China - getting a visa and do I need a guide?

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.

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.

Did you need to go to the embassy for the visa ?

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.

We are going later this year.

I will need a visa so will be applying in a couple of months.

Mrs is Irish so she is ok.

We are going into PVG. Spending 3 days there.

Then train to Xian. 3 days there.

Train to Beijing for 5 days then fly out to Japan.

We have arranged a guide for Xian (1 day) and Beijing.(2 days). We are self guiding the rest of the time.

Its not cheap, but its not ridiculously expensive ether. Its working out about $300 per day. I researched local guides are you are looking at $120 ish for the guide and then another $80 or so for a car, plus your entry tickets. For the $300 per day they are including entry, so we are just going to roll with that.

Admin wise we have yet to sort out sim cards. ali pay etc but will be doing. I have been told that if you get a sim card outside of China thats got China data on it your google services will still work. Its worth noting that if you email a company in China from a gmail address they may not get it.

Also, print out all your bookings and documents before you go just in case you cant access any of it when you get there. From my brief look around it seems google maps is off by about 400-500m, so basically useless for walking directions. I hear Baidu Maps and AMap is the best.

Something to note, if you are self booking hotels make 100% sure they accept British. Some hotels don't and it does not matter how much you protest they wont let you in as they don't have the licence to let you stay.

We are staying with hotels our guide recommended in Shanghai and Beijing which are fairly cost effective and in Xian we are doing the Hyatt on points.

I think all western brands, Marriot, Hyatt's, Radisson etc etc will be fine. We have used expedia to book just to give us the fall back of English support if we need it.

Train wise we have decided to go with the G Trains (high speed) and shell out for business. I was all for just going first but then a few youtube videos made it seem like it could get very, very crowded even in first. So just to be on the safe side we went with business. Well I say we have booked it... we have used an agent and pre booked... so we will see on that front!! For $6usd per ticket I would rather they do it.

Once our trip to Japan is over we are going back to Shanghai and will spend another 4-5 days there just exploring the local area.

Don’t underestimate the times to clear passport controlol

Most go to websites; you will not have access without a VPN

Money, increasingly a lot of places no longer accept cash, traditional credit cards not widely used, except international hotels. Download Wechat pay or use Alipay.

Travel, don’t underestimate distance; trains, very fast, clean and punctual. Metro systems in most major cities are excellent.

WiFi is not widely available, even when it is, it’s generally pass word protected, which presents its own problems, although often a young member of staff will help you log in.

Pocket WiFi and local sims are a real PITA to get, you work out if it’s worth it.

Download DIDI which is basically the Chinese Uber, there is an English version and this will make getting around so much easier,

With regard to cost and convenience, only you can put a value on what you think is reasonable. I stay in i-biz hotels (but I’m cheap) they are good enough for me, just need a place to sleep.

Is a guide necessary, not really, but if you have a limited time in one place, it may make sense.

Be patient, many things seem to take a long time to be processed (esp. hotel rooms), but its just people doing their job.

“Something to note, if you are self booking hotels make 100% sure they accept British. Some hotels don't and it does not matter how much you protest they won’t let you in as they don't have the licence to let you stay.”

Actually, they don’t have a system in place linked to the security bureau, unable to accept international travelers. Now extremely rare, but did catch me out staying in a Jin Jiang Hotel in Kunming last Sept, put simply YOU have to find somewhere else to stay.

See ‘jetlag warriors’ recent youtube videos for travel tips.

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.

Yeah I meant a bit 'out there' for us.

Flights booked. I am going a few days ahead to check out the Canton Fair, something I have always wanted to do. I fly to Hong Kong then will go on to meet my Wife and kids going to Shanghai then tour round for 2 weeks returning from Beijing.

On the visa front, I used Chinese visa direct for approx £100 on top on the visa cost (work paid so not sure of the exact cost).

I filled out the visa form online with the embassy, travelled to London and met someone in a hi viz at the visa centre who had already applied for my queue ticket. Literally 5-10mins to do fingerprints and done. Passport posted back by Royal Mail within the week. Thoroughly recommend.