Hi,
Has anyone here already crossed China with your own vehicle (with a guide and in a group, etc.) to get from Mongolia to Nepal?
And on top of that, with a dog on board?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
45 similar discussions in English
Hi there, I’m planning a two-week trip to Yunnan in November. The ideal setup would be renting a car for four people and choosing accommodation from the amazing range of affordable hotels. If anyone has tips or is interested...
There’s a similar discussion about India, by the way...
I really, really want to go back to China, but since the country is evolving at lightning speed, I’m wondering. I went there nearly 20 years ago. It was already undergoing a lot of changes, slowly but surely, but I still have wonderful memories of the country, which I found so endearing at the time. I visited Beijing, Sichuan, Guangxi, Hainan, and also Tibet by train, then Xinjiang. Now, we’re mainly considering Gansu and Hunan.
It was still possible to get 60-day visas back then, which isn’t the case anymore since they’re now limited to 30 days. But at the same time, the country seems more accessible. Many hotels are open to foreign tourists, sophisticated transport options have developed everywhere, and it’s possible to visit for up to 15 days without a visa... Tourists can easily travel by train or plane, but to reach places "off the beaten path," it seems you need to rent a vehicle with a driver. There used to be plenty of day-trip group tours, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.
It’s hard to find info on whether certain routes are feasible for independent travel.
From what I’ve gathered here and there, "high tech" has taken over the entire country, the countryside has given way to imposing buildings, cities are increasingly industrialized and polluted—basically, the country has become dehumanized... In short, are there still beautiful places left—dare I say preserved—to see?
Add to this the bad reputation, not always justified, that China suffers from. It seems like the country is being boycotted by travel agencies, as if it’s not "politically correct" to visit. Maybe I’m exaggerating, but I’ve noticed this with French agencies like Nomade, Allibert, etc., which used to offer a wide range of itineraries everywhere, especially in Yunnan. Now, they’ve limited themselves to the classics: Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, water towns, or Tibet. Yunnan, Gansu, Qinghai, and many other Chinese provinces are no longer on the menu. Maybe it’s due to COVID...
The destination isn’t exactly a hit on forums either...
So, is it still worth going in 2025? I’d love to hear from those who’ve been there recently. Looking forward to exchanging thoughts on this fascinating destination (from my point of view, of course).
Anne-Claire
I really, really want to go back to China, but since the country is evolving at lightning speed, I’m wondering. I went there nearly 20 years ago. It was already undergoing a lot of changes, slowly but surely, but I still have wonderful memories of the country, which I found so endearing at the time. I visited Beijing, Sichuan, Guangxi, Hainan, and also Tibet by train, then Xinjiang. Now, we’re mainly considering Gansu and Hunan.
It was still possible to get 60-day visas back then, which isn’t the case anymore since they’re now limited to 30 days. But at the same time, the country seems more accessible. Many hotels are open to foreign tourists, sophisticated transport options have developed everywhere, and it’s possible to visit for up to 15 days without a visa... Tourists can easily travel by train or plane, but to reach places "off the beaten path," it seems you need to rent a vehicle with a driver. There used to be plenty of day-trip group tours, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.
It’s hard to find info on whether certain routes are feasible for independent travel.
From what I’ve gathered here and there, "high tech" has taken over the entire country, the countryside has given way to imposing buildings, cities are increasingly industrialized and polluted—basically, the country has become dehumanized... In short, are there still beautiful places left—dare I say preserved—to see?
Add to this the bad reputation, not always justified, that China suffers from. It seems like the country is being boycotted by travel agencies, as if it’s not "politically correct" to visit. Maybe I’m exaggerating, but I’ve noticed this with French agencies like Nomade, Allibert, etc., which used to offer a wide range of itineraries everywhere, especially in Yunnan. Now, they’ve limited themselves to the classics: Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, water towns, or Tibet. Yunnan, Gansu, Qinghai, and many other Chinese provinces are no longer on the menu. Maybe it’s due to COVID...
The destination isn’t exactly a hit on forums either...
So, is it still worth going in 2025? I’d love to hear from those who’ve been there recently. Looking forward to exchanging thoughts on this fascinating destination (from my point of view, of course).
Anne-Claire
Hi everyone,
I’m sharing a little recap of this new 4-week trip to China—nothing fancy, just my experience.
We’re taking advantage of the extended visa exemption to return to China for the 4th time. I loved last summer’s trip so much that I’m a bit worried about being disappointed this year. Plus, I’ve had a few hiccups before this departure: my WeChat account got blocked, and I couldn’t recover it (luckily, Alipay still works fine); I couldn’t verify my 12306 account for weeks; Trip.com failed to book our second train; and I’ve got an injury that’ll slow me down during the trip... Ugh, I hate starting a trip with these kinds of issues. Then, oh surprise! Just before leaving, my 12306 account got verified! Super easy to use from that point on—I could book a few train tickets without fees.
We’re sticking with Free’s e-SIMs, which work great in China.
August 2–3
Anyway, on the morning of August 2nd, we took the RER to CDG. As usual, we couldn’t check in online. It’s always a bit frustrating, especially since we didn’t have any checked luggage. We flew with Air China. We arrived at the check-in counter at 9:50 AM, 2 hours and 40 minutes before the flight. The line for our check-in stretched 300 meters across the airport in both directions. What a joke!! We spent 1 hour and 45 minutes in that line just to reach the counter and get our boarding passes. By then, it was 11:35 AM, and boarding had already started at 11:20 AM. The screens showed a 25-minute walk to our gate—on the other side of the airport, of course—plus we had to go through passport control and security... Long story short, the plane didn’t leave without us 🙂 We boarded among the last passengers, and we took off at 12:30 PM. We’d flown Air China four times before, but this time, it felt *really* low-cost. The check-in chaos, the cramped seats (12 seats per row), no music by artists known outside China, mediocre food, and a boarding area at Beijing Airport with only 10 seats—worthy of Ryanair or EasyJet. And yet, the price was sky-high. Again, D.’s vacation requests were denied outside of July and August, so we’re traveling from August 2nd to 30th. We couldn’t have picked a worse time for inflated prices, and with the situation in Iran, we got hit with a 390 € fuel surcharge. I’ve never paid so much for flights—I felt like I’d bought business class, but nope, far from it!!
We landed in Beijing around 4:15 AM. It was 28°C with thick fog. We drove and drove and drove for 20 minutes, as usual in Beijing. Then we went through a first check, a second check, a third check, and waited for our connecting flight at 6:40 AM. A small Airbus A320, but way more space than in the Boeing 777 from the first flight. We landed in Kunming, Yunnan, around 10:15 AM in the rain.
We headed to the subway. You can’t pay at the machines with Alipay here either, so we set up the transport QR code directly in Alipay to scan at the subway gates. The process is a bit long the first time if you haven’t entered your info before, but once it’s done, it’s *so* much easier! We took Line 6 to the terminus for 6 yuan each.
We’d booked a hotel nearby, on the 16th floor. It’s actually studios on different floors of a huge residential building. The view’s pretty nice from here. We settled in quickly—back to those wooden beds, or rather, mattresses as hard as wood, which we *hadn’t* missed... Then we went out for our first bowl of noodles of the trip and wandered through the shopping streets of the old town.
It was crowded, and the weather was cool—around 19–20°C. We tried a local specialty: milk skin, thick, dried, then grilled with rose jam. Yeah... we won’t be having that again. The taste and texture of the milk skin... no thanks.
We saw a lot of wild mushroom hotpot too. It’s on our list for later. We also passed through the Jinma and Biji gates, where I played with reflections in puddles. I *love* doing that 🙂
At the end of the day, we headed to a temple advertised as open 24/7 on Amap. Of course, when we got there, it was closed. We’ll go back tomorrow. That was the first of many disappointments with Amap this trip—I hadn’t had that issue on previous visits.
We were exhausted after that sleepless flight. Night was falling, and we decided to grab a quick bite without much appetite. We shared a delicious vegetable fried rice for 12 yuan—we even left half of it. The portions are *huge*.
After a couple of small purchases, we headed back at 9 PM, wiped out, after walking 17 km between the airports and these first steps in Kunming. I expected to see quite a few Western travelers here, but we didn’t spot a single one. Instead, we met lots of curious Chinese people, many of them super friendly and helpful—almost *too* eager, like when they’d run to serve us as fast as possible. It’s a bit much, but it’s great to be back!
I’m sharing a little recap of this new 4-week trip to China—nothing fancy, just my experience.
We’re taking advantage of the extended visa exemption to return to China for the 4th time. I loved last summer’s trip so much that I’m a bit worried about being disappointed this year. Plus, I’ve had a few hiccups before this departure: my WeChat account got blocked, and I couldn’t recover it (luckily, Alipay still works fine); I couldn’t verify my 12306 account for weeks; Trip.com failed to book our second train; and I’ve got an injury that’ll slow me down during the trip... Ugh, I hate starting a trip with these kinds of issues. Then, oh surprise! Just before leaving, my 12306 account got verified! Super easy to use from that point on—I could book a few train tickets without fees.
We’re sticking with Free’s e-SIMs, which work great in China.
August 2–3
Anyway, on the morning of August 2nd, we took the RER to CDG. As usual, we couldn’t check in online. It’s always a bit frustrating, especially since we didn’t have any checked luggage. We flew with Air China. We arrived at the check-in counter at 9:50 AM, 2 hours and 40 minutes before the flight. The line for our check-in stretched 300 meters across the airport in both directions. What a joke!! We spent 1 hour and 45 minutes in that line just to reach the counter and get our boarding passes. By then, it was 11:35 AM, and boarding had already started at 11:20 AM. The screens showed a 25-minute walk to our gate—on the other side of the airport, of course—plus we had to go through passport control and security... Long story short, the plane didn’t leave without us 🙂 We boarded among the last passengers, and we took off at 12:30 PM. We’d flown Air China four times before, but this time, it felt *really* low-cost. The check-in chaos, the cramped seats (12 seats per row), no music by artists known outside China, mediocre food, and a boarding area at Beijing Airport with only 10 seats—worthy of Ryanair or EasyJet. And yet, the price was sky-high. Again, D.’s vacation requests were denied outside of July and August, so we’re traveling from August 2nd to 30th. We couldn’t have picked a worse time for inflated prices, and with the situation in Iran, we got hit with a 390 € fuel surcharge. I’ve never paid so much for flights—I felt like I’d bought business class, but nope, far from it!!
We landed in Beijing around 4:15 AM. It was 28°C with thick fog. We drove and drove and drove for 20 minutes, as usual in Beijing. Then we went through a first check, a second check, a third check, and waited for our connecting flight at 6:40 AM. A small Airbus A320, but way more space than in the Boeing 777 from the first flight. We landed in Kunming, Yunnan, around 10:15 AM in the rain.
We headed to the subway. You can’t pay at the machines with Alipay here either, so we set up the transport QR code directly in Alipay to scan at the subway gates. The process is a bit long the first time if you haven’t entered your info before, but once it’s done, it’s *so* much easier! We took Line 6 to the terminus for 6 yuan each.
We’d booked a hotel nearby, on the 16th floor. It’s actually studios on different floors of a huge residential building. The view’s pretty nice from here. We settled in quickly—back to those wooden beds, or rather, mattresses as hard as wood, which we *hadn’t* missed... Then we went out for our first bowl of noodles of the trip and wandered through the shopping streets of the old town.
It was crowded, and the weather was cool—around 19–20°C. We tried a local specialty: milk skin, thick, dried, then grilled with rose jam. Yeah... we won’t be having that again. The taste and texture of the milk skin... no thanks.
We saw a lot of wild mushroom hotpot too. It’s on our list for later. We also passed through the Jinma and Biji gates, where I played with reflections in puddles. I *love* doing that 🙂
At the end of the day, we headed to a temple advertised as open 24/7 on Amap. Of course, when we got there, it was closed. We’ll go back tomorrow. That was the first of many disappointments with Amap this trip—I hadn’t had that issue on previous visits.
We were exhausted after that sleepless flight. Night was falling, and we decided to grab a quick bite without much appetite. We shared a delicious vegetable fried rice for 12 yuan—we even left half of it. The portions are *huge*.
After a couple of small purchases, we headed back at 9 PM, wiped out, after walking 17 km between the airports and these first steps in Kunming. I expected to see quite a few Western travelers here, but we didn’t spot a single one. Instead, we met lots of curious Chinese people, many of them super friendly and helpful—almost *too* eager, like when they’d run to serve us as fast as possible. It’s a bit much, but it’s great to be back!
We just spent three weeks in Yunnan.
I’ve started writing up a travel journal about the trip.
Hi everyone,
This trip report covers a journey along the Silk Road in China (see detailed description below) undertaken in October 2025. The goal isn’t to recount the trip but to provide information that might help those who want to take a similar journey. Much of the information is valid for any trip to China.
Who we are: a retired couple, aged 63 and 65 (age gives discounts on entry to various sites and museums in China, which is why I won’t list prices here—I don’t know them, but you can easily find them online). We’re used to traveling independently. We speak English, which is the only foreign language spoken in China, though by very few people. I speak and read a little Chinese, which helped, but you can easily get by without it (without any English at all, I think it would be more difficult).
Period: We arrived just after "Golden Week," when all of China is on vacation, and after the summer, when schools are out, so we encountered very few tourists (99.99% of whom were Chinese). Our experience with booking visits in advance (which we didn’t need to do) isn’t representative for those who want to travel in the summer! The October-November period was perfect for our trip—it wasn’t too hot or too cold (one day of snow on the Tibetan Plateau), though it was only a few degrees on the Tibetan part, with altitudes between 2,000 and 3,000 meters. The trees were beautifully colored.
General remarks: Everyone we dealt with was very kind and perfectly honest. If you order a meal without really understanding what to do and the person modifies your order, trust them—the result is what you need. If a taxi driver signals that they’ll wait for you to finish your visit and pick you up afterward, trust them. It means there aren’t many taxis where you are, and it’ll be more convenient. For prices at street vendors, we always found the right ballpark, and sometimes they even added a little extra to please us. A taxi driver treated us to lunch, and an employee drove us back to the hotel after a visit because there were no taxis. If you struggle to buy a ticket online because there’s no counter, someone will come to help. People even spontaneously ask if everything’s okay and if you need anything.
Everywhere we went was very clean, including restrooms (trains, stations, hotels, museums, tourist sites) and streets. The old stereotypes about this no longer apply.
The trip can be challenging for those who have difficulty walking. The distances to cover on foot in stations, to access sites, and within the sites themselves can sometimes be really long.
We used the Lonely Planet guide in English (published at the end of August 2025) a little for preparation, but mostly relied on the internet.
Before leaving: No visa is needed for French citizens for stays under 30 days. You get a stamp on your passport upon arrival and departure, and the formalities themselves are very quick in both directions (excluding any potential queues). Just a photo and fingerprints upon arrival, and welcome to China’s facial recognition system.
Money: All your payments (see below) will go through your Visa card—there will be hundreds, including many payments of 20 cents to a few euros. So, you need an international option that allows unlimited card transactions. Since cash is rarely needed, the allowed number of ATM withdrawals can be low. We made 3 withdrawals totaling 800 € for a month and could have managed with just 2. The exchange rate charged on our Visa card was 12 € for 100 RMB (yuan).
Install the following apps on your smartphone before leaving (otherwise, you’ll only have access to the Chinese versions, if available): - Alipay, which is used to pay everywhere in China (details below). You need to link it to your credit card, then provide proof of identity by uploading a passport photo and completing a facial recognition session. Alipay gives access to Didi (China’s Uber), public transport (metro/bus), and can also translate phrases. - WeChat (Weixin in Chinese, pronounced *weishin*), which is also used for payments but also replaces WhatsApp. Unfortunately, to activate your account, you need someone who already has WeChat to sponsor you (preferably a Chinese person). We asked someone at our first accommodations to do this—no problem. By sharing your WeChat number with accommodations, they can send you messages that are automatically translated, and you can communicate with people thanks to the translation (translation to French is very poor; it’s much better in English, but unfortunately, WeChat detects your phone’s language). Alipay and WeChat are accepted almost everywhere, but some places only accept WeChat. - Amap, the international version of Baidu Maps, which replaces Google Maps (not at all up-to-date in China). The English names of hotels often have little to do with the Chinese names except for a phonetic resemblance. To find them on Amap, it’s best to copy the Chinese name found on your Trip reservation under "show address in Chinese." - A VPN. We had CyberGhost, which didn’t work, but according to other travelers, NordVPN and Windscribe do. Without a VPN, you can’t access Google services, on WhatsApp you can send and receive text but not photos, and you can’t send or receive emails on Gmail addresses. We managed without a VPN by using Firefox as a browser and Bing as a search engine. - Trip, for booking trains and accommodations, and buying some tickets. It’s the equivalent of Booking for accommodations, but Booking has very few listings in China, while Trip has hundreds in every city. Most hotels and trains are exchangeable and refundable until the day before, with no or minimal fees.
You don’t need contactless (NFC) payment on your phone. Either you scan a barcode and enter the amount to pay, or you display a barcode, and they scan it with a scanner, and the amount is deducted directly.
Upon arrival: - Buy a Chinese SIM card: 100 RMB for 300 GB of data and several hours of talk time (we didn’t use it). Set the Chinese number as a reference on Alipay, WeChat, and Amap. - Find someone to sponsor you on WeChat.
Transportation: - **Plane**: China Eastern, Paris-Canton then Canton-Urumqi on the way out, and Xian-Canton then Canton-Paris on the way back. International flights were smooth, but the schedules for the two domestic flights were changed. It was fine on the way out because we had some leeway, but on the way back, we were notified the morning of that our flight was canceled and replaced with one that didn’t allow for the connection. We called and changed to an earlier flight (I think we were lucky to find available seats). - **Train**: Most long distances were covered by high-speed trains (called D or G in China) at 240 or 300 km/h. Second class is perfect—just as comfortable and clean as our TGVs. The only advantage of first class is the wider seats for larger people, but the downside is that seats are often booked in advance and thus less available. You can book trains long in advance on Trip, but they only go on sale in China 15 days before departure, so that’s when you’ll know if you have a ticket. Initially, we booked first class, but there were no seats available on the day, so we ended up booking everything in second class, which was perfect. There’s no paper ticket—if you’ve bought one, you go to the station, show your passport, and enter. You do the same to access the platform 15 minutes before the train, and that’s it. Our train was canceled twice, but no problem—we went to the ticket counter, got a refund, and were offered a replacement. It didn’t delay us by more than an hour (maybe it would be harder in peak season). For prices, check Trip.com, but it’s significantly cheaper than in France. - **Bus**: We took the bus between Xining and Tongren, Tongren to Xiahe, and Hezuo to Lanzhou—about 3 hours each time for 200 km, 6 € per person, and departures were right on time. - **Taxi**: For trips between the station and hotel, or hotel and visits. If you take a Didi via the Alipay app, you activate your location, enter your destination, and it offers several taxis. You accept, and you get the car’s license plate and its real-time position on the map. When you get in, the driver often asks for the last four digits of your phone number to confirm. Otherwise, you go to the taxi stand outside the station. The price per kilometer is around 20 cents, so for a 30 km trip from the station to the hotel, you’ll pay about 6 €. We never tried to save more by taking local buses, but since the metro in Xian costs 25 cents per trip, it’s probably in the same ballpark. Amap provides public transport routes like Google Maps. - **Driver**: We hired a taxi/driver for the day several times for sightseeing. Prices ranged from 350 to 1,000 RMB (the most expensive was arranged through the Sofitel Xining concierge) for trips ranging from a few hours to a full day, sometimes covering over 300 km (see the detailed trip description).
Accommodations: All booked in advance on Trip, but several were changed during the trip. Off-season, there were no issues. We mostly stayed in upscale places, but in China, that means 50 to 60 € per night in the most central or convenient neighborhood. Note: Almost all hotels have a 5/5 rating on Trip, but it seems the Chinese avoid giving lower ratings to be polite. So, you have to read the comments to realize that in France, we might have given a 2 or 3!
Food: At the table, you’re served hot water or a hot infusion, presumably made with purified water. We never got sick from drinking it, but don’t drink tap water. Purified or mineral water is easy to find.
In restaurants, you can manage by pointing to the dish you want from another diner, on the wall where there are photos, or on the menu with pictures. The food in the region isn’t often spicy, and people usually ask or signal before adding the red spicy sauce, so you should be able to handle it if you don’t like chili at all.
The "fake old quarters" in several cities are great places to find all kinds of restaurants (see detailed trip below).
Like Google Maps, Amap can show you nearby restaurants.
Shopping: For dried fruits, buy them in Turfan—you won’t find the same variety and quality even in Xian. Generally, if you like something, buy it. If you wait, you might not find it outside the region where you are.
In Xian, there’s a "Tea City" where you can find all kinds of tea (from cheap to very expensive).
The trip in more detail: I won’t dwell on the beauty or interest of the sites here since that’s a matter of personal taste. However, I will do so for lesser-known places to give an idea to those who might be interested.
For many sites, there are shuttles (sometimes not included in the ticket price but costing around 1 €) that take you to the interesting spots. We always took them—it saves you from walking past countless shops or along uninteresting paths.
- **Urumqi**: We spent only one night there, arriving in the middle of the afternoon and leaving the next morning. We stayed at the Dana Hotel in the bazaar. Given the size of the city, it’s a good option because I don’t think there are many other interesting places. The bazaar is brand new and not at all "typical" (Turfan’s bazaar is infinitely more interesting), but the dining area is very nice.
- **Turfan**: Stayed at the New Dap Hostel, which was great. The neighborhood is nice, not far from the city, and easy to find food. The museum is closed until 2026 (Amap provides museum hours and closures). We took a day trip (for the two of us) with a driver to the Bezeklik Caves, Flaming Mountains, the abandoned city of Gaochang, the Tuyuk Village Museum, and the Emin Minaret for 500 RMB from 9 AM to 8 PM (arranged by the hostel). The landscape during the excursion was quite fabulous. We also visited the Karez Museum and the abandoned city of Jiaohe on our own the next day. At this time of year, the sun sets around 6 PM, and there’s often haze after 5 PM, so for Jiaohe, for example, which takes about 3 hours to visit, it’s best to be there by 1 or 2 PM at the latest.
The Dahua Market area is perfect for dried fruits (including the famous grapes), and you can eat there among locals in their traditional costumes. Next to it, there are buildings full of shops selling made-in-China items—it kept us busy for a good half-day, if not more.
- **Dunhuang**: Stayed in a guesthouse near the dunes—the city center isn’t far but seems quite artificial. Visited the dunes, with a ticket valid for 3 days. Lots of Chinese tourists—very typical and interesting from an ethnological perspective 😊. We got up early one morning to climb the highest dune, just beyond the one everyone goes to. It’s a bit long and tiring, but the view is worth it. Visited the Mogao Caves, buying the ticket on-site (no chance in season without booking in advance). We met two other French people and got a French-speaking guide (by pretending not to understand English). It was really worth it—a group of 4 instead of 20, and they took their time (2 hours) for the visit. We took a day trip to the Yulin Caves (2.5 hours by road and 160 km one way) with a driver for 350 RMB. We liked it a lot, but if the Mogao Caves are enough for you, it’s not very different.
- **Jiayuguan**: Stayed in a city-center hotel. Visited the Wei and Jin tombs (actually just one)—that’s where we were told the taxi should wait to take us back to the city. We went down into a crypt with lots of decorated bricks from the 3rd century. We really liked it, but it’s not as spectacular as the fort if you’re not a fan. Visited the Jiayuguan Fort and, with the same ticket, climbed a small section of the Great Wall 10 km away. Plan at least 3 good hours for all this—there’s plenty to see.
- **Zhangye**: Stayed at The Silk Road Travelers Hostel, rustic but very nice and organizes excursions. Visited the Danxia (colored mountains)—just as spectacular as the photos. You can easily spend 3 hours there, so plan to finish before sunset to avoid the haze (you can always stay longer for the sunset if the weather’s nice). The next day, visited the Mati Si Temple in the cliff. The 10,000 Buddha Caves are under renovation, but the setting and the main temple are well worth the visit (the paths through the cliff tunnels must be hellish in peak season). You can probably organize these two excursions yourself by asking any taxi driver. Also visited the Giant Buddha Temple in the city center—really worth it.
- **Xining**: Stayed in a city-center hotel. Visited the Tibetan Medicine Museum to see the world’s largest thangka (1 km long), made over 40 years by renowned artists. It’s absolutely magnificent, on par with the virtuosity (but over 1 km) of the thangkas painted by famous artists in Xiahe (see below). Hired a female taxi driver for the day to visit Kumbum Monastery (Ta’er Si in Chinese) and the Danxia area in Guide, 50 km beyond the monastery. It’s less spectacular than Zhangye’s Danxia, but we really liked it (including the journey’s landscape). The next day, visited the old Ming-era Qutan Monastery—no visitors, with beautiful murals (half under renovation). Accessible by train to Haidong or Ledu, then a taxi. Xining’s mosque is of no interest, but there’s a pedestrian street with food stalls nearby that’s very nice.
- **Tongren**: Stayed near the main monastery. Visited Longwu Monastery (several hours), with lots of nice shops along the street leading to it. Then visited Wutun Monastery, which is less lively but beautiful and close to thangka workshops. You can go in and watch the painters at work. For a thangka made by a renowned artist, count about a year of work for 1 m² and around 10,000 €.
- **Xiahe**: Stayed in a city-center hotel. Visited Labrang Monastery—very nice but not as much as Tongren’s because many halls were closed. I think it’s better to go in season and take an English-guided tour (but it’s still worth the trip, even off-season).
- **Langmusi**: Took a taxi, but you can also take a bus (though very early in the morning and longer). Particularly beautiful for us because we woke up to bright sunshine and 5 cm of snow everywhere. Visited the two temples (really nice) and did the classic hike in the gorges starting at the Fairy Cave. For those interested, we continued along the canyon path, and after the meadow where marmots are clearly visible in summer, we climbed toward a pass on the left at 3,800 meters. The view of Langmusi and, above all, the vast grasslands and distant mountains was fabulous (3 hours round trip from the temple). You could probably reach the 4,000-meter summit by continuing up the valley instead of turning left, but according to guides, it’s better to count 7 hours round trip (no technical difficulty). You can leave Langmusi by bus, but off-season, you first have to take a taxi to a stop outside the city and wait for the bus. We didn’t try and took a taxi to Hezuo instead.
Note on this region: A high-speed train is under construction from Xining to Langmusi and beyond (never seen such an impressive construction site!). When it’s operational (in one or two years, I think), access to the area will be revolutionized, and perhaps some of the charm will be lost.
- **Hezuo**: Stopped on the way from Langmusi to Lanzhou. Visited the Milarepa Pagoda, entirely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and since rebuilt. We liked it since we were passing through, but it doesn’t necessarily justify a long detour.
- **Lanzhou**: Reached by one of the many buses from Hezuo. Stayed in the "fake old quarter," which is extremely pleasant, especially in the evening with restaurants, groups of Chinese women dancing to loud music, etc. Visited Bingling Si with a driver, 120 km away—the landscape and site are absolutely magnificent, with no one around at our time of year. Visited the Gansu Museum (where the famous Flying Horse is, but it’s a replica). We bought the ticket on entry, but in season, you probably need to book in advance.
- **Yinchuan**: Stayed in the city center. A city we discovered by chance in the Lonely Planet—worth it if you have time. On the way, we stopped for a few hours in Zhongwei, where there’s an incredible Taoist temple (I’ll let you be surprised). Visited the Western Xia tombs—we took the short option, which visits Tomb 3. We think the others are similar but less impressive. The surrounding landscape and site are quite spectacular. Visited the film sets (really fun if you like Chinese movies), the short but interesting Ningxia Museum, and finally the modern art museum. The architecture is avant-garde, and there are some beautiful works (we like it, but it’s far from the center—hire a driver who waits, or you might have to wait for an employee to offer a ride back).
- **Tianshui**: Stayed in the suburbs, but you should find a hotel near the "fake old quarter" between the Fu Xi Temples and the Taoist temple—it’s a very nice area, and the two temples (especially the Taoist one) are within walking distance. Visited the Maijishan Caves—the ticket includes the shuttle to get there. Took a taxi from Lanzhou for about 10 € in 45 minutes. We found these caves fabulous.
- **Xi’an**: Stayed 500 meters from the Bell Tower at Hantang Inn—very convenient. We’d been before, so we didn’t revisit the Terracotta Army. The calligraphy district is worth it, as is the Muslim Quarter, though it’s very touristy. The area indicated on the Lonely Planet’s walking tour near the old fruit and vegetable market isn’t very interesting. To buy tea, you can go to the Northwest International Tea City, with dozens of shops. We chose one at random, tasted, and bought various teas. There’s everything from cheap to extremely expensive, but you can find reasonable prices even in seemingly luxurious shops. Along the street north of this area, there are large stores with tons of Chinese goods selling dishes, wedding items, etc. We spent hours there. In the city center, there are only malls with more or less international brands.
- **Longmen Grottoes**: Visited as a round trip by high-speed train from Xian—1 hour 15 minutes to Longmen’s high-speed train station, and the site entrance is 15 minutes by taxi.
We didn’t go to Mount Hua Shan, but there’s a high-speed train station nearby, and there were people on the train who were clearly going there. So, you can probably do this excursion in a day from Xian as well.
Conclusion: We hope this report makes you want to go or helps you if you’re already planning to. If you have questions that you can’t find the answer to by searching properly online and we can answer, don’t hesitate.
This trip report covers a journey along the Silk Road in China (see detailed description below) undertaken in October 2025. The goal isn’t to recount the trip but to provide information that might help those who want to take a similar journey. Much of the information is valid for any trip to China.
Who we are: a retired couple, aged 63 and 65 (age gives discounts on entry to various sites and museums in China, which is why I won’t list prices here—I don’t know them, but you can easily find them online). We’re used to traveling independently. We speak English, which is the only foreign language spoken in China, though by very few people. I speak and read a little Chinese, which helped, but you can easily get by without it (without any English at all, I think it would be more difficult).
Period: We arrived just after "Golden Week," when all of China is on vacation, and after the summer, when schools are out, so we encountered very few tourists (99.99% of whom were Chinese). Our experience with booking visits in advance (which we didn’t need to do) isn’t representative for those who want to travel in the summer! The October-November period was perfect for our trip—it wasn’t too hot or too cold (one day of snow on the Tibetan Plateau), though it was only a few degrees on the Tibetan part, with altitudes between 2,000 and 3,000 meters. The trees were beautifully colored.
General remarks: Everyone we dealt with was very kind and perfectly honest. If you order a meal without really understanding what to do and the person modifies your order, trust them—the result is what you need. If a taxi driver signals that they’ll wait for you to finish your visit and pick you up afterward, trust them. It means there aren’t many taxis where you are, and it’ll be more convenient. For prices at street vendors, we always found the right ballpark, and sometimes they even added a little extra to please us. A taxi driver treated us to lunch, and an employee drove us back to the hotel after a visit because there were no taxis. If you struggle to buy a ticket online because there’s no counter, someone will come to help. People even spontaneously ask if everything’s okay and if you need anything.
Everywhere we went was very clean, including restrooms (trains, stations, hotels, museums, tourist sites) and streets. The old stereotypes about this no longer apply.
The trip can be challenging for those who have difficulty walking. The distances to cover on foot in stations, to access sites, and within the sites themselves can sometimes be really long.
We used the Lonely Planet guide in English (published at the end of August 2025) a little for preparation, but mostly relied on the internet.
Before leaving: No visa is needed for French citizens for stays under 30 days. You get a stamp on your passport upon arrival and departure, and the formalities themselves are very quick in both directions (excluding any potential queues). Just a photo and fingerprints upon arrival, and welcome to China’s facial recognition system.
Money: All your payments (see below) will go through your Visa card—there will be hundreds, including many payments of 20 cents to a few euros. So, you need an international option that allows unlimited card transactions. Since cash is rarely needed, the allowed number of ATM withdrawals can be low. We made 3 withdrawals totaling 800 € for a month and could have managed with just 2. The exchange rate charged on our Visa card was 12 € for 100 RMB (yuan).
Install the following apps on your smartphone before leaving (otherwise, you’ll only have access to the Chinese versions, if available): - Alipay, which is used to pay everywhere in China (details below). You need to link it to your credit card, then provide proof of identity by uploading a passport photo and completing a facial recognition session. Alipay gives access to Didi (China’s Uber), public transport (metro/bus), and can also translate phrases. - WeChat (Weixin in Chinese, pronounced *weishin*), which is also used for payments but also replaces WhatsApp. Unfortunately, to activate your account, you need someone who already has WeChat to sponsor you (preferably a Chinese person). We asked someone at our first accommodations to do this—no problem. By sharing your WeChat number with accommodations, they can send you messages that are automatically translated, and you can communicate with people thanks to the translation (translation to French is very poor; it’s much better in English, but unfortunately, WeChat detects your phone’s language). Alipay and WeChat are accepted almost everywhere, but some places only accept WeChat. - Amap, the international version of Baidu Maps, which replaces Google Maps (not at all up-to-date in China). The English names of hotels often have little to do with the Chinese names except for a phonetic resemblance. To find them on Amap, it’s best to copy the Chinese name found on your Trip reservation under "show address in Chinese." - A VPN. We had CyberGhost, which didn’t work, but according to other travelers, NordVPN and Windscribe do. Without a VPN, you can’t access Google services, on WhatsApp you can send and receive text but not photos, and you can’t send or receive emails on Gmail addresses. We managed without a VPN by using Firefox as a browser and Bing as a search engine. - Trip, for booking trains and accommodations, and buying some tickets. It’s the equivalent of Booking for accommodations, but Booking has very few listings in China, while Trip has hundreds in every city. Most hotels and trains are exchangeable and refundable until the day before, with no or minimal fees.
You don’t need contactless (NFC) payment on your phone. Either you scan a barcode and enter the amount to pay, or you display a barcode, and they scan it with a scanner, and the amount is deducted directly.
Upon arrival: - Buy a Chinese SIM card: 100 RMB for 300 GB of data and several hours of talk time (we didn’t use it). Set the Chinese number as a reference on Alipay, WeChat, and Amap. - Find someone to sponsor you on WeChat.
Transportation: - **Plane**: China Eastern, Paris-Canton then Canton-Urumqi on the way out, and Xian-Canton then Canton-Paris on the way back. International flights were smooth, but the schedules for the two domestic flights were changed. It was fine on the way out because we had some leeway, but on the way back, we were notified the morning of that our flight was canceled and replaced with one that didn’t allow for the connection. We called and changed to an earlier flight (I think we were lucky to find available seats). - **Train**: Most long distances were covered by high-speed trains (called D or G in China) at 240 or 300 km/h. Second class is perfect—just as comfortable and clean as our TGVs. The only advantage of first class is the wider seats for larger people, but the downside is that seats are often booked in advance and thus less available. You can book trains long in advance on Trip, but they only go on sale in China 15 days before departure, so that’s when you’ll know if you have a ticket. Initially, we booked first class, but there were no seats available on the day, so we ended up booking everything in second class, which was perfect. There’s no paper ticket—if you’ve bought one, you go to the station, show your passport, and enter. You do the same to access the platform 15 minutes before the train, and that’s it. Our train was canceled twice, but no problem—we went to the ticket counter, got a refund, and were offered a replacement. It didn’t delay us by more than an hour (maybe it would be harder in peak season). For prices, check Trip.com, but it’s significantly cheaper than in France. - **Bus**: We took the bus between Xining and Tongren, Tongren to Xiahe, and Hezuo to Lanzhou—about 3 hours each time for 200 km, 6 € per person, and departures were right on time. - **Taxi**: For trips between the station and hotel, or hotel and visits. If you take a Didi via the Alipay app, you activate your location, enter your destination, and it offers several taxis. You accept, and you get the car’s license plate and its real-time position on the map. When you get in, the driver often asks for the last four digits of your phone number to confirm. Otherwise, you go to the taxi stand outside the station. The price per kilometer is around 20 cents, so for a 30 km trip from the station to the hotel, you’ll pay about 6 €. We never tried to save more by taking local buses, but since the metro in Xian costs 25 cents per trip, it’s probably in the same ballpark. Amap provides public transport routes like Google Maps. - **Driver**: We hired a taxi/driver for the day several times for sightseeing. Prices ranged from 350 to 1,000 RMB (the most expensive was arranged through the Sofitel Xining concierge) for trips ranging from a few hours to a full day, sometimes covering over 300 km (see the detailed trip description).
Accommodations: All booked in advance on Trip, but several were changed during the trip. Off-season, there were no issues. We mostly stayed in upscale places, but in China, that means 50 to 60 € per night in the most central or convenient neighborhood. Note: Almost all hotels have a 5/5 rating on Trip, but it seems the Chinese avoid giving lower ratings to be polite. So, you have to read the comments to realize that in France, we might have given a 2 or 3!
Food: At the table, you’re served hot water or a hot infusion, presumably made with purified water. We never got sick from drinking it, but don’t drink tap water. Purified or mineral water is easy to find.
In restaurants, you can manage by pointing to the dish you want from another diner, on the wall where there are photos, or on the menu with pictures. The food in the region isn’t often spicy, and people usually ask or signal before adding the red spicy sauce, so you should be able to handle it if you don’t like chili at all.
The "fake old quarters" in several cities are great places to find all kinds of restaurants (see detailed trip below).
Like Google Maps, Amap can show you nearby restaurants.
Shopping: For dried fruits, buy them in Turfan—you won’t find the same variety and quality even in Xian. Generally, if you like something, buy it. If you wait, you might not find it outside the region where you are.
In Xian, there’s a "Tea City" where you can find all kinds of tea (from cheap to very expensive).
The trip in more detail: I won’t dwell on the beauty or interest of the sites here since that’s a matter of personal taste. However, I will do so for lesser-known places to give an idea to those who might be interested.
For many sites, there are shuttles (sometimes not included in the ticket price but costing around 1 €) that take you to the interesting spots. We always took them—it saves you from walking past countless shops or along uninteresting paths.
- **Urumqi**: We spent only one night there, arriving in the middle of the afternoon and leaving the next morning. We stayed at the Dana Hotel in the bazaar. Given the size of the city, it’s a good option because I don’t think there are many other interesting places. The bazaar is brand new and not at all "typical" (Turfan’s bazaar is infinitely more interesting), but the dining area is very nice.
- **Turfan**: Stayed at the New Dap Hostel, which was great. The neighborhood is nice, not far from the city, and easy to find food. The museum is closed until 2026 (Amap provides museum hours and closures). We took a day trip (for the two of us) with a driver to the Bezeklik Caves, Flaming Mountains, the abandoned city of Gaochang, the Tuyuk Village Museum, and the Emin Minaret for 500 RMB from 9 AM to 8 PM (arranged by the hostel). The landscape during the excursion was quite fabulous. We also visited the Karez Museum and the abandoned city of Jiaohe on our own the next day. At this time of year, the sun sets around 6 PM, and there’s often haze after 5 PM, so for Jiaohe, for example, which takes about 3 hours to visit, it’s best to be there by 1 or 2 PM at the latest.
The Dahua Market area is perfect for dried fruits (including the famous grapes), and you can eat there among locals in their traditional costumes. Next to it, there are buildings full of shops selling made-in-China items—it kept us busy for a good half-day, if not more.
- **Dunhuang**: Stayed in a guesthouse near the dunes—the city center isn’t far but seems quite artificial. Visited the dunes, with a ticket valid for 3 days. Lots of Chinese tourists—very typical and interesting from an ethnological perspective 😊. We got up early one morning to climb the highest dune, just beyond the one everyone goes to. It’s a bit long and tiring, but the view is worth it. Visited the Mogao Caves, buying the ticket on-site (no chance in season without booking in advance). We met two other French people and got a French-speaking guide (by pretending not to understand English). It was really worth it—a group of 4 instead of 20, and they took their time (2 hours) for the visit. We took a day trip to the Yulin Caves (2.5 hours by road and 160 km one way) with a driver for 350 RMB. We liked it a lot, but if the Mogao Caves are enough for you, it’s not very different.
- **Jiayuguan**: Stayed in a city-center hotel. Visited the Wei and Jin tombs (actually just one)—that’s where we were told the taxi should wait to take us back to the city. We went down into a crypt with lots of decorated bricks from the 3rd century. We really liked it, but it’s not as spectacular as the fort if you’re not a fan. Visited the Jiayuguan Fort and, with the same ticket, climbed a small section of the Great Wall 10 km away. Plan at least 3 good hours for all this—there’s plenty to see.
- **Zhangye**: Stayed at The Silk Road Travelers Hostel, rustic but very nice and organizes excursions. Visited the Danxia (colored mountains)—just as spectacular as the photos. You can easily spend 3 hours there, so plan to finish before sunset to avoid the haze (you can always stay longer for the sunset if the weather’s nice). The next day, visited the Mati Si Temple in the cliff. The 10,000 Buddha Caves are under renovation, but the setting and the main temple are well worth the visit (the paths through the cliff tunnels must be hellish in peak season). You can probably organize these two excursions yourself by asking any taxi driver. Also visited the Giant Buddha Temple in the city center—really worth it.
- **Xining**: Stayed in a city-center hotel. Visited the Tibetan Medicine Museum to see the world’s largest thangka (1 km long), made over 40 years by renowned artists. It’s absolutely magnificent, on par with the virtuosity (but over 1 km) of the thangkas painted by famous artists in Xiahe (see below). Hired a female taxi driver for the day to visit Kumbum Monastery (Ta’er Si in Chinese) and the Danxia area in Guide, 50 km beyond the monastery. It’s less spectacular than Zhangye’s Danxia, but we really liked it (including the journey’s landscape). The next day, visited the old Ming-era Qutan Monastery—no visitors, with beautiful murals (half under renovation). Accessible by train to Haidong or Ledu, then a taxi. Xining’s mosque is of no interest, but there’s a pedestrian street with food stalls nearby that’s very nice.
- **Tongren**: Stayed near the main monastery. Visited Longwu Monastery (several hours), with lots of nice shops along the street leading to it. Then visited Wutun Monastery, which is less lively but beautiful and close to thangka workshops. You can go in and watch the painters at work. For a thangka made by a renowned artist, count about a year of work for 1 m² and around 10,000 €.
- **Xiahe**: Stayed in a city-center hotel. Visited Labrang Monastery—very nice but not as much as Tongren’s because many halls were closed. I think it’s better to go in season and take an English-guided tour (but it’s still worth the trip, even off-season).
- **Langmusi**: Took a taxi, but you can also take a bus (though very early in the morning and longer). Particularly beautiful for us because we woke up to bright sunshine and 5 cm of snow everywhere. Visited the two temples (really nice) and did the classic hike in the gorges starting at the Fairy Cave. For those interested, we continued along the canyon path, and after the meadow where marmots are clearly visible in summer, we climbed toward a pass on the left at 3,800 meters. The view of Langmusi and, above all, the vast grasslands and distant mountains was fabulous (3 hours round trip from the temple). You could probably reach the 4,000-meter summit by continuing up the valley instead of turning left, but according to guides, it’s better to count 7 hours round trip (no technical difficulty). You can leave Langmusi by bus, but off-season, you first have to take a taxi to a stop outside the city and wait for the bus. We didn’t try and took a taxi to Hezuo instead.
Note on this region: A high-speed train is under construction from Xining to Langmusi and beyond (never seen such an impressive construction site!). When it’s operational (in one or two years, I think), access to the area will be revolutionized, and perhaps some of the charm will be lost.
- **Hezuo**: Stopped on the way from Langmusi to Lanzhou. Visited the Milarepa Pagoda, entirely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and since rebuilt. We liked it since we were passing through, but it doesn’t necessarily justify a long detour.
- **Lanzhou**: Reached by one of the many buses from Hezuo. Stayed in the "fake old quarter," which is extremely pleasant, especially in the evening with restaurants, groups of Chinese women dancing to loud music, etc. Visited Bingling Si with a driver, 120 km away—the landscape and site are absolutely magnificent, with no one around at our time of year. Visited the Gansu Museum (where the famous Flying Horse is, but it’s a replica). We bought the ticket on entry, but in season, you probably need to book in advance.
- **Yinchuan**: Stayed in the city center. A city we discovered by chance in the Lonely Planet—worth it if you have time. On the way, we stopped for a few hours in Zhongwei, where there’s an incredible Taoist temple (I’ll let you be surprised). Visited the Western Xia tombs—we took the short option, which visits Tomb 3. We think the others are similar but less impressive. The surrounding landscape and site are quite spectacular. Visited the film sets (really fun if you like Chinese movies), the short but interesting Ningxia Museum, and finally the modern art museum. The architecture is avant-garde, and there are some beautiful works (we like it, but it’s far from the center—hire a driver who waits, or you might have to wait for an employee to offer a ride back).
- **Tianshui**: Stayed in the suburbs, but you should find a hotel near the "fake old quarter" between the Fu Xi Temples and the Taoist temple—it’s a very nice area, and the two temples (especially the Taoist one) are within walking distance. Visited the Maijishan Caves—the ticket includes the shuttle to get there. Took a taxi from Lanzhou for about 10 € in 45 minutes. We found these caves fabulous.
- **Xi’an**: Stayed 500 meters from the Bell Tower at Hantang Inn—very convenient. We’d been before, so we didn’t revisit the Terracotta Army. The calligraphy district is worth it, as is the Muslim Quarter, though it’s very touristy. The area indicated on the Lonely Planet’s walking tour near the old fruit and vegetable market isn’t very interesting. To buy tea, you can go to the Northwest International Tea City, with dozens of shops. We chose one at random, tasted, and bought various teas. There’s everything from cheap to extremely expensive, but you can find reasonable prices even in seemingly luxurious shops. Along the street north of this area, there are large stores with tons of Chinese goods selling dishes, wedding items, etc. We spent hours there. In the city center, there are only malls with more or less international brands.
- **Longmen Grottoes**: Visited as a round trip by high-speed train from Xian—1 hour 15 minutes to Longmen’s high-speed train station, and the site entrance is 15 minutes by taxi.
We didn’t go to Mount Hua Shan, but there’s a high-speed train station nearby, and there were people on the train who were clearly going there. So, you can probably do this excursion in a day from Xian as well.
Conclusion: We hope this report makes you want to go or helps you if you’re already planning to. If you have questions that you can’t find the answer to by searching properly online and we can answer, don’t hesitate.
Hi there,
I’m getting ready for a classic tourist trip to China in May 2026.
The "Terres Lointaines" itinerary looks good to me, and the price is interesting.
Has anyone traveled with them before? Any feedback?
Is there a better option?
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences on this!
Michel
Hi everyone
I’m currently planning my trip to China for next August.
I’m starting from scratch, so I’m counting on your advice and firsthand experiences!
For now, I only know that I’ll arrive in China via Beijing, Shanghai, or Hong Kong and leave 15 days later from another one of these three cities.
In between, I’d love to explore a mountainous and natural region in the countryside.
The Guilin area really appeals to me with its spectacular landscapes.
I still have tons of questions:
- What can you do during this often humid season?
- Is it better to go through a local agency or organize everything yourself?
- What itineraries would you recommend?
Anyway, everything’s still up in the air, and I can’t wait to read your opinions, suggestions, and great tips to help me build this trip!
Hi everyone! I’m sharing a modest travel journal from my trip to China in August 2025.
There wasn’t much room for improvisation on this trip—everything was planned in advance. Since August is peak season, I decided to book train tickets early, and once that was set, I reserved all the accommodations too. I got everything on Trip.com.
I bought the flight tickets back in March from Hainan Airlines. They were super expensive, but with these travel dates, I couldn’t exactly dream of a bargain!
I picked up e-SIMs valid for a month from Free just before departure: 10 € for the e-SIM + 19.90 € for a one-month plan with 35 GB of data abroad.
No need for a VPN with these e-SIMs, but D. still got one—a multi-device plan for 5 € with a discount from Let’s VPN, valid for a month. It was for evenings at the hotel on Wi-Fi to avoid burning through the 35 GB with video.
I downloaded Alipay, WeChat, Amap (Baidu Maps), and Trip.com. We also have Google Translate and Maps.me—absolute must-haves.
We’re ready to go!
I’ve been waiting for this day for nearly 15 years!! I travel a lot, but this one—this is MY TRIP 🙂 It’s been postponed so many times: because I wanted to do it with the right person, because I have a Turkish stamp in my passport and heard they don’t issue visas with that, because of COVID... and then China introduced a 30-day visa exemption, and that was the green light! Ugh, they forced us to take our vacation in August this year—far from ideal—but no more delays. Saturday, August 2, 2025: it’s finally the big day!
Days 1 and 2: We got dropped off at Charles de Gaulle at 9:30 AM. I supposedly checked in online, but only for the first flight and without getting the boarding pass... Might as well scrap online check-in in that case. So, we spent over an hour in line at the counter to get them. We didn’t have any checked luggage—just our backpacks as carry-ons—so this was a step we’d never had to deal with before, but whatever, it’s done. No wait at passport control, 5 minutes through security, a quick walk around the terminal, 10 minutes in the boarding area, and it was already time to board. Departure around 12:45 PM, arrival in Chongqing at 4:50 AM. We had a few hours of layover before our next flight. Went through immigration, connecting flight control, and security. Pro tip: check your next flight’s boarding gate right after immigration. We never saw it displayed again anywhere in the terminal.
The Free e-SIMs work—phew!
Took off at 9:30 AM, arrived in Guangzhou (Canton) at 11:20 AM in the rain. I love how Chongqing is translated as "Tchoung King" on the screens in the plane—very French!
During my first two trips to China, we paid for everything in cash, but this time, we’re going all-in on Alipay and WeChat. I still brought the leftover change from previous trips—it might come in handy. At the metro station, they showed us a QR code to buy tickets via WeChat. There were probably machines and even a ticket counter, but we didn’t see them, and buying via WeChat was pretty simple. 8 yuan to Changshu Lu, which is 22 stops. So far, so good. Then, we had to find the hotel, which wasn’t on Google Maps, Maps.me, or Amap... Easy 😎! We found it without too much hassle, though. Dropped off our stuff and went out to eat. 55 yuan for two claypots with fish/eel, rice, cabbage, and purple eggplant. When we left, it was pouring. We grabbed our umbrellas and set off to explore the neighborhood: Enning Road (we’ll come back later to check out a specific spot), Shangxiajiu (the pedestrian shopping street), Baohua Road... The area is pretty diverse—one street to the next, it’s like stepping into a different world.
There weren’t many people around, probably because of the rain. We grabbed a quick street food dinner and went to bed—we were exhausted. We struggled to stay awake until 11 PM to adjust to the time change as quickly as possible. There’s a 6-hour time difference.
There wasn’t much room for improvisation on this trip—everything was planned in advance. Since August is peak season, I decided to book train tickets early, and once that was set, I reserved all the accommodations too. I got everything on Trip.com.
I bought the flight tickets back in March from Hainan Airlines. They were super expensive, but with these travel dates, I couldn’t exactly dream of a bargain!
I picked up e-SIMs valid for a month from Free just before departure: 10 € for the e-SIM + 19.90 € for a one-month plan with 35 GB of data abroad.
No need for a VPN with these e-SIMs, but D. still got one—a multi-device plan for 5 € with a discount from Let’s VPN, valid for a month. It was for evenings at the hotel on Wi-Fi to avoid burning through the 35 GB with video.
I downloaded Alipay, WeChat, Amap (Baidu Maps), and Trip.com. We also have Google Translate and Maps.me—absolute must-haves.
We’re ready to go!
I’ve been waiting for this day for nearly 15 years!! I travel a lot, but this one—this is MY TRIP 🙂 It’s been postponed so many times: because I wanted to do it with the right person, because I have a Turkish stamp in my passport and heard they don’t issue visas with that, because of COVID... and then China introduced a 30-day visa exemption, and that was the green light! Ugh, they forced us to take our vacation in August this year—far from ideal—but no more delays. Saturday, August 2, 2025: it’s finally the big day!
Days 1 and 2: We got dropped off at Charles de Gaulle at 9:30 AM. I supposedly checked in online, but only for the first flight and without getting the boarding pass... Might as well scrap online check-in in that case. So, we spent over an hour in line at the counter to get them. We didn’t have any checked luggage—just our backpacks as carry-ons—so this was a step we’d never had to deal with before, but whatever, it’s done. No wait at passport control, 5 minutes through security, a quick walk around the terminal, 10 minutes in the boarding area, and it was already time to board. Departure around 12:45 PM, arrival in Chongqing at 4:50 AM. We had a few hours of layover before our next flight. Went through immigration, connecting flight control, and security. Pro tip: check your next flight’s boarding gate right after immigration. We never saw it displayed again anywhere in the terminal.
The Free e-SIMs work—phew!
Took off at 9:30 AM, arrived in Guangzhou (Canton) at 11:20 AM in the rain. I love how Chongqing is translated as "Tchoung King" on the screens in the plane—very French!
During my first two trips to China, we paid for everything in cash, but this time, we’re going all-in on Alipay and WeChat. I still brought the leftover change from previous trips—it might come in handy. At the metro station, they showed us a QR code to buy tickets via WeChat. There were probably machines and even a ticket counter, but we didn’t see them, and buying via WeChat was pretty simple. 8 yuan to Changshu Lu, which is 22 stops. So far, so good. Then, we had to find the hotel, which wasn’t on Google Maps, Maps.me, or Amap... Easy 😎! We found it without too much hassle, though. Dropped off our stuff and went out to eat. 55 yuan for two claypots with fish/eel, rice, cabbage, and purple eggplant. When we left, it was pouring. We grabbed our umbrellas and set off to explore the neighborhood: Enning Road (we’ll come back later to check out a specific spot), Shangxiajiu (the pedestrian shopping street), Baohua Road... The area is pretty diverse—one street to the next, it’s like stepping into a different world.
There weren’t many people around, probably because of the rain. We grabbed a quick street food dinner and went to bed—we were exhausted. We struggled to stay awake until 11 PM to adjust to the time change as quickly as possible. There’s a 6-hour time difference.
We’re a retired French couple.
We’ve just spent 4 weeks in China:
- 1. Exploring Yunnan in a group (12 people); a journey that took us from the Vietnamese border in the south to the edges of Tibet in the north.
- 2. A private trip to Guizhou with just a driver.
We’re absolutely delighted with what we discovered: a modern country with excellent infrastructure (especially the low level of urban pollution thanks to the high number of electric vehicles, the absence of diesel, and no noisy motorbikes in these two less industrialized provinces), friendly Chinese people who were always ready to help us when we had difficulties or questions, and a rich natural and cultural heritage.
The language barrier remains the biggest challenge, despite instant translation tools.
For both trips, we booked through the agency CIELCHINE, which we highly recommend.
The value for money is unbeatable.
The services were luxurious, especially for us since we usually travel alone on a tight budget for accommodation and food.
The agency’s staff were perfectly competent and, what’s more, warm and welcoming.
For Yunnan, our guide SEBASTIEN, who was experienced and knowledgeable, won everyone over.
In Guizhou, our driver HUANG was professionally flawless and guided us through villages he knows well. Friendly and full of humor, he’d spontaneously talk to people he met, which made us be treated with much more kindness and allowed us to exchange a few basic words.
As you can see, I haven’t ticked anything negative—not because I’m hiding anything or have any ulterior motive, but because I’m completely satisfied and the experience even exceeded all my expectations.
From Beijing to Khiva: China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
Chronicle of anecdotes, highlights, and other adventures that marked this eight-week journey in 2018.
The Chinese Far West More than 30 years after my first trip to eastern China, I finally fulfilled an old dream: traveling solo from Beijing to the far west, discovering Xinjiang, the Uyghur people and the oppression they endure, the oases of Turpan and Kashgar, the Taklamakan Desert, the end of the Great Wall... The route was covered by train.
MENU PART 1: CHINA
1- Beijing (Jiankou) : the authentic Great Wall, without tourists 2- Cycling in Beijing, the best way to get around 3- Beijing : departure for the far west 4- Jiayuguan : getting by without English 5- Jiayuguan : scams and heritage 6- Dunhuang : abundance in the middle of the desert 7- Turpan : the Uyghurs under heavy surveillance 8- Kashgar : love at first sight for the old city 9- Kashgar : China’s recipe for controlling the populace 10- Tashkurgan : what on earth was I thinking going there! Kyrgyz border: a surreal epic Photo album from the 80s, contributions from other travelers (page 2)
1- JIANKOU Finding the authentic Great Wall, without tourists or a guide Friday, August 24, 2018 Thirty years later, I didn’t feel like revisiting the Great Wall at Badaling or any other overcrowded site. I chose to explore it at Jiankou, in its wildest, most authentic, and unrestored section, starting from a lost village deep in a valley—though it wasn’t *that* lost, since it had everything for communication.
No need to pay for a taxi to get there—by timing it right, you can take the bus for just a few yuan. You have to get off at Xizhazi, the bus terminus. Be careful, there are only two buses a day in each direction. At the Xizhazi bus stop, I met a young couple who’d arrived with zero information about what to expect. We hiked the three of us toward the restored section of Mutianyu.
Still, be cautious With GPS and a topographic map (OpenTopoMap), you can set off without a problem or guide. The trail up to Jiankou is easy and well-marked. The trails down are too. But be careful—once you’re on the Wall, it’s real mountain hiking, with easy but dangerous climbing sections (over sheer drops). Not for amateurs or those afraid of heights! But what a reward. The Wall all to yourself, where it’s at its most daring. Truly mesmerizing.
More photos...
2- BEIJING The best way to get around the capital Sunday, August 26 The best way to explore the city is still by bike. Most are in a bike-share system, but you need to use an app—WeChat, the app that does everything, like monitoring your every move. No way I was installing that.
I found one at a rental shop near the hostel. The key is to quickly learn local traffic customs to minimize risks. Bike lanes are wide along the avenues.
But you still have to: - Watch out for anything parked on the bike paths—the most annoying are people napping or talking on the phone in their cars - Keep an eye on everything coming the wrong way—the list is long - The worst is right turns on red, which in Chinese traffic rules seem to have priority Once you get the hang of it, it’s fine. The city is huge but flat, so you can just wing it.
3- BEIJING By train to the far west Sunday, August 26 Beijing West Station is the size and operates like an airport. With your e-ticket from the agency, you first have to pick up your ticket at the special "English" counter, after passing through security. With your ticket in hand, you have to exit and enter through the boarding waiting area—not the platform—after a second security check.
Then you find the right hall and wait for the sign to finally access the platform. In the end, it works pretty well given the incredible number of passengers to manage. Everywhere in Beijing, I saw that the Chinese have mastered crowd flow management.
Nice surprise: second-class carriages are clean, air-conditioned, and bright. Perfect, since I was in for 20 hours. One uniformed attendant per carriage, mobile meal service—luxury! Small downside: no luggage space. Hauling your suitcase up to the top bunk is quite a workout. I was in the middle, so it wasn’t too bad. The landscape, though, whether rural or urban, is pretty bleak. That should change once we leave the eastern plains.
Of course, I got my first police visit, with a thorough passport check and bag search. I was warned—going to the Chinese far west exposes you to this kind of hassle. But they were polite and respectful.
The Chinese Far West
4- JIAYUGUAN Getting by without English Monday, August 27 At the gates of two deserts (Gobi and Taklamakan) and at the foot of the Tibetan highlands, the Great Wall ends at Jiayuguan. Here, I found the deeper China I’d somewhat rediscovered during my bike ride, even if now everyone gets around on electric bikes and I’m no longer stared at like an alien.
Prices are nothing like Beijing: you can find a full meal for 2 €, and my bike cost 7 € for two days. Plus, few people speak English—neither the owner of the HI hostel where I stayed, nor the ticket sellers at the sites, let alone the servers at the small eateries where I ate. Everything is written in Chinese. So I had to use the little Chinese I know to communicate about essentials. It makes the locals laugh to see a European trying to speak their language, but it earns respect. With Google Translate’s help, I managed.
Rant: With their avenues blocked for construction for kilometers without warning, and new roads not yet on maps, I must’ve taken 15 km of detours. More photos...
5- JIAYUGUAN Scams and heritage Tuesday, August 28 The Great Wall doesn’t exactly end at the fort I visited yesterday but 10 km further, at the entrance to a river gorge at the foot of the mountains. All that’s left is a badly damaged tower (more like a mound of earth) and a section of clay wall, similar to the one I biked yesterday.
This morning, I hopped on my bike, determined to venture into the desert to see this highly symbolic site. First, you access it via a wide, brand-new road with not a soul in sight. Just before the site, I came across a grand welcome gate, very period-style, but it’s actually the inevitable toll booth.
Behind the gate, the road continues straight to the site, which you can see in the distance—at least 2 km away—the remains of the tower and wall. I had to leave my bike here. Fine. I went to the ticket counter and asked the price: 120 yuan! I couldn’t believe it—over 15 € for a simple mound of earth.
I showed my displeasure to the attendant, who couldn’t care less, and immediately turned back. 120 yuan—that’s the price for a new road, a fancy gate planted 2 km before the site just to force you to take a shuttle, and employees with nothing to do all day... Now I understand why I didn’t meet anyone!
Heritage China is a bit pricey Generally, sites are expensive for the country’s standard of living, but travelers are supposed to have money, so why hold back? I even gave up on the Forbidden City—reservations required days in advance (or on the black market at an impossible price). I prefer to keep the memory of my first visit, when entry must’ve cost a few dozen cents, and there were only a handful of visitors.
This morning, I took a taxi to see remarkable tombs of common people from the 3rd to 6th centuries. They’re small vaulted caves made of painted bricks, depicting scenes of daily life. Very pretty and moving. But even here, though the price was more reasonable, I was left wanting—only one of the 16 tombs is open to visitors, and it’s apparently not the most beautiful.
The authentic China—at least what’s left of it... Wandering the impersonal avenues of the city, you stumble upon a market. There, you still find traditional China—small shops with questionable hygiene, Go players, musicians, and even a dental prosthetist. The last refuge for those untouched by modernity. More photos...
6- DUNHUANG Abundance in the middle of the desert Wednesday, August 29 Well, I thought the landscape would be less bleak as I headed west. Nope. The only distraction in this expanse of dark, clayey sand is the forests of pylons and wind turbines, plus wild camels racing each other.
However, Dunhuang, the gateway to the Taklamakan, is by far the most pleasant Chinese city I know. There’s a real city center you can explore on foot. It’s hot but not unbearable, with a light, dry breeze. Much nicer than Beijing. The Han Chinese are still the majority, but the Muslim Uyghurs are more numerous, and the muezzin’s call to prayer echoes around the mosque.
The most surprising thing is the abundance and diversity of fruits and vegetables. You wonder how it all grows here. Well-irrigated, the desert sands are very fertile. Here, raisins have subtle, mysterious flavors, and the lamb really tastes like lamb.
Today, I visited the must-see Mingshashan, a dune complex next to which Pila is a molehill. The Basque Country, but covered in sand... More photos...
7- TURPAN The Uyghurs under heavy surveillance Friday, August 31 Surveillance cameras everywhere in the city, armed police stationed at intersections, in front of public buildings, at the entrance and inside tourist sites, police stations on every corner, patrols on foot or by car, khaki uniforms even for middle schoolers... here, the Han Chinese are in the minority, and you can feel it. Turpan feels like a city under siege.
To enter the youth hostel where I stayed, there’s even a security gate, and the receptionist (a Han, like everyone in tourism) wears a bulletproof vest! Reassuring. Still, you don’t feel particularly threatened here, especially as a European. The troublemakers are the Chinese, not the Uyghurs. Generally, China is a very safe country for visitors.
Smile, you’re on camera! I was biking on an avenue when the car in front of me got flashed for driving slowly. I quickly understood why when I got flashed too.
Here, the official time is Beijing time, but it gets dark two hours later. It’ll be even worse in Kashgar. Trickier to manage: everything is displayed in Chinese and Arabic. Nothing in English. Choosing a menu is a shot in the dark. Apart from a few young Chinese, no one here speaks English, and my Chinese doesn’t seem very understandable...
Mogao, the end of the road for the Han Yesterday, near Dunhuang, I went to Mogao, a complex of decorated caves with Buddha sculptures and paintings. Stunning, but so crowded! Luckily, here in Turpan, Chinese tourists barely venture out. So I visited a Silk Road ghost town with only a handful of other visitors and under a howling wind.
The modern Chinese city is swallowing up the old Uyghur neighborhoods—only a museum-like district remains in the center, and pockets of resistance on the outskirts are doomed to disappear soon. More photos...
8- KASHGAR A (relative) love at first sight for the old city Sunday, September 2 After three overnight trains, here I am in the far west of China, nearly 4,000 km from the capital. Despite the omnipresent police and an old city preserved UNESCO-style, Kashgar is my Chinese love at first sight.
Finally, Chinese... well, sort of, because we’re in Uyghur territory here—a Turkic people with nothing culturally in common with the Han, the eastern Chinese. It started badly yesterday at Turfan station, where after three security gate passes, at least five passport checks, and a bag search, three adorable policewomen confiscated my antibacterial lotion because it had a flammable logo...
Then came the welcoming committee of armed cops at Kashgar station. Once all that was over, they left me alone—except you still have to go through security checks like everyone else to enter the old city, the bazaar, the livestock market... The further west you go, the more the siege mentality is evident. Luckily, the border isn’t far...
Despite the inevitable destruction-reconstruction, the city center has been well preserved. Thankfully, because it’s a very original style, a mix of local and colonial. I love it, even if it’s a bit too artificial, sanitized, and watered-down, and rather empty of residents. On the Silk Road, the city was famous for its great food. And it still is—rarely have I seen such richness and abundance of food! And not just scorpions or snakes. More photos...
9- KASHGAR China’s recipe for controlling the populace Saturday, September 1 Xinjiang, along with Tibet, is a "sensitive" area of rebellion in the eyes of Chinese authorities. As a result, the state has these regions and their populations under total control. Tourists also feel the consequences, even if they’re not at risk of re-education camps.
- Putting barbed wire and anti-ramming barriers around sensitive sites (schools, big hotels, government buildings...)
- Installing traffic surveillance gates with cameras and photo flashes (for all vehicles passing, including bikes) throughout the city and even in the countryside
- Posting uniformed guards with tasers, batons, or huge baseball bats every 100 meters
- Training the Han population (ethnic Chinese) in self-defense with sticks, preferably in the morning on the street. Men and women of all ages
- Starting school with the national anthem, doing military exercises, and receiving political indoctrination, all neatly lined up in the courtyard. (The dream school for any teacher)
- Placing a snitch in uniform (a pseudo-guard) in public gathering places, like youth hostels. Mine spends the day loafing around the courtyard
- Putting Chinese flags everywhere on the streets to remind everyone who’s in charge
- Installing security gates at every entrance to areas frequented by tourists (thanks for that) but not just there
- Never photographing cops, or else! I tried, but it’s not easy...
With all that, you can stroll around safely Not much crime! As for the amount the Chinese state spends to maintain such a system, it’s staggering! A third of the Han living in Xinjiang work in security. Today, I wandered freely around old Kashgar, which is quite large after all. More photos...
10- TASHKURGAN What on earth was I thinking going there! Wednesday, September 5 First, there’s the taxi—pretty crappy, with a driver who doesn’t speak a word of English and won’t stop smoking. Over six hours in that... shared with a completely out-of-it American.
Then there are all the checkpoints along the way. I won’t go on—you know the drill by now.
After that, there’s Tashkurgan—a town with nothing to see, nothing to do. Deserted as soon as night falls. There’s this huge youth hostel and a few lost Chinese tapping away on their smartphones, chain-smoking. This lost American-European crowd, swapping tips on how to enter Pakistan or Tajikistan.
Luckily, there’s the Chinese Pamir Highway, lined with peaks over 7,000m. There’s the feeling of no longer being in China, with a population whose features are Middle Eastern. And these Tajik women with their stunning hairstyles and vibrant costumes. There’s the fact of having reached the westernmost Chinese city, far from crowds and tourist sites. A sort of end of the world. More photos...
11- KYRGYZ BORDER A surreal epic Thursday, September 6 The road from Kashgar to the Kyrgyzstan border is a little over 200 km and passes through beautiful landscapes of colorful, desert-like mountains with acrobatic folds. That’s the bucolic part of the trip.
Yesterday, I managed to gather four people to rent a minibus to reach the border more easily: a Spaniard and an Argentine I’d already met in Turpan, and two New Zealanders who responded to the ad left at the hostel.
Absurdity and paranoia of Chinese authorities The highlight was crossing the town of Wuqia, 50 km past Kashgar. After tallying up with my fellow sufferers, we must’ve passed about ten checkpoints with: - Passport checks: 14 times, sometimes by two cops side by side - Bag checks: 4 times - Smartphone checks: 2 times, with deletion of "non-compliant" photos, and registration of your IMEI in the exit log!... Absurd and surreal at the same time, since my camera stayed in my bag, my apps are in French, and my photos have been online for ages...
With all that, we arrived just as the last checkpoint before the no man’s land marking the border between the two countries was on lunch break. And bam! Another 1.5-hour wait, alongside truckers who were much more used to this than we were.
What to think? The cops themselves aren’t fooled. They play the role they’re asked to, but sometimes you can coax a smile out of them—they realize how ridiculous the situation is.
What’s the point? That’s the big question my companions and I were tempted to answer with "to piss people off." To show you your place isn’t here, but with the other tourists, over there in the east, in Shanghai, Xi’an, or Guangzhou.
As for you, a traveler from a democratic country, you really experience this as aggression, humiliation, a violation of your private space. And yet, I’m respected, they speak to me properly. Today, I better understand what a Palestinian or a citizen of an occupied country might feel daily. A unique experience! Thanks, China.
And to top it off, the cherry on the cake! It’s still this glowing button you press to rate your passage after clearing the last obstacle before the exit stamp. I was so surprised it turned off before I could react. The Spaniard, with great humor and irony, had time to vote "excellent." In the end, he wasn’t wrong—you can hardly do better!
PS: I ditched my buddies at the border. They didn’t want to pay for a taxi to continue. So I took a direct taxi to Osh. The first 100 km are fabulous. I couldn’t take many photos, but I’ll be back on Monday to go to Tajikistan.
More photos...
The rest of the Silk Road, Part 2, in these travel journals: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
The Chinese Far West More than 30 years after my first trip to eastern China, I finally fulfilled an old dream: traveling solo from Beijing to the far west, discovering Xinjiang, the Uyghur people and the oppression they endure, the oases of Turpan and Kashgar, the Taklamakan Desert, the end of the Great Wall... The route was covered by train.
MENU PART 1: CHINA
1- Beijing (Jiankou) : the authentic Great Wall, without tourists 2- Cycling in Beijing, the best way to get around 3- Beijing : departure for the far west 4- Jiayuguan : getting by without English 5- Jiayuguan : scams and heritage 6- Dunhuang : abundance in the middle of the desert 7- Turpan : the Uyghurs under heavy surveillance 8- Kashgar : love at first sight for the old city 9- Kashgar : China’s recipe for controlling the populace 10- Tashkurgan : what on earth was I thinking going there! Kyrgyz border: a surreal epic Photo album from the 80s, contributions from other travelers (page 2)
1- JIANKOU Finding the authentic Great Wall, without tourists or a guide Friday, August 24, 2018 Thirty years later, I didn’t feel like revisiting the Great Wall at Badaling or any other overcrowded site. I chose to explore it at Jiankou, in its wildest, most authentic, and unrestored section, starting from a lost village deep in a valley—though it wasn’t *that* lost, since it had everything for communication.
No need to pay for a taxi to get there—by timing it right, you can take the bus for just a few yuan. You have to get off at Xizhazi, the bus terminus. Be careful, there are only two buses a day in each direction. At the Xizhazi bus stop, I met a young couple who’d arrived with zero information about what to expect. We hiked the three of us toward the restored section of Mutianyu.
Still, be cautious With GPS and a topographic map (OpenTopoMap), you can set off without a problem or guide. The trail up to Jiankou is easy and well-marked. The trails down are too. But be careful—once you’re on the Wall, it’s real mountain hiking, with easy but dangerous climbing sections (over sheer drops). Not for amateurs or those afraid of heights! But what a reward. The Wall all to yourself, where it’s at its most daring. Truly mesmerizing.
More photos...
2- BEIJING The best way to get around the capital Sunday, August 26 The best way to explore the city is still by bike. Most are in a bike-share system, but you need to use an app—WeChat, the app that does everything, like monitoring your every move. No way I was installing that.
I found one at a rental shop near the hostel. The key is to quickly learn local traffic customs to minimize risks. Bike lanes are wide along the avenues.
But you still have to: - Watch out for anything parked on the bike paths—the most annoying are people napping or talking on the phone in their cars - Keep an eye on everything coming the wrong way—the list is long - The worst is right turns on red, which in Chinese traffic rules seem to have priority Once you get the hang of it, it’s fine. The city is huge but flat, so you can just wing it.
3- BEIJING By train to the far west Sunday, August 26 Beijing West Station is the size and operates like an airport. With your e-ticket from the agency, you first have to pick up your ticket at the special "English" counter, after passing through security. With your ticket in hand, you have to exit and enter through the boarding waiting area—not the platform—after a second security check.
Then you find the right hall and wait for the sign to finally access the platform. In the end, it works pretty well given the incredible number of passengers to manage. Everywhere in Beijing, I saw that the Chinese have mastered crowd flow management.Nice surprise: second-class carriages are clean, air-conditioned, and bright. Perfect, since I was in for 20 hours. One uniformed attendant per carriage, mobile meal service—luxury! Small downside: no luggage space. Hauling your suitcase up to the top bunk is quite a workout. I was in the middle, so it wasn’t too bad. The landscape, though, whether rural or urban, is pretty bleak. That should change once we leave the eastern plains.
Of course, I got my first police visit, with a thorough passport check and bag search. I was warned—going to the Chinese far west exposes you to this kind of hassle. But they were polite and respectful.
The Chinese Far West4- JIAYUGUAN Getting by without English Monday, August 27 At the gates of two deserts (Gobi and Taklamakan) and at the foot of the Tibetan highlands, the Great Wall ends at Jiayuguan. Here, I found the deeper China I’d somewhat rediscovered during my bike ride, even if now everyone gets around on electric bikes and I’m no longer stared at like an alien.
Prices are nothing like Beijing: you can find a full meal for 2 €, and my bike cost 7 € for two days. Plus, few people speak English—neither the owner of the HI hostel where I stayed, nor the ticket sellers at the sites, let alone the servers at the small eateries where I ate. Everything is written in Chinese. So I had to use the little Chinese I know to communicate about essentials. It makes the locals laugh to see a European trying to speak their language, but it earns respect. With Google Translate’s help, I managed.
Rant: With their avenues blocked for construction for kilometers without warning, and new roads not yet on maps, I must’ve taken 15 km of detours. More photos...
5- JIAYUGUAN Scams and heritage Tuesday, August 28 The Great Wall doesn’t exactly end at the fort I visited yesterday but 10 km further, at the entrance to a river gorge at the foot of the mountains. All that’s left is a badly damaged tower (more like a mound of earth) and a section of clay wall, similar to the one I biked yesterday.
This morning, I hopped on my bike, determined to venture into the desert to see this highly symbolic site. First, you access it via a wide, brand-new road with not a soul in sight. Just before the site, I came across a grand welcome gate, very period-style, but it’s actually the inevitable toll booth.
Behind the gate, the road continues straight to the site, which you can see in the distance—at least 2 km away—the remains of the tower and wall. I had to leave my bike here. Fine. I went to the ticket counter and asked the price: 120 yuan! I couldn’t believe it—over 15 € for a simple mound of earth.
I showed my displeasure to the attendant, who couldn’t care less, and immediately turned back. 120 yuan—that’s the price for a new road, a fancy gate planted 2 km before the site just to force you to take a shuttle, and employees with nothing to do all day... Now I understand why I didn’t meet anyone!
Heritage China is a bit pricey Generally, sites are expensive for the country’s standard of living, but travelers are supposed to have money, so why hold back? I even gave up on the Forbidden City—reservations required days in advance (or on the black market at an impossible price). I prefer to keep the memory of my first visit, when entry must’ve cost a few dozen cents, and there were only a handful of visitors.
This morning, I took a taxi to see remarkable tombs of common people from the 3rd to 6th centuries. They’re small vaulted caves made of painted bricks, depicting scenes of daily life. Very pretty and moving. But even here, though the price was more reasonable, I was left wanting—only one of the 16 tombs is open to visitors, and it’s apparently not the most beautiful.
The authentic China—at least what’s left of it... Wandering the impersonal avenues of the city, you stumble upon a market. There, you still find traditional China—small shops with questionable hygiene, Go players, musicians, and even a dental prosthetist. The last refuge for those untouched by modernity. More photos...
6- DUNHUANG Abundance in the middle of the desert Wednesday, August 29 Well, I thought the landscape would be less bleak as I headed west. Nope. The only distraction in this expanse of dark, clayey sand is the forests of pylons and wind turbines, plus wild camels racing each other.
However, Dunhuang, the gateway to the Taklamakan, is by far the most pleasant Chinese city I know. There’s a real city center you can explore on foot. It’s hot but not unbearable, with a light, dry breeze. Much nicer than Beijing. The Han Chinese are still the majority, but the Muslim Uyghurs are more numerous, and the muezzin’s call to prayer echoes around the mosque.The most surprising thing is the abundance and diversity of fruits and vegetables. You wonder how it all grows here. Well-irrigated, the desert sands are very fertile. Here, raisins have subtle, mysterious flavors, and the lamb really tastes like lamb.
Today, I visited the must-see Mingshashan, a dune complex next to which Pila is a molehill. The Basque Country, but covered in sand... More photos...
7- TURPAN The Uyghurs under heavy surveillance Friday, August 31 Surveillance cameras everywhere in the city, armed police stationed at intersections, in front of public buildings, at the entrance and inside tourist sites, police stations on every corner, patrols on foot or by car, khaki uniforms even for middle schoolers... here, the Han Chinese are in the minority, and you can feel it. Turpan feels like a city under siege.
To enter the youth hostel where I stayed, there’s even a security gate, and the receptionist (a Han, like everyone in tourism) wears a bulletproof vest! Reassuring. Still, you don’t feel particularly threatened here, especially as a European. The troublemakers are the Chinese, not the Uyghurs. Generally, China is a very safe country for visitors.
Smile, you’re on camera! I was biking on an avenue when the car in front of me got flashed for driving slowly. I quickly understood why when I got flashed too.
Here, the official time is Beijing time, but it gets dark two hours later. It’ll be even worse in Kashgar. Trickier to manage: everything is displayed in Chinese and Arabic. Nothing in English. Choosing a menu is a shot in the dark. Apart from a few young Chinese, no one here speaks English, and my Chinese doesn’t seem very understandable...
Mogao, the end of the road for the Han Yesterday, near Dunhuang, I went to Mogao, a complex of decorated caves with Buddha sculptures and paintings. Stunning, but so crowded! Luckily, here in Turpan, Chinese tourists barely venture out. So I visited a Silk Road ghost town with only a handful of other visitors and under a howling wind.
The modern Chinese city is swallowing up the old Uyghur neighborhoods—only a museum-like district remains in the center, and pockets of resistance on the outskirts are doomed to disappear soon. More photos...
8- KASHGAR A (relative) love at first sight for the old city Sunday, September 2 After three overnight trains, here I am in the far west of China, nearly 4,000 km from the capital. Despite the omnipresent police and an old city preserved UNESCO-style, Kashgar is my Chinese love at first sight.
Finally, Chinese... well, sort of, because we’re in Uyghur territory here—a Turkic people with nothing culturally in common with the Han, the eastern Chinese. It started badly yesterday at Turfan station, where after three security gate passes, at least five passport checks, and a bag search, three adorable policewomen confiscated my antibacterial lotion because it had a flammable logo...
Then came the welcoming committee of armed cops at Kashgar station. Once all that was over, they left me alone—except you still have to go through security checks like everyone else to enter the old city, the bazaar, the livestock market... The further west you go, the more the siege mentality is evident. Luckily, the border isn’t far...
Despite the inevitable destruction-reconstruction, the city center has been well preserved. Thankfully, because it’s a very original style, a mix of local and colonial. I love it, even if it’s a bit too artificial, sanitized, and watered-down, and rather empty of residents. On the Silk Road, the city was famous for its great food. And it still is—rarely have I seen such richness and abundance of food! And not just scorpions or snakes. More photos...
9- KASHGAR China’s recipe for controlling the populace Saturday, September 1 Xinjiang, along with Tibet, is a "sensitive" area of rebellion in the eyes of Chinese authorities. As a result, the state has these regions and their populations under total control. Tourists also feel the consequences, even if they’re not at risk of re-education camps.
- Putting barbed wire and anti-ramming barriers around sensitive sites (schools, big hotels, government buildings...)
- Installing traffic surveillance gates with cameras and photo flashes (for all vehicles passing, including bikes) throughout the city and even in the countryside
- Posting uniformed guards with tasers, batons, or huge baseball bats every 100 meters
- Training the Han population (ethnic Chinese) in self-defense with sticks, preferably in the morning on the street. Men and women of all ages
- Starting school with the national anthem, doing military exercises, and receiving political indoctrination, all neatly lined up in the courtyard. (The dream school for any teacher)
- Placing a snitch in uniform (a pseudo-guard) in public gathering places, like youth hostels. Mine spends the day loafing around the courtyard
- Putting Chinese flags everywhere on the streets to remind everyone who’s in charge
- Installing security gates at every entrance to areas frequented by tourists (thanks for that) but not just there
- Never photographing cops, or else! I tried, but it’s not easy...With all that, you can stroll around safely Not much crime! As for the amount the Chinese state spends to maintain such a system, it’s staggering! A third of the Han living in Xinjiang work in security. Today, I wandered freely around old Kashgar, which is quite large after all. More photos...
10- TASHKURGAN What on earth was I thinking going there! Wednesday, September 5 First, there’s the taxi—pretty crappy, with a driver who doesn’t speak a word of English and won’t stop smoking. Over six hours in that... shared with a completely out-of-it American.
Then there are all the checkpoints along the way. I won’t go on—you know the drill by now.
After that, there’s Tashkurgan—a town with nothing to see, nothing to do. Deserted as soon as night falls. There’s this huge youth hostel and a few lost Chinese tapping away on their smartphones, chain-smoking. This lost American-European crowd, swapping tips on how to enter Pakistan or Tajikistan.
Luckily, there’s the Chinese Pamir Highway, lined with peaks over 7,000m. There’s the feeling of no longer being in China, with a population whose features are Middle Eastern. And these Tajik women with their stunning hairstyles and vibrant costumes. There’s the fact of having reached the westernmost Chinese city, far from crowds and tourist sites. A sort of end of the world. More photos...
11- KYRGYZ BORDER A surreal epic Thursday, September 6 The road from Kashgar to the Kyrgyzstan border is a little over 200 km and passes through beautiful landscapes of colorful, desert-like mountains with acrobatic folds. That’s the bucolic part of the trip.
Yesterday, I managed to gather four people to rent a minibus to reach the border more easily: a Spaniard and an Argentine I’d already met in Turpan, and two New Zealanders who responded to the ad left at the hostel.Absurdity and paranoia of Chinese authorities The highlight was crossing the town of Wuqia, 50 km past Kashgar. After tallying up with my fellow sufferers, we must’ve passed about ten checkpoints with: - Passport checks: 14 times, sometimes by two cops side by side - Bag checks: 4 times - Smartphone checks: 2 times, with deletion of "non-compliant" photos, and registration of your IMEI in the exit log!... Absurd and surreal at the same time, since my camera stayed in my bag, my apps are in French, and my photos have been online for ages...
With all that, we arrived just as the last checkpoint before the no man’s land marking the border between the two countries was on lunch break. And bam! Another 1.5-hour wait, alongside truckers who were much more used to this than we were.
What to think? The cops themselves aren’t fooled. They play the role they’re asked to, but sometimes you can coax a smile out of them—they realize how ridiculous the situation is.
What’s the point? That’s the big question my companions and I were tempted to answer with "to piss people off." To show you your place isn’t here, but with the other tourists, over there in the east, in Shanghai, Xi’an, or Guangzhou.
As for you, a traveler from a democratic country, you really experience this as aggression, humiliation, a violation of your private space. And yet, I’m respected, they speak to me properly. Today, I better understand what a Palestinian or a citizen of an occupied country might feel daily. A unique experience! Thanks, China.
And to top it off, the cherry on the cake! It’s still this glowing button you press to rate your passage after clearing the last obstacle before the exit stamp. I was so surprised it turned off before I could react. The Spaniard, with great humor and irony, had time to vote "excellent." In the end, he wasn’t wrong—you can hardly do better!
PS: I ditched my buddies at the border. They didn’t want to pay for a taxi to continue. So I took a direct taxi to Osh. The first 100 km are fabulous. I couldn’t take many photos, but I’ll be back on Monday to go to Tajikistan.
More photos...
The rest of the Silk Road, Part 2, in these travel journals: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
Hi there,
I’m looking for a group of camper van travelers to cross China in September 2025, from Kyrgyzstan to Laos via Lhasa (no visa required for Europeans if staying less than a month).
I’m looking for a group of camper van travelers to cross China in September 2025, from Kyrgyzstan to Laos via Lhasa (no visa required for Europeans if staying less than a month).
Hi there,
We’re setting off from Hong Kong on a cruise on January 2, 2026.
We’re looking for other passengers to share ideas for taxi excursions or other activities.
Thanks!
Isabelle and Max 04700 Oraison
Booked a hotel in Hong Kong for 3 nights - displayed price with a good non-refundable Agoda deal at 401 €, listed as the last room. After payment, the same room was still available for 5% cheaper. Agoda refuses to refund the difference. You end up feeling scammed.
Hey there,
In the sea of VPNs, I'm looking for one to use in China for just a month (free or paid). Which one should I pick? All the ones I've found are for several months or even a year.
Thanks for your tips!
Thanks for your tips!
Hi there,
I’m planning to visit Japan in May this year, and I’d love to try doing it without taking a flight.
I’m currently in Vietnam, and my plan is to travel to Shanghai and then take a ferry to Osaka.
I can’t find any clear info online about whether this is still possible. Most links mention a weekly departure, but when I check the company’s website, it says passenger transport is suspended.
If any of you have more recent info, I’d really appreciate it!
Have a great day! 😊
If any of you have more recent info, I’d really appreciate it!
Have a great day! 😊
Hi there,
We passed through Guilin during our trip to China, arriving by train from Beijing. The journey is quite long, but it actually became part of the experience: watching the landscapes gradually change, taking the Chinese high-speed train, and getting a better sense of the country’s vast distances. It was already a step of the journey in itself.
Once there, Guilin seemed like a nice place to catch our breath between big cities. The city isn’t huge, and there isn’t an endless list of things to see, but the atmosphere around the lakes, the Li River, and the karst mountains is really special.
In 3 days, you can already see the highlights without rushing: the Sun and Moon Pagodas, walks around the lakes, Seven Star Park with its monkeys, and possibly Elephant Trunk Hill—though we were a bit disappointed by the latter. Guilin is also a good base for heading to Yangshuo or the Longji rice terraces if you have more time.
We’ve put together our feedback, prices, visit times, and what we’d do (or skip) next time in this article, in case it helps you plan your stop: https://aventures-sans-mesaventure.com/que-faire-a-guilin-en-3-jours/
We passed through Guilin during our trip to China, arriving by train from Beijing. The journey is quite long, but it actually became part of the experience: watching the landscapes gradually change, taking the Chinese high-speed train, and getting a better sense of the country’s vast distances. It was already a step of the journey in itself.
Once there, Guilin seemed like a nice place to catch our breath between big cities. The city isn’t huge, and there isn’t an endless list of things to see, but the atmosphere around the lakes, the Li River, and the karst mountains is really special.
In 3 days, you can already see the highlights without rushing: the Sun and Moon Pagodas, walks around the lakes, Seven Star Park with its monkeys, and possibly Elephant Trunk Hill—though we were a bit disappointed by the latter. Guilin is also a good base for heading to Yangshuo or the Longji rice terraces if you have more time.
We’ve put together our feedback, prices, visit times, and what we’d do (or skip) next time in this article, in case it helps you plan your stop: https://aventures-sans-mesaventure.com/que-faire-a-guilin-en-3-jours/
Hi everyone,
I’ll be in Bangkok at the end of March and I’m thinking of heading to Chongqing, China, for a few days. I know China has a visa exemption program for French citizens, but a few years ago, I was in South Korea and wanted to go to Shanghai. They wouldn’t let me board because I was departing from Thailand instead of France—basically, the 3-day visa exemption at the time only worked if you were coming from Europe, not Asia. So I lost my flight tickets and accommodations and ended up staying in Seoul.
Now I’d like to give it another shot to visit that wild city, Chongqing. I read on the embassy’s website that "you can travel to China without a visa, even from a third country" (??)... But nothing’s clear—you call them, they don’t answer; you don’t know where to go to ask; and the website talks about 2025, not even 2026 yet. It’s kind of a mess...
If you’ve got any firsthand experience, I’d love to hear it! :)
Thanks everyone,
I’ll be in Bangkok at the end of March and I’m thinking of heading to Chongqing, China, for a few days. I know China has a visa exemption program for French citizens, but a few years ago, I was in South Korea and wanted to go to Shanghai. They wouldn’t let me board because I was departing from Thailand instead of France—basically, the 3-day visa exemption at the time only worked if you were coming from Europe, not Asia. So I lost my flight tickets and accommodations and ended up staying in Seoul.
Now I’d like to give it another shot to visit that wild city, Chongqing. I read on the embassy’s website that "you can travel to China without a visa, even from a third country" (??)... But nothing’s clear—you call them, they don’t answer; you don’t know where to go to ask; and the website talks about 2025, not even 2026 yet. It’s kind of a mess...
If you’ve got any firsthand experience, I’d love to hear it! :)
Thanks everyone,
Hi there,
we’re heading to China for 3 weeks in a few days, and our youngest daughter is 2 years old. I can’t seem to find any info on a crucial question: is it easy to find baby diapers in China?
I’ve read articles about split pants and all, but Chinese society is evolving fast. And I’m not quite ready to try that eco-friendly tradition—it’s a bit too out there for me!
When I say "easy," I mean like in neighborhood 7/11s, without having to trek to out-of-the-way hypermarkets. Our itinerary includes Hong Kong, Sichuan, and Shanghai.
Thanks for your replies—this’ll help us pack lighter!
Hi there,
We’re planning a trip to China this autumn, and I just read that we won’t be able to use WhatsApp to stay in touch with people outside the country. What do you think would be the best alternative? Thanks!
Hi there,
I read on the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs website that it’s possible to apply for a temporary driving permit in China, valid for 1 month. I’m planning to rent a car (without a driver) to explore part of the country next August, so I was wondering:
Has anyone here already gone through this process upon arrival? How long do the formalities take on the spot? Is it possible to handle these steps in advance, before arriving in China?
Thanks in advance for your replies.
I read on the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs website that it’s possible to apply for a temporary driving permit in China, valid for 1 month. I’m planning to rent a car (without a driver) to explore part of the country next August, so I was wondering:
Has anyone here already gone through this process upon arrival? How long do the formalities take on the spot? Is it possible to handle these steps in advance, before arriving in China?
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Hi,
Does anyone know if it's possible to cross the border by road from Kyrgyzstan to Kashgar in China? If so, is it possible to get a Chinese visa at the border, or do I need to arrange it in advance from France? Any info is welcome, THANKS! :)
Does anyone know if it's possible to cross the border by road from Kyrgyzstan to Kashgar in China? If so, is it possible to get a Chinese visa at the border, or do I need to arrange it in advance from France? Any info is welcome, THANKS! :)
My wife bought a flight ticket (Lucky Air) under her Thai maiden name and was issued a Chinese visa on her new Thai passport but with her French married name (due to administrative requirements). She was denied boarding by the airline in Bangkok for the flight to Kunming—resulting in the loss of our round-trip flight tickets, including mine since we were traveling together—despite presenting both passports at the airline counter at the same time.
Hi everyone,
I’m heading to China for the first time on October 10th (after Golden Week, so it should be quieter). I’ll be coming from Hanoi (Vietnam), where I’ll be from September 3rd, and I’ll fly to Kunming on October 10th. I’ve planned a route starting in Kunming (4 nights), then Guilin (4 nights), Chongqing (3 nights), Zhangjiajie (4 nights), Chengdu (3 nights), Xi’An (3 nights), Beijing (3 nights), and finally Shanghai (3 nights), with my departure set for November 6th to the Philippines (flight not booked yet). The durations are flexible and should give me enough time to enjoy each place. The schedule is adjustable if needed, and I’ve left a 2-day buffer for the 30-day visa exemption. All connections are planned by high-speed train (not booked yet), with travel times maxing out at 5 hours on the fastest trains. I usually travel solo, but I’m open to some company—someone easygoing and cheerful—and for practical reasons, to split costs on a few excursions, like Dongchuan (the Red Lands), which is easier with a private car.
So, if this itinerary or part of it interests you, I’d love to hear from you!
PS: I’m new to China and its cashless world, so there might be a few lonely moments while I get Alipay, WeChat, and Didi fully set up… 😉
Looking forward to hearing from you! Stéphane
I’m heading to China for the first time on October 10th (after Golden Week, so it should be quieter). I’ll be coming from Hanoi (Vietnam), where I’ll be from September 3rd, and I’ll fly to Kunming on October 10th. I’ve planned a route starting in Kunming (4 nights), then Guilin (4 nights), Chongqing (3 nights), Zhangjiajie (4 nights), Chengdu (3 nights), Xi’An (3 nights), Beijing (3 nights), and finally Shanghai (3 nights), with my departure set for November 6th to the Philippines (flight not booked yet). The durations are flexible and should give me enough time to enjoy each place. The schedule is adjustable if needed, and I’ve left a 2-day buffer for the 30-day visa exemption. All connections are planned by high-speed train (not booked yet), with travel times maxing out at 5 hours on the fastest trains. I usually travel solo, but I’m open to some company—someone easygoing and cheerful—and for practical reasons, to split costs on a few excursions, like Dongchuan (the Red Lands), which is easier with a private car.
So, if this itinerary or part of it interests you, I’d love to hear from you!
PS: I’m new to China and its cashless world, so there might be a few lonely moments while I get Alipay, WeChat, and Didi fully set up… 😉
Looking forward to hearing from you! Stéphane
It's raining in Xi'an, and I'm taking the opportunity to jot down a few notes. Don’t bother reading everything—I’m mostly writing this for my mom, who’s hungry for details and keeps track of my trip on the map of China and on Google.
We took a high-speed train from Beijing to Xi'an, which is in the middle of China, about 1,300 km away. The journey takes around 6 hours. The landscapes are flat and quite dry. I didn’t see any individual houses in this country. In the cultivated areas, there are clusters of properties all built on the same model: a square of walls with a built-up section leaning against the back wall. We passed through gigantic cities, each time feeling like we were arriving in Manhattan. After spending several weeks in Siberia, one of the least populated regions in the world, the contrast is harsh. Xi'an isn’t some small backwater where a farmer discovered the Terracotta Army in 1974—it’s a metropolis of 9 million people. The city center is enclosed by a rectangular wall, the best-preserved in the world. An evening stroll through the old town is a source of amazement at every step. First, there are crowds everywhere—you could say that wherever we went in China, there was a lively atmosphere. The illuminations on the wall and the ancient buildings are stunning. Most people wear sneakers, in all colors, which might be explained by the long distances they have to cover.
We first stopped by a public park where there was a dog owners' club. All the dogs were having a blast together. The Chinese love beautiful dogs, often long-haired breeds like Samoyeds, Scottish Collies, Saint Bernards—what about the others? Do they eat them?
The Chinese adore fish—they’re everywhere: aquariums in restaurants and hotels, ponds. A small clay pot in front of a shop, and boom—three goldfish inside. Poor things!
Next, we saw groups of people squatting on the ground making fires. It was the eve of the Qingming Festival, and it’s a custom to buy fake money to burn as an offering to ancestors. On another square, people were flying kites. It looked like they were soaring kilometers into the sky and getting tangled, but they untangled themselves and kept flying... We then found a street overflowing with street food stalls, packed with a noisy, bustling crowd. Lots of skewers of unidentified animals—or worse, according to Claude, unidentified *parts* of animals. I tried a few specialties but stuck to the sweet stuff. We eventually found some nougat that was good, and with our usual bananas—which are delicious in China—we made a meal of it. Of course, we visited the Terracotta Army. It took us 3 hours to get there. At the information center in the train station, I asked which bus to take. I showed a photo of the buried soldiers, and the young woman looked at me with a bewildered, desperate expression. It was like showing the Eiffel Tower to an information desk at Gare de Lyon... She finally wrote down a number on a piece of paper and sent us 34 km back to our starting point. We got to admire the outskirts: endless rows of 40-story buildings. It’s terrifying... If this were in France, we’d immediately wonder about crime in this kind of housing, but apparently, that’s not associated with it in China. In fact, we ask ourselves a lot of questions, and this dive into a world we struggle to understand raises so many. I try to find answers on Bing, but there’s not much out there. I can’t wait to get Google back.
Next, we saw groups of people squatting on the ground making fires. It was the eve of the Qingming Festival, and it’s a custom to buy fake money to burn as an offering to ancestors. On another square, people were flying kites. It looked like they were soaring kilometers into the sky and getting tangled, but they untangled themselves and kept flying... We then found a street overflowing with street food stalls, packed with a noisy, bustling crowd. Lots of skewers of unidentified animals—or worse, according to Claude, unidentified *parts* of animals. I tried a few specialties but stuck to the sweet stuff. We eventually found some nougat that was good, and with our usual bananas—which are delicious in China—we made a meal of it. Of course, we visited the Terracotta Army. It took us 3 hours to get there. At the information center in the train station, I asked which bus to take. I showed a photo of the buried soldiers, and the young woman looked at me with a bewildered, desperate expression. It was like showing the Eiffel Tower to an information desk at Gare de Lyon... She finally wrote down a number on a piece of paper and sent us 34 km back to our starting point. We got to admire the outskirts: endless rows of 40-story buildings. It’s terrifying... If this were in France, we’d immediately wonder about crime in this kind of housing, but apparently, that’s not associated with it in China. In fact, we ask ourselves a lot of questions, and this dive into a world we struggle to understand raises so many. I try to find answers on Bing, but there’s not much out there. I can’t wait to get Google back.
Hi there,
In November, we're heading off on a 4-month trip. We'll be landing in China and plan to leave the country via a land border into Vietnam.
I’ve read that China may ask for proof of exit within 30 days (flight ticket or other reservation). Since we’d be leaving by land, I’m wondering how this works in practice.
Has anyone here been in this situation recently?
Did the airline ask for an exit ticket before boarding? Did Chinese authorities require proof upon arrival? Is a train/bus ticket to Vietnam sufficient? Is a cancelable or flexible reservation accepted?
Thanks for sharing your experiences! 😊
Did the airline ask for an exit ticket before boarding? Did Chinese authorities require proof upon arrival? Is a train/bus ticket to Vietnam sufficient? Is a cancelable or flexible reservation accepted?
Thanks for sharing your experiences! 😊
Hi there,
We’re thinking of spending 3 weeks in Asia this fall to visit some of the major capitals on this vast continent. We’d like to get a (very rough) sense of just how fast Asia is moving compared to what we see in the West (we’re from Quebec). For now, our very preliminary list includes Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Singapore. There are obviously plenty of other options—Seoul, Shanghai, etc.
What do you think? Thanks in advance!
We’re thinking of spending 3 weeks in Asia this fall to visit some of the major capitals on this vast continent. We’d like to get a (very rough) sense of just how fast Asia is moving compared to what we see in the West (we’re from Quebec). For now, our very preliminary list includes Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Singapore. There are obviously plenty of other options—Seoul, Shanghai, etc.
What do you think? Thanks in advance!
Hi everyone!
I’m Tina, and I’ve organized French group trips to China for over 10 years. Over the years, I’ve noticed that the language barrier is the biggest stress for travelers—especially when ordering food, asking for directions, or negotiating in markets!
Today, I want to share 5 essential Chinese phrases I’ve taught my travelers—they’re simple, easy to pronounce, and work in 90% of travel situations:
你好 (Nǐ hǎo) = Hello → Polite and useful with everyone (locals, drivers, vendors). 谢谢 (Xiè xie) = Thank you → Chinese people really appreciate this politeness—it makes communication smoother. 多少钱 (Duō shǎo qián) = How much does it cost → Essential for local markets or small shops (menus in French are rare!). 请问，地铁站在哪？ (Qǐng wèn, dì tiě zhàn zài nǎ lǐ?) = Excuse me, where is the subway station? → Swap “subway station” for “hotel” or “restaurant”—it works! 我要这个 (Wǒ yào zhè ge) = I want this → Point at the item and say this phrase—no more misunderstandings!
Bonus tip: Pinyin (the Chinese phonetic alphabet) is super helpful for reading street signs or menus. For example, “Nǐ hǎo” is pronounced “Nee how”—easy to remember!
If you’re planning a trip to China and want more practical phrases or pronunciation tips (to avoid embarrassing mistakes), feel free to send me a private message. I’ve put together a little traveler-friendly guide that I’m happy to share with anyone who wants to prepare stress-free. Don’t hesitate to ask your questions in the comments either—if you’re unsure about a specific communication situation (e.g., in a temple, at the train station), I’d be happy to help! Happy planning for your trip to China—it’s going to be amazing!
你好 (Nǐ hǎo) = Hello → Polite and useful with everyone (locals, drivers, vendors). 谢谢 (Xiè xie) = Thank you → Chinese people really appreciate this politeness—it makes communication smoother. 多少钱 (Duō shǎo qián) = How much does it cost → Essential for local markets or small shops (menus in French are rare!). 请问，地铁站在哪？ (Qǐng wèn, dì tiě zhàn zài nǎ lǐ?) = Excuse me, where is the subway station? → Swap “subway station” for “hotel” or “restaurant”—it works! 我要这个 (Wǒ yào zhè ge) = I want this → Point at the item and say this phrase—no more misunderstandings!
Bonus tip: Pinyin (the Chinese phonetic alphabet) is super helpful for reading street signs or menus. For example, “Nǐ hǎo” is pronounced “Nee how”—easy to remember!
If you’re planning a trip to China and want more practical phrases or pronunciation tips (to avoid embarrassing mistakes), feel free to send me a private message. I’ve put together a little traveler-friendly guide that I’m happy to share with anyone who wants to prepare stress-free. Don’t hesitate to ask your questions in the comments either—if you’re unsure about a specific communication situation (e.g., in a temple, at the train station), I’d be happy to help! Happy planning for your trip to China—it’s going to be amazing!
Hi there,
I just booked a round-trip flight from Brussels to Da Nang on eDreams, with a layover in Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific. Does anyone know the check-in procedure for these flights?
1) For flight CX294 BXL-HKG, I’ll need to check in on the Cathay Pacific website,
2) For the next flight CX5552 HKG-DAD, what should I do? I only have a 2h25 layover. Will I need to collect my luggage, go through immigration, and then recheck in at the airport counter, etc.?
I’m pretty worried about this layover—I thought check-in could be done on the airline’s website and that my luggage would be transferred automatically during the layover, like with most other airlines...
Thanks so much for any help from those who’ve been in this situation!
Hi there!
I’m planning to spend a few days in Hong Kong in April/May to visit my son, who’ll be doing an exchange program there. We’d also like to take the opportunity to spend a few days in Japan. Do you have any tips on airlines in the region? I’ve seen deals on Skyscanner for HK Express, which seems like the local Ryanair. But I have no idea what it’s like.
Thanks in advance!