Your first trip to China · start here
Prepare the essentials before you land
Prepare entry, payments, mobile data and your first transfer with our public checklist. Read online without an account. Register free to save the PDFs; no itinerary purchase required.
Public China travel checklist
What to prepare, and in what order
Check entry rules before committing to the route
Match your passport, purpose of travel, arrival and onward journey to the current official entry rules. Visa-free entry and transit rules have different conditions; the country list alone is not an eligibility check. Keep the passport and booking details together. Find your passport guide and confirm the rule with the relevant Chinese embassy or National Immigration Administration.
Set up payments before the first purchase
Install Alipay or WeChat and follow the app’s current registration, verification and card-linking prompts. Make sure you can receive any verification messages. Overseas-card support and available functions depend on the card, account and transaction; linking a card does not guarantee every payment will work. Keep a backup payment method. Read the public Alipay setup guide or save the 17-page payment PDF.
Choose data for your exact phone and needs
Check your phone’s eSIM support and carrier lock, the plan’s mainland-China coverage, activation window, allowance and whether calls or SMS are included. Test the tools you need rather than assuming every connection gives access to the same services. Read the public travel-app guide and save the 12-page connectivity PDF.
Write down the arrival transfer
Save your hotel’s Chinese name and address, the correct terminal or station, the pickup point and an alternative way to reach the hotel. For a DiDi journey, check the vehicle and plate in the app and confirm the pickup point; a station exit and a car pickup zone can be different places. Read the public DiDi pickup guide, metro ticket and transfer guide and Chinese hotel-address guide for the part of your arrival you need to prepare. Save the 21-page urban-transport PDF. For intercity rail, use our separate 12306 foreign-passport guide.
Check dates, then keep an offline copy
Compare your dates with China holidays and seasonal conditions. Save your bookings, Chinese addresses, payment backup, practical phrases and the first day’s route on your device. The PDFs are useful preparation references; the June 2026 guides include corrections dated 19 October 2026 and are not a live policy or app-status feed.
Source check: 19 October 2026. This web checklist uses the official payment guide for overseas visitors, Apple’s device-specific eSIM setup guidance and China Railway 12306. Follow the current provider or authority instructions for your own account, device and journey. The PDFs now include a separate correction note dated 19 October 2026 covering entry, arrival information, accommodation registration, payments, connectivity and transport where applicable. Fees, office hours, app screens and service availability still require a current official check.
Essential Tools
Visa Guide
Choose a country-specific China visa PDF, with corrections dated 19 October 2026, then confirm the relevant official entry and application rules.
China Holidays
Interactive calendar showing all public holidays, peak travel periods, and adjusted workdays.
Sample Itinerary
Explore a complete, anonymized 10-day delivery: all 136 handbook pages, the daily route, Chinese addresses, restaurants, transport budgets and backup options.
App Setup Guides
Three free PDFs cover payments, connectivity and urban transport. Download them after registration and save a copy to your device before you fly.
WeChat / Alipay
Set up WeChat and Alipay, link a card, learn payment steps, and prepare troubleshooting and a pre-trip checklist.
Create a free account to download and save this guide. No itinerary purchase required.
VPN & eSIM
Compare connectivity options, follow setup steps, and prepare troubleshooting and a pre-trip checklist. Device support and provider availability need checking.
Create a free account to download and save this guide. No itinerary purchase required.
DiDi & Transport
Prepare DiDi, metro, taxi and bus journeys, with phone-specific setup instructions. This PDF is an urban transport guide, not a train-ticket booking manual.
Create a free account to download and save this guide. No itinerary purchase required.
Travel Planning
Pricing
Transparent pricing for our digital travel planning service: $19.9 per itinerary day. Travel purchases and bookings are separate.
Testimonials
Read existing traveler reviews and route stories, with their original photos and details.
FAQ
Answers to the most common questions about planning a China trip with LOCLYX.
Before you download
Can I use these resources without buying an itinerary?
Yes. The web checklist and linked public articles are open to read. A free registered account is required for the PDF downloads; an itinerary purchase is not required.
Which PDF should I start with?
Use payments for WeChat/Alipay setup, connectivity for VPN/eSIM preparation, and transport for DiDi, metro, taxis and buses. The transport PDF does not replace a rail-ticket booking guide. Choose the country-specific visa guide separately for your passport.
Are these the same as a paid personal itinerary?
No. Free guides cover common setup tasks. A paid plan connects your dates, city order, interests, daily pace, meal needs, transfers and backup options into one route. Inspect the complete 10-day sample or see the US$19.90-per-itinerary-day service.
Are the PDFs continuously updated?
The original June 2026 guides include corrections dated 19 October 2026, with the scope and official sources noted inside. App screens, fees, coverage and entry rules may change. Use the linked public guidance and official sources to check current details before travel; a correction date is not a guarantee that every fee or contact detail remains current.