Your First 24 Hours in Shanghai: Airport, Hotel, Payment and Dinner
For your first day in Shanghai, work in this order: clear arrival formalities, get connected, confirm a way to pay,
Travel Guides
Explore practical China travel guides organized around the decisions international visitors actually need to make: where to go, how to travel between cities, how to stay connected, and how to handle payments and local rules. Start with the latest guides below, then use the destination and topic hubs to narrow your plan.
China Medical Visa: S2 Documents, Companions and Stay Rules (2026)
Planning treatment in mainland China? A China medical visa search will often point you toward the S2 private-affairs visa, but
Moving to China Checklist: Visas, Registration and Daily Life (2026)
This moving to China checklist is for people preparing to live in mainland China for work, study or family reasons.
Yulin Caves: Plan a Separate Cave-Art Visit from Guazhou
Yulin Caves are in Gansu’s Guazhou County, not in Yulin city in Shaanxi and not inside the Mogao Caves visitor
Dunhuang vs Zhangye: Choose Cave Art or a Landscape-Focused Stop
Choose Dunhuang if Mogao’s Buddhist cave art is the reason you are travelling west. Choose Zhangye if the layered hills
Silk Road China Itinerary: 12 Days from Xi’an to Dunhuang
For a first Silk Road China itinerary, allow 12 days for Xi’an, Lanzhou, Zhangye, Jiayuguan and Dunhuang, including transfer days
Lanzhou Travel Guide: A River, Museum and Noodle Stop in Gansu
Give Lanzhou one full city day between travel legs if you want more than a station change. A useful first
Jiayuguan Travel Guide: Choose Your Fortress and Wall Visits
Visit Jiayuguan for the fortress pass and the surrounding Great Wall landscape, but plan the Fortress, First Beacon and Overhanging
Zhangye Travel Guide: Colourful Danxia, Binggou and the City
Use Zhangye as a base for the Colourful Danxia scenic area, with Dafo Temple for an in-city heritage visit and
Dunhuang Travel Guide: Mogao, Crescent Lake and a Two-Day Base
Plan Dunhuang around a confirmed Mogao Caves visit, then give Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake their own time block. The
Forbidden City vs Summer Palace: How to Choose (and Whether to Do Both)
If you only have time for one, choose by what you want from the day: the Forbidden City is a
Missed Your Train in China? Change Rules, Refunds and What to Do Next
If you miss a mainland China train because you arrive late, check your change options immediately. Under the ordinary rules,
