City Guides
City hubs for foreign visitors: arrival logistics from the airport, where mobile payment fails, metro lines and Didi, high-speed rail to nearby cities, and a route for your first three days. Each city guide links to every deeper guide we have for that city.
27 guides
Hainan Is the Part of China Americans Can Visit Without a Visa
Hainan runs a separate 30-day visa-free policy covering 59 nationalities including the United States, with no advance declaration required. What it allows, the ¥100,000 offshore duty-free allowance, and how Sanya and Haikou differ.
What You Can Buy in Jingdezhen Depends on the Day You Arrive
Jingdezhen's three porcelain markets run on different days and hours, and nothing opens on a Tuesday. Taoxichuan's vetting rules, what the Monday Ghost Market really is, and how to ship what you buy.
The Gulangyu Pier You Can See Is Not the One You Can Use
Visitors to Gulangyu cannot use the pier in central Xiamen during the day and must sail from the Cruise Center at Dongdu instead. Which pier applies when, what the crossings cost, and why Xiamen is where Fujian cuisine stops being theoretical.
Tianjin Is Thirty Minutes From Beijing and Nobody Goes
Tianjin is thirty minutes and ¥54.5 from Beijing South and sits inside the same visa-free transit zone. The Five Great Avenues concession district, the Italian Style Street, and an honest account of the Binhai Library's famous book wall.
Macau Has a Free Bus Network Hiding in Plain Sight
Macau's casino shuttle buses form a free public transport network most visitors never use deliberately. How the routes work, the Hong Kong dollar change trap, and why crossing into the mainland is a separate immigration question.
In Chongqing, Your Address Needs a Floor Number
Chongqing is built up two river gorges, so roads stack vertically and map pins drift between levels. How to describe where you are, why Hongyadong has two ground floors, and how the hotpot differs from Chengdu's.
Luoyang Is a Timing Problem, Not a Money Problem
Longmen's night tour costs the same ¥90 as the full daytime ticket but covers only two of four areas, tickets release at 00:10 daily, and Luoyang's peony peak is a nine-day window inside a five-week festival.
Datong's Two Great Sites Both Have a Rule That Strands People
Yungang Grottoes sell no tickets on site since January 2025, and the Hanging Temple's advertised price only gets you to the bottom of the cliff. Prices, booking channels and a two-day shape from Beijing.
In Nanjing the Free Sites Need Booking and the Paid Ones Don't
Nanjing's two most important sites are free and require real-name advance booking, while the paid sites around them are cheap and take walk-ups. The memorial's rules, the four separately priced wall sections, and a two-day shape.
Harbin's Ice Festival Is Three Events, Not One
The Harbin ice festival is three separately ticketed events in three parts of the city, running on three different calendars. What each costs, when each opens, and the visa-free transit rule specific to Harbin.
Which Dali Ancient Town? Shaxi vs Weishan vs Jianchuan vs Nuodeng
Choose the right slow-travel base beyond Dali Old Town by comparing Shaxi, Weishan, Jianchuan and Nuodeng for access, food, architecture and pace.
Dalian, China Travel Guide 2026: Beaches, Seafood, Old Streetcars
Dalian is a breezy coastal city in northeast China built for summer: beaches, a 21km seaside boardwalk, Asia's biggest square, and some of the country's best seafood. This guide covers how to get there, what to see, what to eat, and how long to stay.
Qingdao Travel Guide 2026: Tsingtao Beer, Beaches, Old Town
A practical Qingdao travel guide for foreign visitors. Covers the German-era old town, Tsingtao beer culture, seafood, beaches, Laoshan mountain, transport, where to stay, and budgets, with current prices and times.
Hong Kong Travel Guide for First-Timers (2026): Visas, Transport, Districts & Costs
Everything a first-time visitor needs to plan travel to Hong Kong, from visa-free entry and getting in from the airport to picking a district, riding the MTR, and budgeting real 2026 prices. Honest takes on what's worth your time and what most people get wrong.
Wuhan Travel Guide 2026: Stay, Eat, Punk & Metal Bars
An independent-traveller's 2026 guide to Wuhan. Which neighbourhoods to base yourself in, the hot dry noodle trail, three-taste lotus root and Dongpo elbow, Yangtze ferries, and where to find the city's underground punk and metal scene without wasting nights chasing closed venues.
Shenzhen Drone Delivery Guide 2026: Where and How to Order
Shenzhen runs the most mature commercial drone delivery network in the world. This 2026 guide maps the covered parks in Futian, Nanshan, Longgang, and Luohu, walks through ordering via the Meituan app, and explains what drones can and cannot deliver.
Hong Kong Layover Guide: Hotels, Weather, and What to Do
A Hong Kong layover can be the best part of your trip if you plan for immigration time and the Airport Express. Here is what to do by layover length, where to sleep, and how June heat and typhoons change the calculus.
W Beijing vs ECLAT Beijing: First-Timer's Hotel Guide
An honest 2026 comparison of W Beijing Chang'an and ECLAT Beijing for first-time visitors. Covers location, room design, dining, pools and spas, service style, price bands, and who each hotel suits best. No mythical W Hotel ECLAT — just the two real hotels and how they differ.
The Eight Great Cuisines Is Not a Travel Plan
A practical regional primer on Chinese food for travelers. Covers the Eight Great Cuisines — Sichuan, Cantonese, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Hunan, and Anhui — plus Northwest, Dongbei, Yunnan, and Tibetan regional styles. Includes 25+ signature dishes with Chinese characters, pinyin,...
China Tourist Visa Guide 2026: L Visa, Fees, Processing Time, Documents
The China L tourist visa remains the standard entry route for most travelers in 2026 despite expanded visa-free transit options. This guide walks through the COVA online application, CVASC in-person appointment, current fees by nationality ($140 US, £85 UK, €126 Schengen, A$109.50 Australian),...
Xi'an Travel Guide 2026: Terracotta Warriors, Costs and Three Days
A backpacker's Xi'an travel guide for 2026 that skips the fluff. Get real prices for Terracotta Warriors (¥120 peak, ¥60 low), Bell Tower, City Wall bike rental, and Muslim Quarter roujiamo. Learn exactly how to catch Bus 5 from the train station for ¥7, book HSR tickets to Beijing or Chengdu, and...
Chinese Etiquette Guide: Real Rules for Tourists in 2026
Chinese etiquette in 2026 looks nothing like the guidebook your grandmother bought in 1995. The rules that still matter: two-handed business card exchange, never stick chopsticks upright in rice, don't tip, receive gifts with both hands, and pay attention to who sits where at a banquet. The rules...
Shanghai Travel Guide 2026: Neighborhoods, Food, Itinerary
A practical 2026 Shanghai travel guide built for first-time visitors who want more than the Bund photo. Covers neighborhoods from Puxi's French Concession to Pudong's skyline, metro routes and real fares, xiaolongbao and shengjian spots locals actually eat at, three and five day itineraries, easy...
Guilin & Yangshuo Travel Guide 2026: Li River, Karst, Food
A practical 2026 guide to Guilin and Yangshuo, the karst country of southern China. Covers Li River cruises both full and half day, rock climbing in Yangshuo, Longji Rice Terraces, Yulong River bamboo rafts, Reed Flute Cave, Moon Hill, bike loops, hotel picks in both West Street and the outskirts,...
Beijing Travel Guide 2026: Costs, Tickets and a Four-Day Route
A Beijing travel guide for 2026 first-time visitors that skips the fluff. Get real prices for the Forbidden City (¥60), Great Wall at Mutianyu (¥40), Summer Palace (¥30), and Temple of Heaven (¥35), plus a tested 4-day itinerary. Learn how to use the metro for ¥3-9, take the airport express from...
Chengdu Travel Guide 2026: Pandas, Hotpot, Day Trips
A practical 2026 Chengdu travel guide for first-time visitors. Covers the Giant Panda Breeding Base, Jinli Ancient Street, Kuanzhai Alley, Wenshu Monastery, teahouses in People's Park, and a 3-day itinerary that actually fits. Includes real Sichuan food — mapo tofu, dan dan mian, hotpot — with...
WeChat Pay for Foreigners in 2026: What It Costs and Where It Breaks
A complete 2026 walkthrough for foreigners setting up WeChat Pay before or during a trip to China. Covers the post-2024 direct foreign card linking (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover), passport-based real-name verification, the ¥200 per-transaction fee threshold, daily and annual limits,...