Travel China With Someone Who Has Done It Before
Cathaybound is built for people planning their first trip to China. Every guide is written against real data — published rail timetables, current fare tables, and the version of the rules that is actually enforced at the border. When something changes, we change the page.
The details people get wrong
Visas, bank cards, SIMs, station procedures — checked against what actually happens at the counter.
Paying In China: What Actually Works At The Counter
Alipay and WeChat Pay with a foreign card, plus the handful of places where you’ll still need cash.
The 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit Rule, Explained Plainly
Ten days, no visa — but only if you arrive from one country and leave for a third.
Getting Online In China: SIM, eSIM, And Which One To Choose
A local SIM is cheapest; a travel eSIM is fastest to set up. Bring your passport either way.
Plug Types In China: The One Thing Every Visitor Gets Slightly Wrong
Most laptops charge fine. It is the voltage that kills things, not the plug shape.
First Time In China: What Surprises Almost Everybody
Everything that feels like a barrier turns out to be a five-minute problem, once you know it is coming.
Routes that actually work
Point-to-point journeys with real frequencies, elapsed times and what each class costs.
Getting Around
Beijing To Shanghai: High-Speed Rail Vs Flying, With Real Numbers
Take the train unless your onward flight leaves from Pudong.
Getting Around
Beijing To Xi’an: 4h30 By Train, And The Station Trap
Book to Xi’an North, then ride metro line 2 straight into the walled city.
Getting Around
Shanghai To Hangzhou: A Day Trip That Genuinely Works
Take an 08:00 train from Hongqiao, and book the return while you are still at breakfast.
Getting Around
Shanghai To Suzhou: 25 Minutes, Two Stations, One Wrong Choice
Book to Suzhou station, not Suzhou North, and start with the Humble Administrator’s Garden.
Getting Around
Chengdu To Chongqing: Two Cities, Ninety Minutes, Two Kinds Of Day
Ninety minutes apart, and completely different cities. Do them in that order.
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Cities
Beijing: How To Arrive, Where To Sleep, And How Many Days It Deserves
Arrive at the right airport, sleep inside the Second Ring Road, and give the Wall its own day.
Cities
Shanghai In Three Days: Arriving, Sleeping Right, And Spending Well
Stay on the Puxi side, ride the metro not the maglev, and treat Pudong as a visit rather than a base.
Cities
Xi’an: The Wall, The Warriors, And How Many Days It Takes
Warriors before 09:00, the wall at sunset, three days covers it comfortably.
Cities
Chengdu: Pandas, Hotpot, And The Gateway To Western Sichuan
Pandas by 08:00, hotpot after dark, and two days minimum before you head west.
Cities
Guilin And Yangshuo: The Karst Landscape, Planned Properly
Sleep in Yangshuo, cruise downstream to it, and give the rice terraces a night.
Each city, in the right order
Which sight each morning, what the tickets cost, and how to stop crossing the city twice a day.
Itineraries
3 Days in Beijing: The Order That Saves You Half A Day
One day on the central axis, one on the Wall, one in the south. No backtracking.
Itineraries
2 Days in Shanghai: Old City West, Skyline East
Fight the temptation to cross the river twice. Puxi in one piece, Pudong in another.
Itineraries
2 Days in Xi’an: The Buried Army East, The Walls In Town
Sights east on day one, everything within the walls on day two.
Itineraries
3 Days in Chengdu: Pandas At Dawn, Teahouses After
Pandas at 07:30, teahouse at noon, a mountain on the third day.