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China Travel Guide

· 4 min read
Carl Liu

Pre-arrival Checklist​

1. Payment 💳​

Most of transactions are done via either Wechat or Alipay, some are done via Visa/Master Card, you wouldn't need cash at all. I recommend Alipay because it can be used to call cabs, navigate, book tickets all that stuff.

2. Phone Plan 📱​

Check with your phone plan company to see if you can get internation package. Temporary SIM Cards with unlimited 5G signal are easy and cheap in China, I can get them for you upon your arrival if you need it.

3. Internet Access 🛜​

Google (Maps, Youtube), Facebook (Instagram, Whatsapp) and Decentralized apps like Signal and Telegram are blocked in China; while Apple and Microsoft are not, for navigation you can stick to Apple Map, but you need Google or Facebook for contact and convenience. You would only need VPN when you are outside, at my house there is a VPN wifi setup :)

  • Option 1: Check with your phone plan company, if you are getting an international travel plan, you can access international DNS servers and get direct access to Google or Facebook
  • Option 2: Install Shadowrocket on App Store, and ask me for an VPN link.
    • There is a price of 2.99$ for the app, you can login to my Apple Account and download it for free.

Iternary​

Day 1: June 30, Sunday - Arrival in Shanghai​

  • Evening
    • Arrive at Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 3 PM (PVG)
    • Check-in at hotel
    • Dinner at a local restaurant near the hotel
    • check out the Shanghai Tower and skybar

Day 2: July 1, Monday - Exploring Shanghai​

  • Morning
    • Breakfast at the hotel
    • The Bund
  • Afternoon
    • Lunch in Old Town
    • Explore the Shanghai Museum
  • Evening
    • Cruise on the Huangpu River
    • Visit Yu Garden and Old Town

Day 3: July 2, Tuesday - Shanghai to Beijing​

  • Morning
    • Breakfast at the hotel
    • Grab a coffee/brunch around French Concession
    • See if we can go to a watertown near Shanghai, it's a traditional view near the Southern China
  • Afternoon
    • Take the train to Beijing in the late afternoon
  • Evening
    • Arrive in Beijing
    • Dinner at a renowned Peking Duck restaurant

Day 4: July 3, Wednesday - Beijing Sightseeing​

  • Morning
    • Visit the Forbidden City
  • Afternoon
    • Snacks and Street Food
    • Visit the Temple of Heaven
  • Evening
    • Snacks, Beer, Noodles in the Hutong

Day 5: July 4, Thursday - More Beijing Sightseeing​

  • Morning
    • Breakfast at the hotel
    • Visit the Summer Palace
  • Afternoon
    • Lunch near the Summer Palace
    • Free time to explore nearby areas or shop
  • Evening
    • Bar at Vault 102

Day 6: July 5, Friday - Travel to Datong​

  • Morning
    • Early breakfast
    • Travel to Datong
  • Afternoon
    • Check-in at Datong hotel
    • Visit the Yungang Grottoes
  • Evening
    • Dinner in Datong

Day 7: July 6, Saturday - Exploring Datong​

  • Morning
    • Visit the Hanging Temple
  • Afternoon
    • Lunch in Datong
    • Visit other local attractions
  • Evening
    • Come back to Beijing

Day 8: July 7, Sunday - Great Wall​

  • Visit the Great Wall at a less crowded section

  • Evening

    • Arrive back in Beijing
    • Slowboat Brewery

Day 9: July 8, Monday - Last Day in Beijing​

  • Visit the Lama Temple
  • Explore the Gulou (Drum Tower) and surrounding area
  • Late lunch/early dinner in the area

Day 10: July 9, Tuesday - Departure​

  • Morning
    • Depart for Beijing International Airport (PEK)