Swiss Army knife for China

Most problems in China don't arise on the ground but because something wasn't set up beforehand.

Entry

Citizens of many European countries, including Germany, currently enter visa-free for up to 30 days. The rules change — check the current situation before booking. Days are counted from the day after arrival.

Since December 2025 a digital arrival card has been compulsory, even for visa-free entry. Fill it in online before departure. Your passport must be valid for at least six months, and you should be able to show an onward ticket. Hotels register guests with the police automatically.

Paying

Ordinary debit cards often don't work. Link Alipay or WeChat Pay to a Visa or Mastercard before departure and test it. Didi, train tickets, buses and almost every bill depend on it. Cash is accepted only reluctantly in many places.

Internet

Google, YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked without a VPN. Install and test a VPN while you're still outside China — after that the providers' websites are blocked too. Roaming with a foreign SIM often gets round the blocks anyway.

Maps

Google Maps is useless in China. Better use Amap (高德地图) or the map in Alipay. Paste in the Chinese place name and it shows bus, train and walking routes with changes and the last departure.

Reservations

Some of the best free sights need advance registration: Cloudscape Library, science museum and the Museum of the South China Sea. The Hainan Museum in Haikou doesn't — individual visitors walk straight in with their passport.

Hainan can be travelled entirely without a rental car.

The rail loop

A high-speed line runs all the way round the island. Tickets in the 12306 app with your passport number or via Trip.com, on sale from 15 days ahead. With luggage allow 30 to 40 minutes — there's a security check.

City buses and trams

1 to 5 yuan, running roughly 6:00 to 23:00. Pay in Alipay (Travel → Public transport → transit QR code) or with the WeChat mini-programme “Hainan eTravel”. Cash only with the exact fare. Sanya rebuilt its bus network in 2024, and many route numbers online are outdated since then — more on the page Taking the bus in Sanya.

Didi

Runs as a mini-programme inside Alipay, without separate registration, with a foreign credit card. The price is fixed in advance, no haggling. Paste the destination in Chinese and you don't have to say a word.

E-scooters

They're everywhere, but the apps usually require registration with a Chinese ID, and many don't accept foreign passports. On Hainan, e-bikes require a helmet and a number plate. Without a Chinese driving licence anything bigger is out — including a self-drive rental car.

Where the way back is the problem