Traveling to China on your own: how to go and how much it costs

Find out how to organize your own travel to China in 2021. Visa, tickets, hotels, food, transportation, security. How much does it cost to go to China? Cost calculation, advice and observation.

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The material was prepared based on the personal experience of an independent travel to China of the author of the text: three months of life in Shenzhen, as well as a trip to Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

China is huge and very diverse, so it is impossible to clearly say where what prices and conditions are. I will build on Shenzhen - the center of all electronics, a young and rapidly growing city in the very south of China, which borders Hong Kong. I will tell you what is useful for a tourist when planning an independent trip to China in 2021, as well as give my own observations about the country and tips for travelers.

How to make a visa to China on your own

A visa to China for Russians is needed, except in rare cases. Regular single entry costs 1,500 rubles, double entry - 3,000, multiple entry - 4,500 rubles. Plus, a bank commission of 2.5% per person is charged.

Urgent single entry - 2400, urgent double - 3900, urgent multiple - 5400. There is also an express review, it is more expensive.

How much does it cost to fly to China: ticket prices

The cost is indicated for a round-trip flight per person.

The cheapest flight to China is from Vladivostok - from 6,000 rubles to Beijing, to Harbin - from 12,000. Tickets for 11-22 thousand rubles are available from a number of other cities in Siberia and the Far East: Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Chita, Ulan-Ude, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Tickets from Moscow to cities in China cost from 18-20 thousand rubles. The cheapest flights are to Beijing, Urumqi, Guangzhou. From St. Petersburg - from 20 thousand.

From Yekaterinburg you can fly to Beijing from 28 thousand rubles, from Novosibirsk to Urumqi - from 18 thousand.

Helpful: Transfer in Beijing. Instructions for use

How much are hotels in China in 2021

Going to China on your own, you will have to decide where to live. Someone chooses the usual hotels, and someone rents an apartment or room.

Hotels. Double rooms in hotels in the center of Beijing cost from $ 30 in the summer and from $ 13 in the low season. In Shenzhen out of season - from $ 22. We recommend looking for hotels on Roomguru.

Better to stay at chain hotels as they care about their reputation. A day in such a hotel costs from $ 30-40 for a double room. Chain hotels in Shenzhen: Greentree Inn, Sheraton, Novotel, etc.

Advice:

• Look for a soundproofed hotel - the Chinese are noisy.
• Hotel photos do not always correspond to reality.
• Sometimes the room can be clean and comfortable, but have foreign odors, such as dampness. Or overlook the courtyard, where a dump or a Chinese street cafe (which produces odors no better).

Rent. If you want a personal comfortable home, look for a room, apartment, or house on Airbnb. The choice of housing is huge. Renting an apartment in Beijing costs about $ 30-50 per day, in Shenzhen - from $ 27. You can rent an apartment for a month on Airbnb for $ 600-1500 (rooms - $ 500-900). The price depends on the city, area and state of the house. For example, in Shenzhen, near the beach in a resort area, an excellent apartment was rented out for $ 600. There are discounts for long-term rentals.

Chinese food and cuisine

Another challenge you will face when traveling on your own to China in 2021 is food. It is very specific here, so there are problems with going to a cafe, especially if you do not know the language. But here McDonald's and KFC come to the rescue. There are also many European well-known chains where you can order food from pictures. However, the prices in them are much higher - for example, a side dish with meat costs from $ 6. Sometimes tea is included in the price. At McDonald's, a Big Mac (potatoes, cola, double cheeseburger) will cost about $ 5.

In general, in a cafe you can eat for $ 5 or more, in restaurants a simple dish costs from $ 10.

Where you can eat inexpensively and tasty in China:

• Cafe for locals. You can eat in them for $ 1.50, but no one guarantees the quality of the products and the observance of sanitary standards. The downside is that it is difficult to order dishes, since often there are no pictures or there are few of them, and if there is, it is not clear what it is.
• "Muslim women" Are local cafes run by Muslim Chinese. The food there is prepared in compliance with all standards and is really delicious. I love their noodles very much and I advise you to try it. They prepare it in front of you, and it is interesting to watch this process. Cost from $ 1.5 for a huge portion.
• Supermarket. A kilogram of bananas costs $ 1-2, apples $ 2-3, tangerines $ 1-2. I do not recommend buying sausages. This is not at all what we expect: Chinese sausages are made from soybeans with a lot of spices and additives. They taste sweet and with a specific smell, but just for the sake of curiosity, you can try it once.

Internet and cellular communications in China

All sim cards are sold only with a passport in specialized places. The cost of mobile communication is quite high - from $ 20 per month, plus the same amount is charged for purchasing a card and choosing a tariff plan. To get a normal tariff and understand everything, you need to know the Chinese language. If you need internet in China, it is easier to use Wi-Fi while traveling - you can find it everywhere in big cities.

There is another nuisance that many face is the blocking of all Google, YouTube, Instagram services. To access them, you need to install a special VPN program for yourself.

Transport in China

With transport in China, everything is fine. The infrastructure is very well developed. Airplanes, ferries, trains (including high-speed trains), buses, metro and taxis. You can get anywhere without any problems. Travel in buses - from $ 0.3, in the subway - from $ 0.5.

If you are going to travel to China for a month, buy a travel card. A plastic card can be replenished and used in the metro and buses, and then returned and received back. Cost $ 4. It is very convenient: you do not need to find out the cost of tickets, buy tokens, stand in lines. Accordingly, the problem of language disappears. For trips within the same city, $ 10-30 per month is enough.

A very common type of movement is electric moped. In fact, this is a taxi, only less comfortable, more extreme and cheaper - from $ 2. The main advantage is the absence of traffic jams, as mopeds go wherever they want. The only negative is the language. You need to agree on the price and destination.

ATMs and cards

Be prepared that in many stores your Visa or MasterCard may not be accepted, since in China another payment system is UnianPay. This card can be issued at any bank for free. If you need to withdraw money from your own, then there are many ATMs for this.

Chinese mentality

Don't be surprised if in China you feel like a monkey that everyone wants to take a photo with. For a Chinese, having a photo with a European is an indicator of coolness, status, so you will always be in the spotlight. They will always turn at you and, without hesitation, stare at close range. In addition to the increased interest, the Chinese will try to make money on the "white man". We are walking money for them, so bargain in all stores. For example, once we knocked down the price of a shirt from $ 35 to $ 5.

We can talk about the culture and upbringing of most Chinese people for a long time. Making way for a girl, letting her go ahead, letting those out of the transport pass, throwing the garbage into the trash can - it's not about them. They also have no sense of tact. Do not be surprised if at the first meeting you will be asked about your personal life, salary and health. The Chinese themselves are very cunning and enterprising, but at the same time good-natured.

Useful Chinese Words for the Traveler:

Safety in China

Do you know where the tradition of wearing a backpack in front came from? From China. Petty theft is very common there. In big cities, you can find a police officer everywhere who will be happy to help in any situation.Also, in all buses, metro, shopping centers, and just on the street there are cameras, so in big cities there is nothing to be afraid of, walking along the streets in the evening. From personal experience: I walked with photographic equipment, and no one ever tried to pester me.

Also in China there is an unspoken rule that animals, children and laoyam (to foreigners) everything is possible.

How much is an independent trip to China from Russia

Let's calculate how much a trip to China for two for 10 days costs when departing from Moscow:

• Single entry visa - $ 52.
• Flights from Moscow to Beijing and back - from $ 586. Find a ticket >>
• A hotel in the center of Beijing in low season - $ 130. Find a hotel >>
• Eating out for locals - $ 120.
• Insurance - $ 23.
• Transport and attractions - approximately $ 200.

So how much does it cost to travel to China on your own? The minimum cost of the trip, if you are ready to save, is about 1111$ for two for 10 days.

If you are used to living in comfort, then the trip will cost about 1711$ for two (accommodation in a 3 * hotel - $ 250 and meals in cafes and restaurants - $ 600). We spent $ 1,500 a month for two.