China Travel Tips

Situated in East Asia, China, one of the Four Great Ancient Civilizations, has an amazing cultural treasure and with a vast territory it enjoys various natural sceneries due to its geographical diversity. Except the historical relics and magnificent natural landscapes which scatter throughout the country, you can also indulge yourself in the authentic Chinese food, the unique local customs and practices, and the preeminent economic achievements the country has experienced since the Reform and Open Policy. What’s more, China is working very hard to improve its tourism facilities. All of these assure that your Chinese trip will be one of the most exciting and unforgettable tours you’ve ever had.

Once in China, there are many options for you to travel within the country. You can travel by airplanes, by trains, by buses according to your destinations. Besides, you can also rent a bike to get around in small cities.

Where to start your visit depends on which aspect of China you are interested in. For instance, if you are a lover of ancient China, you may begin from cities like Xi’an and Nanjing. Places such as Shanghai and Guangdong are more modern while Guangzhou, Sichuan and Yunnan are more of nature.

China is a country full of tourism resources, and among the numerous see sights the following are the top ten attractions.

• The Great Wall—one of the greatest wonders in the world and a World Heritage by the UNESCO;
• The Forbidden City—a World Heritage site since 1987;
• The Terracotta Warriors—discovered in 1974 and the museum of the Terracotta Army is located near Xi’an city, Shaanxi Province;
• Guilin’s stunning mountain scenery—the Karst Mountains in Guilin create a quintessential landscape;
• The Yangtze River Cruise—along the route, you will see the historical sites injected with China’s rich culture and the gigantic Three Gorges Dam;
• The Mogao Grottos of Dunhuang—the largest, best preserved and richest Buddhist art in the World;
• Potala Place, Lhasa—a huge treasure house for materials and articles of Tibetan history, religion, arts and culture;
• Jiuzhaigou—a nature preserve in the north of Sichuan Province and one of the most beautiful National Parks in the world;
• Yellow Mountain—well known around the world for its four scenic spots: pine forest, peculiar stone, cloud sea and hot spring;
• The Classical Gardens of Suzhou—an integral part of the history and culture of Chinese civilization

Joining an organized tour will be better and this is also the most widely adopted way for foreigners going to China. What’s more, an organized tour is the fastest and most efficient and comfortable way for your traveling since a lot of things can be arranged by the tour agent and the tour guide for your convenience. Although traveling by yourself can be more free and flexible, it involves a lot of unavoidable trouble due to the language barrier and the cultural differences and it would be difficult for you to reserve hotels and arrange transportations, meals and sightseeing especially when you travel in a high season or during the Chinese national holidays.

When planning a trip to china, you must know what you want to see and how you would like to travel. To select a tour, you are suggested to consider your preferences in four areas, namely time, budget, physical condition, personal interests and tour destinations.
 

• Time: This includes the time and the duration of your visit. Are you interested in seeing as many places as possible in a short period of time or concentrating on just a few locations for a long time?
 

• Budget: This involves the amount of money you intend to spend and on what you want to spend it. Perhaps the most important part is hotel accommodation when planning your tour.
 

• Physical condition: International travel is an energy-consuming activity, so you must take your physical condition into consideration. Being energetic and invigorating, young people or experienced travelers may want to visit as many places as they can. While for other people, the tour may be more comfortable to have some rest days during the visit.
 

• Personal interests: What aspects of China you are most interested in determines greatly the itinerary you choose. For example, the temples and museums will be ideal if you are a history enthusiast.
 

• Tour destinations: China is a vast country with various landscapes, and it will be very helpful to research some potential destinations through various travel resources. By doing so, you will feel you receive the best tour value for your money.

You can not see everything in such a vast country like China, and on your first visit we recommend you to go to the major cities.

The following is a list of itineraries for your reference:
• Travel to modern cities such as Shanghai and Beijing together with the small cities around them;
• Go to explore the mysterious Tibet;
• Visit Chinese ancient capitals such as Xi’an, Luoyang and Kaifeng;
• Visit Lushan Mountain, Yellow Mountain, Taishan Mountain, Wuyi Mountain and so on; they are all famous Chinese mountains;
• Travel to Guilin, Zhangjiajie and Jiuzhaigou for its beautiful natural sceneries;
• Take a ride on the Yangtze River Cruise from Chongqing to enjoy the stunning beauty and magnificence along the route;
• Travel to Xiamen, Dalian, Qingdao and Hainan to enjoy the beaches.

Generally speaking, it is not very expensive to travel China. If you join a tour group, all your costs, except gifts and personal expenses, will be covered into the tour packages. In comparison with other world-class travel destinations, China offers its tourists good values in hotel accommodation, meals and entertainment. Besides, airplane and train transportation within China is also good value for money.

China has seven major legal holidays, that is New Year’ Day, the Spring Festival, Tomb-sweeping Day, May Day, the Dragon Boat Festival, National Day and the Mid-autumn Festival. Chinese people will be on vacation during these holidays and it will be very crowded in tourist cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Guilin and so on. Then the air tickets, train tickets and hotel rooms will be in great demand, so it is smart to avoid traveling during these days. 

Travel companies are professional agencies that are specialized in helping you experience and see what you dream of and at the same time provide you the most reasonable rates and best services available, so it is extremely important to find a good and trustworthy travel agency before your trip. Hereunder are some tips for you to find the right agency:
 

• Make sure the travel company you are going to work with has a lot of options for your needs during your trip. Does it have various destinations and recommendations from which you can choose to best fit your interest?
 

• Make sure the travel company has available remedies for unexpected situations and emergencies. For example, what is the agency’s policy in case of bad weather?
 

• Look for travel companies that offer discounts, which will be a great opportunity to gain the best travel quotes, packages and pricing you can find.
 

• Look for travel agencies that offer referral program.

To check the company legal or not, first you can judge from the travel information it provides to see whether it is comprehensive and reliable or not. Then refer to the feedback from its website. Besides, you should check out whether it is an officially government registered travel organization and consider its authenticity and legality.

In China it is a common practice for travelers to tip tour guides, drivers and bellboys for their excellent service, and the amount is based on the satisfaction you received from them. Usually the amount of your tip is 80-150 RMB a day to a guide and half amount to a driver. It is not common to tip at hotels and local restaurants because usually their bills contain a 10-15 % service charge.

You can get access to most immediate heath services in large Chinese cities when you get sick, however medical services in rural areas are much worse than that in urban areas and the hospitals maybe a long distance away. It is likely for you to pay for the treatment first and get compensation from your health insurance company later. Since most foreign healthcare insurance companies do not cover healthcare in China, we strongly recommend you buy travel insurance that cover healthcare and emergency evacuation in China.

Victorian Cruise Lines have some great cruises of the Three Gorges and Yangtze River. Except the very fancy five star cruises, the Yangtze River cruises are not expensive and the cruise fare includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and the shore trip everyday.

The Shaolin Temple is located at Songshan Mountain in Dengfeng near Zhengzhou, the provincial city of Henan. This Buddhist temple is famous for Chinese martial arts and particularly Shaolin Kung Fu both home and abroad. The Shaolin Temple is the Mahayana Buddhist monastery perhaps best known to the western world, and therefore it is really worth visiting.

Basically, including the three top China travel agencies, CITS, CYTS and CTS, all travel organizations would accommodate for the elderly. What you need to do is to tell them your demand and let them do the rest.

The most practical way is to solve it locally with the service provider and if you fail to follow this, claim for compensation may be reduced or declined. What’s more, details should be lodged in writing in 7 days of return to your own country if you have unresolved complaints.

Of course you can decide to visit any factories or shops and any shopping will only be included in your trip after having your permission. Tell your tour guide directly if you do not want to shop. In case of the tricks in shopping, we suggest you to buy things from government approved shops for guaranteed quality.

Despite the fact that China is one of the safest countries in the world for traveling, pickpockets can be really troublesome when traveling in China. Usually they work in groups and target at people who are careless and expose their money or any valuable articles in public. Therefore always keep a close eye on your pocket and belongs, especially in a crowd. The following are some advice for you to keep away from pickpockets:

• Keep alert to your surroundings, especially when strangers approach close to you.
• Take vigilant attention on your valuables when you are in a crowd and be alert to unusual jostles.
• Do not leave your luggage alone or have them taken care of by strangers if you are on train or bus for a long journey.
• Be alert to some tricks played by pickpockets.

Tour guides in China are all trained and licensed by passing a strict examination. Experienced tour guides usually work for travel companies that can handle directly with foreign tour operators. English is the first language spoken by Chinese tour guides. Generally tour guides in less developed areas are not as qualified as their counterparts in eastern areas especially taking into consideration the quality and fluency of their spoken foreign languages.
 

It is possible to have English speaking tour guides. Nearly all of them are graduated from universities and most take English as their major. They are all well trained to explain the scenic spots and have a good knowledge of dealing with foreign travelers. So it will be no problem for you to communicate with and get help through them.

Yes, it is. If you have other special language requirement just tell it to your tour company in advance and they will arrange it for you. They will find tour guides who can speak French, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, German and so on in your favor.

After completing the entry formalities, which include going through passport control, health inspection control, baggage claim and customs, you exit straight ahead through the doors into the arrival concourse. If you join a tour, you will see the local guide from the tour company you are working with, and then you just go with them to the hotel that has been reserved in advance. If you travel alone, just take a taxi and show your hotel’s address to the driver after you exit from the doors, and then she or he will take you there.

• Budget tour—offers a stay in 3 star hotels for each day with basic sightseeing and some meals;
• Standard tour—offers a stay in 4 star hotels for each day;
• Luxury tour—offers a stay in 5 star hotels for each day and everything is included.

China is a “nation on wheels” of bicycles and bicycles play an important role in the daily life of Chinese people, so it is definitely a good way of exploring city life in china, especially in cities like Beijing where except bikes other means of transportation do not usually have access to alleyways and hutong. While riding a bike, you can enjoy the scenes alone the street, visit small museums of celebrities and call on local families.
 

There are many bike rental services in China, so if you need one, just call the relevant departments including hotels and tour agencies since most of them in China provide this kind of service for visitors. You are required to present your valid ID, such as your passport.
 

Here are some tips for biking in China:
• Ride in the right side of the street and stay in the non-vehicle lane;
• Make a gesture when you want to make a turn;
• Obey traffic regulations and if an accident happens go to the police immediately;
• Riding with your hands free are forbidden;
• Carry a person on the back of your bike;
• Avoid peak hours of 7:00-8:00 and 16:00-18:00 when you are on bike tour.

It is possible for you to get close enough for a photo opportunity, and in Chengdu Reserve sometimes you can even touch pandas at an extra cost.