Is China Good for Solo Travel? My Honest Experience

You might be wondering, is China safe for solo travel? I have to say yes, it is, but the real question is, is China GOOD for solo travel?

China is really coming up more and more these days as a bucket-list place to travel. I was actually so excited to visit and was trying to figure out if I should get a visa to stay for 2 months, so I could explore the country extensively. There are so many insane looking places in China, and I wanted to see them all. It’s a huge country, so I knew it would take a while to cover all the spots I dreamed of seeing.

But due to my last-minute travel nature, I didn’t think I’d be able to get my visa in time. So I decided I’d get a taste of China and travel on the 10-day transit visa. As long as you fly in from one country and out from another, you get 10 days visa free in China. Now, if you’re a Brit or Canadian citizen, the rules just changed, and you can visit for 30 days visa-free!

I flew into Chongqing from Bangkok, and let me tell you, this country was not the easiest to visit. This comes from someone very experienced in traveling. I’ve traveled solo to 20+ countries, and I’ve been to 50+ countries overall. While I did love China and it’s 100% safe, it is not the simplest country to visit alone. Let me tell you more in this detailed guide on how to travel solo in China. So you can come prepared and not make the same mistakes I made.

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China Survival Guide
⚠️ Note: The Great Firewall blocks Instagram, TikTok, Google, and WhatsApp.
Apps to Download:
🛡️ ExpressVPN (to access Google, Instagram, WhatsApp)
📖 Baidu Translate (Mandarin translator)
🚕 DiDi (ride-hailing app)
💰 Alipay (digital payments; carry cash as backup)
💬 WeChat (communicate with locals)
🗺️ AMap (navigation/maps)
📌 Rednote (local tips)

🈶 Language: Mandarin
📱Get a Mobile E-sim card with Airalo to stay connected while traveling without the hassle of changing out your sim card!
☀️ Best time to visit: Spring (Mar–May) or Autumn (Sep–Nov)
💴 Currency: Renminbi (RMB / CNY) – quick conversion guide: take off a 0 from RMB to get approximate GBP (¥100 → ~£10)
💜 Tipping: Not customary
💸 Budget for a trip to China: ~$50-$70/day for mid-range travel (varies by city)
🏥 Travel Insurance in China: Highly recommended to get SafetyWing travel insurance to protect against accidents or travel delays

Is China Safe for Solo Travel?

Absolutely, China is 100% safe for solo travel. The Global Times even called it one of the safest countries in the world. With that being said, I never felt uncomfortable in China. I could walk alone at night and not feel scared. There is low crime and few cases of firearm, etc. I noticed security checks in many places I went. To get on the metro, you needed to put your bags through security. There were police enforcement in busy places as well. However, I have to caveat that although China is one of the safest countries I’ve travelled in as a solo traveller, it’s also one of the most mentally demanding. The language barrier is real, and the logistics of getting anywhere were hard for me.

Is China Good for Solo Travel?

China isn’t the easiest place for solo travel, even for experienced solo travelers. But I think it mainly depends on where you go and how prepared you are.

At the time of writing, I only have Chongqing as a baseline for this post. What I do know from speaking to others is that logistically, cities like Shanghai or Beijing are easier to get around. I have to admit, Chongqing is one of the coolest cities I’ve ever been to.

The Bad

I had a difficult time for my first solo trip to China. My main struggle was getting around – maps took me to a location only for me to find I was not where I wanted to go. Then, I’d ask for help, and no one could help me due to the huge language barrier. VERY few people spoke English. The language barrier was real. I’d say about 3% of the population in Chongqing speaks English. But if you went to Shanghai or Beijing, this would maybe increase to 12%.

You might be thinking, well, there’s Google Translate, and there’s Google Maps. But, no, Google is actually banned in China. Not only did I have to download a whole new set of apps (which I’ll share later in this post) to get my way around China, but I also had to get used to them, as they aren’t the easiest (in my opinion) to use. The Great Firewall of China blocks social media apps like Instagram and TikTok in order to control the usage of content that adheres to strict governmental policies.

I was prepared (so I thought). I had the apps downloaded ahead of time. I set them up with my payment info, and so on.

I got the eSIM, the VPNs. But the reality was that none of it worked that well.

I got a Holafly eSIM, usually one of the most reliable eSIMs, but at times it really didn’t work. I heard Airalo works a bit better (use code joujoutravels for 15% off). So I was going to Wuhan on a day trip and was stuck with no data. Which meant I couldn’t use Google Translate or pay with Alipay (a payment app you must download to get by in China!). Just remember, Google Translate won’t always work due to the Google ban. You can also download Baidu as an alternative, but I found Google Translate easier, and you can access it via a VPN. Be sure to download the language for offline use on Google Translate and bring some small cash as backup if you can’t pay with Alipay.

I got lost in Raffles City for 45 minutes. I was trying to go to the Skywalk and asked everyone how to get there with Google Translate. Most people said they didn’t know or sent me to the wrong floor. It was quite frustrating. I saw no signs on where to go, but I eventually found it. I felt like everyplace I went in Chongqing, I struggled to find.

But Chongqing is different because it’s layered and vertical. Streets are stacked on top of each other, there are winding alleys, and buildings that feel like a maze. In fact, there’s this famous square where you feel like you’re on the ground floor, but you’re really on the 22nd floor! It was so funny to see, and it is called Kuixing Square. Chongqing is called the mountain city; it’s hilly with lots of steep streets, stairs, and multi-level buildings.

I had the wifi at the hotel, but that also didn’t work well. Tried to search in my browser for things, and it wouldn’t work because I forgot that my browser bar is automatically tied to Google, which doesn’t work in China. So don’t forget and head to bing.com for your searches. Or get a reliable VPN. Most VPNs are blocked in China, so you need to get it ahead. I tried Nord VPN, and it didn’t work well. Others told me Express VPN works well, though.

The Good

China is very safe and a super interesting country to visit. Despite the language barrier and getting around issues I had, everyone was extremely friendly and helpful in China.

For example, I was eating alone at a restaurant, and a lady and her daughter decided to bring me a free bubble tea and smiled after giving it to me. It was really sweet. I guess they saw me alone and wanted to make me feel welcome. Moments like that really showed me the kindness of strangers and made the experience feel personal and heartwarming, despite being in a completely unfamiliar place. It reminded me that simple gestures can cross any language barrier.

Additionally, I didn’t know how to order hot pot or even eat it. I never tried it before and felt like a fool ordering it solo. It’s the kind of thing you typically order as a group or with a friend. But hot pot is huge in China, and of course, I wanted to try it. I tried it for the first time at Huangyu Mingkaorou. After explaining to the staff that I was new at it, they helped me order everything and showed me what to do step by step. It was really nice!

China is simply an incredible country, full of so many surprises. I really loved my visit, but I wanted to warn you of the difficulties I had while traveling here solo so you can be better prepared. Would I go again? Absolutely. And I will be much more prepared.

How to Prepare for a Solo Trip to China

Get Your Visa

As of February 2026, travelers from the United Kingdom and Canada can enter mainland China visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism.

If your from other countries such as America, you will need a visa or if you’re traveling for under 10 days you can travel visa free with the 240-hour transit visa option. The way it works is if you fly into one country and out of another country (for example: US – China – Thailand). You can’t do round trip US – China – US under the transit visa. You must also use an eligible city and port of entry.

Once you arrive, head to the police desk to get the transit visa. To speed things up, be sure to fill out the online arrivals card and make sure to do so accurately. I accidentally left off my flight number on the way back, and I had to redo the form when I arrived. It wasn’t submitting when I re-did it, so I had a bit of an issue, and it took me a while to get through. But others who had there’s filled in fine were able to get through in 5 minutes.

However, if you want to stay longer than 10 days and you’re from a country such as the United States, you’ll need to apply for a standard tourist visa (L visa). The process for that is applying online through this official website, waiting 1-2 days for the form to be approved, then making an in-person appointment. You will submit your passport, and it will be kept until your visa is completed. This process takes 4-7 working days, and you can pay extra to speed it up.

Use Alipay for payments

Cash is not a thing in China! Everyone wants you to pay using Alipay. So it’s super important that you download it ahead of time and tie your credit card to it. There were also a few checks it wanted from me, like scanning my face and passport. Don’t forget to do all this ahead of time to avoid stress. Regular credit card payments are not accepted. However, if your wifi/data stops working, I’d carry some small bills to pay vendors. Just note: most of them won’t have much change for you so be sure you have enough smaller bills.

Many restaurants also require you to order your food through Alipay or WeChat. It is often not in English and can be confusing to order so it will take some time to get used to that as well.

You can also set up a transit card on Ali pay so that you can get around by the train or public transportation. The staff in the metro was able to help me set this up quickly before I got on the metro. For reference there is a tab within an Alipay and you can just go through the prompts..

Prepare for the extreme language barrier

The toughest part for me was the language barrier. Literally, no one knows English. So if I struggled finding my way or had a question about the menu, I could not really get by. Google translate in Baidu translate did help, however it got very exhausting translating every single conversation. Especially since if I was asking for directions, but Google translate they would reply before I could get them to voice their answer in the app. This can be really challenging, especially as a solo traveler, so be mentally prepared for getting around due to the lack of English spoken in the country.

Use aMap for directions

Normally a language barrier is fine because I can find my way with Google Maps but since Google Maps is not updated and not used in China, I really struggled to find my way around. You have to use an app called aMap which I hated because it was not very user friendly. I did change the language to English in the settings, but sometimes it wouldn’t find the English name so you might have to type in the Chinese name and navigate that way. I would not advise using Google Maps even with a VPN as it’s not up to date.

Get a reliable VPN

I tried to use Nord VPN, but sadly it did not work. I heard that you can change some settings to get it to work, but I didn’t even bother. My friends have had success with the VPN express VPN. Just make sure you have a reliable one. I was told I didn’t really need a VPN with an eSIM because the eSIM includes the VPN while this is true and my WhatsApp and Instagram worked using my Holafly eSIM, things like TikTok still did not work. I could never get TikTok to work so I had to survive without it. I love TikTok because it always helps me find unique things to do in every city that I go to. They do have a different version of TikTok in China, but I was unable to download it as a foreigner. It’s called Douyin.

The VPN is handy if you’re working on a laptop, especially because Google, Gmail, ChatGPT, and other websites will not work on the Wi-Fi from your hotel or any café in China. You can also hotspot so that you can work on your computer from your mobile device in case you don’t get the VPN.

Use Wechat to communicate with locals

Note: WhatsApp doesn’t work, without a VPN or an eSIM. WeChat is a way of communication in China. Your hotel will often ask you to add them on WeChat so that they can message you. And as I mentioned earlier, you will need it to order food sometimes. The menu and ordering system is sometimes funneled through WeChat. To set up WeChat, you will also need someone who is already on WeChat to validate your account.

Taxi rides should be ordered from Didi

Another app you need is Didi, similar to Uber. Uber is not available in China. So if you need a ride, use Didi, it’s super cheap too!

Get Local Tips via Rednote

There is very little information on most cities in China for westerners. I usually do my research by googling, looking on Pinterest, or checking out TikTok. Since these apps are not used in China, it’s difficult to get information there. I was able to find many hidden gems using Red Note, which is an app that is use widely for social media in China and other Asian countries.

Go on Tours with Bilingual Locals

If you want to feel more comfortable in China alone, I’d recommend doing tours with bilingual locals. I recommend finding a tour off of GetYourGuide or Viator. They will know English and take care of all the logistics for you! I also recommend joining my FB group, Girls Who Wander Solo to see if there are any other travelers visiting China at the same time. It’s a great resource I built to connect other travelers together.

How to get Solo Travel Photos in China

One thing you absolutely don’t have to worry about when traveling to China is getting good photos. There are practically photographers at every landmark waiting to take your photo, and no, it’s not a scam. For as little as one dollar a photo, you can hire someone on the spot to take your photo, and they will instantly AirDrop it to you after. I actually did this twice, and it was so convenient. I didn’t have to depend on bringing my tripod around all day. The photo above was taken by one of the photographers. You can pick how many photos you want. Even if you want just one photo for about $1-2, you can do that as well.

Although I did take some of my own photos because that is my job, I thoroughly enjoy it. There were some occasions where it would have been difficult to set up a tripod in a crowd, and this really helped me out.

Read my full guide on how to take photos solo and check out what camera gear I use!

Final Thoughts

I hope this guide is useful for planning your solo trip to China or even your trip to China in general, as there are more tips in here about getting around in general. I have to say it was a difficult one for my first time in China, but don’t let that discourage you from visiting. It’s probably not that hard, but I was feeling overwhelmed, and that can muddy up things for me. My top tips are just to be prepared and know that it won’t always be easy. If I were to do it again, I’d probably go on more organized tours so I wouldn’t have to struggle so much with the language and getting around. My go-to for tours is GetYourGuide or Viator. If you can visit China with a friend or on a group trip (Gadventures does great group tours!), I do recommend it, as it can be a harder place to visit alone.