Travel Notes
China Knowledge

Entering China: Visa, Transport & Must-Have Apps

· #签证攻略#交通指南#游客须知#visa#transport#travel tips#中英双语#Travel Notes

Visa & Entry

Since 2024, China offers 144-hour transit visa-free and 15-day visa-free entry for many nationalities. Travelers can enter visa-free through Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and other cities. Prepare: valid passport (6+ months validity), return ticket, hotel booking confirmation. Fill in the health declaration upon entry (or use the “China Customs” mini-program in advance).

Airport to City Transport

Beijing Daxing: Airport Express to Caoqiao (35 yuan, 19 min), then metro. Taxi to downtown ~150-200 yuan. Shanghai Pudong: Maglev to Longyang Road (50 yuan, 8 min, 430km/h — worth the experience), then metro. Metro Line 2 reaches downtown but takes ~1.5 hours. Guangzhou Baiyun: Metro Line 3 to downtown (7 yuan, ~50 min). Chengdu Tianfu: Metro Line 18 to city (~10 yuan, 50 min).

Must-Have Apps

WeChat: payments, chat, ride-hailing, food ordering — almost everything. Alipay: payments, services, foreign cards can bindirectly. Amap or Baidu Maps: navigation, transit routes (Google Maps doesn’t work well in China). Didi: ride-hailing (like Uber). Dianping: find restaurants, read reviews (like Yelp). 12306: official train ticket app. Translation: Baidu Translate (photo translation for signs and menus is very useful).

SIM Card & Internet

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