How to save money when traveling independently in China

Buying standing train tickets, skipping breakfast in the hotel, and taking transit flights are effective ways to save money and experience more when coming to China.

China is vast and has many famous landscapes, ranking second in the world in terms of UNESCO heritage sites. Spending wisely on your travel will allow you to visit more places.

Buy standing train tickets

High-speed trains are the pride of China, with the world's leading speed and coverage, and are worth experiencing. A "specialty" of Chinese railways is standing tickets on inter-provincial trains, which is rare in developed countries. On the same high-speed train, in addition to business, first, and regular tickets, passengers can also choose to buy standing tickets at half or a third the price of the above ticket classes.

Travel time between provinces and cities by high-speed train is sometimes only a few dozen minutes (for example, Shanghai - Suzhou is about 110 km in 25 minutes, Shanghai - Hangzhou is 190 km in 59 minutes). Therefore, standing train tickets are not a bad choice for tourists who want to save money.

Standing tickets are cheaper. Photo: Trinh Hang

Buy transit flight tickets

For many reasons, on the same route, transit tickets (transiting at one or more airports) are often cheaper than direct flights. From Vietnam to China, there are many options for airlines and tickets. Visitors can choose to fly transit with a ticket price only two-thirds of that of a direct flight, in exchange for spending an additional 3-4 hours transiting at an intermediate airport (usually Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Shanghai). Most international airports in China are large and very convenient. Transit flights are also an opportunity for visitors to explore and experience the modernity of these airports.

Buy metro and bus tickets in combo

In China, you can easily buy a daily transportation card, allowing you to travel easily and unlimited kilometers by subway and bus at a fairly cheap cost, only a few yuan per trip (about 10,000 VND). The transportation card helps you save a lot of time and effort buying tickets for each trip, reducing the confusion of not knowing Chinese and having difficulty communicating with ticket sellers or drivers. Some types of cards also help you get discounts when using the service.

In Guangzhou, you can buy a Yang Cheng Tong card, in Beijing a Yikatong card, in Shenzhen a Shenzhen Tong card, in Shanghai a Shanghai Public Transport Card. Buying and using a public transport card is easier and more convenient than taking a taxi, because if you want to call a taxi, you have to know how to use a car rental app in Chinese and communicate with the driver. The downside is that you have to walk more and you won't be "picked up and dropped off at the gate".

Transport cards allow tourists to travel freely. Photo: Trinh Hang

Eat breakfast at a restaurant instead of a hotel

While in developed countries (Western Europe, Japan, Australia), tourists can hardly find restaurants open early in the morning, in China, restaurants serve from 6am. The food is very rich, many dishes are close to Vietnamese taste and the prices are affordable. You can absolutely experience delicious breakfasts outside the restaurant.

Therefore, when booking a hotel room, skip the breakfast service to save costs. For the same dish, if you eat outside, the price is often more reasonable and has a more local flavor than in the hotel. Watching the streets and listening to the lively sounds of everyday life on the sidewalk is a pleasure for many tourists when coming to new lands.

Buy take-away food

For lunch and dinner, visitors can choose from a wide range of eateries in a variety of styles and price ranges. However, if you are short on time or want to save money, head to convenience stores or try street food at take-away shops. Food at these chains usually costs 40,000 to 70,000 VND per portion, only half or a third of what it would cost to eat in a restaurant.

Convenience store staff will ask if you need your food heated up, and they will microwave it for you in just a few minutes. Family Mart, Lawson, 7Eleven are everywhere in China and are open almost 24/7, selling a full range of reasonably priced desserts and drinks to go with your main dish.

Buying take-away food is low cost, flexible and convenient for backpackers. Photo: Trinh Hang

Avoid peak tourist season

In China, there are some peak tourist periods, when many people flock to famous tourist attractions. Therefore, you should avoid these periods to avoid expensive room rentals, too many crowded places or long waiting times:

- Lunar New Year: around the end of January or beginning of February every year (similar to Vietnam's Tet holiday)

- International Labor Day: first week of May

- Summer vacation for students and teachers: July and August

- China National Day holiday: first week of October

Avoid the above times, you can go to China in the spring or autumn months, the weather is relatively pleasant and the natural scenery is beautiful.

Visit the museums

Most countries in the world charge admission fees to museums, some of which cost tens of dollars (several hundred thousand VND) per visit. In China, most government-run museums are free to enter. Although free, many Chinese museums are among the largest in the world in terms of area and number of artifacts.

Some museums apply modern interactive technology that is no less than those in Europe, North America or Japan, and the landscape design is as beautiful as a five-star hotel. Coming to the museum, you can also learn countless new innovations in architecture, fine arts, technology, marketing and communication because China is the leader in Asia in these fields.

Trinh Hang

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