Why Travel to China? 5 Amazing Reasons to Explore This Diverse Country
China is an incredibly diverse country that’s come a long way in the past few decades - from sprawling modern cities with the fastest growing metro systems I’ve ever seen, to cable cars up towering mountains and high speed rail across the country, this country has truly modernised itself. There are beautiful landscapes and experiences for everyone that are very affordable - from resort islands to mountain escapes to great desert landscapes, and with new visa free agreements being added it’s becoming easier to access than ever before. Plus the diversity in food and culture - who could ask for more?
Here are 5 reasons why China should be on your travel bucketlist.
Views of Tianmenshan National Park including the cable cars!
1. It’s still cheap - great for budget travellers
For budget conscious travellers who love a good deal, China is up on list of affordable countries to travel to!
Based on my experience, the pricepoint is similar to countries in SE Asia - where you can get a hostel bed for AU$10/night, 3 star hotel for $30/night or a 4 star hotel for AU$60/night (including breakfast and dessert!) - meaning you can live very well and your dollar goes a long way. We took a 7hr trip on a high speed train which cost AU$73, and a 4 day pass to Zhangjiajie National Park including 4 cablecar journeys and bus transfers only cost ¥443 (AU$94).
Mainland China is also cheaper than other regions like Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, which have comparable food and cultural experiences (although still different!)
2. China is incredibly diverse - there’s something for everyone
China is beautiful. There’s a wide variety of landscapes to suit what you’re looking for, whether that’s experiencing the hustle of a big city like Shanghai, relaxing in the countryside in Yangshuo, exploring mountains and national parks in Zhangjiajie or sampling spicy food in Sichuan. There are plenty of activities anyone from families to the adventurous - this huge country has so much diversity in landscape, food and culture it would take a long time to explore.
For an interesting 2 week itinerary that covers both city and nature, see 2 weeks in China | Chongqing, Zhangjiajie and Guilin.
3. Off the beaten path, yet accessible
I visited China in October 2024 for 15 days (visa free!) and noticed in the areas we visited (Chongqing, Zhangjiajie & Guilin) that there weren’t a large number of international tourists. While there are plenty of domestic tourists (China has over 1.4billion people), it didn’t feel overrun with tourists like places like Bali, but I will say they’ve really made an effort to make everything accessible so some things feel a bit touristy - but I’ll happily take 7 escalators up a mountain to save my legs the pain the next day.
There’s plenty of information online as well if you know where to look. Chinese owned Trip.com* is a great English resource for resesarching itineraries and booking trains, hotels, tours and attractions, and I’ve seen many reels on Instagram as well. While English isn’t widely spoken, people are friendly and you can manage with a bit of help from translation apps.
If you’re travelling to China for the first time, make sure to read my travel tips for first-time visitors so you can navigate and pay!
Chongqing’s Hongya Cave Cultural Centre lit up at night
4. China feels very safe
As a female traveller, one of the top things I notice about a place is whether or not I feel safe. After travelling Europe where you have to be wary so your phone doesn’t stolen, China feels like a breath of fresh air - I feel comfortable walking around with my phone in my hand, and I’m not worried about petty crime as there are surveillence cameras everywhere. Train stations are treated like airports, with security bag scans and ID checks to enter the platform.
I also don’t carry around any cash or cards as everything is paid via WeChat Pay or AliPay. However I have heard there are some common scams in areas like Guilin where taxi drivers will recommend expensive seafood restaurants with low quality fish or tour guides will misquote their fees, so do be aware that you’re not getting scammed!
5. Easier than ever to access - visa free travel programs, free stopovers
China recently opened up their 15 day visa free travel program to Australians and New Zealanders which means you only need to get a stamp on arrival as long as you leave by midnight of the 15th day. There are also a few European countries (France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg) who were already part of this program. The great thing about this program is that if you leave China you can reenter for another 15 days!
For those who aren’t part of this program, China also has 72/144hr transit visa-free entry for 31 ports in 23 cities of 18 provinces in China including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Chengdu where you can transit in China for a few days as part of your journey to other places like Europe or Americas. They also have a visa-free period for Hainan Island for 30 days.
For longer stays, you can also apply for a visa from the Chinese Consulate.
Many Chinese airlines (e.g. China Southern, Xiamen Air) also offer free hotel stays as part of long stopovers on flights to Europe or North America - and can be incredibly good value! I flew from Sydney to Rome via Guangzhou with China Southern in June 2024 for AU$600 - with great service, meals and a very comfortable experience.
Ready to visit China? Here are more travel tips and itinerary ideas for your trip to China!
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