Asia Unseen · China
China
The most underrated country on this list. A high-speed rail network that leaves the rest of the world behind, landscapes with no equivalent, and Western tourism that never returned to its pre-2019 level. The barrier is neither safety nor cost: it is digital preparation.
Who it suits: A second or third trip to Asia, organised travellers, people who love trains and open space.
- Entry
- 30 days visa-free
- Best months
- Apr · May · Sep · Oct
- Budget
- from €40 / day
- Rules checked
- September 2026
Pékin · Yuan (CNY) · UTC+8
Can you enter, and for how long
Ordinary passports, tourism. Each rule below comes from the traveller's own government, with the month it was read — not from another guide.
By passport
30 days visa-free
30-day visa waiver for ordinary French passports, in force until 31 December 2026. The scheme is renewed year by year: check again before each departure.
Taken in September 2026 · France Diplomatie — Chine, entrée et séjour ↗
30 days visa-free
30 days visa-free until 31 December 2026, for business, tourism, family visits or transit.
Taken in September 2026 · GOV.UK — conseils aux voyageurs, conditions d'entrée ↗
30 days visa-free
30 days visa-free, under the Chinese waiver scheme running to 31 December 2026.
Taken in September 2026 · Gouvernement du Canada — conseils aux voyageurs ↗
We have not taken this rule from an official source
the US portal refuses automated reading — so we cannot check it the way we check the others. Rather than transpose the rule from another passport, which gets paid for at a border, we would rather send you to the source.
We have not taken this rule from an official source
the Australian portal refuses the connection — so we cannot check it the way we check the others. Rather than transpose the rule from another passport, which gets paid for at a border, we would rather send you to the source.
We have not taken this rule from an official source
the New Zealand portal does not publish entry rules — so we cannot check it the way we check the others. Rather than transpose the rule from another passport, which gets paid for at a border, we would rather send you to the source.
When to go
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
April–May and September–October, without hesitation. Avoid Golden Week, 1 to 7 October, when the entire country is travelling. Summer is stifling in Beijing and Shanghai, winter biting in the north. Yunnan and Guangxi, in the south, stay pleasant for most of the year.
What not to do
- Arriving without a VPN installed and tested — Google, WhatsApp, Instagram and Gmail are unreachable
- Not linking a foreign card to Alipay or WeChat Pay before leaving: cash has largely disappeared from daily life
- Assuming train tickets can be found the day before — they open 15 days ahead and no earlier
- Overlooking the passport at hotel check-in: only certain establishments are licensed to take foreign guests
Booking your trip
The links below are affiliate links: they change nothing about what you pay, and they fund the writing of these pages. We only put here what we actually use.
Accommodation
The best coverage of small family-run hotels, and free cancellation almost everywhere.
Find a hotel (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)Trains, buses and ferries
The only reliable aggregator for overland transport in Southeast Asia, with real timetables and named operators.
See the routes (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)Activities and guides
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before, verified reviews, and someone to talk to when a boat does not sail.
See what is on (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)The French version of this page also lists a travel insurer. It is not here on purpose: that insurer sells to French residents, and a policy you cannot buy is not a recommendation.
More on China
Sources and data
Entry rules for China are read on these official pages, and re-read every night. When one changes, the page changes and the correction is published in the corrections log, next to what we used to say.
Some source names below are in French, and stay that way on purpose: they are the titles of French government pages. Renaming them in English would make them harder to find, and finding them is the point. The rule for your own passport is read at your own government's portal, named alongside it above.
- France Diplomatie — Chine, entrée et séjour
- Ambassade de Chine en France
- Centre de demande de visa pour la Chine
- France Diplomatie — Conseils aux voyageurs
The data behind this page is open: chine.json, CC BY 4.0.