5 tips to give you a great experience on your first China holiday

There is a host of wonderful places where tourists can enjoy themselves during China tours, including imposing imperial palaces, delicate water towns, colourful folk custom, and fabulous national cultural heritage.

It would probably take years to see all of China’s attractions, but it is rather easy to visit some of the top attractions. If this is the first time on a China holiday, you may need a few tips to make your tour more enjoyable:

1. Overcome the language barrier

Language barrier is a major hurdle when travelling around China, despite the massive number of Chinese children being taught English starting from primary school. Sometimes this barrier can prevent you from communicating completely with other people, so it is important that you try to learn some common words and phrases before setting off. One way to do this is to enrol in Mandarin classes, since Mandarin Chinese is spoken in almost all of China.

2. Focus your tour

China is incredibly large, and contains a host of extraordinary attractions like the world’s largest deserts, the world’s highest mountains, endless grasslands, remote jungles, and some of the largest cities in the world.

It would take you years of travelling to cover even a portion of these sites. So, instead of passing through different places across the entire country on a single trip, you should focus your holiday to a single province or region, and explore it properly.

3. Plan your visit based on weather patterns

At different times of the year, there are certain places in China that have the most favourable weather for travel, though there is no place that can claim to have the ideal weather all-year round. So, if you are keen about visiting a particular area, it is important to check the best season to go on that tour to avoid a wasted trip.

If there are no favourite spots, the most comfortable time to tour most provinces in China is spring and autumn. But whichever time you plan your tour, always check the best places to visit during that time.

4. Use public transport

You may have saved a lot to go on this trip, but you will miss out on a lot if you use airplanes and taxis. Instead, take the buses, trains, and bikes to view China from a local’s perspective. It is easy to fly from one city to the next, and then take a taxi to move around the city, but this keeps you from having the full and fun experience of China.

The public transport systems in China are very extensive, with cycle lanes in many cities and towns. There is no need worrying about getting lost, since Chinese people are extremely hospitable and friendly, especially to non-Chinese speaking foreigners.

5. Enjoy Chinese delicacies

There are many beautiful things in China, but if there is one attraction that can stand out from the rest, it’s Chinese food. Cuisine varies considerably from region to region, and any meal, whether breakfast, lunch, or dinner, can be a true attack on your senses.

Try as much food as you can, including the street foods. It is unlikely that are good at using chopsticks, so avoid wearing white t-shirts, and pack more coloured ones to conceal the unavoidable nuisance of noodle-slurping stains.