https://china-travel.org/tags/china-hotels/Recent content in China Hotels on China Travel GuideHugo -- gohugo.ioen-US© 2026 LéaMon, 19 Oct 2026 02:29:58 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changsha/Mon, 19 Oct 2026 01:45:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changsha/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changsha/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changsha/#1-wuyi-square-and-orange-island-the-centre" >1. Wuyi Square and Orange Island: the centre</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changsha/#2-taiping-old-street-and-pozi-street-the-cheapest-rooms-in-the-centre" >2. Taiping Old Street and Pozi Street: the cheapest rooms in the centre</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changsha/#3-yuelu-mountain-and-meixi-lake-the-west-bank" >3. Yuelu Mountain and Meixi Lake: the west bank</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changsha/#4-wanjiali-and-yangfan-night-market-the-top-of-the-market" >4. Wanjiali and Yangfan Night Market: the top of the market</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changsha/#5-arriving-changsha-south-the-airport-and-the-southern-side" >5. Arriving: Changsha South, the airport and the southern side</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changsha/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changsha/#practical-tips-for-changsha" >Practical tips for Changsha</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changsha/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changsha/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>I arrived in Changsha at eleven at night on the last high-speed train from Wuhan and made the mistake that decides most first trips here: I booked by price, not by side of the river. The walk to dinner was forty minutes through an office district with the shutters down.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-quanzhou/Mon, 19 Oct 2026 01:40:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-quanzhou/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-quanzhou/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-quanzhou/#1-west-street-and-kaiyuan-temple-the-old-town-core" >1. West Street and Kaiyuan Temple: the old town core</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-quanzhou/#2-the-west-street-homestays-worth-paying-for" >2. The West Street homestays worth paying for</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-quanzhou/#3-outside-the-old-town-wanda-plaza-xunpu-village-and-the-intercontinental" >3. Outside the old town: Wanda Plaza, Xunpu village and the InterContinental</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-quanzhou/#4-west-lake-park-and-qingyuan-mountain-the-quiet-side" >4. West Lake Park and Qingyuan Mountain: the quiet side</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-quanzhou/#5-arriving-which-quanzhou-station-to-book-around" >5. Arriving: which Quanzhou station to book around</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-quanzhou/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-quanzhou/#practical-tips-for-quanzhou" >Practical tips for Quanzhou</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-quanzhou/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-quanzhou/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>I got Quanzhou wrong the first time in a way that cost me an evening. I booked in the modern city because the room was $20 cheaper, then took a taxi to West Street and spent the ride looking at the old town I could have been sleeping in. The historic core is not a district you visit; it is a knot of lanes around Kaiyuan Temple where the temples, the seafood stalls and the evening walk sit inside fifteen minutes on foot.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-pingyao/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 03:50:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-pingyao/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-pingyao/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-pingyao/#1-inside-the-walls-the-courtyard-inns-and-the-cheapest-beds" >1. Inside the walls: the courtyard inns and the cheapest beds</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-pingyao/#2-mid-range-inside-the-old-city" >2. Mid-range inside the old city</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-pingyao/#3-the-top-of-the-pingyao-market" >3. The top of the Pingyao market</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-pingyao/#4-outside-the-walls-the-one-property-we-found-out-there" >4. Outside the walls: the one property we found out there</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-pingyao/#5-arriving-which-pingyao-station-to-book-around" >5. Arriving: which Pingyao station to book around</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-pingyao/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-pingyao/#practical-tips-for-pingyao" >Practical tips for Pingyao</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-pingyao/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-pingyao/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>My first Pingyao booking was made the lazy way, on a booking site, in a hurry: the cheapest room inside the old city, no map, no thought. I got off a train at a station I hadn&rsquo;t realised was the better part of ten kilometres from the walls, and spent the first hour of my trip working out which gate my inn was behind.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-datong/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:00:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-datong/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-datong/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-datong/#1-inside-the-ancient-city-walls-and-the-courtyard-inns" >1. Inside the ancient city walls and the courtyard inns</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-datong/#2-daiwangfu-and-gulou-east-street-at-the-centre" >2. Daiwangfu and Gulou East Street at the centre</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-datong/#3-the-huayan-temple-side-and-the-cheapest-rooms-in-the-old-city" >3. The Huayan Temple side and the cheapest rooms in the old city</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-datong/#4-mid-range-comfort-and-the-designer-inns" >4. Mid-range comfort and the designer inns</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-datong/#5-the-yungang-road-side-toward-the-grottoes" >5. The Yungang road side toward the grottoes</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-datong/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-datong/#practical-tips-for-datong" >Practical tips for Datong</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-datong/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-datong/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>My first Datong booking was made on a phone, on a train, an hour outside Beijing, and it put me inside a wall. I&rsquo;d come for the Yungang Grottoes and the hanging monastery and picked a courtyard inn because the photographs looked old and the price looked low. I&rsquo;ve been travelling in China for a decade, and what I hadn&rsquo;t understood is that Datong&rsquo;s old city is a real, walled, largely pedestrian place, and that my taxi would stop at a gate and I&rsquo;d walk the last stretch over stone flags with a suitcase, to a doorway with two lanterns where someone was waiting with a key.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-luoyang/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:00:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-luoyang/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-luoyang/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-luoyang/#1-luoyi-ancient-city-and-cross-street" >1. Luoyi Ancient City and Cross Street</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-luoyang/#2-shizi-street-night-market-and-the-northern-old-town" >2. Shizi Street Night Market and the Northern Old Town</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-luoyang/#3-old-town-inns-and-heritage-courtyards" >3. Old Town Inns and Heritage Courtyards</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-luoyang/#4-longmen-station-and-the-municipal-government-district" >4. Longmen Station and the Municipal Government District</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-luoyang/#5-downtown-luoyang-and-zhouwangcheng" >5. Downtown Luoyang and Zhouwangcheng</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-luoyang/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-luoyang/#practical-tips-for-luoyang" >Practical tips for Luoyang</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-luoyang/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-luoyang/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>My first Luoyang room was booked for a reason that turned out to be a misunderstanding, and I have watched people repeat it ever since. The listing had Longmen in the name, the rate was low, and I assumed Longmen meant the grottoes. It doesn&rsquo;t. It meant the southern new city beside the high-speed railway station, a long way from the carvings I had come for and nowhere near the old town. I spent my first morning in a taxi watching the city slide past instead of standing in front of the Buddha.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-tianjin/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:00:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-tianjin/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-tianjin/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-tianjin/#1-five-avenue-and-xiaobailou" >1. Five Avenue and Xiaobailou</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-tianjin/#2-the-railway-station-ancient-culture-street-and-the-italian-style-town" >2. The Railway Station, Ancient Culture Street and the Italian Style Town</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-tianjin/#3-the-haihe-river-the-tianjin-eye-and-tianjin-west-station" >3. The Haihe River, the Tianjin Eye and Tianjin West Station</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-tianjin/#4-binhai-airport-and-the-airport-economic-zone" >4. Binhai Airport and the Airport Economic Zone</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-tianjin/#5-the-outer-districts-of-tanggu-binhai-and-jinghai" >5. The Outer Districts of Tanggu, Binhai and Jinghai</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-tianjin/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-tianjin/#practical-tips-for-tianjin" >Practical tips for Tianjin</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-tianjin/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-tianjin/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>My first Tianjin hotel was booked for the wrong reason, and honestly I would book it again. I picked it off a railway-station name, dragged my bag out of the arrivals hall, then spent twenty minutes on the riverbank working out which way the old city was. That confusion is the point of Tianjin. It isn&rsquo;t a city with one centre; it&rsquo;s a river city with two historic cores, two working railway stations and an airport parked out east toward the coast.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xishuangbanna/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:00:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xishuangbanna/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xishuangbanna/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xishuangbanna/#1-the-riverside-and-the-first-line-river-views" >1. The riverside and the first-line river views</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xishuangbanna/#2-the-gaozhuang-starlight-night-market-cluster-on-foot" >2. The Gaozhuang Starlight Night Market cluster on foot</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xishuangbanna/#3-the-resort-tier-and-the-naga-twins" >3. The resort tier and the Naga twins</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xishuangbanna/#4-the-collection-tier-and-the-pick-up-service-room" >4. The collection tier and the pick-up service room</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xishuangbanna/#5-out-of-town-in-mengla-county" >5. Out of town in Mengla county</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xishuangbanna/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xishuangbanna/#practical-tips-for-xishuangbanna" >Practical tips for Xishuangbanna</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xishuangbanna/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xishuangbanna/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>I landed in Jinghong just after midday in what the airline app insisted was the cool season, and the air at the bottom of the aircraft steps was warm enough to make me laugh out loud. Most of China was under three layers that week, and the man beside me on the bus was grumbling anyway that the morning had been cold. That was my first lesson about Xishuangbanna: the weather that makes the rest of the country shiver is the reason people fly south in January.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhuhai/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:00:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhuhai/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhuhai/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhuhai/#1-gongbei-port-and-the-fuhuali-cluster" >1. Gongbei Port and the Fuhuali cluster</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhuhai/#2-zhuhai-station-and-the-rail-side-of-gongbei" >2. Zhuhai Station and the rail side of Gongbei</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhuhai/#3-lovers-road-and-the-qinglv-lu-coast" >3. Lovers Road and the Qinglv Lu coast</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhuhai/#4-hengqin-and-chimelong" >4. Hengqin and Chimelong</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhuhai/#5-the-exhibition-centre-at-wanzai" >5. The exhibition centre at Wanzai</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhuhai/#6-gaolan-port-and-ocean-spring" >6. Gaolan Port and Ocean Spring</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhuhai/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhuhai/#practical-tips-for-zhuhai" >Practical tips for Zhuhai</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhuhai/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhuhai/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>My last Zhuhai trip started in a queue at seven in the morning. I had spent the night on the Macau side, walked to the Gongbei border gate with a coffee and a backpack, and shuffled through the hall with a few hundred other people before the day properly got going. Twenty minutes later I was on the mainland, in a different currency and a different phone network, with a taxi rank on my left, a railway station on my right, and no clear idea which one I wanted. I&rsquo;ve been crossing at Gongbei on and off for a decade, and I still stand on the pavement for a second working out which way the city runs.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-wuhan/Sat, 17 Oct 2026 02:40:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-wuhan/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-wuhan/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-wuhan/#1-jianghan-road-and-the-hankou-riverfront" >1. Jianghan Road and the Hankou Riverfront</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-wuhan/#2-yellow-crane-tower-and-the-wuchang-riverside" >2. Yellow Crane Tower and the Wuchang Riverside</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-wuhan/#3-wuhan-railway-station-and-qingshan" >3. Wuhan Railway Station and Qingshan</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-wuhan/#4-tianhe-airport-and-panlong-city" >4. Tianhe Airport and Panlong City</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-wuhan/#5-wansongyuan-and-the-mixc" >5. Wansongyuan and the Mixc</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-wuhan/#6-mulan-grassland-and-the-northern-suburbs" >6. Mulan Grassland and the Northern Suburbs</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-wuhan/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-wuhan/#practical-tips-for-wuhan" >Practical tips for Wuhan</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-wuhan/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-wuhan/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>My first Wuhan hotel was chosen by accident and it taught me the only thing that really matters here. I booked on the Hankou side because it was cheap, walked out of the door the next morning and found the Yangtze in front of me with the old concession streets behind it. I had assumed the city had one centre. It has three, separated by two rivers, and which bank you sleep on decides your whole day.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-nanjing/Sat, 17 Oct 2026 02:30:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-nanjing/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-nanjing/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-nanjing/#1-confucius-temple-and-the-qinhuai-river-quarter" >1. Confucius Temple and the Qinhuai River Quarter</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-nanjing/#2-xinjiekou-and-the-presidential-palace" >2. Xinjiekou and the Presidential Palace</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-nanjing/#3-nanjing-south-railway-station-and-jiangning" >3. Nanjing South Railway Station and Jiangning</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-nanjing/#4-lukou-airport-and-the-southern-edge" >4. Lukou Airport and the Southern Edge</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-nanjing/#5-the-museum-quarter-at-purple-mountain" >5. The Museum Quarter at Purple Mountain</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-nanjing/#6-the-north-side-railway-station-and-hongshan" >6. The North Side: Railway Station and Hongshan</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-nanjing/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-nanjing/#practical-tips-for-nanjing" >Practical tips for Nanjing</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-nanjing/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-nanjing/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>My first Nanjing room was booked for the wrong reason and I would book it again. I had come in on the train from Shanghai and picked a hotel because it was cheap and had a metro station in the name. What I actually got was a fifteen-minute walk from the Qinhuai River, which turned out to be the whole point of the city after dark.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dunhuang/Sat, 17 Oct 2026 01:30:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dunhuang/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dunhuang/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dunhuang/#1-shazhou-night-market-and-the-old-town-core" >1. Shazhou Night Market and the Old Town Core</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dunhuang/#2-dunhuang-night-market-and-the-bookstore-side" >2. Dunhuang Night Market and the Bookstore Side</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dunhuang/#3-design-rooms-and-boutique-stays-downtown" >3. Design Rooms and Boutique Stays Downtown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dunhuang/#4-the-mingsha-mountain-and-crescent-moon-spring-side" >4. The Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring Side</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dunhuang/#5-desert-camps-and-glamping-nights" >5. Desert Camps and Glamping Nights</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dunhuang/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dunhuang/#practical-tips-for-dunhuang" >Practical tips for Dunhuang</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dunhuang/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dunhuang/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>My first Dunhuang hotel was chosen for a poor reason and turned out to be the right one. I had arrived off the afternoon train from Zhangye West wanting somewhere cheap within walking distance of food, so I booked a room two minutes from the Shazhou night market. By that same evening I was standing on a dune above Crescent Moon Spring with the light going orange across the sand. The taxi out there took fifteen minutes.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-lijiang/Sat, 17 Oct 2026 01:10:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-lijiang/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-lijiang/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-lijiang/#1-dayan-old-town" >1. Dayan Old Town</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-lijiang/#2-shuhe-old-town" >2. Shuhe Old Town</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-lijiang/#3-baisha-old-town-and-foliday-town" >3. Baisha Old Town and FOLIDAY Town</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-lijiang/#4-black-dragon-pond" >4. Black Dragon Pond</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-lijiang/#5-lijiang-urban-area" >5. Lijiang Urban Area</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-lijiang/#6-yulong-snow-mountain-and-yuhu" >6. Yulong Snow Mountain and Yuhu</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-lijiang/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-lijiang/#practical-tips-for-lijiang" >Practical tips for Lijiang</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-lijiang/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-lijiang/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>Lijiang was the first place in China where I opened a guesthouse window and looked at snow: tiled roofs falling away downhill, and beyond the plain a white mountain the Naxi have treated as sacred for centuries. By seven the lanes below were already full, which is the other half of the story. This is one of the most visited old towns in the country, and where you sleep decides whether you meet a town or a queue.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changchun/Fri, 16 Oct 2026 03:30:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changchun/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changchun/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changchun/#1-peoples-square-and-renmin-street" >1. People&rsquo;s Square and Renmin Street</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changchun/#2-changchun-railway-station-and-wanda-plaza" >2. Changchun Railway Station and Wanda Plaza</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changchun/#3-nanhu-park-and-the-linhe-street-corridor" >3. Nanhu Park and the Linhe Street corridor</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changchun/#4-hongqi-street-and-the-big-market-side" >4. Hongqi Street and the Big Market side</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changchun/#5-jingyuetan-and-the-university-city" >5. Jingyuetan and the university city</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changchun/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changchun/#practical-tips-for-changchun-in-winter" >Practical tips for Changchun in winter</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changchun/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-changchun/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>Changchun is the city people pass through on the way to somewhere colder. It sits in the middle of China&rsquo;s north-east, between Harbin and Shenyang, and most winter visitors treat it as a stop on the map rather than a place to sleep. That is a mistake, and it is an unusually cheap one to correct: on the date we checked, the cheapest room in the whole city was <strong>US$8</strong>, and a five-star international with a spa and a skyline view came in at <strong>$64</strong>.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-harbin/Fri, 16 Oct 2026 03:20:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-harbin/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-harbin/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-harbin/#1-central-street-st-sophia-and-the-riverfront" >1. Central Street, St Sophia and the riverfront</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-harbin/#2-chinese-baroque-daowai" >2. Chinese-Baroque Daowai</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-harbin/#3-sun-island-and-the-songbei-north-bank" >3. Sun Island and the Songbei north bank</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-harbin/#4-the-airport-side-and-harbin-west" >4. The airport side and Harbin West</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-harbin/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-harbin/#practical-tips-for-harbin-in-winter" >Practical tips for Harbin in winter</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-harbin/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-harbin/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>The first thing Harbin teaches you is that a hotel is not just a bed — in January it is your base camp. I learned that on a night when it was −27 °C outside, my phone died between the metro exit and the hotel door, and the last two hundred metres took me twenty minutes because I kept stopping in shop doorways to get feeling back into my fingers.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xiamen/Fri, 16 Oct 2026 02:11:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xiamen/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xiamen/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xiamen/#1-zhongshan-road-and-the-old-harbour-the-downtown-base" >1. Zhongshan Road and the old harbour: the downtown base</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xiamen/#2-xiamen-university-and-nanputuo-the-campus-side" >2. Xiamen University and Nanputuo: the campus side</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xiamen/#3-zengcuoan-and-the-south-coast-village-alleys-and-sea-views" >3. Zengcuoan and the south coast: village alleys and sea views</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xiamen/#4-the-gaoqi-airport-belt-for-transit-nights" >4. The Gaoqi airport belt: for transit nights</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xiamen/#5-the-gulangyu-ferry-side-and-the-ring-road" >5. The Gulangyu ferry side and the ring road</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xiamen/#what-a-23-room-actually-gets-you" >What a $23 room actually gets you</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xiamen/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xiamen/#practical-tips-for-xiamen" >Practical tips for Xiamen</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xiamen/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-xiamen/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>I made the mistake of booking out in Jimei on my first trip to Xiamen, because the rate was half of anything on the island and the map made it look close. It wasn&rsquo;t. I spent 40 minutes each way crossing the bay, and on the second morning I queued for a Gulangyu sailing that had sold out three days earlier — tickets go on sale 15 days ahead, which you only learn once.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dali/Fri, 16 Oct 2026 02:10:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dali/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dali/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dali/#1-dali-ancient-city-the-walled-old-town" >1. Dali Ancient City: the walled old town</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dali/#2-the-ancient-city-fringe-and-the-cangshan-slope" >2. The ancient city fringe and the Cangshan slope</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dali/#3-shuanglang-and-the-east-shore" >3. Shuanglang and the east shore</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dali/#4-xiaguan-and-the-railway-station-side" >4. Xiaguan and the railway station side</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dali/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dali/#practical-tips-for-dali" >Practical tips for Dali</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dali/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-dali/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>My first night in Dali was spent in the wrong Dali. I had booked a room advertised as &ldquo;Dali lake view&rdquo; and, getting off a Kunming train at 10pm, worked out that it sat in Xiaguan — the modern town 15 km south of the old one — with the lake somewhere out in the dark and the last bus long gone. The taxi to the ancient city the next morning cost me ¥60, and the mistake cost me a whole morning of the light I had come for.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-kunming/Thu, 15 Oct 2026 02:40:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-kunming/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-kunming/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-kunming/#1-nanping-street--the-old-town-the-downtown-base" >1. Nanping Street &amp; the old town: the downtown base</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-kunming/#2-green-lake-guandu--the-quiet-quarters" >2. Green Lake, Guandu &amp; the quiet quarters</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-kunming/#3-the-changshui-airport-side-for-transit-nights" >3. The Changshui Airport side: for transit nights</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-kunming/#4-around-the-railway-stations-the-dali--lijiang-run" >4. Around the railway stations: the Dali &amp; Lijiang run</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-kunming/#5-rooms-under-20-what-you-actually-get" >5. Rooms under $20: what you actually get</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-kunming/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-kunming/#practical-tips-for-kunming" >Practical tips for Kunming</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-kunming/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-kunming/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>I have landed in Kunming four times now and left too fast twice. The first time I booked a cheap room out by the exhibition centre because the map made it look central, then spent the whole trip on buses. The second time I gave the city one night on the way to Dali and regretted it the moment I sat by Green Lake with a bowl of noodles and nowhere to be.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhangjiajie/Thu, 15 Oct 2026 01:50:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhangjiajie/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhangjiajie/#quick-overview-which-base-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which base is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhangjiajie/#1-wulingyuan--the-east-gate-for-the-park" >1. Wulingyuan &amp; the East Gate: for the park</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhangjiajie/#2-zhangjiajie-city--the-tianmen-cableway" >2. Zhangjiajie city &amp; the Tianmen cableway</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhangjiajie/#3-how-to-split-your-nights-with-the-numbers" >3. How to split your nights, with the numbers</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhangjiajie/#4-under-30-the-budget-tier-honestly" >4. Under $30: the budget tier, honestly</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhangjiajie/#5-what-the-70200-rooms-are-actually-selling" >5. What the $70–200 rooms are actually selling</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhangjiajie/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhangjiajie/#practical-tips-for-zhangjiajie" >Practical tips for Zhangjiajie</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhangjiajie/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-zhangjiajie/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>My first Zhangjiajie trip was a logistics failure dressed up as a holiday. I booked three nights in the city centre because that is where the train station is, then spent every morning in a queue for the bus to Wulingyuan, and every evening getting back after dark. Two hours a day, gone, before I had seen a single pillar of rock.</p>https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-chongqing/Thu, 15 Oct 2026 01:40:00 +0800https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-chongqing/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-chongqing/#quick-overview-which-area-is-for-you" >Quick overview: which area is for you?</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-chongqing/#1-jiefangbei--hongyadong-the-peninsula-core" >1. Jiefangbei &amp; Hongyadong: the peninsula core</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-chongqing/#2-guanyinqiao--the-north-bank-where-locals-go-out" >2. Guanyinqiao &amp; the north bank: where locals go out</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-chongqing/#3-what-a-river-view-actually-costs" >3. What a river view actually costs</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-chongqing/#4-transit-nights-caijia-the-airport-and-the-rail-stations" >4. Transit nights: Caijia, the airport and the rail stations</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-chongqing/#5-rooms-under-20-what-you-really-get" >5. Rooms under $20: what you really get</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-chongqing/#quick-budget-breakdown" >Quick budget breakdown</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-chongqing/#practical-tips-for-chongqing" >Practical tips for Chongqing</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-chongqing/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/where-to-stay-in-chongqing/#my-final-recommendation" >My final recommendation</a></li> </ul> <p>The first time I stayed in Chongqing I picked a hotel by price and ended up in Dadukou, two river bends from anything I wanted to see. My room was fine. My trip was not: forty minutes each way to Jiefangbei, twice a day, in a city where &ldquo;forty minutes&rdquo; can mean three metro changes and a taxi at the end.</p>https://china-travel.org/hotels-for-foreigners-in-china/Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://china-travel.org/hotels-for-foreigners-in-china/<p><strong>Contents</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/hotels-for-foreigners-in-china/#quick-answer-yes-nearly-all-of-them" >Quick answer: yes, nearly all of them</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/hotels-for-foreigners-in-china/#what-the-rules-actually-say" >What the rules actually say</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/hotels-for-foreigners-in-china/#our-check-197-hotels-in-16-cities" >Our check: 197 hotels, 16 cities</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/hotels-for-foreigners-in-china/#how-to-verify-any-hotel-in-60-seconds" >How to verify any hotel in 60 seconds</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/hotels-for-foreigners-in-china/#why-a-few-budget-hotels-still-say-no" >Why a few budget hotels still say no</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/hotels-for-foreigners-in-china/#what-to-do-if-a-front-desk-says-no" >What to do if a front desk says no</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/hotels-for-foreigners-in-china/#check-in-details-that-trip-foreign-guests-up" >Check-in details that trip foreign guests up</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/hotels-for-foreigners-in-china/#hotels-we-verified-city-by-city" >Hotels we verified, city by city</a></li> <li><a href="https://china-travel.org/hotels-for-foreigners-in-china/#faq" >FAQ</a></li> </ul> <p>If you read enough travel forums before a China trip, you&rsquo;ll come away convinced that half the country&rsquo;s hotels turn foreigners away at the door. That story was true enough to be a real problem a few years ago — and it is still repeated everywhere today, which is why it keeps scaring people who are booking their first trip.</p>