Your First 24 Hours In China: The Ultimate Step By Step Guide For First Time Visitors (2025)
1️⃣ Landing + Arriving in China
After getting off the plane, proceed through immigration, grab your luggage, and go through customs.
Make sure you are aware of the customs restrictions beforehand (especially if you’re bringing in cigarettes, alcohol, more than the equivalent of USD 5,000 in any currency). Some people might have to do a quick health screening.
2️⃣ Taking Transport To Your Hotel
Once you get out into the arrivals area, look for the signs pointing to transport. Your choice depends on where your hotel is located. Go to the hotel page on your app and click the address to bring up a map. See how far the nearest metro station is.
The following options will be available at any international airport you fly into.
For metro, see my ultimate guide to metros in China for a full step-by-step guide.
For taxi, follow the signs to the designated taxi rank. Give address in Chinese to cab driver. You can also use the DiDi app to hail a cab to the designated pickup point (网约车) - copy and paste the hotel address from the booking page (see my guide to using DiDi).
I do not recommend you accept rides from drivers who approach you before you get to the taxi rank as they’re likely to be private drivers and some of them could overcharge you.
For pre-arranged private car, your driver/guide should have given you instructions and should be at the pickup point. Make sure you have their contact details in case you can’t find them.
For a general summary of transport, see my beginner’s guide to transport.
YenKid: If you have no idea where you’re going, just pull up the hotel address in Chinese, go directly to the taxi rank, get in, and show it to the taxi driver. Have cash ready in case your Alipay doesn’t work. If you do pay with cash, the driver might not have change. But at least you can sort it Alipay or WeChat later.
3️⃣ Arriving At Hotel
The hotel may not have fluent English speaking staff, unless it is a major international chain or it has explicitly said so in their hotel list of services. This is the typical process for check-in:
Provide passports for everyone in your party + booking screenshot to the receptionist
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Use translation app to communicate when necessary. See my hotel vocabulary guide.
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You may be asked to have your photos taken for registration, as required for all foreigners visiting China. This applies to everyone, not just the person who made the booking.
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You may be required to pay a security deposit (in case of damage during your stay). This does not apply to all hotels. Mid-tier to luxury hotels typically accept credit cards, budget hotels are less likely to. Every hotel must accept cash. Obviously, you can pay using Alipay or WeChat Pay.
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Once the registration is complete, the receptionist will hand you the room card or key. At this point, you can ask how to connect to Wi-Fi if you haven’t received any details. Sometimes, it is written on the plastic holder containing the room card. Most hotels will have it written on a card on the bedside table or desk.
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If you understand everything, head to your room. You can always ask questions later.
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If you realise you need something - for example extra toilet paper or extra towel, just ask reception (with the help of my vocabulary guide).
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After setting everything down and a quick rest, it’s time to head out and explore!
YenKid: If there is any problem with the room (e.g. smoking odour, no hot water), you can ask reception to switch rooms. As long as your communication is clear, most hotels will be more than willing to help you. Remember there are cultural differences so there can easily be misunderstandings.
4️⃣ Heading Out To Explore
What you have time for obviously depends on whether you arrive in the morning, afternoon, or evening.
If you arranged a tour on your first day, meet with your tour guide at the agreed location.
If you are planning to visit day-time attractions, you must have arrived no later than early afternoon.
Many people want to grab some food and drinks, particularly after a long flight.
Either explore the immediate local area where there should be streetside restaurants, shops, and even shopping malls.
Or you can head to the central districts if your hotel is in another district. Just take the metro or hail a cab. You can even consider renting a dockless bike.
5️⃣ Buying A Drink At The Cafe/Store
If you are at a drinks shop (e.g. coffee, tea, fruit juice), use Alipay or WeChat to scan the QR code on the counter or one of the tables.
You should see a digital menu load up on your screen. You can add items to basket and place your order. Remember to use the translation function. See my full guide on ordering food and drink here.
If you’re struggling, get the attention of a staff member and translation app to communicate. See if they have a physical menu and point at what you want.
If you are buying from a store, take the items to checkout and have your payment QR code scanned. Note that some small shops don’t have a scanner and will need you to scan the shop’s QR code on the counter. Then, input the exact amount for payment.
YenKid: If you’re struggling with paying using the app, take a look at my beginner's guide.
6️⃣ Looking for Food
If you’re just looking for nearby malls, restaurants, and cafes in general, Amap is a good starting point (I do not recommend Google Maps). Malls and commercial areas are usually coloured in purple. Restaurants and cafes will either be labelled with their logo or a dining graphic. Some places have reviews, but I wouldn’t rely on them too much. I suggest you consider visiting the main pedestrian street in the city, where you can get a feel of the variety on offer.
If you want to be more specific or don’t wanna be spontaneous, you can use Dianping - see my guide to using this app. If you’re not sure what to eat, here’s some inspiration about food highlights for each city. You can use Dianping to search for restaurants that offer these dishes.
YenKid: Have a read of this quick summary of 5 Food and Drink Facts You Should Know Before Travelling in China!
7️⃣ Ordering and Paying for Food
Many restaurants and cafes have undergone a digital revolution in the last 10 years. The primary method to order is to use WeChat/Alipay to scan the QR code on your table. This will bring up a menu inside the app. You can place your order here. Again, use my How to Order Food and Drink guide for a step-by-step guide.
Note: some (but not all) restaurants will still have paper menus but you need to ask for it.
8️⃣ Visiting Attractions
If you haven’t bought your tickets in advance, have a look on the Trip app and see tickets are still available. Some places reserve a limited amount of walk-up tickets for foreigners, but you risk wasting your time if they’ve sold out. A few places like Tiananmen Square require advance online bookings for everyone.
If you’re reading this and haven’t arrived in China yet, I strongly recommend you book your tickets around 7 days in advance for famous attractions. Usually, you can’t book earlier for most attractions, unless you’re with an organised tour or book with a 3rd party agency. Take a look at my ticket buying guide.
If you bought your tickets already, you usually enter the attraction by handing to your passport to staff to swipe the ticket gate OR go to the ticket office for a paper ticket. Just approach staff with your passport if you’re unsure.
9️⃣ Heading Back To The Hotel
The metro normally closes between 11pm to 12am.
If you’re staying out later than this and at least several kilometres away from your hotel, the best option is to call a cab. Make sure you have the hotel’s address ready. Ideally, you should save the hotel location as a favourite in DiDi.
