A first-timer's field guide to China

China, step by step.

If headlines made China sound intimidating, this site is the antidote. Navi China turns your first trip into four simple checklists — before you fly, landing day, day-to-day, and flying home — plus the numbers and warnings that matter. Nothing here is sponsored. Everything is calm, specific, and checked against official sources. Work through the lists in order, check items off as you go, and ask us anything the lists do not cover.

Start Stage 1 — Before You Go Ask a local

The three things travelers worry about most — paying, internet, and the visa question — are all solvable before your plane leaves. Start with Stage 1.

Ask a local

Ask a local.

Every trip has questions no checklist anticipates — an allergy, a weird layover, a plan that changed at the last minute.

A real person reads every message, usually within a few hours. Complete answers follow once we've checked the details — complex questions simply take longer. Free · no signup · WeChat is an app you'll need in China anyway.

Add me on WeChat → Ask by email

1 →

Before You Go

9 checkpoints

Everything worth settling while you are still at home, on your own Wi-Fi, with time to spare. Most China-trip anxiety comes from three things — payments, connectivity, and the visa question. Handle them here and the rest is easy.

2 →

Arrival

6 checkpoints

The first three hours in a new country are the most stressful. This list walks you through immigration, your first internet connection, your first payment, and the one piece of paperwork everyone forgets.

3 →

During Your Stay

8 checkpoints

Day-to-day survival skills: paying, getting around, ordering food, staying healthy, and spotting the few scams that actually target tourists. Check items off as you go.

4 →

Departure

5 checkpoints

Leaving well is part of the trip: getting your tax refund back, clearing customs without surprises, and ending your stay the way you planned it.

★ →

Essentials

6 entries — save this one

Save this page to your phone. Emergency numbers, your embassy, medical help, and the short list of scams that actually happen — so you can recognize them in seconds.

📱 Save this guide to your phone

Navi China works fully offline. On your phone: open this site → browser menu → "Add to Home Screen". The whole guide — all four stages and essentials — stays on your phone, no internet needed in airports, trains, or queues.

🖨️ Print or save as PDF

Prefer paper or a PDF in your files? Each stage has a clean printable version.

Open the full printable guide

Real questions, real answers

A few questions from the group, answered by real people.

Maria

traveling with family from Spain

My son has a severe peanut allergy. How worried should we be about eating out in China?

Take it seriously, but don't let it ruin the trip. Peanut oil is real in Chinese cooking — common in stir-fries and cold dishes at smaller restaurants. Carry a written allergy card in characters (严重花生过敏，请勿使用花生油) and show it before ordering, every time. Chain restaurants inside malls are the safest bet…

Answered by Dr. Chen · an ER doctor in Hangzhou and a friend of this site

Kevin

from Vancouver

I'm bringing my parents (68 and 71) for their first trip. Is the metro realistic for them, or should we just take taxis?

The metro is realistic — and better than taxis for them: no traffic, no motion sickness. Stations have elevators (look for the lift signs near exits), lines are numbered and color-coded, and ride codes work the same as yours. Do the first ride together on day one…

Answered by Abao · the person who runs this site

Tom

en route from London to Sydney

I have an 8-hour layover at Beijing Capital Airport. Can I actually see anything, or is it not worth it?

It can be worth it — but only if your paperwork qualifies. Two things decide everything: is your nationality on the 240-hour visa-free transit list, and do you have a confirmed onward ticket to a third country? If both are yes: left-luggage, airport express, one thing worth seeing, and back 2.5 hours early…