VISA
Since recently, holders of a Belgian passport (as well as most other Western European countries) can travel to China visa-free for up to 30 days. This is valid for travel until 31 December 2026, and the policy may be extended thereafter.
USEFUL APPS
- WeChat
WeChat is extremely popular in China and can be used for almost everything. It is much more than just a messaging app. With WeChat, you can send messages, make (video) calls, and share photos or files. You can also use it as a payment method via WeChat Pay (= Weixin). With this, you can pay almost everywhere: in hotels, restaurants, train stations, and even at the smallest street vendors.
In addition, WeChat offers features such as following official accounts (similar to Facebook in the West) and booking services like taxis (via DiDi), as well as hotels and train tickets. It is basically an all-in-one app that combines communication, social media, and daily practical services.
For tips on how to use the app, see the sections ‘payments’ and ‘transport booking (DiDi)’.
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PAYMENTS - WECHAT/ALIPAY
- WeChat or Alipay: that’s basically all you need to travel in China. Even at the smallest street stalls you can pay with WeChat! The only things we couldn’t pay for with WeChat were certain vending machines, where only Alipay worked. Alipay is a similar app. The first time you use the app, you will of course need to link your bank card.
To pay with WeChat, you either scan the recipient’s QR code or let them scan your own QR code. Sometimes you need to manually enter the amount you have to pay.
TIP: Press and hold the WeChat icon on your phone, and you can directly scan a QR code or show your own QR code without having to search through the whole app!
- You can also pay with cash in some places, but this is not always possible and definitely not necessary. We didn’t handle or see any physical cash ourselves!
- Visa and Mastercard are also options, but you won’t be able to use them everywhere.
TRANSPORTATION and getting around
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DiDi Ride-Hailing (within WeChat)
This is a kind of Uber that you can book and pay for via WeChat. Prices are very affordable. Through this app, you can also book taxis. Be careful of scams: people sometimes ask for extra money for tolls on return trips, or they may ask you to cancel the DiDi booking and pay them directly. Be cautious with this! Of course, you can also arrange a private driver through your hotel, or take a taxi directly from the airport, train station, or city centre. Train China’s railway network is enormous, and there are many high-speed trains! Train tickets can be booked in several ways:
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Note: two important points. Many cities have multiple stations (for regular trains or high-speed trains). High-speed train stations are often located quite far from the city centre. Booking tickets, baggage checks, and walking distances can take a lot of time combined. For busy stations, it is not exaggerated to arrive one hour in advance.
Self-driving
Renting a car is not realistic: an international driving permit is not valid in China, and you need to obtain a Chinese driving licence. In addition, you will not be able to read many traffic signs.
However, you can rent an electric scooter. This is very cheap (around €6 per day) and very convenient, for example in the Guilin/Yangshuo region. You do not need a driving licence, as these scooters are supposedly limited to 25 km/h. Although according to maps we sometimes reached 50 km/h while the speedometer still showed 25. 🤔
Self-driving
Renting a car is not realistic: an international driving permit is not valid in China, and you need to obtain a Chinese driving licence. In addition, you will not be able to read many traffic signs.
However, you can rent an electric scooter. This is very cheap (around €6 per day) and very convenient, for example in the Guilin/Yangshuo region. You do not need a driving licence, as these scooters are supposedly limited to 25 km/h. Although according to maps we sometimes reached 50 km/h while the speedometer still showed 25. 🤔
WHAT NOT TO forget when travelling to china?
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WHAT NOT TO TAKE TO CHINA?
- Powerbanks: these must have a Chinese 3C (CCC) label, otherwise they will be confiscated at the airport! At the airport, there was a box full of confiscated powerbanks. Even with the 3C label, you still need to pay attention to the maximum capacity of the powerbank.
TIP: In China you can also buy powerbanks very cheaply, and you can rent them on the streets as well as in certain hotels, shopping malls, and train stations. - Deodorant: although this is not a problem at the airport when packed in your checked luggage, it can cause issues at train stations (and also on airport trains). Deodorants and other sprays with a ‘flammable’ symbol may be refused, even in checked luggage! According to online sources, this only applies to sprays above 150 ml, but our 150 ml deodorants were still confiscated. If you want to avoid any risk, bring a roll-on deodorant instead.
- External batteries above 100 Wh: these are not allowed. All my drone batteries were checked, but fortunately they were within the limits.
ARE YOU TAKING A DRONE TO CHINA?
Drone regulations
Drone regulations in China were fairly lenient until recently. China is also the home of DJI, the market leader in drone development. However, there are some important requirements:
- Your drone must be registered, otherwise you will not be able to take off in China.
- You must be connected to the internet while flying, so the authorities can monitor your drone operations in real time.
Drone registration
Via the website of the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC), you can fairly easily and free of charge register yourself (as a pilot) and your drones using translation apps, as the website is in Chinese. To register, you do need a personal Chinese phone number.
If you do not have one, you can use paid third-party services. They will register your drone(s) under their name. This is considered a grey area. One of these websites is www.chinadroneregistration.com. Registration there costs 50 USD and your drone will be registered within about 15 minutes.
Ideal flying locations
- Yangshuo region: beautiful landscapes and almost no restrictions (besides the basic regulations).
- Zhangjiajie: believe it or not, drones are allowed almost everywhere! Exceptions include Tianmen Mountain and the glass bridge at Zhangjiajie Canyon.
- Other rural areas outside cities.
- The entire Beijing province, including the Great Wall. Even the section near Jinshanling, which is technically in Hebei province, still falls within Beijing’s geozone.
- Be cautious in major cities such as Shanghai.
- More information can be found on the official website of the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC).
HOW AND WHERE TO BOOK HOTELS?
To book hotels in China, you can use most booking platforms. We booked the majority of our hotels via Booking.com. In some locations, it was more difficult to find hotels on Booking.com, such as in the Beijing region (city centre and the Great Wall area). For these locations, we used Hotels.com and Trip.com.
Was our blog useful or interesting? Would you like to support us by using our affiliate links? When you click on one of our affiliate links (usually in red) and make a booking or purchase, we receive a small commission. For you, the price remains exactly the same. This way, you support our work while still enjoying stress-free travel preparation.
For the time being, you can already find some of our hotels here based on your request. These, along with the others, will be integrated later in our travel blog!
Hotel bij Yangshuo ⇒ highly recommended! Take a room with a river view!
Was our blog useful or interesting? Would you like to support us by using our affiliate links? When you click on one of our affiliate links (usually in red) and make a booking or purchase, we receive a small commission. For you, the price remains exactly the same. This way, you support our work while still enjoying stress-free travel preparation.
For the time being, you can already find some of our hotels here based on your request. These, along with the others, will be integrated later in our travel blog!
Hotel bij Yangshuo ⇒ highly recommended! Take a room with a river view!
ADDITONAL TIPS and info
- The currency in China is the CNY (Chinese yuan), while the currency itself is called the renminbi (RMB). To make quick conversions: 10 yuan is about €1.25, or €1 equals 8 yuan (as of April 2026).
- Tipping is not required in China.
- Accurate weather forecasts can be found here: weather China. Make sure to check the forecasts to decide whether you can visit certain places, such as Tianmen Mountain.
- Closing day in Beijing: on Mondays, almost all tourist attractions in the city are closed! Keep this in mind when planning your itinerary.
- Try to avoid traveling during Chinese national holidays, as crowds can be extreme! Transport, tourist attractions, and cities can be overwhelmingly busy, so plan your trip outside these dates if possible. When we visited China in April, there were not that many tourists; for example, at the Bailong Elevator, the waiting time was only about 3 minutes. If you travel on busy days or during summer, this can increase to up to 2 hours! The busiest periods are:
- Chinese New Year (Spring Festival): around 17 February 2026 (with a full holiday week)
- Qingming Festival: around 4–6 April
- Labour Day holiday: 1–5 May
- National Day / Golden Week: 1–7 October
- Some Chinese people, especially older men, have different habits than what we are used to in the West: burping, clearing their throat, flatulence, spitting. You will encounter this everywhere, even next to you on the bus or train. It may not feel pleasant to us, but keep in mind that we are in a different country where customs are different.
- Food in China is not like Chinese food in Belgium. Personally, we did not find the food very tasty, but that may be different for you. In any case, you will need translation apps to understand exactly what you are ordering.