Solo Travel
One of the main aims of this website is to show you that China is a place where you can have fun and that it’s very easy to travel alone and explore this vast country by yourself or with your friends without the need for guided tours.
Of course paying for guides in some situations may prove invaluable and can deepen your knowledge of the area and culture but I have many reasons here for why in most cases travelling solo is more fun!
Common Arrival Cities
You will typically land in these four cities which are also the only Tier 1 Cities in China i.e. they are they biggest economically and have huge population sizes e.g. roughly 20 million people each!
You may wish to plan your travel to other cities depending on where you start. E.g. Starting in Guangzhou or Shenzhen gives you easy day trips to Hong Kong and or Macau (though this counts as exiting Mainland China so check your visa first). Starting in Shanghai makes it easy to access Suzhou (30 minutes via bullet train!) and then from there to Hangzhou. Just some ideas!
Beijing
Shanghai
Guangzhou
Shenzhen
Popular Cities
Xi’An
Chengdu
Chongqing
Suzhou
Hangzhou
Guilin
Kunming
Harbin
Special Administrative Regions
These places have different visa rules, often visa free for many Western countries. But it will count as an exit from Mainland China so check your Visa.
Hong Kong
Macau
Autonomous Regions
As a foreigner you will need to book a group tour in order to visit this area:
Tibet