Trip Planning Hacks#
Last updated on June 4th, 2025
Note
š¬Ā If you have any hacks you would like to share/know, feel free to contact us through chinatrip.info.contact@gmail.com, and we will follow up as soon as we can!
š°Ā Estimate How Much You Need#
Hereās a rough estimate of typical travel expenses in China, split between major cities (like Beijing/Shanghai) and non-major cities.
Expense Item |
Major Cities (Beijing/Shanghai) |
Non-Major Cities |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Budget Hotel (Double Room) |
Ā„400-600 |
Ā„200-350 |
per room per night |
Luxury Hotel (Double Room) |
Ā„900-1500 |
Ā„600-1000 |
per room per night |
Casual Breakfast |
Ā„10-30 |
Ā„10-20 |
per adult |
Casual Lunch |
Ā„40-100 |
Ā„30-80 |
per adult |
Casual Dinner |
Ā„60-120 |
Ā„30-70 |
per adult (+30% in central areas) |
Trendy/Viral Restaurants |
Ā„150-300 |
Ā„80-150 |
per adult (e.g., Peking Duck banquet, Shanghainese cuisine) |
Subway/Bus (Single Ride) |
Ā„3-8 |
Ā„2-4 |
per adult per ride |
Taxi |
Ā„14-16 (first 3 km) + Ā„2.8-3.5/km |
Ā„6-10 (first 3km) + Ā„1.9-2.4/km |
per trip |
Public Attractions/Museums |
Free |
Free |
|
Private Attractions/Museums |
Ā„50-100 |
Ā„20-60 |
per adult |
High-Speed Rail (2nd Class) |
Ā„0.5-0.7 |
Ā„0.3-0.5 |
per kilometre per adult |
š±Ā Exchange Rate between RMB and Other Currencies
Chinaās currency is called Renminbi (RMB), which literally means āPeopleās Currency.ā Its symbol is Ā„, and the official ISO code is CNY.
Hereās the typical exchange rate range between RMB and some major currencies (for real-time rates, just click the links below):
ā¬1 = Ā„7-8.2 (real-time rate)
Ā£1 = Ā„8.5-9.5 (real-time rate)
$1 = Ā„6.5-7.5 (real-time rate)
SFr.1 = Ā„7.2-8.5 (real-time rate)
AU$1 = Ā„4.5-5 (real-time rate)
š¤ÆĀ CNH ā CNY
You might see both terms used when checking exchange rates:
CNY: the Chinese Yuan used within mainland China (onshore).
CNH: the Chinese Yuan traded outside of China (offshore).
If youāre travelling in China, make sure youāre dealing with CNY, not CNH.
š Timing: Picking the Right Time to Visit#
Planning your trip to China? Letās chat about the best times to go, considering festivals, weather, and a few surprises along the way. Hereās what you need to know.
šļø Major Holidays
Chinaās public holidays can transform the travel landscape. During these periods, transportation hubs are bustling, tourist attractions are crowded, and accommodations may be scarce or pricier. Hereās what to watch out in the short future:
Spring Festival (Chinese New Year): February 17th to March 3rd 2026. This is Chinaās most significant holiday, akin to Christmas and New Year combined. Expect mass travel as families reunite, thus trains and flights are extremely hard to book.
International Labour Day: (anticipated) May 1st to 5th 2026. A popular time for domestic travel, so expect crowds at tourist spots.
National Day & Mid-Autumn Festival: October 1st to 8th 2025. The two holidays coincide, creating an extended āGolden Week.ā Major tourist destinations will be packed.
During these holidays, major cities like Beijing and Shanghai may feel less crowded as locals travel elsewhere. However, tourist destinations such as Hainan and Heilongjiang can become exceptionally busy.
š”ļø Weather Considerations
Chinaās vast geography means a wide range of climates. Understanding regional weather patterns can help you pack appropriately and plan activities.
š„ Summer Heat
Summers, especially from June to August, can be intensely hot and humid in many regions. Provinces/cities listed as follows often experience temperatures exceeding 40Ā°C (104Ā°F): Chongqing, Guangdong, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and Zhejiang.
If youāre sensitive to heat, consider visiting northern provinces such as Gansu, Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Xinjiang (but not every city) for summer months. So, to maximise your probability of getting an enjoyable trip, we strongly suggest to check the weather forecast.
āļø Winter Cold
Winters, particularly from December to February, can be harsh in northern and western China. For instance, Altay in Xinjiang can experience temperatures as low as <-50Ā°C (-58Ā°F). Ensure youāre prepared for extreme cold if travelling during this season.
š Typhoon Season
From July to September, southern coastal provinces like Guangdong, Fujian, and Hainan are susceptible to typhoons. These storms can disrupt travel plans with heavy rains and strong winds.
Keep an eye on weather forecasts if youāre heading to these regions during this time. Flexibility is key!
āļø Flights#
Booking flights at Skyscanner, and land at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG).
We donāt have much more than Skyscanner to recommend for booking flights to and back from China. But, we do strongly recommend you to land at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), and hereās why:
Language: Because you can always find staff who speak English, and the airport is well-connected to the city via metro.
āComprehensive One-Stop Service Centre for Foreign Nationals: Shanghai Pudong International Airport is the first in China to establish a one-stop comprehensive service centre for foreign travellers. From Wi-Fi access to SIM cards, purchasing transportation cards with foreign credit cards, and conveniently located currency exchange points, to attentive baggage handling services and seamless foreign card payments, the airport offers a full range of services designed to enhance the travel experience of international visitors in Shanghai.
šØ Hotel#
Where to stay in China? Weāll share our favourite booking platforms and hotel brands, plus some location tips that can save you hours of commuting.
š Book on Trip.com
When it comes to booking hotels in China, we recommend trip.com over booking.com.
To give you an idea: we did a quick test search for hotels in Shanghai (same dates, same number of guests). Trip.com gave us >10,000 options, while booking.com showed only 859. Not only that, the prices on trip.com were noticeably better.
Surely, there are some Chinese apps that offer even better deals and way more listings. But they often donāt come with English interfaces, and using them without knowing Chinese can be tricky. So unless youāve got local help, trip.com is probably your best bet.
šļø Hotel Brands We Love ā Ji & Atour (Not Sponsored, Promise!)
When it comes to hotels in China, we have our favourites. After all, weāve been living here for years and have tried out a lot of places.
Weāve stayed in a lot of hotels across China, and our go-tos are Ji Hotel and Atour Hotel. Hereās why we keep coming back to them:
Our personal recommendation is Ji Hotel and Atour Hotel, two brands. Why them?
Theyāre everywhere: Big city, small town, chances are youāll find one of these two brands nearby.
Easy to reuse: Once youāve stayed at one, youāll know the drill. Same check-in flow, same kind of room, same amenities, and same services everywhere.
Great value: For around ā¬100 or Ā£100, you can usually get a very nice room (enough for two adults and a kid), plus free laundry, free gym access, and a great location.
Seriously comfy beds at Atour: Itās a running joke that Atour opens hotels justĀ to market their pillows and mattresses. Some say the real business is bedding, not lodging! Honestly, we donāt mind, their pillows and mattresses are amazing.
ā ļø Notes on location - stay close to metro
One tip we always share: try to stay close to a metro station. Traffic in Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai can get intense, especially during rush hours. The metro, on the other hand, is fast, cheap, and reliable!
Also, be mindful of city size! Take Shanghai for example, it can take >2 hours to go from one airport to the other by metro. (Yes, thatās why they built a high-speed airport line.) So before you book, pull up amap.com (itās like Google Maps but for China) and check your hotelās distance from places you want to visit. Otherwise, you might end up commuting over an hour just to get to the city centre.
Weāll talk more about hotel booking, must-knows, and what to avoid in China Travel 101 ā Accommodation. Stay tuned!
šļø Must-visit Places#
We will provide a city-by-city guide to the must-visit places in China, coming soon in China Trip 101!
āĀ Buy Us a Coffee#
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