China is the fourth largest country in the world and therefore almost the same size as the USA. From beaches to big cities and 5,500 metre high mountains: the land of the rising sun has a lot to offer – a lot. That’s why we planned four weeks for our trip. But we could have spent several months there.
Although I have travelled to many countries on my own, there were a few surprises in China. I have therefore written down the most important tips and tricks in the blog to help you plan your own trip to China. We were there in October 2023 and decided on the following route:
Beijing – Xi’an – Zhangye – Lijang – Yangshuo – Macau – Hongkong
Visa
As Swiss nationals, we didn’t need a visa for Macau and Hong Kong as we were there for less than a week.
But for mainland China, a visa is mandatory for many, including us. There are different categories of visas. We needed a tourist visa (tourist visa L). The visa can be applied for at the earliest three months before travelling, but at the latest one month before.
We applied for it at the “Chinese Visa Application Service Centre” in Zurich (GiesshĂĽbelstr. 45, 8045 Zurich) There is also a location in Bern. All locations worldwide can be found on the homepage of Visaforchina.
In our case, we only needed the visa for one entry (single entry), as we left mainland China for good when we boarded the ferry to Macau. The same applies to our onward journey to Hong Kong. Both are special administrative zones. Only if you want to return to mainland China afterwards do you have to tick two or more entries (double/multiple entry).
The application form is a multi-page PDF. It asks for personal details as well as details of your profession, education, parents, travel route, etc. In addition to the application form, a photo from a photo machine is also required for the appointment at the visa centre. Our printed photos on paper were not accepted. We also had to print out every single hotel confirmation (although all the hotel names and addresses were already on the application form). After paying the fee for the visa (CHF 188 p.p. for Swiss nationals), we had to leave our passports at the visa centre. We were able to pick up our passports in the same week and the visa was affixed. Now nothing stood in the way of our journey! 🙂
Entering China
When we booked the flights, there were still restrictions due to coronavirus. Fortunately, the test requirement for entry was cancelled shortly before our trip. So we only had to fill out the Customs Health Declaration form. The QR code filled in after completing the form is valid for 24 hours. You need it to enter and leave the country.
After arriving at Beijing Airport (Beijing Daxing), we all had to have our fingerprints scanned. There was a whole room with lots of machines that guided you through the process in English.
*** Important ***
This is a field report. Larasteiner.ch accepts no liability for the above. For precise information on entry requirements, please contact the relevant department in your own country.