China - getting a visa and do I need a guide?
Discussion
We fancy going to China and doing a touring holiday, sightseeing etc. Family of 4.
Has anyone done similar and if so what's the process with the visas? I have read that visas are either transit visas or they are restricted to a certain city which would be no good but you can get round this by having a guide. Lots of questions at this stage, does the guide come with you the whole time and would this need to be booked in advance etc?
Looking forward to hearing from likeminded people who have done similar?
Thanks in advance.
Has anyone done similar and if so what's the process with the visas? I have read that visas are either transit visas or they are restricted to a certain city which would be no good but you can get round this by having a guide. Lots of questions at this stage, does the guide come with you the whole time and would this need to be booked in advance etc?
Looking forward to hearing from likeminded people who have done similar?
Thanks in advance.
x5tuu said:
A tourist visa will suffice. We applied direct and it took a couple of weeks. (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/china/entry-requirements)
How are you intending on travelling between locations? Bus / coach / plane? If by car then you’ll need a driver / guide.
When I was last in China as a tourist we travelled around by public transport and no guide required and it wasn’t difficult - just time consuming.
Thanks for that. We intend to travel using public transport, bullet train, some internal flights and possibly a short 3 night or so cruise up the Yangtze River. Not really intending to hire a car. How are you intending on travelling between locations? Bus / coach / plane? If by car then you’ll need a driver / guide.
When I was last in China as a tourist we travelled around by public transport and no guide required and it wasn’t difficult - just time consuming.
Did you need to go to the embassy for the visa ?
Shaoxter said:
Yes they need your biometrics, as you would expect from any good surveillance state 
You probably know this already but your Google/FB etc based services won't work so make sure you download some translator and maps apps which work in China. I think Apple maps work if you have an iPhone. Also not many places take cash or card, it's either WeChat or Alipay. And I think the former is still restricted to Chinese nationals so you probably only have the one option.
That’s useful to know, thanks. I knew about google etc not working but hadn’t thought of an offline translator app…..will look into that and WeChat plus Alipay. You probably know this already but your Google/FB etc based services won't work so make sure you download some translator and maps apps which work in China. I think Apple maps work if you have an iPhone. Also not many places take cash or card, it's either WeChat or Alipay. And I think the former is still restricted to Chinese nationals so you probably only have the one option.
Thanks for all of the comments and useful tips, some of the best holidays we have had have been the ones where we make it up as we go along, touring and sightseeing, getting things wrong and working it out etc but China just seems a little bit more out there. I don't know anyone who has gone which gives me a little bit of apprehension especially with a 10 and a 14 year old. Comments above have been gratefully received and give some reassurance for me.
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