💡 Reader tip: This page starts at your hotel. For everything inside the terminal — immigration, the SIM counter, ATMs and the taxi rank — see the China airport arrival checklist.

The hard part of landing in China is not the airport. It is the four hours after it, when you are jet-lagged, offline, and standing in a hotel lobby with no idea whether your phone will pay for dinner. This page covers that stretch: from the moment you reach your hotel to the end of your first day.

If you are still packing at home, set up Alipay with a foreign card and an eSIM for China before you fly. Both are far easier on a stable connection than on airport Wi-Fi.

Before you fly: the apps to install at home

The first time I landed at Shanghai Pudong, I made every mistake you can imagine. I wandered the arrivals hall for 45 minutes trying to get online. I overpaid for a taxi because I didn’t know about DiDi. I ate at a Burger King because I couldn’t read a menu.

None of that is necessary. Everything that goes wrong on day one traces back to something you could have set up before boarding:

  • Alipay — you will use it for almost everything. Link a foreign Visa or Mastercard before you fly; it takes ten minutes and saves an hour of frustration at the airport.
  • An eSIM or a Chinese SIM — the fastest way online. If you want the least friction, we recommend Airalo’s China eSIM — install before you fly, activate on arrival, and keep the QR code offline. Or Holafly as an alternative.
  • DiDi — ride-hailing, with upfront pricing and no haggling.
  • WeChat — messaging, plus a second payment wallet if Alipay misbehaves.
  • Translation and maps — download the Chinese offline pack, and use Apple Maps or Amap (高德地图). Google Maps is unreliable in China.

The first hour at the airport, in brief

Three things have to work before anything else does, and all three happen inside the terminal. The full walkthrough — immigration and customs, which counter to use, where the ATMs are, how to find the official taxi rank — lives in the China airport arrival checklist. Here is the short version you need to plan around.

Get connected (minutes 0-15). Buy a tourist SIM at the China Mobile, Unicom or Telecom counter in the arrivals hall — 50-150 RMB for 10-15GB, passport required — or activate the eSIM you installed at home. (Compare eSIM options)

Get some cash (minutes 15-25). Withdraw 200-500 RMB from an airport ATM to cover day one. Skip the exchange counters; their rates are worse. For a whole-trip figure, see how much cash to bring to China. (Estimate cash backup)

Get to your hotel (minutes 25-120). Metro is 5-30 RMB and signposted in English. DiDi runs 100-200 RMB to the city centre and is what I take when I have luggage. Official taxis are 150-300 RMB — ignore anyone who approaches you inside the terminal and walk to the rank. (Create a driver address card)

Once your bags are down, the rest of the day is what actually decides how the trip starts.

Step 1: Check in and get oriented (hours 2-4)

Take 30 minutes to settle in. Check that your Chinese SIM or eSIM is working. Test Alipay by buying a bottle of water at the hotel convenience store. Connect to the hotel WiFi (usually free, login via SMS or room number).

Download offline maps for your city in Apple Maps or use Amap (高德地图) —Apple Maps works decently in China with English place names. Google Maps is blocked and unreliable.

This is also a good time to set up WeChat if you haven’t. Add your hotel’s WeChat —many hotels use WeChat for concierge services.

Check payment setup

Step 2: Eat your first real meal (hours 4-6)

By now you are probably hungry and possibly jet-lagged. Do not eat at the hotel restaurant unless you like paying triple for mediocre food.

Walk outside and find a noodle shop. How to spot a good one: it is busy at non-peak hours, has steam coming out of the kitchen, and the staff look too busy to care about you. Point at the menu (usually has pictures) or at what the person next to you is eating.

If you are nervous about street food hygiene, stick to cooked food that is served hot. Avoid raw salads and pre-cut fruit for the first day while your stomach adjusts.

Budget for food:

  • Street noodles or jianbing (Chinese crepe): 10-20 RMB ($1.40-2.80)
  • Casual restaurant meal with rice and 2 dishes: 40-80 RMB ($5.60-11)
  • Mid-range restaurant: 100-200 RMB ($14-28)
  • KFC/McDonald’s set meal: 35-50 RMB ($5-7)

Open food phrases

Step 3: Evening exploration (hours 6-10)

Do not stay in your hotel room. Go for a walk. This is when China comes alive.

Find a night market or a pedestrian street. Try skewers (chuan’r, 串儿), watch people dance in the square (yes, this is a real thing), buy random snacks from street vendors. Nobody will bother you. Chinese people are curious about foreigners but generally keep to themselves.

Things that will feel strange but are normal: people staring at you (just smile), loud conversations in public (this is normal Chinese volume), and everything being incredibly cheap compared to back home.

Safety note: China is one of the safest countries I have traveled in. Violent crime against tourists is virtually non-existent. Petty theft exists in crowded tourist areas —keep your phone in your front pocket —but it is far less common than in European capitals.

Open arrival survival kit

What not to worry about

  • Not speaking Chinese: You can survive. Translation apps work. Many people in service roles know basic English. Signs in airports and subways have English.
  • Getting lost: Maps work (Apple Maps, Amap). Worst case, show your hotel address to a taxi driver.
  • Food safety: Street food is generally fine. Your stomach might need a day to adjust, but food poisoning is less common than people think.
  • Being scammed: Airport taxi touts exist but are easy to avoid —just walk to the official taxi rank. Do not buy tea or art from people who approach you on the street.

Your 24-hour checklist (print this or save it)

  • Before flying: install Alipay, DiDi, WeChat, translation app
  • Airport, minute 0-120: SIM or eSIM, 200-500 RMB cash, metro or DiDi to hotel
  • Hour 2-4: Check in, test Alipay, download offline maps
  • Hour 4-6: Find a busy noodle shop, eat your first meal
  • Hour 6-10: Go for a walk, find a night market, explore
  • Hour 10+: Sleep (you earned it, tomorrow is a full day)

I have been living in China for three years now. The first 24 hours are the hardest, not because China is difficult, but because everything is unfamiliar. Give yourself grace. You will figure it out. And by day two, you will wonder why you were ever nervous.

Planning your trip?
china survival kit —Full-screen translation cards and checklists for your trip.
best time to visit china —Check weather and crowds by city and month.