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Revista · guides, tips and culture

Everything worth knowing
before you travel to China

Articles written by our team in China: how to choose an agency, what a trip really costs, visas, trains, money, food, destinations off the tourist trail and minority cultures. No padding, no clichés.

Latest

Ancient brick watchtower on the Ming-dynasty Xi'an city wall at golden hour
Destinations

Cycling the Xi'an city wall: bikes, gates and timing

The Xi'an city wall is a 13.74 km circuit of Ming brick you can ride on two wheels, above the traffic. Here is which gate to start from, what a bike costs, how long a lap takes and when to go.

October 14, 2026 · 9 min read

All articles

Timber stilt guesthouses terraced into the hillside above the Longji rice fields
Practical guides

Where to stay in China: hotels, guesthouses and courtyard stays

Choosing where to stay in China is really a choice of style: five-star tower, business hotel, courtyard inn or guesthouse above the rice terraces. Here is what each costs and who can host foreign passports.

October 12, 2026 · 10 min read
Courtyard of the Forbidden City in Beijing with tourists and imperial roofs
Advice

How to choose the best travel agency for China (and the red flags)

The final price almost never tells you whether a China travel agency is any good. The way it works does: who is actually in China, who signs off your itinerary and who picks up the phone when something goes wrong.

October 10, 2026 · 9 min read
The illuminated Pudong skyline at night seen from the Bund promenade in Shanghai
Advice

What a trip to China really costs in 2026, line by line

With three inputs — days, season and level of service — you can get a fairly tight range for a trip to China. Here is the real 2026 breakdown, line by line, with no round numbers.

October 8, 2026 · 10 min read
The Huangpu river and the Pudong skyline at dusk in Shanghai
Practical guides

Shanghai airport transfers: options, prices and costly mistakes

Arriving in Shanghai after a twelve-hour flight is the most fragile moment of the trip. Choosing well how to leave the airport — Pudong or Hongqiao, maglev, metro, taxi or private transfer — decides how everything begins.

October 6, 2026 · 10 min read
The Great Wall of China winding across the mountains at dawn
Practical guides

China tourist visa: the complete guide for English-speaking travellers

China requires a visa for UK, US, Australian, Canadian and most other English-speaking passports, with the exception of transit visa-free entry. The process is predictable if you prepare in good time.

October 4, 2026 · 10 min read
A sea of clouds at dawn over the granite peaks of Huangshan in Anhui province
Advice

When to travel to China: month by month, region by region

China does not have one season; it has six. A month-by-month guide to picking your dates around the landscape you want to see, and the two windows you should avoid at all costs.

October 2, 2026 · 9 min read
The corner eave of an imperial pavilion with glazed tiles, Forbidden City
Advice

Travelling China with an English-speaking guide: what to demand, what to avoid

The visa is sorted out on a website; the language is not. Licensed guide versus improvised translator, how to verify credentials, and the moments when a guide makes the difference.

September 30, 2026 · 9 min read
The Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City, Beijing
Itineraries

What to see in Beijing in 3 days: an hour-by-hour itinerary

A working three-day itinerary for Beijing, with times, metro lines, where to eat and how to book the Forbidden City. Includes the plan B if you only have two days.

September 28, 2026 · 9 min read
The Great Wall of China winding along a mountain ridge near Mutianyu
Destinations

Getting to the Great Wall: Mutianyu, Badaling and the sections almost nobody visits

There is no single Great Wall: there are very different sections one or two hours from Beijing. A comparison of the five main ones, how to reach each, and which to choose for your day.

September 26, 2026 · 10 min read
Giant panda eating bamboo shoots at the Chengdu breeding centre
Food & drink

Eating in China when you can't handle spice

Chilli is not a feature of all Chinese food but of three or four provinces. With the right map and five well-chosen phrases, you can eat brilliantly without ever suffering.

September 24, 2026 · 7 min read
Family watching giant pandas at the Chengdu breeding centre
Advice

Travelling to China with children: what works, what doesn't

China is an easier family destination than it looks: punctual trains, very safe cities and children who leave delighted. The hard part is not the country, it is the pace.

September 22, 2026 · 7 min read
Nomad camp with yaks on the shore of Qinghai Lake
Itineraries

The Qinghai-Gansu Grand Route: 15 things nobody tells you

Two thousand kilometres across the Tibetan plateau by road, from Qinghai Lake to the Mogao caves. These are the fifteen things you learn on the highway and never read in the brochures.

September 20, 2026 · 7 min read
Tibetan prayer flags on a mountain pass on the plateau
Culture

Sleeping in a Tibetan family's home: what it's really like

It is not a show staged for tourists. It is a real house in a plateau village, with a wood stove, no wifi, and people who sit you at their table to share the tea.

September 18, 2026 · 7 min read
High-speed train crossing the desert beside Jiayuguan Fort
Practical guides

China's high-speed trains: buying tickets and using them without surprises

China's high-speed network is the largest in the world and the most punctual too. Here is everything worth knowing before you board: train types, classes, booking with a passport and real station timings.

September 16, 2026 · 9 min read
Shanghai skyline at night reflected in the Huangpu River
Practical guides

Money and payments in China: why your foreign card doesn't work

In China almost nobody uses cash or a physical card: you pay with the phone. Here is how to link a foreign card, where cash still works and how to avoid the usual scams.

September 14, 2026 · 8 min read
Traditional village among terraced rice fields in southern China
Destinations

10 lesser-known destinations in China, off the classic circuit

There is a China that never makes the brochures and that is usually what people remember on the way home. These ten places sit well off the Beijing-Xi'an-Shanghai axis: fewer queues, more real country.

September 12, 2026 · 10 min read
Miao woman in traditional festival dress in a Guizhou village
Culture

China's 55 ethnic minorities: how to visit with respect

In China there are 55 recognised ethnic minorities, each with its own language, dress, festivals and food. Visiting their villages well, without turning them into a theme park, comes down to a few decisions: where, when and how to behave.

September 10, 2026 · 9 min read
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