vaccinations do I need to take before going to China?
Routine vaccines include: measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and your yearly flu shot.
For most travelers, it's suggested take Hepatitis A and Typhoid before their trip.
For more details, you can check out what the CDC says: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/china
- What are the luggage regulations for taking a domestic flight?
Luggage allowance for adult or children passengers is 40KG for first class, 30KG for business class and 20KG for economy class. An infant with an infant ticket enjoys a luggage allowance of 10KG. The size requirement is 100cm*60cm*30cm maximum. Oversized and overweight luggage will be charged 1.5% of the adult economy far per extra KG of luggage. Sporting equipment is allowed to be checked if within the weight requirements and within 158 total linear dimensions.
Regulations on luggage may vary on combined transport service with different airlines. Confirm with your travel consultant before you set off.
- When is the peak season, shoulder season and low season in China?
According to our past experience, the peak season refers to April to May and September to October, the cozy weather of which ensures a pleasant trip. The flipside is that relevant tourist resources like hotels and flights are in greater demand than in the low season. It’s advised to make your bookings at an early stage.
The shoulder season starts in June to August, and November while the low season takes place in December and ends at the beginning of March.
Tibet finds its peak season from July to October.
More info about this FAQ please visit: https://www.chinaodysseytours.com/faq/private-tour-design.html
Culture Tidbits
- Chinese Kungfu and WushuWushu is the Chinese word for all forms of traditional Chinese martial arts. Wushu is characterized by its dynamic and fluid motions. It can be practiced with bare hands, or with an assortment of weaponry. Originally created for military applications, it has, over thousands of years, grown into a sport, and performance art.Read More
- Acrobatic Art of ChinaDating back to the Warring States Period (475-221BC), acrobatics in China enjoys a history of over 2000 years. It is one of the art forms most popular among the Chinese people. By 300 BC, such skills as walking on 3-meter high stilts and juggling 7 daggers at a time had been developed in China.Read More
- Softness of SilkWhen one thinks of China, silk is one of the first things that come to mind. China is the birthplace of silk, and still produces some of the finest silk in the world. In all of China, the best place to discover the wonder of silk is the city of Suzhou. It was there that some of the first silk embroideries originated, and Suzhou is still producing the best silks in China.Read More
Special Topics about China
- Sichuan FoodCentrally placed in China, Sichuan is a province with many mountains. During the period of the Three Kingdoms (220-265AD), the kingdom of Shu was located in Sichuan. Known as the land of plenty since ancient times Sichuan produces abundant domestic animals, poultry, and freshwater fish and crayfish. Mountain produce and river fish are the main ingredients in Sichuan cooking. As a unique style of food, Sichuan cuisine was already famous more than 800 years ago during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).Read More
- Chinese Royal ArchitectureWith vivid characteristics, Chinese royal buildings, especially the most popular tourist attractions in Beijing, are mysterious to today's people. Here we take the Forbidden City as an example and collect something interesting about this imperial palace. If explore it without a guide, you will never know the secrets. Let's feel it more than just watch it!Read More
- Silk Road of ChinaThe Silk Road was a trade highway that began in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC–9 AD) and connected the eastern and the western worlds. It is usually defined as the transportation and trade road that traversed Central Asia and the Pamir Plateau to reach Western Asia.Read More
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Essencial Info of China
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