Ten common questions,
answered straight.
Pulled from the most frequent threads on r/travelchina and the questions we hear from first-time travelers. No hedging — just what's actually true in 2026.
- Is China safe to visit right now?
- Yes — by almost every concrete measure. Street crime against tourists is extremely rare. Violent crime is among the lowest in the world. The realistic risks are tourist scams (especially the 'tea house' scam around Wangfujing and the Bund) and the standard etiquette of avoiding political demonstrations. For 99% of travelers the day-to-day reality is unusually calm.
- Do I need to register with the police?
- If you stay in a hotel, the hotel does it for you automatically at check-in. If you stay at an Airbnb, with friends, or in any non-hotel accommodation, you must register within 24 hours. In 2026, most major cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu) have WeChat mini-programs that let you self-register from your phone in minutes.
- Will my Visa or Mastercard work?
- Directly: at most international hotels, large retail, and many sit-down restaurants — yes. For taxis, street food, small shops, metro stations, and convenience stores you'll use Alipay or WeChat Pay with your foreign card linked. ATMs in major cities accept foreign cards.
- Can I use Google, Gmail, WhatsApp, Instagram?
- Not on a Chinese SIM or local Wi-Fi without a VPN. The simple fix is a travel eSIM (Airalo, Holafly, Nomad) installed before you fly — your data routes through a foreign network, so all your normal apps just work.
- Do I need to speak Mandarin?
- No. Tier-1 cities have extensive English signage on the metro, in airports, and at major attractions. Apple Translate and Baidu Translate both do real-time voice conversation; Google Translate's camera mode reads menus and signs offline. Restaurant staff are increasingly comfortable using translation apps from their end too.
- Is it true hotels won't take foreigners?
- No longer true as a policy. In May 2025 the central government banned the practice. Some budget hotels still claim they're 'not qualified' to avoid the small paperwork involved — book through Trip.com and filter for properties that accept all guests, and you'll never hit the issue.
- How far in advance should I book trains?
- Tickets release exactly 15 days before departure. For weekday off-peak routes, a day or two ahead is usually fine. For Friday/Sunday popular routes (Beijing–Shanghai, Shanghai–Hangzhou) and especially holidays (May Day, October Golden Week, Chinese New Year), book the moment tickets release.
- What's the best time of year to visit?
- April–May and September–October are the textbook windows: mild weather everywhere from Beijing to Guangzhou, and outside the major domestic holiday rushes. Summer is hot and humid in the south; winter is cold and dry in the north but excellent for ice festivals in Harbin.
- Can I drink the tap water?
- No — like in much of Asia, tap water is not for drinking. Hotels provide kettles for boiling. Bottled water is cheap and everywhere (¥2–4 for 500ml). Restaurants serve hot water or tea by default.
- How does China compare with Japan and Korea for a first-time visitor?
- If you want extreme polish and orderliness, Japan. If you want compact convenience and pop culture, Korea. If you want scale, history, food variety, dramatic landscapes, and your money going much further, China. See the full cost comparison.