Trip readiness checklist for China
China runs on apps you don't have yet and blocks the ones you do. Here's the trip-readiness checklist for China: what to pack, when to go, entry rules for your passport, and the official sources to confirm before you fly.
Build my checklistEntry rules for a US passport
Visa required in advance
Source: U.S. Department of State, checked September 14, 2026. Other passports get their own answer in the app. Confirm at the official source before you book.
What to pack
China is vast and modern, and it runs on apps and QR codes more than cash. Pack for your regions and seasons, comfortable shoes, and sort your connectivity before you arrive — much of the Western web is blocked.
A plan for connectivity
Google, WhatsApp, and many Western apps are blocked. Sort a reputable VPN before arrival and download offline maps and a translation app.
Comfortable walking shoes
Cities are huge and sights sprawling; you'll walk and stand a lot.
Season-appropriate layers
China spans climates — humid south, cold north, high west. Pack for your specific route.
Hand sanitiser and tissues
Handy for transit and some public restrooms; carry your own.
When to go
Spring (Apr–May) and autumn (Sep–Oct) are the most comfortable and popular. Avoid the national holidays — Chinese New Year (Jan/Feb) and Golden Week (early Oct) — when hundreds of millions travel at once.
Money & getting around
China runs on the yuan (CNY, or 'renminbi'), but daily life is overwhelmingly mobile — Alipay and WeChat Pay rule, and both now link to foreign cards. Carry some cash as backup; tipping isn't customary. Set up a payment app before you go.
Local quirks worth knowing
China runs on apps you don't have yet and blocks the ones you do. An hour of setup before you fly saves your whole first week.
Set up payments before arrival
Alipay and WeChat Pay run daily life; both now accept foreign cards — install and verify them at home. Cash is legal but increasingly awkward.
The internet is different here
Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, and most Western sites are blocked. If you need them, arrange a reputable VPN before you land — not after.
Your passport is your key
Hotels, train tickets, many attractions — all require the physical passport. Carry it, and book big sights (Forbidden City, Great Wall sections) ahead on their apps.
Hot water is the default
Restaurants serve it, train cars dispense it, locals swear by it. Asking for cold water gets you warm confusion.
A week in China, the list starts here
Quantities scale with your dates, the weather groups arrive once we have your travel days, and your own plans add their gear on Trip Pass.
- Passport & travel documents1
- Phone charger & adapter1
- Wallet, cards & some local cash1
- Toiletries bag1
- Any daily medicationsenough for the trip
- Underwear7
- Socks7
- T-shirts / tops5
What am I forgetting?
A real answer from Trip Happens for a sample week in China, departing in five weeks with a checked bag and nothing packed yet. Yours is built from your own trip.
Beijing in five weeks. Here's what the trip's shape suggests.
- 1.
Payment apps set up now
Daily life in China runs on Alipay and WeChat Pay, and both can link a foreign card — but verification takes time and is easier on home wifi. Do it before you fly, and carry some yuan as backup since tipping isn't expected.
- 2.
Connectivity sorted before you land
Much of the Western web is blocked, so the apps you rely on for maps, messaging and email may not work on arrival. Sort your access plan and download offline maps while you still have five weeks.
- 3.
US passport entry rules for China
You're travelling on a US passport for seven nights, and China's requirements for Americans are worth confirming at the official source rather than from memory. Check your passport's expiry date too, since only you can see it.
Entry, advisories & health
These change. Confirm at the official source before you book.
Entry and visa requirements depend on your nationality. Confirm the current rules for China with the official source below before you book.
U.S. State Department travel advisory for China — check the current level and any alerts before you go.
CDC traveler health page for China — recommended vaccines, health notices, and a packing checklist.
Get the full China checklist
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