Start Here
A practical guide for the first three days after arriving in China.
Last updated: May 2, 2026
Use this page as a practical setup guide before you travel and a backup checklist after landing.
The first 72 hours in China are not about doing everything. They are about making the basic systems work: phone data, payment, maps, transport, food, hotel check-in, and simple communication.
Once those systems feel stable, the rest of your trip gets much easier. If you rush into complicated plans before testing the basics, small problems can stack up quickly.
Your first priority is to leave the airport or station calmly and reach your hotel. Do not make this step more complicated than it needs to be.
Before leaving the terminal, make sure your phone has mobile data, your hotel address is saved, and you know which transport option you are using.
After check-in, stay close to your hotel for the first few practical tests. This is not wasted time. It is how you make the rest of the trip smoother.
A convenience store, supermarket, cafe, or simple restaurant near your hotel is ideal for testing payment and translation without pressure.
Day two is a good time to try one normal city route: metro to a central area, Didi to a restaurant, or a simple attraction route. Keep it manageable.
The goal is to learn how the city feels, how long transfers take, and how your apps behave in real situations.
Food is one of the best parts of traveling in China, but ordering can be stressful if you cannot read the menu. Start simple, then explore more.
Mall restaurants, food courts, hotel-area restaurants, and places with photos are easier early choices than tiny local restaurants with no pictures.
By day three, you should know whether your payment, maps, translation, and transport setup works. Now you can plan a more ambitious day or prepare for another city.
Do not wait for a payment failure to think about payment backup. Your backup plan should be ready before your first taxi, restaurant meal, or train transfer.
Transport backups matter because the best option changes by time, luggage, traffic, city layout, and your energy level.
Most early-trip problems come from trying to do too much before the basics are stable. China rewards preparation. Give yourself a little buffer at the beginning.
FAQ
Confirm phone data works, open your hotel address, choose a simple airport-to-hotel route, and check in. After that, test payment with a small purchase near your hotel.
If you are tired or arriving late, keep the first day light. It is better to stabilize payment, maps, transport, and food basics before doing a packed sightseeing day.
Test mobile payment after you have data working and before you rely on it for taxis, train trips, or larger meals. A small convenience-store purchase is a good first test.
Use metro for simple city routes, Didi for luggage or late arrivals, official taxi lines when app pickup is confusing, and high-speed rail only after confirming station and passport details.
Sources
Next steps
China travel gets much easier when you connect each guide to your actual arrival city, payment setup, and first-day route.
Start with the essentials: payments, apps, transport, hotel address, data, and your first 72 hours after landing.
Open Start HereCheck what changes in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xi'an, and Chongqing before you book hotels or plan local routes.
Browse city guidesIf your situation is specific, share your travel month, cities, and biggest concern so the guide can be improved around real traveler questions.
Ask a localA practical first-trip checklist for foreign visitors preparing for China before departure, after landing, and during the first 72 hours.
Open guideA practical transport guide for first-time visitors using Chinese high-speed trains, metro systems, airport transfers, taxis, and Didi.
Open guide