China Solo Travel Guide 2025: Visa-Free Entry, Tips & Tricks
Traveling solo in China by yourself now is pretty bloody hard if you do not speak Chinese, but while difficult, it is far from impossible. There are though some super tricks of the trade that will help greatly, hence our China solo travel blog.
And there really could not be a better time to visit China by yourself (or with friends) as many nations now are visa free, or at least allow very long transits.
Getting a Chinese Visa
Traveling to China solo is now more accessible than ever. As of June 2025, China has extended its visa-free policy to nationals from 47 countries, allowing stays of up to 30 days for tourism, business, family visits, or transit. This includes Australia, which was added to the list in 2024. This at least shows it is not all about politics…
Visa-Free Countries (30 Days)
- Austria
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Ireland
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Chile
- Peru
- Uruguay
Note: For stays exceeding 30 days or for purposes such as work or study, a visa is required.
240-Hour (10 Days) Visa-Free Transit
China also offers a 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit policy for travelers from 55 countries, including:
- Australia
- United Kingdom
- Russia
- Germany
- France
- Italy
- Spain
- United States
- Japan
- South Korea
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- Thailand
- Indonesia
- Kazakhstan
- Uzbekistan
- Azerbaijan
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Dominica
- Ecuador
- Fiji
- Grenada
- Maldives
- Mongolia
- Samoa
- Seychelles
- Solomon Islands
- Suriname
- Tonga
- Tunisia
- Vanuatu
- Zambia
Conditions apply: Travelers must hold valid international travel documents and interline tickets with confirmed dates and seats to a third country or region. They may enter China through any of the 60 open ports across 24 provinces and stay in designated areas for up to 10 days.
Do they speak English in China?
As someone who has done almost 20 years in China, as well as teaching English there, I am sad to say that the level of English has actually gone down of late. Luckily though we now have technology that skirts around this. This means that having internet is essential and having a translation tool will help you get by.
You should though also learn a few phrases too, as this will help greatly with China solo travel. It also helps to break down barriers if you at least try some words. In the end though you really cannot go wrong with either a translation device or simple using Google Translate.
Five essential phrases:
- Hello – Nǐ hǎo – 你好
- Thank you – Xièxiè – 谢谢
- How much is this? – Zhège duōshǎo qián? – 这个多少钱？
- Where is the toilet? – Cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ? – 厕所在哪里？
- I don’t speak Chinese – Wǒ bù huì shuō zhōngwén – 我不会说中文
China Solo Travel Blog – Internet in China
You need internet in China to get by, with this not just including translation, but also communication, registering and paying for things. Oh and then there’s the whole things being blocked in China. With this in mind I personally suggest getting an e-sim from apps such as AirAlo or Nomad. This is because while these are not as cheap as a local sim, they also work essentially as a VPN.
The other alternative of course is to get a local sim with China Unicom or China Mobile and use a VPN, such as Witopia. Honestly you really cannot survive without a VPN in China as quite literally everything we use in the west is blocked. This includes everything Google, Meta and even shockingly TikTok.
You NEED WeChat
You cannot do a China solo travel blog without talking about the need for WeChat. WeChat is not just the WhatsApp of China, it is how you book taxis, register for tourist sites and most importantly pay for things. Thankfully you can now also register your foreign card for this and thus pay for things.
An alternative here is also AliPay. I cannot emphasize just how important these are as a solo traveler in China because while cash used to be king in some places they no longer even accept it.
You can book a lot of stuff on Trip.com
For train tickets, entrances, hotels and even ferries in China the best website is by far Trip. When you book a train ticket here yes it costs more than going to the station or using a Chinese app, but it is all in English and after booking you do everything with your passport.
And with Trip being a Chinese-based company they tend to have a broader range of hotels than you would get with say Booking.com. I personally also do my flights here too, with the company also offering a pretty decent rewards program.
It can get lonely….
Despite all the TikTok videos and the various changes in visa policy tourist numbers to China are but a fraction of what they once were. This largely means all of the great bars, like Heaven Supermarket in Beijing, as well as the hostels that were great to meet people, like Park Qin in Xi’an, have all but gone.
In fact there are so few Westerners that as a China solo travel pioneer from the West most people, particularly in places like Beijing, Dandong and Yanji will just assume you are Russian. Again this will make meeting folk on the road that bit harder. Still you do get the odd traveler, as well as Chinese that speak some English. Of course one could also use this China solo travel experience to get your Chinese language groove on.
And then there is TanTan
TikTok has DouYin, Twitter/X has Weibo, WhatsApp has Weixin and well Tinder has TanTan. And one might even describe it as the perfect accompaniment for a China solo travel enthusiast. Essentially it works in all but the same way as its western counterpart in that you swipe left if someone tickles your fancy and ticks all the right boxes.
In recent years the app has become less of a Gen Z thing, but being China it still quite literally has hundreds of millions of users. As with any app like this though always exercise caution….
And that is the YPT China Solo Travel blog! Should you wish some help on planning your China solo travel, or would like to join a group then check out our China Tours.
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