1. Visa and documents to enter China
Holders of an ordinary Spanish passport enter China visa-free for stays of up to 30 days for tourism, business, visiting family or friends, exchanges or transit, until 24:00 on 31 December 2026. The same exemption applies to citizens of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. Mexico and Colombia need a visa; Mexicans can use the 240-hour visa-free transit if they continue to a third country. Other nationalities should check the rules for their passport: many European countries enjoy the same 30-day exemption.
For trips starting on or after 1 January 2027 there is no official announcement yet of an extension. Previous ones were published in November, so booking with flexible conditions and waiting is reasonable. Border officers ask for very little, but have it all ready:
- Passport with at least six months' validity and blank pages.
- Onward ticket out of China within 30 days, plus hotel bookings or an itinerary.
- Online arrival card, filled in before you fly on the National Immigration Administration website, the 12367 app or the WeChat and Alipay mini-programs.
- Accommodation registration within 24 hours: hotels do it for you; if you stay at someone's home, you register at the local police station.
Full details, the decision calendar for 2027, the tourist visa and the case of each Latin American country are in our China visa guide.
2. How many days you need and which route to choose
China is vast and distances are measured in hours of flight or high-speed rail. Ten days is enough to see the three cities that explain the country: Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai. With 14 days you add the pandas of Chengdu, and with 21 the landscapes of Guilin and Yangshuo and the water towns of Hangzhou and Suzhou.
| Days | Route | Who it suits | Our plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days | Beijing · Xi'an · Shanghai, at a fast pace | A short break or a trip combined with another Asian country | Tailor-made |
| 10 days | Beijing (4 nights) · Xi'an and Mount Hua (3) · Shanghai (2) | A complete first trip; the most popular length | Essential China |
| 14 days | Beijing · Xi'an · Chengdu (pandas, Leshan) · Shanghai and Suzhou | Nature and local life on top of the big three | Imperial Cathay |
| 21 days | Beijing · Xi'an · Chengdu · Guilin and Yangshuo · Hangzhou · Suzhou · Shanghai | The once-in-a-lifetime trip, unhurried | China Grand Tour |
All three routes fit comfortably within the 30 visa-free days. If you are flying from Latin America with one or two stops, allow an extra day on each side for the journey.
3. When to visit China: best months and dates to avoid
The two best windows are April-May and September-October: mild temperatures in Beijing and Xi'an, little rain and long days. Summer is hot and humid in the centre and south (Shanghai, Guilin) and is peak season for Chinese travellers; winter is cold and dry in the north, with the Great Wall almost empty and lower prices.
The 2027 dates follow the lunar calendar and are provisional; the Chinese government publishes the official holiday calendar at the end of the year and we will update this page.
4. How much a trip to China costs
It depends on three things: how you travel (independently, in a group or privately), how many days and in which season. These ranges, per person and including flights from Spain, come from budgets published by travellers and from Spanish tour-operator catalogues reviewed in October 2026:
What moves the price most is the flight (book three or four months ahead and outside Chinese holidays) and the hotel category. Entrance fees are cheap (the Forbidden City costs under €10), high-speed trains are reasonable and eating well costs less than in Spain.
5. Flights to China from Spain and Latin America
There are more non-stop flights from Spain than ever: 11 to 13 hours from Madrid or Barcelona. In 2026 Madrid has non-stop flights to nine Chinese cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Wenzhou and Hong Kong) and Barcelona to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. These are the routes (check frequencies with each airline; they change by season):
Gulf carriers (Qatar, Emirates, Turkish) offer a comfortable stop and often a better fare. From Latin America there are no non-stop flights: the usual options are via Madrid (connecting to a direct flight), via the United States or Canada (Air China, Air Canada), via the Gulf (Qatar, Emirates from São Paulo, Buenos Aires or Mexico City) or via Addis Ababa (Ethiopian). Allow 24 to 30 hours of travel and, if your passport needs a visa for the stopover, check it before buying.
6. Money and payments: Alipay, WeChat Pay and cash
China pays by phone. Since 2023 a foreign visitor can use Alipay and WeChat Pay by linking a Visa, Mastercard, JCB or Diners card issued outside China, with no Chinese bank account: download the app, verify your passport and scan the QR code at the shop, the taxi or the street stall. Small payments carry no fee; above roughly 200 US dollars per transaction a fee of about 3% applies.
- Set up both apps before you fly, with the card already verified: doing it in China without local internet is harder.
- Carry some cash (300–500 yuan) in small notes: by law it must be accepted and it is your backup if the phone fails, but many taxis and street stalls cannot change a 100-yuan note.
- Physical cards work in international hotels and department stores; almost nowhere else.
- Currency exchange: yuan is expensive to buy in Europe; it is better to withdraw from a Bank of China or ICBC ATM with a card that has no foreign fees.
7. Internet, VPN and the apps you need
On a local connection in China, Google (including Maps and Gmail), WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube do not work. The simplest solution for a visitor is a roaming data eSIM (traffic exits through the foreign operator and everything works with no setup) or a VPN installed before you leave if you will rely on hotel Wi-Fi. Check that your phone supports eSIM and activate it before landing. If you go for a VPN, install two different ones: many stop working in China without warning.
- Amap (Gaode) for maps and transport; Apple Maps works reasonably well in China.
- Didi for taxis, paid from Alipay; Trip.com for trains, flights and hotels.
- WeChat to talk to your guide, the hotel and restaurants; it is the country's email, phone and wallet.
- A camera translator for menus and signs: Google Translate with the Chinese pack downloaded, Apple's Translate or Microsoft Translator. WeChat also translates messages inside the app.
8. Getting around: China's high-speed trains
China's high-speed network is the largest in the world and the most comfortable way to travel between cities: Beijing–Xi'an in 4 h 30, Beijing–Shanghai in 4 h 30, Shanghai–Hangzhou in 1 h and Shanghai–Suzhou in 25 minutes. Tickets are bought with your passport (it is your ticket: you show it at the gate) in the official 12306 app, which has an English version and accepts foreign passports, or on Trip.com for a small surcharge. Sales open 15 days ahead and on public holidays trains sell out within hours.
For long legs (Xi'an–Chengdu, Chengdu–Guilin) flying is still faster. Within cities the metro is cheap, clean and signposted in English; you pay with the Alipay QR code.
Security checks: there is a baggage scanner at the entrance to the metro, railway stations and some very busy sites; allow a few extra minutes for every transfer. Tiananmen Square requires advance booking with your passport: book ahead.
Power banks on domestic flights: since 28 June 2025 the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) does not allow power banks without the 3C mark (China Compulsory Certification) on domestic flights, and most of those bought outside China do not have it. Some airports also check on international flights. If you need one, buy one in China with the 3C mark clearly visible.
9. Health, insurance and safety
No vaccinations are compulsory to enter China from Spain or Latin America; the usual recommended ones (tetanus, hepatitis A and B) should be up to date. Do not drink tap water: bottled or boiled only. Big cities have international hospitals with English-speaking staff, but they are expensive: travel insurance with broad medical cover and repatriation is essential, and more and more hotels and insurers ask for it. Bring your regular medication in its original packaging, with the prescription (ideally translated into English) and only in the quantity you need; in summer, add sunscreen and insect repellent for Guilin and Yangshuo.
China is one of the safest countries for travellers in terms of crime. The precautions are those of any big city: care at road crossings (electric scooters are silent) and with "tea ceremony invitations" from strangers in tourist areas of Beijing and Shanghai, a classic scam.
10. Etiquette worth knowing
At the table
Dishes are shared and placed in the centre. Chopsticks are never stuck upright in rice, there is no tipping and the host pays: arguing over the bill is part of the ritual. Tea is poured for others before yourself.
Meeting people
Greet with a slight nod or a gentle handshake; hugs are unusual. A direct "no" is avoided and patience is valued. Business cards and gifts are given and received with both hands.
In the street
There are a lot of people and little sense of queueing in some places: it is not rudeness, it is the norm. Discussing politics with strangers is frowned upon. Photographing people without asking is no more welcome than at home.
With a private guide these situations become anecdotes: he or she orders, translates, explains and heads off misunderstandings before they happen.
11. The essential cities
We have our own guide to every city on our routes, with what to see, how long to stay and how to fit it into the trip:
- Beijing — the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven and the hutong. At least 3 nights.
- Xi'an — the Terracotta Warriors, the Ming city wall and the Muslim Quarter; Mount Hua from here. 2–3 nights.
- Shanghai — the Bund, Pudong and Yu Garden: today's China. 2–3 nights.
- Chengdu — giant pandas, the Leshan Giant Buddha and Sichuan cooking. 3 nights.
- Guilin and Yangshuo — the Li River and the karst mountains, the landscape on the 20-yuan note. 2–3 nights.
- Hangzhou — West Lake and the Longjing tea plantations. 2 nights.
- Suzhou — classical gardens and canals, 25 minutes by train from Shanghai. 1 night or a day trip.
12. How we handle it at Viavora Travel
Viavora Travel is a Madrid agency with a team in China. We design private trips to China for travellers from Spain and Latin America: never in shared groups, always with a private guide (Spanish- or English-speaking) and a driver, and with an itinerary written for each client. What we take care of from everything in this guide:
- Visa and documents: we review your case before closing the proposal and, if your trip needs it, we handle the visa.
- Flights, trains and tickets: booked in advance with the right passports; on Chinese holidays that makes the difference.
- Payments and internet: we leave your apps set up before departure and your guide solves any payment on the ground.
- 4- and 5-star hotels chosen for location, and restaurants where locals eat, with the menu explained.
- Support during the trip by WhatsApp and WeChat, from Madrid and from China.