Journal

Notes from the ground

What you learn running trips in China that never fits in a guide: a booking that started demanding a passport, a train that changed station, a city that is better in November than in May.

China with children: is it worth it?

Yes, but on three conditions: age from six upwards, a rhythm built around naps, and the pandas as the first stop. What changes in an itinerary with kids.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

China for older travellers: is it possible?

Yes, and more people are doing it. What changes is not the places: it is the stairs, the toilets, the altitude and the distance between the hotel and the car.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

Internet in China: eSIM, local SIM or pocket wifi

eSIM, local SIM or pocket wifi. What actually works in 2026, what it costs, and what has to be sorted out before you fly.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

Photography in China: the best places

Organised by light rather than by places: where to be at six in the morning, in which months the mist appears, and where drones do not go.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

Honeymoon in China: where to start

Twelve to fourteen days, one highlight a day and free afternoons. Why China works better than people imagine as a trip for newlyweds.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

The best time to visit China

April and November, and the reason is simple: the same light and the same monuments, with 30% fewer people and a 20% smaller hotel bill.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

What to pack for China

Fifteen things worth the space they take, four that are not, and one that can be confiscated at security.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

What not to do on your first trip to China

Nine mistakes that repeat in almost every first itinerary. None of them is about money.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

Paying by card in China: does it work?

The short answer: only in top-end hotels and large chains. The useful answer is what you do in the other 90% of places.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

First time in China: what to know before you go

Payments, toilets, water, plugs, queues and the language barrier. The ten things nobody tells you, and that you sort out before you fly.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

What it costs to eat in China

From a street breakfast to Peking duck: what you actually pay per person per day, and the three places where the food is better and cheaper.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

What a trip to China costs

Ten days for two people, with a guide, hotels and trains: the numbers that actually come out of the account, with no package-deal promises.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

How much time you need to see China

Four days in Beijing, seven in Yunnan, twenty on the Silk Road. The time each region actually demands, and how much fits into each trip.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

How many days to spend in China

Seven days give you three cities. Twelve let you breathe. Twenty are a different trip. The right number depends on what you do not want to miss.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

Which vaccines you need to travel to China

None is mandatory if you are coming from Portugal. Two are recommended. And there is one appointment you should make six weeks before the flight.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

Travelling to China independently or with an agency: which pays off?

It comes down to three things: how many cities, how much language, and how much time you have to organise. The arithmetic of each, without pleading a case.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

Travelling by train in China: what to know before you buy the ticket

Second or first class, what it costs, when seats are released, and why you get to the station 45 minutes early.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

How to apply for a visa for China

Passport, form, visa centre, four to seven working days. The real step-by-step, with the mistakes that send the process back to the start.

October 18, 2026 · ChinaTravel.pt Team

Frequently asked questions

What is the Journal?

Field notes: what changed in a city, what a guide learned, what went wrong and how it was fixed. It is not marketing copy.

How often do you publish?

There is no calendar. We write when there is something worth telling, not to fill an editorial plan.

Can I suggest a topic?

Yes. Message us on WhatsApp: if the answer would help somebody else too, it becomes an article.

Talk to the people who run it

Rather just ask someone?

Message us on WhatsApp. We reply in English within one business hour (UTC+8).

Replies in English · no obligation