Frequently asked questions about travelling to China with us
The questions guests actually ask — about visas, guides, payment, private tours, permits and what happens once you land. If your question is not here, write to us and we will answer it and add it.
Booking & payment
How do I book a 71Asia Tours trip?
Most tours can be booked directly on this website and are confirmed instantly: you choose a date, pay by card in euros and receive your voucher by email within seconds. If you want a custom itinerary, a multi-city package or a guide in a specific language, write to [email protected] or message us on WhatsApp and a human will design it with you.
What currency am I charged in, and which cards do you accept?
All prices on this site are in euros (EUR) and your card is charged in euros. We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Maestro and JCB. If you are paying from outside the eurozone, your own bank applies the conversion.
Do I pay in full at the time of booking?
For online bookings the full amount is charged at the time of booking, which is what allows us to confirm availability instantly. For larger custom itineraries we can arrange a deposit with the balance due before departure — ask when you enquire.
Can I change or cancel a booking?
Changes and cancellations follow the terms and conditions you accept at checkout, and they differ by product: a private tour, an entrance ticket and a non-refundable supplier booking are not treated the same way. Tell us as early as you can — for most private tours and transfers we can move a date at no cost with reasonable notice.
What happens after I book?
You receive an email with your booking reference, your voucher and the meeting instructions within seconds. The day before your tour we send a reminder with your guide's name and contact number, and your guide will normally message you on WhatsApp as well.
How quickly do you reply?
Our team is on duty every day between 10:00 and 21:00 Beijing time (03:00–14:00 in Madrid in winter) and usually answers email and WhatsApp within a few hours, including weekends.
Visas & entry to China
Do I need a visa to visit China?
Many nationalities do not. Around 50 countries — including Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Brazil — can enter China visa-free for up to 30 days per visit, and travellers from 57 countries, including the United States, can use 240-hour visa-free transit when continuing to a third country. Our dated guide is at 71asia.com/visa. Rules change often, so tell us your passport and itinerary and we will confirm the current position before you book.
How long can I stay in China without a visa?
Up to 30 days per visit under the unilateral visa-free policy, up to 240 hours (10 days) under the visa-free transit scheme, or 30 days if you enter Hainan island under the island scheme. Working, studying and journalism are excluded from every visa-free route. The full breakdown, including which nationalities are on each list, is at 71asia.com/visa.
Do I need a separate permit for Tibet?
Yes. Tibet is not part of the visa-free transit scheme and every foreign visitor needs a Tibet Travel Permit issued by the local tourism bureau, and must travel with an official guide. We arrange the permit for you as part of any Tibet itinerary: apply at least 15 to 20 days before departure with a scanned copy of your passport.
Where do I apply for a Chinese visa, and how long does it take?
In 57 countries you lodge the file at a China Visa Application Service Centre, an authorised office that collects documents, fees and fingerprints but takes no decision. In every other country you apply directly at the Chinese embassy or consulate. Standard processing is about four working days. We publish a country-by-country index of missions and visa centres at 71asia.com/embassies.
Guides & language
Do your guides really speak Spanish (or English)?
Yes — and we would rather show you than assert it. Our lead guide in Chongqing, David, lived in Madrid for more than twenty years before returning to China, and guests repeatedly write that they could hold a normal conversation with him instead of waiting on a translation app. Guides elsewhere in China are booked for their language too, never shared with English-only groups. Meet them at 71asia.com/guides.
Will I need to speak Chinese?
No. Every tour includes a licensed guide in Spanish or English who handles tickets, hotels, restaurants and logistics. Signage at airports and metro stations in China's main cities is bilingual, and your guide stays reachable by phone or messaging throughout your trip, including on the days you travel independently.
Can I request a specific guide?
Yes. Tell us when you enquire which guide, or which language, matters to you and we will confirm availability before you pay. If the person you wanted is not free on your dates we will say so rather than quietly substituting someone else.
Tours, tickets & itineraries
Are your tours private?
Yes. Our tours are private by default: your group, your vehicle, your guide, and an itinerary that can be adapted on the day. We do not sell seats on a shared coach and we do not merge separate bookings into one group unless you specifically ask for a shared departure.
Are there shopping stops or forced shopping?
Never. Nothing in our itineraries exists because a shop pays commission — no jade factories, no pearl showrooms, no tea ceremony that ends at a checkout counter. Guests mention this in their reviews precisely because it is not the norm elsewhere in the market.
What is included in the price?
A licensed private guide, the entrance tickets shown on the individual tour page, and door-to-door transfers where the tour states them. Flights and hotels are quoted separately unless the itinerary says otherwise — ask us for a full package with accommodation if you would prefer one price covering everything. Tips are not included and are entirely at your discretion.
When is the best time to travel to China?
April to May and September to November give the best weather almost everywhere. Avoid Golden Week (1–7 October) and Chinese New Year, when domestic travel peaks, prices rise and the main sights become extremely crowded. Tibet is best between May and October, and Zhangjiajie is clearest in spring and autumn.
How far in advance should I book?
Our tours confirm instantly and many can be arranged at short notice. For high-demand entries — the Forbidden City, the summit sections of the Great Wall, Tibet permits and Yangtze cruises in peak season — book one to two weeks ahead, and longer around Golden Week. Specific guides fill up fastest of all.
Can you build a multi-city itinerary rather than a single tour?
Yes, and most of our guests travel that way. Typical shapes are Beijing–Xi'an–Chengdu–Chongqing, Shanghai with Suzhou and Hangzhou, and Chongqing–Zhangjiajie–Tibet. Tell us your dates, your pace and what you want to see, and we design the route, the trains and the hotels as one package.
Once you are in China
How do payments work in China?
Alipay and WeChat Pay accept foreign Visa and Mastercard and are used everywhere, from taxis to street food. International cards work at large hotels but not in small shops, and cash is rarely needed. Your card is charged in EUR on our site, and any local supplier costs inside your itinerary are settled by us in CNY.
Do WhatsApp, Google and Instagram work in China?
They are blocked on local networks by default. Hotel Wi-Fi generally works, and for maps, messaging and social media on the move we recommend an international roaming eSIM (we can advise which) or installing a VPN before you fly. Your guide can also share a local hotspot when it matters.
Is China safe, and is the tap water drinkable?
China is a low-crime destination for tourists and walking around cities at night is normal; the usual precautions about pickpockets in very crowded tourist areas still apply. Do not drink tap water — bottled and boiled water are universal, hotels provide kettles, and your guide will point you to safe options.
Do I need travel insurance to enter China?
It is not a formal entry requirement for most nationalities, and there has been no health declaration or test requirement since 2024. We still recommend insurance for any China trip, and we sell China travel insurance covering medical costs, cancellation and delays if you would rather arrange everything in one place.
Can you pick me up at the airport or the train station?
Yes. Private airport and high-speed rail transfers are available in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Chengdu and Chongqing, with a driver meeting you at arrivals holding a sign with your name. Many day tours also include hotel pickup where the individual tour page says so.
About the company
Who is 71Asia Tours?
71Asia Tours is the trading name of UNO DE JULIO VIAJES SL, a tour operator founded in Madrid in 2013 as part of the UNODEJULIO travel group, with licensed operations in China and local agencies in Beijing and Chongqing. We hold Chinese Travel Agency Business Licence L-CQ-100970 and Spanish Travel Agency Licence C.I.C.MA 2884. More at 71asia.com/about.
How do I use a Gift Card?
Buy one at 71asia.com/gift-card, choose the amount and pay securely; an email with the code and a personal link arrives within minutes. To redeem it, start a booking, open the Order summary at checkout, enter the code in the "Gift Card" field and press Apply. The balance can be spread across several orders until it reaches zero, and only one gift card can be used per order.
Do you work with travel agencies and suppliers?
Yes. Travel agencies resell the same inventory through our partner portal with commission discounts, or integrate directly through our XML/API with net rates. Suppliers can propose products for us to sell. Details at 71asia.com/partner and 71asia.com/suppliers.