Planning ahead: ticket purchase & navigation tools

To be fair, I have spent a lot of time searching for up-to-date travel guides I could take along; from Marco Polo to Lonely Planet, Baedeker, Dumont and many more. I called- and physically went to uncountable book stores, reading my way through different travel guides. The result remained the same each time: either travel guides were outdated from their year of publication and hence did not reflect the current status quo, or focused solely upon historical, social and societal insights without any information on how to best prepare for my trip, making reservations up front, low budget accommodation options, etc.

The easiest way, therefore, was to do a lot of online research. Spotting different travel blogs, instagram stories and profiles, as well as YouTube videos. I made an Excel file with different "Things to do", clustered in "must do" and "nice to have", also stating whether I needed to purchase tickets in advance.

The more you prepare, the better the experience. A lot of main tourist attractions do require a ticket purchase in advance and have limited spots per day to be blocked, so always make sure on whether and when to make a reservation to be on the safe side. Have a plan at-hand to follow and leave some additional exploring time for spontaneous or unforeseen adventures.

Navigation Tools: a guide to not get lost

Google Maps is not your friend!

I am aware that most of us tend to use Google Maps for checking out hotels, restaurants, also using it for navigation routes when wanting to get from point A to B. Well, here is the thing: Google Maps has not updated their mapping data for the last couple of years in China and hence does not reflect the most recent picture. Restaurants you might spot on the map, might not be physically present in China anymore, hotels inscribed in street X might be located in a different part of the city. And as for navigation on-site… you might find your route going through houses, over ceilings and criss-cross the city without any sense-making path. As a first orientation, google maps is certainly sufficient (the forbidden city and other main attractions obviously will not be moved from one place to another). Though, be careful regarding accommodation and restaurants. You can always cross-check with latest customer recessions to check on availability and validity.

Which maps and navigation tools can I rely on?

When doing research upon accommodation & transportation, a good option is to use the maps on trip.com. When clicking on hotel options, you can simply open the map to see where different hotels (and herewith connected sightseeing spots) are located to calculate the distance and spot closest transportation opportunities, such as metro access. You can also use different filters to check on distances to public transportation, city center, main tourist attractions.

If you are an iPhone user, on-site navigation is best to be done via apple maps because they source their data from local providers- this works flawlessly and is a convenient tool to rely on.

If you manage to speak and read Chinese, you can also use the local apps “Baidu” or “Gaode”.

Tourist Attractions & Sightseeing: when, where and how to buy tickets?

Accommodation & navigation are one side of the medal, having your tickets up-front for main tourist attractions, such as the forbidden city (due to limited entries per day) are the other side. Depending on the month of travel, it is advisable to check on low- and high seasons and the herewith connected choice to pre-reserve and purchase your entrance tickets.

Certainly, you can do so on the respective main landing pages. The only possible struggle you might be facing is the communication barrier. Therefore, alternative service providers that are a) convenient and reliable and b) offer you to get in touch at any time whilst speaking in English, might be a better option to consider.

Service provider platforms I have had very good experiences with are the following. You can either visit the respective websites and/or download the app for an even easier and more relieved communication exchange:

• GetYourGuide

• Tripadvisor

• Viator

• The China Guide

Tickets will most likely be provided in an electronic reservation form you can download or print as proof. Some tickets might only be unlocked and released a couple of days prior to your visit. Some tickets might require a physical print-out. Whatever it is, your guide will let you know in advance. The most important thing for all attractions is: take your passport, as your passport, in mostly all cases, is the entrance guarantor for you to get in.