China Travel Guide for Indians 2026: Visa, Cost and Best Time

Indian passport holders need a tourist visa (L visa) for China, applied in person at a Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) in Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata. It costs roughly ₹4,900 all in and takes 4 to 6 working days. Direct flights are back after a five-year gap, with IndiGo, Air India, Air China, China Eastern and China Southern flying Delhi and Kolkata to Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Kunming. The best months are April to May and late September to early November. A 10 to 14 day trip costs about ₹80,000 to ₹1,50,000 per person including flights. And your phone will not work the way you expect, because Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked on Chinese networks.

Get your China eSIM here

What this trip actually looks like from India

China stopped being a difficult destination for Indians somewhere around late 2025. Flights came back after five years of nothing. Visa processing sped up. The payment system that used to lock out foreigners now accepts an Indian Visa or Mastercard. For the first time in a long while, a week in Beijing is a normal holiday rather than a logistical project.

What is left is a country that runs on apps you have never downloaded, in a script you cannot read, behind an internet firewall that blocks almost everything already on your phone. None of that is a reason to skip it. It is a reason to prepare properly, because the difference between a smooth China trip and a miserable one is decided before you board.

This guide covers the parts that matter for Indian travellers specifically. The visa paperwork, when to go, where to go, what a vegetarian can actually eat, what it costs in rupees, and the connectivity setup that quietly decides how the whole trip feels.

China at a glance for Indian travellers

The China visa for Indians (start here, everything else can wait)

This is where most guides go wrong, so read this before you book anything.

India is not on China's 30-day visa-free list. That policy covers around 50 countries through 31 December 2026, and Indian passports are not among them. There is also no visa on arrival and no e-visa. You apply in advance, in person.

What the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre is

The Chinese Visa Application Service Centre, usually shortened to CVASC, is the outsourced agency that handles Chinese visa applications for the embassy and consulates, so you never deal with the embassy directly. The centre collects your documents, takes your fingerprints, sends everything to the consular section, and returns your passport once the visa is decided. If you have applied for a Schengen or UK visa before, it is the same model as VFS Global, just a different operator.

There are three centres in India, and your state of residence decides which one you must use. You cannot simply pick whichever is convenient.

The application form (Form V.2013) is filled online at visaforchina.cn, then printed and signed by hand. Since December 2025 you can upload supporting documents online, but you still have to appear at the centre in person for biometrics and passport submission.

What it costs

The first fee goes to the Chinese government as the actual visa charge. The second is the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre's own handling charge, and the centre keeps that one whether your visa is approved or rejected. Express service adds roughly ₹900 to ₹1,000. China has been running a reduced fee structure for Indian applicants and has extended it more than once, so confirm the current rate before you budget.

Documents you need

• Passport valid at least six months with two blank pages
• Printed and signed Form V.2013 with the confirmation page
• One recent photo, 33mm by 48mm, white background
• Confirmed return flight booking
• Confirmed hotel bookings for every night, or an invitation letter
• Day-by-day itinerary
• Six months of bank statements, with ₹1,00,000 or more the commonly cited comfort level
• Employment proof or business registration
• Copy of Aadhaar or PAN as proof of Indian residence
• A short cover letter explaining your trip and confirming you will return

Three things trip people up. First-time applicants almost always get single entry, so asking for multiple entry without China travel history tends to weaken the file rather than help it. Your itinerary, hotel bookings and flight dates must match each other exactly, because inconsistency is the most common rejection reason. And travel insurance is not mandatory but visibly strengthens the file, so add it.

The L visa typically allows 30 days per entry and stays valid for 90 days from issue, which means you cannot apply six months ahead. Apply four to six weeks out.

One thing nobody tells you about arrival

Foreigners must register with the local police within 24 hours of arriving. If you are staying in a hotel, the front desk does this automatically when it scans your passport. If you are staying with friends or in an unregistered apartment, you have to go to the local Public Security Bureau yourself. Skipping it can mean a fine.

How to reach China from India

Direct flights resumed in October 2025 after a five-year suspension and have expanded steadily through 2026.

Schedules on these routes are still settling, so check current timetables before planning a tight itinerary. If your city is not on the list, one-stop options through Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur or the Gulf hubs remain cheaper on many dates. Hong Kong is a particularly good route in, because the high-speed train from West Kowloon puts you in Guangzhou in under an hour.

Return fares run roughly ₹22,000 to ₹35,000 from Kolkata to Guangzhou, and ₹35,000 to ₹55,000 Delhi to Shanghai or Beijing, depending on season. Book eight to ten weeks out for the better end of that range.

On arrival, expect fingerprint scanning for visitors aged 14 to 70 and an arrival card. Immigration at Shanghai Pudong and Beijing Capital can take 45 minutes in peak season. Install your China eSIM before you board, because you will want maps and a taxi app working the moment you clear that queue.

When to visit: seasons and months

China spans subarctic Harbin to tropical Hainan, so "when to go" depends entirely on where you are going. Four broad zones decide what your trip feels like.

The north (Beijing, Xi'an, Datong, Harbin) is dry and continental. Beijing in January averages a high of 2°C and a night low near minus 8°C. Harbin drops to minus 24°C, which is exactly why its ice festival exists.

The Yangtze belt (Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing) is humid subtropical. Summers are punishing, and mid June to mid July brings the meiyu, a stalled rain front that drizzles for weeks. Winter is only 5°C to 10°C but feels worse, because buildings south of the Qinling line have no central heating.

The south (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Guilin, Hainan) stays warm year round, with January highs near 18°C. Wet from April to September, with typhoon risk on the coast from July to September.

The high west (Tibet, Qinghai, western Sichuan, north Yunnan) runs on altitude rather than latitude. The usable season is roughly May to October.

Season by season

Spring, March to May. The strongest window. April sits near 20°C across Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai, with low rain and manageable crowds. Wuhan's cherry blossoms peak in the last week of March. Watch for Beijing dust storms in late March and the Labour Day rush from 1 to 5 May.

Summer, June to August. Hot, humid and packed with domestic school-holiday travel. Prices peak. It is still the right season for Tibet, Qinghai Lake, Inner Mongolia, Jiuzhaigou and the Yunnan highlands, where the roads are open and the grass is green. For most Indians it will feel familiar in the worst way: Chennai humidity with Delhi crowds.

Autumn, September to November. The other great window, and the one locals prefer. From about 20 September the air clears. Beijing in late October gives you gold ginkgo trees and 19°C afternoons. Late November is quietly the best value period of the year.

Winter, December to February. Cheapest, and genuinely good if you pack for it. Northern China is dry and sunny rather than grey. Harbin's Ice and Snow Festival runs early January to late February. Yunnan, Hainan and Guangdong stay mild.

Month by month

The three weeks to avoid are Chinese New Year (6 to 12 February 2027), Labour Day (1 to 5 May) and National Day Golden Week (1 to 7 October). During Golden Week alone the country makes roughly 800 million domestic trips. Hotels go up two to three times, trains sell out in minutes and major sites hit capacity caps. Shift your trip by one week and the same country costs half as much.

Where to go on a first trip

Most first-timers do Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu and Shanghai, linked by high-speed rail. It works because those four cover imperial history, the ancient capital, pandas and the modern coast, with four to six hour train hops in between.

Beijing, three days. The Forbidden City needs a real-name ticket booked up to seven days ahead through its official WeChat mini program, and it does sell out. For the Great Wall, skip Badaling. Mutianyu is restored and has a cable car. Jinshanling is the pick if you want a three-hour ridge walk with almost nobody around. Keep a morning for the Gulou hutongs and the Temple of Heaven at 7am, when locals are doing tai chi.

Xi'an, two days. Terracotta Army first thing, ideally at opening. Then cycle the full 14km loop on top of the Ming city wall at sunset. The Muslim Quarter is the best street food in China and, usefully for Indian travellers, entirely halal.

Chengdu, two to three days. Get to the Panda Base by 8am, because pandas are active for about two hours after feeding and then sleep through your visit. Add the Leshan Giant Buddha as a day trip and an afternoon doing nothing in a People's Park teahouse.

Shanghai, two to three days. The Bund at night, the former French Concession on foot, Yuyuan Garden early, and Zhujiajiao if you want a water town without the long trip to Wuzhen.

Strong additions if you have longer: Guilin and Yangshuo for karst landscapes (take the bamboo raft at Xingping over the packaged Li River cruise), Zhangjiajie for the sandstone pillars behind Avatar, Huangshan for sunrise above the clouds, and Hangzhou and Suzhou for West Lake and the classical gardens.

A note on Tibet. Tibet needs a Tibet Travel Permit arranged through a licensed agency, plus a guided itinerary. Indian passport holders face additional scrutiny here and permits are sometimes refused, so treat Tibet as a separate trip with three to four weeks of lead time rather than an add-on.

A workable 10-day itinerary

Fly Chengdu to Shanghai on day 8 rather than taking the train, since that leg is long enough to eat a full day.

Hidden gems most itineraries skip

Pingyao, Shanxi. A complete Ming and Qing walled city, still lived in, two and a half hours by high-speed rail from Xi'an. Stay inside the walls in a courtyard guesthouse. Pair it with Datong for the Yungang Grottoes and the Hanging Temple.

Wuyuan, Jiangxi. Whitewashed Huizhou villages with black-tiled roofs and terraced fields, at their best for two weeks in late March when the rapeseed blooms.

Zhaoxing and Chengyang. Dong minority villages in southeast Guizhou and northern Guangxi, with wooden drum towers and covered wind-and-rain bridges built without a single nail.

Quanzhou, Fujian. The medieval port Marco Polo knew as Zayton, UNESCO-listed in 2021, where Song dynasty mosques, Hindu temple carvings and Buddhist halls sit within a few streets. Almost no foreign tourists. The Hindu carvings at Kaiyuan Temple are a genuine surprise for Indian visitors.

Jingdezhen, Jiangxi. A thousand years of porcelain, now a working craft city. The Taoxichuan market on weekend evenings is where young ceramicists sell directly.

Yuanyang, Yunnan. Hani rice terraces, best from November to March when the paddies are flooded and mirror the sunrise. The opposite of the usual summer rule.

Danba and Tagong, western Sichuan. Tibetan stone watchtowers and grassland monasteries, reachable from Chengdu without a Tibet permit.

Food, and what an Indian vegetarian should know

China does not have "Chinese food". It has at least eight major regional cuisines that share almost nothing with each other, and none of them resemble the Indo-Chinese you grew up on. There is no gobi manchurian in China.

Sichuan and Chongqing run on mala, the numbing tingle of Sichuan peppercorn plus chilli. Mapo tofu, dan dan noodles, hotpot. The closest thing to Indian heat you will find, though the sensation is different. Guangdong is the subtle one: morning dim sum, steamed fish, congee. Shaanxi, in Xi'an, is wheat and lamb country: roujiamo, hand-pulled biangbiang noodles, cold liangpi in chilli oil. Jiangsu and Shanghai lean sweet and soy-braised. Xinjiang food is Central Asian and will feel oddly familiar: cumin lamb skewers, laghman noodles, naan straight off a tandoor wall.

The vegetarian reality

Being vegetarian in China is possible but requires active management. It is not a default that restaurants understand. The core problem is that a dish described as vegetable can still be cooked in lard, finished with oyster sauce, or built on chicken or pork stock. "No meat" and "vegetarian" are not the same idea in most Chinese kitchens, and a little minced pork in a green-bean stir fry is considered seasoning rather than a meat dish.

What actually works:

• Learn the phrase. 我吃素 (wǒ chī sù) means "I am vegetarian" in the Buddhist sense, and it is understood far better than any translation of "no meat". Save it as a screenshot on your phone.
• Look for 素食 (sùshí) restaurants. Buddhist vegetarian restaurants exist in every major city, often near temples, and the food is excellent. Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou and Jing'an Temple in Shanghai are reliable starting points.
• Use 清真 (qīngzhēn), halal, when you need certainty about pork. The Muslim Quarter in Xi'an and Xinjiang restaurants everywhere are pork-free, though heavily lamb and beef based.
• Safe standbys are dry-fried green beans (ask for no meat), mapo tofu made with mushrooms, di san xian (potato, aubergine, capsicum), scallion pancakes, plain steamed rice, and hand-pulled noodles in clear soup.
• Indian restaurants exist in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, several with proper vegetarian and Jain options. Find them on Dianping, which is China's equivalent of Zomato.
• Carry backup. Theplas, khakhra, instant upma sachets and a small packet of pickle solve a lot of problems on train days. Hot water dispensers are everywhere, including on every train.

Jain travellers should plan more carefully still, since onion and garlic are foundational to almost every Chinese cuisine. Buddhist vegetarian restaurants are the best option, because traditional Chinese Buddhist cooking also excludes the pungent alliums.

Two phrases worth memorising: bù yào là (no chilli) and mǎi dān (the bill). Tipping is not done. Tap water is not drinkable, but free boiled water is available in every hotel, station and train, so carry a flask.

Money, payments and the app problem

China skipped credit cards and went straight from cash to QR codes. Your Indian Visa or Mastercard is nearly useless at street level, and UPI does not work at all.

Set up Alipay and WeChat Pay before you fly. Both now accept international cards from foreign users. Verify your passport in the app, which is largely automated and takes minutes, then link your card. Payments of ¥200 or less carry no cross-border service fee, and above that both platforms add roughly 3%. Set up both rather than one, because a card that fails on one often works on the other.

On the Indian card side: enable international transactions in your bank app before departure, expect a forex markup of around 3.5% plus GST from your issuer, and keep a second card from a different bank as backup.

Cash is a fallback, not a plan. Since February 2026 merchants can be penalised for refusing physical cash, so a few hundred yuan in small notes covers rural areas, temple donations and app failures. There is no useful direct INR to RMB exchange in India, so carry USD to convert or withdraw from a Chinese ATM on arrival.

Apps to install in India, while you still have unrestricted access:

• Alipay and WeChat, for payment and messaging
• Amap or Baidu Maps for navigation, because Google Maps does not work
• DiDi for taxis, also usable in English inside Alipay
• Trip.com or the 12306 English app for trains
• Dianping for restaurants
• Google Translate with the Chinese offline pack downloaded. Its camera mode on menus and signs is the single most useful tool you will carry

Getting around inside China

The high-speed rail network passed 48,000 km in 2025 and is the best thing about travelling here. Beijing to Shanghai takes about 4.5 hours. Booking opens 15 days ahead, second class is comfortable, and your passport is your ticket, so there is nothing to print. Book through Trip.com or the official 12306 English app.

City metros are cheap and signed in English, and you pay by scanning a QR in Alipay. DiDi costs a fraction of an Indian airport taxi in most cities. For long hauls to Urumqi, Kashgar or Lhasa, fly.

Why your mobile data setup matters more than you think

This is the part Indian travellers underestimate most, and China is the one destination where getting it wrong genuinely breaks the trip.

Google Search, Gmail, Google Maps, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube are all blocked on mainland Chinese networks. If your family expects WhatsApp updates and your itinerary lives in Gmail, you need a plan before you board.

Two separate things solve two separate problems, and confusing them is the classic mistake.

• Data is solved by an eSIM. Buy it in India, receive a QR code by email, scan it at home on wifi, and land connected. Your Indian SIM stays active alongside it, so bank OTPs and calls keep coming to your regular number, which matters because Alipay and your bank will both want to reach you.
• Access to blocked services is solved by a VPN, which you must install and test in India. VPN provider websites are themselves blocked once you land, so leaving this for the plane does not work.

The other failure mode is buying a local SIM at the airport on arrival. You will burn an hour in a queue, hand over your passport for registration, and negotiate the whole thing in Mandarin at the exact moment you are most tired.

eSIM vs international roaming vs local SIM for Indians

Matrix Cellular has been doing this for Indian international travellers since 1995. The Matrix China eSIM runs on the China Mobile network with 5G, 4G and LTE speeds, instant QR delivery by email, and hotspot sharing allowed on every plan.

Matrix China eSIM plans

Which one to pick. For a one-week trip where you are on hotel wifi in the evenings, 5 GB is enough. For a two-week trip with heavy map, translation and photo-upload use, 15 GB is the safe choice. The unlimited plans give 3 GB per day at full speed and then continue at 128 kbps until the daily reset, which suits travellers who would rather not think about data at all. Hotspot works on every plan, which is useful when two of you are travelling and only one buys.

The eSIM is data-only. There is no Chinese phone number and no incoming calls, which is fine, because your Indian number stays live on your physical SIM for OTPs.

Crossing into Hong Kong or Macau? They are separate telecom regions with different networks and, importantly, no firewall. The China, Hong Kong and Macau eSIM covers all three on one profile, which is cleaner than buying twice.

Doing a wider Asia trip? If China is one leg of a longer route, the global and multi-country eSIM plans cover several countries on a single install, including a 60-country global eSIM and a 180-country option. If the itinerary runs on into Japan, there is a separate Japan eSIM too.

One honest point, because it matters more in China than anywhere else. A China eSIM running on a domestic Chinese network gives you data, not unrestricted access. Which sites and apps load depends on China's internet regulations, not on your data plan. Treat the eSIM as your connection and a pre-installed VPN as your access to blocked services.

Not sure your phone supports eSIM? Dial *#06# and look for an EID, or use the handset compatibility checker.

Browse Matrix Cellular's China eSIM plans

The setup, step by step (assuming you're flying from India)

If you have never used an eSIM before, here is the whole flow.

One week before you fly: Order your Matrix China eSIM from matrix.in. You pay in INR and receive an activation email with a QR code. Pick the China, Hong Kong and Macau plan instead if your itinerary crosses into either region.

Two days before you fly: Check your phone supports eSIM. iPhone XS and newer all do. Most Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer, and Pixel 3 and newer, do too. Go to Settings, then Mobile Data, then Add eSIM (or Settings, Connections, SIM Manager on Android). Your phone also needs to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it on EMI through an Indian carrier and it is still locked, call them now.

Night before you fly: Scan the QR code, install the profile, and label it something obvious like "China". Keep your Indian SIM active with data roaming turned off on that line, and set the Matrix eSIM as your primary data line. Install and test your VPN on the same evening.

When you land: The eSIM connects to the local network automatically. Open Amap, book a DiDi, and go. Total in-airport setup time: zero seconds. The whole thing runs on a QR code you scanned in your living room.

Money matters: what a China trip costs from India

 

Reference prices: a metro ride is ¥3 to ¥8 (about ₹35 to ₹95). A bowl of noodles is ¥15 to ¥25 (₹180 to ₹300). Dinner for two at a normal local restaurant is ¥80 to ¥150 (₹1,000 to ₹1,850). A second-class high-speed rail seat from Beijing to Xi'an is about ¥515 (₹6,300). Many museums are free with passport registration, though headline sites like the Terracotta Army charge ¥120 and up.

The two biggest savings levers are timing and transport. Travelling in November instead of October cuts accommodation by 30% to 40%, and overnight sleeper trains on long legs save you a hotel night.

Safety, health and etiquette

China is safe by most measures, including for solo women, and violent crime against tourists is rare. The realistic risks are traffic, tourist-area scams and altitude if you head west. The tea ceremony scam and the art student scam both still operate around Tiananmen, Wangfujing and the Bund, and both start with a friendly English-speaking stranger. Walk away.

Etiquette that matters: do not stand chopsticks upright in rice, since it resembles funeral incense. Take business cards with both hands. When someone toasts you with gānbēi, sipping is fine. Hosts will over-order deliberately, so clearing every plate can suggest they under-catered.

Crowds behave differently. Queues compress rather than form lines, personal space is smaller and people use phone speakers in public. None of it is rudeness. In minority areas like Guizhou, Yunnan and Xinjiang, ask before photographing people.

Carry your passport every day. Real-name registration means it is your train ticket, your museum ticket and your hotel ID all at once. Travel insurance covering medical evacuation is worth having, particularly for western China.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Indians need a visa for China in 2026?

Yes. India is not included in China's 30-day visa-free scheme, and there is no visa on arrival or e-visa for Indian passport holders. You must apply for an L tourist visa in advance at a Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata. Expect about ₹4,900 total and 4 to 6 working days.

What does CVASC mean?

CVASC stands for Chinese Visa Application Service Centre. It is the outsourced agency that processes Chinese visa applications on behalf of the embassy and consulates, collecting documents and biometrics and returning your passport once the visa is decided. It works the same way VFS Global does for Schengen and UK visas. India has three centres, in New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, and your state of residence determines which one you apply through.

How much does a China trip cost from India?

Roughly ₹80,000 to ₹1,00,000 per person for 10 to 14 days on a budget, and ₹1,10,000 to ₹1,50,000 mid range, including flights, visa, hotels, trains and food.

Are there direct flights from India to China?

Yes. Direct flights resumed in October 2025 after a five-year gap. IndiGo flies Delhi and Kolkata to Guangzhou and Kolkata to Shanghai, Air India flies Delhi to Shanghai, Air China flies Delhi to Beijing, China Eastern flies Delhi to Shanghai and Kolkata to Kunming, and China Southern operates Guangzhou to Delhi. Schedules are still changing, so verify before booking.

What is the best time to visit China?

April to May and late September to early November. Avoid Chinese New Year week, 1 to 5 May, and 1 to 7 October, when domestic travel makes everything expensive and crowded.

Can I use WhatsApp and Google Maps in China?

Not on Chinese networks. WhatsApp, Google services, Instagram and Facebook are blocked. Use WeChat for messaging and Amap or Baidu Maps for navigation, and install a VPN in India before you fly if you need access to blocked apps.

Is vegetarian food available in China?

Yes, with planning. Look for 素食 (sùshí) Buddhist vegetarian restaurants, learn the phrase 我吃素 (wǒ chī sù), and be aware that dishes described as vegetable are often cooked with lard, oyster sauce or meat stock. Major cities also have Indian restaurants with proper vegetarian menus.

Does UPI work in China?

No. UPI is not accepted in China. Set up Alipay and WeChat Pay with an international Visa or Mastercard before you travel, and carry some cash as backup.

Should I buy an eSIM in India or a SIM card in China?

An eSIM bought in India is faster and involves no paperwork. Buying a local Chinese SIM means passport registration at a carrier counter, a queue on arrival and a language barrier at the worst possible moment. A Matrix China eSIM installs at home and connects the moment you land.

Can I keep my Indian SIM working while using a travel eSIM?

Yes. Set up your phone in dual SIM mode. Keep your Indian SIM on with data roaming off, so you still receive OTPs from HDFC, ICICI or wherever you bank, and set the Matrix eSIM as the primary line for mobile data. All your internet runs through Matrix while your Indian number stays alive for SMS.

Does the Matrix eSIM bypass the Great Firewall?

No, and you should be wary of any provider that claims otherwise. The Matrix China eSIM runs on the China Mobile network, so which sites and apps load is governed by China's internet regulations rather than by your data plan. Install and test a VPN in India before you fly if you need blocked services like WhatsApp or Gmail.

How many days do I need in China?

Ten to fourteen days covers Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu and Shanghai comfortably. Seven days works for two cities. Under five days, pick one city plus a day trip.

What happens if I run out of data during the trip?

You can top up from the Matrix recharge page without reinstalling anything. The new data is added to your existing plan. If the eSIM misbehaves, the troubleshooting page covers the usual fixes, and Matrix support is available in English and Hindi.

Do I need to register with the police in China?

Yes, within 24 hours of arrival. Hotels do this automatically at check-in. If you are staying privately, register yourself at the local Public Security Bureau.

Plan the rest of your trip

Matrix eSIM plans for this trip

• China eSIM, from ₹589, on the China Mobile network
• China, Hong Kong and Macau eSIM, one profile for all three regions
• Japan eSIM, if you are adding Tokyo or Osaka
• Global eSIM covering 60 countries, for longer multi-country routes
• All global and multi-country eSIM plans
• Browse every Matrix eSIM destination
• eSIM recharge and top-up, if you run out mid-trip
• Travel insurance, worth adding to your visa file

Setup and support

• Check whether your handset supports eSIM
• How to activate your Matrix eSIM
• Using a Matrix eSIM with your Indian SIM
• eSIM delivery and activation process
• eSIM troubleshooting
• eSIM FAQs

More travel guides

• eSIM checklist before international travel
• Japan travel guide: visa, tips and connectivity
• Japan itinerary for first-time travellers
• Solo travel tips for Indian women
• How to explore a city during a long layover

The honest closing thought

The travelling part of China is the easy part. The trains run on time, the cities are safe, the food is extraordinary, and the Great Wall does not disappoint. What separates travellers who come home glowing from travellers who come home frustrated is the boring preparation: the visa file, the payment apps, the offline maps, the connection.

If you are flying from India, the sequence is simple. Start the visa four to six weeks out. Book trains fifteen days ahead. Set up Alipay while you are still on Indian wifi. And install your eSIM and VPN before you leave, because the one thing you cannot fix after landing in Shanghai is a phone that will not connect.

Matrix Cellular has been helping Indian travellers stay connected internationally since 1995, across more than 150 countries.

Get your Matrix Cellular China eSIM today, paid in INR, supported from India, ready before you board.

Sources: National Immigration Administration of China, Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (visaforchina.cn), China's State Council 2026 holiday notice, airline route announcements from IndiGo, Air India, Air China, China Eastern and China Southern.