Beijing
The capital
The Forbidden City, the Great Wall at Mutianyu or Jinshanling, and the hutongs. Forbidden City tickets are booked online days ahead and require passport details.
China eSIM
Land in China already connected
Order before you fly and your eSIM is waiting in your inbox. Scan the QR code, step off the plane at Beijing, Pudong or Guangzhou, and your phone finds a Chinese network on its own — no queue at a counter, no roaming bill when you get home.
Mainland China — and what that excludes
This is a China Mainland bundle running on China Mobile, the largest network in the country. Hong Kong and Macau are separate telecoms markets with their own operators, and they are not covered — worth knowing if your trip pairs Shanghai with a few days in Hong Kong. Note too that the longest plan currently listed is six days.
China MainlandChina MobileNot Hong KongNot Macau
China plans
Pick the length of your trip
Every plan below covers China. Choose the number of days you're away — the price is fixed, you pay once, and nothing renews afterwards.
Where to go
A country you cross by high-speed rail
The network is the largest on earth, and it has made most of the classic route genuinely easy to travel.
Shanghai
The Bund & Pudong
Colonial waterfront on one bank, a skyline on the other. The most internationally legible city in the country, and the easiest first stop.
Shaanxi
Xi'an & the Terracotta Army
The warriors, the intact city walls you can cycle, and the Muslim Quarter food street. Four and a half hours from Beijing on the high-speed rail.
Guangxi
Guilin & Yangshuo
The karst landscape from the back of the twenty-yuan note. Li River cruises and cycling between the limestone peaks.
Sichuan
Chengdu
Pandas, mahjong in the tea houses and the hottest food in China. Also the jumping-off point for the Tibetan plateau.
Not included
Hong Kong & Macau
Both have their own mobile networks and are outside this bundle. If your itinerary includes them, plan for that leg separately — the eSIM will stop working at the border.
On the ground
What you'll actually use it for
Getting around
High-speed rail booking, metro routing and ride-hailing all run through apps. Chinese cities are close to unnavigable offline for a visitor.
Reading everything
Camera translation is the single most useful thing data does here — menus, signage, ticket machines and station boards, very little of which is bilingual once you leave the big two.
Staying in touch
WhatsApp, FaceTime and Signal all run over data, so calls home cost nothing beyond the plan you've already paid for.
Backing up photos
Let a fortnight of pictures sync as you travel rather than praying your phone survives the trip home. This is the one that eats data, so save it for the evening.
When plans go wrong
A cancelled train, a closed road or a hotel that can't find your booking. All of it is easier to fix with a working connection than without one.
How it works
Set it up before you leave home
The whole thing takes about as long as printing a boarding pass, and it's far easier done on your own Wi-Fi than in an airport queue.
1
Choose your dates
Pick the plan that matches how long you're in China. Remember the longest plan is six days — for a longer trip you'd need a second one.
2
Scan the QR code
It arrives by email as soon as you pay. Open your phone's mobile settings, add an eSIM, scan — done in under a minute, over Wi-Fi at home.
3
Switch it on in China
Your plan starts when the eSIM first finds a network in China, not when you bought it. Turn roaming off on your UK line and you're set.
FAQs
Before you book
Which network does a China eSIM use?
Our China plans roam onto China Mobile (CMCC), the largest mobile network in the world by subscribers. Coverage across the cities, the high-speed rail corridors and the populated east is excellent.
Does it cover Hong Kong or Macau?
No. This is a China Mainland bundle. Hong Kong and Macau are separate telecoms markets with their own operators, and the plan will stop working when you cross. If your trip takes in both, you'll need to arrange that leg separately.
How long can I buy for?
Currently between 1 and 6 days, in single-day steps. That's shorter than most of our other destinations, so for a longer stay you'd need more than one plan. We list exactly what our partner offers rather than implying options that don't exist.
What does “unlimited” actually mean?
You get 1GB of full-speed data every day. After that the connection carries on at a reduced 384kbps for the rest of that day, then resets the next morning. There's no hard cut-off and no overage charge, so you can't run up a bill.
Will Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work?
We can't promise either way, and you should be wary of anyone who does. Traffic on a roaming eSIM may route differently from a domestic Chinese SIM, which sometimes changes what's reachable — but it depends on the routing, it isn't guaranteed, and it changes. If getting to blocked services matters to your trip, research it properly and have a backup plan rather than relying on this.
Isn't roaming with my UK network easier?
Easier, sometimes. Cheaper, almost never. China sits outside most UK networks' inclusive roaming zones, so you're usually looking at a daily charge or per-megabyte rates that add up fast. Check your provider's rate for China before you travel and compare it with a fixed one-off price.
Can I keep my UK number?
Yes. The eSIM runs alongside your existing SIM, so calls and texts still arrive on your UK number while your data goes over the local networks. Turn data roaming off on your UK line so nothing lands on your normal bill.
Do I get a Chinese phone number?
No, these are data-only plans. That covers maps, email, messaging and calls through WhatsApp, FaceTime or Signal. If you need a number that takes ordinary calls and texts, keep your UK SIM active alongside the eSIM.
Will my phone take an eSIM?
Most handsets released since 2018 will, including iPhone XR/XS and newer, Google Pixel 3 and newer, and Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer — as long as it isn't network locked. Look for “Add eSIM” or “Add data plan” in your mobile settings to check.
More destinations
Where else are you going?
Other destinations travellers pair with this one.
Yílù píng'ān
Sort your connection tonight and forget about it. One scan now, and mainland China is just somewhere your phone already works.