China travel tips. Traveling to China on your own. Mysterious and unusual China Additional costs: the mentality of the locals

So, you are going to go to China. And they did it right! This country is famous for its centuries-old culture, inventions, natural landscapes, food and much more. Now there are many offers on the tourist market, but they are all of the same type and run along the same well-trodden routes. In addition, they don’t give freedom: look to the right, look to the left ... How about entering the country where they look at you with genuine childish interest, like an alien, where the whole car gets up when they see you)). Or chat with the locals and get to know the life of the country from the inside. All this is provided by independent travel.

Below are the main practical issues related to independent travel in China.

1. Visa to China

The first thing you need for such a trip is a Chinese visa. Visas are of several types, respectively, require different documents, different costs. The simplest is a one-time tourist. You can issue in a travel agency, which naturally will take an additional fee for their work. You can make a visa yourself by taking the documents to one of the consulates of the PRC: in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok.

2. How to get to China and move around within the country?

There are several ways to get to the Celestial Empire from Russia: by plane, train or bus, and hitchhiking. It all depends on your budget, where you are going from and what places in China you are going to visit. China, as you know, borders on Russia in the Far East, from there the path to Beijing is the closest. You can cover this distance by train. From Moscow, St. Petersburg, the European part of Russia, the easiest way is to fly by plane. There are both direct flights and with transfers in Astana, Almaty, Dubai, depending on the airline. Cheap tickets can be found on the website .

Inside China, you can also move in different ways, which is more to your liking. We traveled on trains, bought tickets ourselves at the box office a few days before departure.

3. How much money to take to China?

It is difficult to give an unambiguous answer here - everyone has their own requirements and preferences. I can only provide a link to our

It is better to exchange cash in advance in Russia for dollars, since rubles in China are not changed. Dollars to yuan are changed mainly by the Bank of China, the exchange rate in the spring of 2013 was 6.1 yuan per 1 dollar. You can also use Visa and MasterCard bank cards. A fee will be charged for withdrawing money from the card. It is different for different banks, check with your bank before traveling.

Anya and I applied for ISIC youth cards, and in some places they give a good discount. For example, we saved 90 yuan (450 rubles) on Mount Emeishan.

4. What to take with you to China?

Experience is the son of difficult mistakes)) It’s not clear why we dragged sleeping bags with us, but it turned out that China is full of cheap and comfortable housing.

When collecting, pay attention to what kind of weather awaits you in China. For example, in the spring in the southwestern regions there is a lot of rain and dampness, while in Xinjiang it can be cool but dry. From here, choose what to take. For an independent trip, a backpack is an indispensable and convenient thing that you must have =).

In extreme cases, buy what you need in China, all the clothes are made there anyway!

5. Accommodation in China - where to sleep?

As mentioned above, the choice of accommodation is huge, especially in places popular with tourists. And competition keeps prices affordable. You can book a hotel or inn in advance - this is easy to do on the site. If you prefer to improvise, you can decide on housing already on the spot. I just strongly advise you not to do this if you are traveling on holidays: in early May and in the first half of October.

If you want to stay in an apartment or rent a room from the hosts (often cheaper than a hotel), try Airbnb (follow and get a free $25 on your first booking).

6. Where to go in China, attractions

Here the choice is simply endless, China is an amazing country! At every step waiting for the discovery =).

We visited 4 provinces, or rather , and province , Yunnan and Manchuria. The rest of the districts were simply passed by train.

7. Food

People in China love and know how to eat! Local residents have adopted the rule "War is war, but lunch is on schedule")). The choice of food is very large, although the main products for the Chinese are rice and noodles, as well as additives to them. You can have a bite to eat in local chifans or by buying products in the market or in supermarkets.

It should be noted that Chinese food is very spicy - be careful, especially in the early days.

When organizing an independent trip, mobile applications are very helpful. We wrote .

That's all I wanted to say about traveling to China on my own. Come to China, you will definitely be satisfied! Easy roads!

Amazing and multifaceted, ancient and at the same time ultra-modern, hectic and incredibly peaceful… A trip to China will reveal this country to you from a variety of angles, and decide which one to fall in love with. We can say one thing for sure - each of you will find a piece close to him in this Asian mosaic!

What to see in China: the most interesting cities

Beijing

Visit the Gugong Palace Complex, previously closed to commoners

Traveling in China should start from the capital Beijing. Its symbol is considered to be the world's largest palace complex Gugong or the Forbidden City. During the reign of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and this is about five centuries, the entrance here was closed to commoners, so today it can be considered a great success to be able to visit this incredible masterpiece of architecture. No less monumental is the huge Tiananmen Square, where a solemn ceremony of raising the national flag takes place every morning. The best place to take a break from Beijing's gigantomania is the Yiheyuan Gardens of Peace and Harmony, where the summer imperial palace is located among ponds and openwork pavilions. And, of course, a trip to China is impossible without admiring the pagodas: in Beijing, these are the elegant temples of Heaven and Confucius, which look more like precious boxes. And more! Just 60 km from the capital is the famous Great Wall. Needless to say, not a single trip to China is complete without visiting it?!

Shanghai

View of Shanghai at night from the Bund ©

Shanghai is a kind of Chinese Greece, where there is everything! Climb to the dizzying heights of the local Oriental Pearl TV Tower and marvel at the reflections of the sky in the mirrored skyscrapers, then set off to explore the intricate patterns of Longhua Pagoda and Jade Buddha Temple. Stroll along the popular Bund and mega-shop on Nanjing Street, or spend a few hours in the peaceful atmosphere of Yu Yuan Garden of Joy. Immerse yourself in Oriental culture at the Museums of Ancient Art and Traditional Chinese Medicine, or nostalgic for Old Europe in the elegant French Quarter. And more! In the suburbs of Shanghai, there is a local branch of Venice, a town called Zhujiajiao. Be sure to plan to visit it during your independent trip to China!

Guangzhou

See the most flourishing city of China with your own eyes! ©

Guangzhou is the most flourishing city in China and the embodiment of everything we know about Chinese cuisine. Due to its southern location, this metropolis is more like a huge garden, where, by some misunderstanding, skyscrapers suddenly grew. Yuexiu Park with the ancient Zhenhai Tower and the annual chrysanthemum exhibition, the Orchid Garden with cozy tea houses and Baiyun Mountain immersed in greenery are the main reasons why you should go to China and Guangzhou. But there are also temples of the Six Banyan Trees and the Five Spirits, the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King, the Cheng Clan Academy, and a futuristic hyperboloid TV tower. As for local delicacies, it is in Gangzhou that you can taste snake meat and dog meat, fried grasshoppers, frogs, worms and other miniature inhabitants of China. And more! An hour's drive from the city center, above the mouth of the Pearl River, the harsh and beautiful Lotus Mountains rise like giants carved from stone by an inept craftsman.

Chengdu

Be sure to visit the ancient city in Sichuan province near Chengdu

Chengdu is like an extract of real China, combining ancient architecture and dizzying natural scenery. In the city itself, look for the colorful temple complexes of the Black Goat and Wuhouqi, look into the Bishushanzhuang imperial residence and stroll along the ancient streets of Wenshufang and Jinli. If you decide to go to China with children, then the obligatory point of the program in Chengdu is the Giant Panda Sanctuary. And another 50 km from the city are the world's oldest dam Dujiangyan and the Qingchenshan mountain range with many Buddhist monasteries hidden in mysterious forest thickets.

Where to go in China: the best attractions

In addition to the main cities, while traveling in China, it is worth visiting remote sights on your own, which you should never miss!

Terracotta Army

The number of clay warriors is amazing

According to ancient tradition, Chinese emperors were buried along with their entire living (!) Army, and only the first ruler of the Qin dynasty decided to distinguish himself with humanism and, instead of real warriors, took about 8,000 clay figures with him to the next world. The giant mausoleum was unearthed only after two millennia, revealing a whole terracotta army with horses and weapons. There are no two similar soldiers here: each of them has his own facial features, and differences in rank and nationality are also visible. Without exaggeration, this is the most incredible archaeological complex in China!

Yuanyan Rice Terraces

Incredibly picturesque Yuanyang Rice Plantations ©

Rice plantations make up one of the most inviting landscapes to see while traveling in China. The best vantage point for viewing these magical panoramas is in Yunnan Province, where there is a whole network of viewing platforms. Rice terraces look different at different times of the year. In winter and early spring, they are filled with water and look like mirrored stairs, in summer they are painted in emerald hues, and in autumn they burst into bright golden colors.

Huanshan Mountains

Must visit: mountain panoramas in Huanshan area

What to see in China for mountain lovers if you don’t want to get a special pass to the territory of Tibet? The most mesmerizing high-altitude panoramas await you in the Huanshan area. Sharp stone peaks, almost always shrouded in haze, which the sun's rays pierce every now and then, create an incredible mystical atmosphere. Hiking trails of different difficulty levels are laid along the mountains, and cable cars also operate on some slopes. And it is best to relax after tiring descents and ascents at the foot of Huanshan in hot springs, where the water temperature is always the same - 45 ° C.

By the way, many of these places can be visited without a visa during!

The best places to stay in China by the sea

hainan island

On the island of Hainan you can always find the sun. Even in winter! ©

Incredibly, a holiday in China in winter is possible not only in thermal baths, but also on the sea! Head to the tropical island of Hainan, where it is sunny and warm all year round. The resorts of this region are suitable for everyone. Tourists with children will appreciate the well-maintained sandy beaches with a gentle entry into the water. Young people will enjoy the variety of entertainment: from bars and discos to diving and surfing. Those who want to dilute their vacation in China with a rich cultural program will not get bored either, going to a folklore village, Monkey Island and Butterfly Gorge.

The most active and popular resort of Hainan is Sanya, where it is always fun, interesting and inexpensive. Yalunvan is more suitable for lovers of a quiet, luxurious holiday. And if you are fond of surfing, then we recommend staying in the Dadonghai area.

The holiday season is October-November and March-May.

Baidahe

Baidahe can be of interest to absolutely any tourist ©

Until recently, this resort was closed to foreigners, mainly politicians and the wealthiest residents of the Middle Kingdom rested here. Is it necessary to say that Baidakhe has everything that can attract people of this level? Excellent infrastructure, wide golden beaches, clear sea, mountains and healing pine forests. In addition, this is the best place where you can relax in China near the capital: the train to Beijing takes only 3 hours. True, Baidahe itself also has enough entertainment: a water park, a safari park and a dolphinarium, the palace of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and the Dove's Nest park, where colorful sunrises are shown. And 35 km from the resort, the Dragon's Head rises directly from the sea - this is how the very beginning of the Great Wall of China is called here.

Holiday season - from May to September

Dalian

The funicular will help you to better see the local beauties

Another resort where it is better to relax in China with children or a youth company. The main attraction of Dalyan is 200 km of gorgeous beaches. The most popular of them is Xinghai with paid sandy and free pebble sections. And for those who are looking for peace and solitude, we advise you to go to the distant beach of Banchuy. After sunbathing, stroll around the city and look for the old Russian and Japanese streets. If you are young and energetic, you will definitely appreciate the vibrant nightlife of the city with many bars where both tourists and local students relax. Little holidaymakers will not be bored either: they can be taken to an unusual forest zoo, an amusement park and an aquarium, but the main thing is to visit the longest glass underwater tunnel in Asia, located in the Dalian Aquarium.

The holiday season is from June to September.

Where to go shopping in China

Our guide to China would not be complete without talking about the most shopping places in the country, because shopping is one of the local tourist attractions! If you're not looking for something special, but rely on low prices and a large selection of goods, go shopping in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.

The best places for shopping in Beijing:

Wangfujing Street is one of the central shopping streets in Beijing.

• Wangfujing Street - where there are many branded stores with the highest quality items;
• Qianmen Dajie Street - a shopping promenade where you can find not only clothes and shoes, but also appliances, souvenirs and handicrafts;
• Xidan District - here you will find various shopping centers, supermarkets and souvenir shops;
• Yabaolu District - specializes in trade with Russia and often "speaks" Russian;
• The silk market is one of the most popular in Beijing, you can find almost everything here;
• The pearl market speaks for itself - pearls in all its manifestations are sold here;
• Panjayuan Market is the country's largest flea market, where you can find unique art, antiques, fabrics and more.
• The Place shopping complex - where the most expensive and luxurious things are sold.

In Shanghai, all trading duties are clearly divided between different areas:

Shanghai also boasts of its “shopping list”

• Longhua Street and the Bund are responsible for the sale of branded items;
• At the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum subway station, you can find the same brands, but much cheaper and no longer original;
• The Kuipu market sells ordinary clothes and shoes;
• The First Asian Market and Sunshine Bazaar specialize in jewelry;
• Dong Tay Market is worth a look for antiques;
• The Tien Shan market offers the best selection of teas;
• Cybermarket, as the name implies, is focused on the sale of equipment and electronics;
• And all the goods in one place are collected in the Raffles City Shanghai and Shanghai New World malls.

What interesting things can be bought in China?

In addition to clothes and shoes of very different quality, from well-known brands and their fakes to good market items, it is worth bringing various gadgets from China, because, most likely, your smartphone or tablet was made in China! Of the souvenirs, the most popular are niphrite products, legendary Chinese porcelain and pearl jewelry. And, of course, it is impossible to leave here without a box of real Chinese tea, such as Puer, Baihao, Maofeng or Tie Guan Yin.

Transport for independent travel in China

Moving between cities

A great alternative to planes are trains that connect almost all cities in China © Kristoffer Trolle

If your travel route in China runs through the whole country, the best way to move in space is to use air travel. The most inexpensive flights are carried out by numerous Asian low-cost airlines, however, when buying such tickets, pay attention to the free hand luggage allowance. For those who travel with luggage, it may be more profitable to fly with low-cost airlines, which are also numerous in China.

An alternative to flying is to travel in China by train. Railways cover almost the entire eastern part of the country, and in the west they connect the main cities. Trains are divided into high-speed (up to 300 km/h), high-speed (up to 200 km/h), fast (up to 150 km/h) and conventional trains. There are sleeping places (in a soft or hard compartment) and sitting (also soft or hard). The most extreme is tickets without seats, which we strongly advise against buying. The sale is carried out only at the box office, since in order to use the railway website, you must have a Chinese bank card and a local phone number. Most cashiers do not speak English, so there are special cash desks for foreigners, where, however, an additional fee is charged for “special service”.

If you are organizing a trip to China on your own and have a small budget, it is worth considering the option of moving around the country on intercity buses. On popular routes between megacities, new comfortable cars are most often found, while quite old and heavily overcrowded buses sometimes go to the outback.

Moving in China by car is extremely inconvenient, since international laws do not apply here. To rent a car, you need to obtain a special document, but this procedure is long and difficult.

Urban transport

As in many countries, a popular transport for tourists is a taxi.

The fastest way to travel within large cities is the metro, because ground transport is stuck in traffic jams comparable in scale to those in Moscow. Tickets can be bought at the box office at the entrance to the subway, and on buses and trolleybuses - from the conductor. In addition to one-time travel cards, there are also special cards that work on the principle of an electronic wallet.

Taxi in China is the most popular mode of transport for tourists. Payment is made according to the meter: the initial tariff (from 90 rubles) already includes the first 4 km of the journey, then about 20 rubles are added. per km. At night and outside the city, the fare may be higher. In addition, there are cycle rickshaws traditional for Asia. Usually they are more expensive than taxis, but they do not stand in traffic jams and will bring a peculiar flavor to your trip to China!

What you need to travel to China

Be sure to check out a couple of Chinese villages along the way.

Do I need a visa to China?

When is the best time to go to China?

The most comfortable months for traveling to China (including Beijing and Shanghai) are April-May and September-October, when it is no longer cold throughout the country, but also not too hot. No less good weather in China in November and December is also found in the south of the country, so at this time you can safely plan a trip to Guangzhou. If we talk about resorts, then it is better to go to the northern coast (Dalian and Baidahe) in summer, but a beach holiday in China in winter is possible only on Hainan Island.

And if you plan to escape in this direction from the Russian cold, then by all means use ours.

Article text updated: 05/29/2018

In November 2011, together with my wife Ekaterina, we made the first full-fledged trip on our own, without travel agencies. We visited several popular places in China, spent one day in Hong Kong and then flew off for adventure to the Philippines. We really liked the country: kind, benevolent people, a sense of security, cheap transport, food, hotels and excursions, a huge number of attractions. I knew that I would return to China again. In March 2014 my dream came true: we flew to China for the second time. And today I begin a very long and detailed account of our journey as savages through China and Thailand.

General questions regarding the preparation of a trip to China

When I wrote a report on the first trip to China on my own, I did not dwell on general issues related to this country that may be of interest to travelers. Let's talk a little about the People's Republic of China. We all know that the Motherland of Mao Zedong is by far the most densely populated country - more than 1.3 billion people, i.e. every 5th inhabitant of the planet out of 10 is Chinese. We don't think much about it, but the fastest growing country in terms of demographics (and economy) is India with 1.22 billion hungry mouths. So, every 4 people out of 10 are representatives of Southeast Asia. The territory of China is 6.5% of the earth's land. Only in Russia and Canada there is more land. Imagine how many tourist attractions in this country can fit!

Most of the Middle Kingdom has a temperate climate. In the South - tropics or subtropics. In the North - continental climatic conditions. On average, the winter temperature in the northern provinces of the country is -7 °С (but up to -20 °С) in the center - 5 °С, in the south from +5 °С to +15 °С. In summer - +20.22 °С, +25 °С in the North, in the Center and in the southern regions, respectively.

They say that you can fly to the island of Hainan to relax all year round, since the air there is always warmed up to +28 ° C, and the water - up to +25.6 ° C. We did not go to Hainan, but we condemn ...;), After a close acquaintance with the Chinese service in hotels, I am sure that for the same money in Thailand or, for example, in the Philippines, it will be more fun and pleasant to relax. All the same, the Chinese neighbors, like ours, have a socialist past with all the consequences.

Time difference with China

The Celestial Empire is a huge country located in 5 time zones. But the party said that it did not want to bother - everyone should live by Beijing time, i.e. in summer it is ahead of Moscow +4 (difference with Yekaterinburg +2 hours), and in winter - +5 hours to Moscow (+3 to the capital of the Middle Urals).

How to talk to Chinese

In general, the Chinese, in general, do not speak foreign languages. And they write in hieroglyphs. People often ask me: “How did you communicate in China? What if you need to ask for directions? How to explain to a taxi driver where your hotel is? In the first story about a trip to China as a savage, I described this moment in detail: pantomimes of a deaf-mute plus printouts with a dictionary and the names of existing places in Chinese - to Kiev, i.e. they will bring you to the most remote Chinese village. This year we were more fortunate: in Shanghai, in the Zhangjiajie Nature Park (Zhangjiajie | 张家界), the ancient city of Fenghuang (Fenghuang Ancient City, 凤凰县) and in Guilin (桂林) and even in the village of Ma'an (Ma'an, 马 安寨) hotel staff communicated tolerably in English (at least one person in the hotel could speak).

How to change currency in China

We took some euros in cash with us (as a last resort). But there was no such need (to change the currency). Withdrawed money from Visa and Mastercard debit cards at ATMs (where you can choose English and sometimes Russian in the menu everywhere). The exchange rate was 6.3 rubles per yuan (including a bank fee of 150 rubles for each transaction). Before the trip, we bought 500 yuan from Sberbank (in Yekaterinburg - this is a branch on Tveritina Street, 34) so ​​that we have money for a taxi from the airport in Shanghai to our New Asia Hotel. And in the morning they withdrew money from an ATM ... The procedure for exchanging cash in Chinese banks, according to independent travelers, is long and dreary. On our first trip to China on our own, we exchanged dollars for yuan a couple of times in hotels. They formally issue a receipt, ie. this is legal.

For me, the preparation for an independent trip to China took place, already according to the knurled scheme, which I have been using for many years.

There was no big difference for me. Since I don’t know Chinese or other languages ​​(so it doesn’t matter to me where to fly - to China, Brazil or the USA), in any case, I have to prepare carefully for the trip, without missing anything, so that it doesn’t arise on the spot. no questions or problems.

1 . We need to decide for how many days You eat and make up route around the country.

For myself, even before the trip, I decided that it was impossible to embrace China at one time and therefore, I divided it into two trips (and maybe more). Therefore, on the first trip (because you never know if there will be a next one), the places that I wanted to see first of all were chosen. These were mostly the most important historical cities, which were almost all at one time or another the capitals of China and are of historical interest (I love history, especially ancient and medieval)

The route was designed so that I descended from north to and further south (this saves money, no need to go back.)

Here is the complete route.

Beijing (5 days) - Tianjin (1 day) - Great Wall of China (1 day) - Xi'an (2 days) - Huashan Mountains (1 day) - Nanjing (2 days) - Suzhou (2 days) - Shanghai (2 days) - Hangzhou (3 days) - Guangzhou (2 days) - Shenzhen (3 days)

Total 24 days in China. Well, here everyone is free to choose the time and route.

Since I can’t imagine a summer vacation without a vacation on the warm sea, Thailand was added as such a vacation for two weeks, especially since a ticket from the last city of China, Shenzhen, cost only 120 US dollars to Bangkok.

2 . Now we gotta deal with it how to get there to China.

Usually I buy tickets 10 months in advance (but even before that, a year, sometimes two years, I monitor this route in different months on search engine sites such as Skyscanner.ru and Momondo.ru and set the best prices and the best options for myself) There is no point in flying to China, it is so early to buy tickets, so I bought a Moscow-Beijing ticket in just 5 months. I am looking for tickets on search engines, but I almost always buy tickets on the websites of airline companies.

It was the same here - I found the cheapest flight - I went to the website of Hainan Airlines, bought a one-way ticket for 282 US dollars. Fly 7 hours - departure from Sheremetyevo on July 14 at 19.55, arrival in Beijing on July 15 at 09.05 local time.

From China, as I said, I flew to Thailand (A ticket for AirAsia is a budget low-cost airline - a ticket is only $ 120 - I bought it in 5 months)

3 . The next step is to understand how to get around between cities in China.

Here, by far, the most ideal mode of transportation is rail transport. It is one of the best and most modern in the world in China!

In the photo one of the Beijing railway stations - Central

How to buy train tickets - this question arose even before the trip. Now (this happened not long ago) you can buy tickets for Chinese trains on the Internet - or rather, book them in Russia on the website - chinahighlights.ru, pay and receive the reservation number that will be sent to you at any station in China.

Pictured here is Beijing South Station

I had 10 train journeys, including two night trains). Everything went great (about the specifics of trains and stations - I will tell you in detail in the next tip)

I also had one flight within China from Hangzhou to Guangzhou. I bought a ticket through the site - expedia.com (this site has never let me down either in the USA or in South America)

4 . Next step. Figure out how to get to airports and railway stations.

It wasn't much more difficult.

In Beijing, there is a metro line at the airport_ I sat down and went to the desired station, in Hangzhou the metro did not reach the airport yet, and for the first time I could not understand and find information where the shuttle stop was and I had to order a taxi from the hotel to the airport (the first and last time China)

Railway stations (there are several of them in almost all cities, like in Moscow (you also need to figure out which station you eat from and which one you arrive at) - but all of them that I needed were connected by metro lines, so it’s a problem to get there before them did not arise (as a separate council has already said, this will be discussed).

5 .Now it was necessary book hotels.

I used two sites - Booking.com (money can only be paid in cash at the hotels themselves in China) and Agoda.ru (money is withdrawn immediately upon booking and in China you didn’t have to pay anything) Everything went with a bang! there were no freezes. In the future, I will give an overview of all the hotels (the price range was from 30 to 40 US dollars, once 50) I took hotels near railway stations so as not to go far.

6 . Visa.

I ordered a visa to China through a travel agency - they gave it for 3 months (it cost 6 thousand rubles) - it does not need any hotel reservations or tickets. If I lived in Moscow, I would do everything myself for 2 thousand rubles.

7. Attractions.

The next step is to figure out what to see in each city, that is, to choose attractions.

I'm doing it now - it's easy - I go to the site - tripadvisor.ru

I type the city that I need in the search and then - “Entertainment” section and the entire list of attractions in this city drops out, with reviews of tourists and their photos, you can understand if you need this attraction or not. It is important that all attractions are ranked according to the rating of tourists and basically it is always correct, the most outstanding ones go first.

Open the attraction you need - on the right side there will be a small map, and under it there is an important function - "Name and address in the language of the region" - open it and print this name in Chinese and you can safely show this printout to the Chinese (I did this several times), if you can't find the attraction, do the same with the name of the hotel through this site (have their address in Chinese).

You also need to make printouts of the names of the cities you will be moving around in China.

But just in case, I still check by typing a phrase in the Yandex search - for example, “Sights of Xi'an” and read there and choose.

8. Chinese transport in cities.

We chose sights for each city, now we need to understand how to get to them.

Here, too, there were no problems, since in all cities there is a metro, you need to navigate by stations. To do this, download or print the subway maps of all the necessary cities in English - in the Chinese subway - everything is duplicated in English. (I will give separate advice about the Chinese subway)

And in some cases, we build a route using the Google Maps website - select a city. A route window will appear in the right corner - for example, we fill in the name of your hotel and the name of the attraction and select the public transport function) Google will give bus route numbers

We check on the map where the attraction is located, and for greater peace of mind, we prepare printouts in Chinese). I made printouts of the desired part of the city on a printer and marked my walking path around the city. Although I also had a tablet.

9. . Upload to tablet.

Offlan translator (simplified Chinese) - operates without the Internet and gives out the necessary hieroglyphs (the Chinese understood me - used it several times), just in case I bought a simple Russian-Chinese phrase book in our bookstore.

You also need to download Google maps of China (offline), which work without the Internet - everywhere

10. Money.

I changed money back in Orenburg at Sberbank, something about 1 yuan 9 rubles.

For 24 days, food and sightseeing and local transportation (not including railway) took 4,000 yuan, or about 40,000 rubles.

The rest of the prices for trains and hotels will be given in the following tips.

Well, here we are, ready to travel to China!!!

Nothing to worry about - you just need to figure it out.

12 . Made in a few days medical insurance on the Internet in Ingostrakh for 24 days in China, printed it out and took it with me.

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Number of sources used in this article: . You will find a list of them at the bottom of the page.

China is an exciting place to visit. In this article, you will learn what things you should take with you. In the article you will also find useful recommendations that will be useful to you in China.

Steps

Take all necessary documents with you. You will need to obtain a Chinese visa. Take your passport and plane tickets with you.

Always keep your passport with you. This is the legal requirement in China. Also make a copy of your passport in case you lose the original. You can scan your passport and upload it to a location that you will have access to.

Prepare for your trip ahead of time. Although there are shops on almost every corner in China, many things that you are used to may not be there. Take toilet paper with you as most public toilets do not have it. You can start collecting the rest of the paper in advance. Every time you have a half-used roll of paper left, put it away and put it in your suitcase. 6-8 small rolls will last about two weeks for a family of four. Five-star hotels always have classic European toilets and toilet paper. Most major airports have at least one western-style toilet. Take only one key to your house or car with you. Leave the rest at home.

• You will need to take toilet paper with you everywhere, especially if you are traveling by train.
• You can buy toilet paper on the spot. She's inexpensive.
• Floor-mounted toilets are widespread in China, but they are more common in rural areas than in cities.

1. Take your medicine for indigestion with you. Water quality in China is very poor, so you can get a gastrointestinal infection from brushing your teeth with tap water or eating vegetables that have not been cooked after being washed with tap water. Take activated charcoal tablets, Smecta and other means with you.

   • Most often, water problems occur in rural areas, not in cities.

2. Remember to add up all the medications you need to take on a regular basis.

   Take clothes according to the season. Summer in China is very hot and it often rains, and it is very cold in winter. Take extra clothes with you and remember that you can always use the laundry machine or have your laundry done at the hotel. But be aware that some laundries use caustic products that can irritate sensitive skin. To prevent this, take things to the dry cleaners.

   Dress appropriately. In most public places, smart casual is the standard dress code. If you need to attend formal events, bring a suit or formal dress with you.

   • The climate of China is in many ways similar to the climate of Russia. In the south, summers are hot and humid, while winters in the north are dry and cold.

3. Make sure that no water enters your mouth while showering. It tastes normal, but tap water can cause gastrointestinal upset. Brush your teeth with bottled water.

   • Small towns still sell bottled water, which is filtered with cheap nylon filters. It is better to buy water of famous brands in large stores.

4. Talk to your doctor before traveling. Your doctor will tell you if you need any vaccinations based on your health condition, immunization history, area you are traveling to, and expected activities. Buy all necessary medicines. According to Chinese law, a person must carry a doctor's certificate confirming the need to take psychoactive drugs. Take antibiotics and other medications you will need to take during your trip. Calculate the required amount for all days of the trip and take a few extra packs. Put it all in the first aid kit and put the doctor's prescription next to it. Check what other medical documents you may need.

   Take with you the contact information of your doctors, if you have it. This information will come in handy if you have a health problem and need to call home.

   Prepare an amenity kit for each member of your family. Place toilet paper and a small container of hand sanitizer in it. It is best to use non-alcohol based products as airport security officers often confiscate alcohol products, especially in Guangzhou. Also put in an energy bar, cough drops, and chewing gum. They will come in handy on the road. In addition, a flashlight can be useful, because in China at any moment the electricity can go out, and you will find yourself in a dark room.

   • Remember that you are in China. In order to reduce litter, restrooms often don't have toilet paper, so bring tissues with you. Napkins can be bought for 1-2 yuan almost everywhere.

5. Take travelers checks with you, as well as cash, as cards are not accepted in many cafes and shops. Keep your money in a special bag for valuables or in a money belt. Put your return plane or train tickets, traveler's checks, credit cards, or cash in there. Keep valuables under your clothes. So you can keep them even if your hotel does not have a safe.

   • Most banks in large and medium cities have ATMs that accept cards from foreign banks.
   • In small towns, it can be difficult to exchange dollars or euros for local money.

6. Put down other important things. You may also need deodorant (which will not be available even in major cities), a raincoat or umbrella, a hat, sunscreen and glasses (depending on the time of year and where you are going), repellent, a charger adapter if you have one. you have or you need it. If you are a woman, bring your hygiene products with you.