Essentials

Visa-free

30 days visa-freeOrdinary passports from about 50 countries, including most of the EU, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, can stay up to 30 days for tourism, business or visits. The current policy runs to 31 December 2026.
240-hour transitCitizens of 57 countries, including the US, can stay up to 10 days when flying on to a third country or region. Shanghai, Chengdu and Xi’an airports all qualify.
Stay in the permitted areaOn the transit rule you must stay within the permitted provinces: Shanghai, 11 cities in Sichuan including Chengdu, and all of Shaanxi.
Check before you flyLists and dates change. Check the National Immigration Administration (NIA) website before you book.

Alipay and WeChat PayLink a Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB or Discover card in the app. Payments up to ¥200 are fee-free; above that, 3% per payment.
Cards and cashBig hotels, malls and international chains take foreign cards. Carry some yuan in cash; shops are required to accept it.
Tax refundSpend ¥200 or more in one participating store in a day to claim a refund; many stores now refund instantly at the till.

MetroAlipay or WeChat transit QR codes work in all three cities. Shanghai and Chengdu metros also take foreign contactless cards.
TaxisDiDi has an English interface and takes foreign cards. It also runs inside Alipay.
High-speed railBook on Railway 12306 (in English) or Trip.com; your passport is your ticket. Chengdu to Xi’an takes about 3 hours, Shanghai to Xi’an about 5 h 40 m.
FlightsShanghai to Chengdu is over 10 hours by train. Fly instead: about 3 hours.

eSIM or roamingA roaming plan or an eSIM from a foreign provider keeps Google, WhatsApp and Instagram working without a VPN.
Local SIMNeeds passport registration, and blocks those services.
Apps to installAlipay, WeChat, DiDi, Amap, Trip.com, Railway 12306 and a translation app.