Book the pieces that are stressful to fix late.

In practice, some smaller properties may still be unfamiliar with passport registration or may incorrectly refuse a foreign guest at check-in. To reduce the risk, choose a listing that explicitly states it accepts foreign guests, and message the property before arrival to confirm it can register your passport.

When booking on Trip.com, the system auto-filters hotels that can host foreign guests based on passport registration; Booking.com and other international platforms also mostly only show eligible listings. Before checkout, double-check the room type description for a "foreign guests accepted" note.

At check-in, the front desk uses your passport to process a temporary accommodation registration — this is a legal requirement. The passport name you enter when booking must match your actual document, otherwise you may not be able to check in. Bring your children's documents if traveling with kids.

Prioritize hotels within a 5–10 minute walk of a metro station — it solves most intra-city travel. Chinese cities have extensive metro coverage, and staying near a station is more flexible than staying next to attractions, especially when dragging luggage or catching an early train.

Your itinerary may change. Book a free-cancellation room type for the first night as a buffer, then book non-refundable discount rooms once your plans firm up. Note the cancellation deadline when booking to avoid being charged the full amount.

If you stay in a private home or short-term rental, accommodation registration may need to be completed within 24 hours of arrival. Either you or your host can handle it; the host is not necessarily required to take you to a police station. Online registration is available in some regions, while other locations may still use an in-person process. Before booking, ask the host how registration will be handled.

12306 is the official channel, with official fares, complete train listings, an English website and an English interface in the Railway 12306 app. Foreign travelers can register and complete identity verification with a passport. Trip.com also offers an English booking flow and may be easier for first-time users, but it can add a service fee. Whichever platform you use, complete passport verification before your preferred train goes on sale.

Register with your passport and complete identity verification, then search by station and date, choose the train and seat class, confirm the passenger details and pay online. Complete account and passport verification before tickets go on sale so it does not delay an important booking.

China Railways generally uses e-tickets. Bring the original passport used for booking and use a passport-enabled gate where available; if the gate cannot read it, follow signs to a staffed identity-check lane. A printed reimbursement voucher is not normally required for boarding. Arrive early at large stations so there is time for manual verification if needed.

Train tickets currently open 15 days in advance. Most services do not sell out the moment sales begin, but sleeper berths, convenient departure times and trains during weekends or holidays can fill much earlier than expected. By the day before departure, the remaining options may be limited or unsuitable. Set your intercity route early, book important segments when the sales window opens, and use the 12306 waitlist if your preferred train is unavailable.

Take Chengdu to Dali as an example. Direct trains are available, but there are relatively few departures and the journey takes around eight hours. Waiting until the last day may leave only inconvenient times—or no suitable direct option at all. Once your route is settled, check the release time and book when the 15-day sales window opens. If the direct train is unavailable, join the 12306 waitlist and compare connections via Kunming, leaving a realistic transfer buffer between separately booked segments.

Most A-level attractions now require identity-based reservation; tickets are bound to your passport and checked at entry. This means no one can buy on your behalf, and walk-up visits may find no tickets. List the attractions you want to visit and check each one's reservation rules.

The Forbidden City enforces a strict daily capacity limit; you must reserve 7 days in advance via the official channel with identity verification, and tickets are often hard to get in peak season. Book your date and entry time slot and arrive on time — late arrival invalidates the ticket. Passport info must match the reservation or you can't enter.

The Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum (Terracotta Warriors) also requires advance identity-based reservation, and walk-up tickets are basically unavailable in peak season. Book in advance via the official WeChat official account or mini-program, check whether it includes a guide and shuttle bus, and plan your travel time from downtown Xi'an.

Each attraction usually has its own official mini-program or WeChat official account as the only reservation channel; Trip.com can book tickets for some attractions, good for travelers who don't want to wrestle with the Chinese flow. Whichever channel you use, bring your original passport for verification at entry.

Many attractions divide each day into multiple entry time slots, each with its own quota. Once you select a slot, you can only enter during that slot — arriving too early or too late may be refused. Leave enough buffer between attractions when planning, and don't schedule two attractions too tightly back-to-back.

The passport name and number you enter when reserving must exactly match your document — a single letter or digit off can get you blocked at the gate. Double-check right after booking, and contact the platform to correct any errors immediately — don't wait to find out on site.