For foreign travelers · checked by people on the ground
The hostel noticeboard for traveling China
Entry rules, payments, trains, and the small stuff that trips people up — pinned, dated and argued over by travelers who just got back, so you land already knowing.
Ana, Marek, Yuki & 1,240 travelers checked something on the ground this week.
Filled it on the plane wifi, scanned a QR at immigration, done. Fill it online before you fly — paper backup at the border if you can't. One thing: it wants your first night's hotel address, so screenshot your booking before you board.
8-ish hours each way. Translation app covers the ticket office? Anyone done it solo this spring — and is the train + transfer option actually easier now?
Mist on the water, old men doing tai chi, zero crowds. By 9am it's a different planet. Bonus: the lakeside Starbucks opens at 7 and takes foreign cards.
Sanyuanqiao ↔ T3 section closed Sat–Sun for works. Shuttle buses are running but add 40 minutes — leave earlier or take a taxi (~¥100 from the center).
All high-speed rail, 2–3 nights each. The board's verdict so far: drop one city, add a day trip instead. Full thread has three reworked versions with train times.
Set up Alipay AND WeChat before you fly. Your passport is your everything. Book the big sights days ahead. And stop trying to tip — nobody tips. The thread's piled on another 30 of these.
