Did you know that if you search for the phrase “china travel guide” on amazon, you will find almost 3000 options to choose from? Here’s a quick breakdown of the best china travel guides I’ve used based on over a decade of traveling the country. We hope you find it useful while planning your trip to China!
The key to finding the right china travel guide is knowing what type of traveler you are.
You are reading: Best china travel books
Are you a backpacker?
Do you prefer luxury travel?
Is this a business trip?
Will you spend most of your time in one or two Chinese cities, or would you rather cross the country?
If you are going to be spending most of your time in one or two cities, you can also check out my review of best beijing travel guides, best shanghai travel guides or review of best hong kong books .
for any other traveler who needs a more comprehensive look at traveling to china as a whole, please continue scrolling down or use the links in the table of contents below to find the best guide.
hope you find these best recommended china travel guides for 2020 useful!
note: some of the links in this article are affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you, I may receive compensation if you choose to purchase one of the guides listed below . Thank you for your support!
#1 lonely planet china – recommended
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Any list of guides would be incomplete without Lonely Planet China. however, there is a reason for this:
they’re that good.
if you’re in the planning phase and don’t know exactly where you want to go in china, this is the most comprehensive guide covering most of the area.
- who is this china travel guide?? the lonely planet china is suitable for budget backpackers who are vagrants. they don’t know where they’ll be next week, so they’re relying on this book to find out.
- pros: Incredible attention to detail, 190 maps, and language guides in languages including Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, Uyghur, and Portuguese.
- Cons: Limited images and no dedicated subway maps (except in Beijing). It’s also one of the largest and heaviest travel books in China, so consider buying the e-book instead.
#2 dk eyewitness travel guide: china
for those who like a set itinerary before stepping foot on a plane, look no further than the dk eyewisness series of china travel guides.
The visual appeal of this book sets it apart from all others, with detailed maps, beautiful images and 3D illustrations to help you fully appreciate the main landmarks.
- Target audience for this travel guide? Budget travelers who don’t like to stray too far off the beaten path. you want to see the main tourist attractions, but you also want to be an informed traveler who appreciates history and architectural beauty.
- pros: Beautiful maps, including country maps, city maps, and subway maps. 3d images and illustrations of popular tourist destinations.
- cons: dk china has a limited selection of hotels and restaurants, especially when compared to the lonely planet. it only covers the most popular tourist destinations.
#3 national geographic china
Written by the same author as lonely planet, national geographic china tries to go a step further by offering “expert advice” and spending more time on the history and relevance of each site rather than just travel information .
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They say this guide is aimed at those travelers who want to focus on more “experiential travel”.
- Who is this china travel book for? You value the history of the places you visit and want to know them before you arrive rather than learn as you walk.</li
- pros: Colorful design and well-researched history for each location, something you’d expect from national geographic.
- cons: They don’t really cover “outside” locations. of the common”
#4 the rough guide to china
Would you rather sleep in a dorm than in a hotel? eat in a hole in the wall instead of a well established restaurant? Do you prefer to open your own path?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, consider obtaining a copy of the general porcelain guide.
- who should buy this china travel book? backpackers who want to make their way through china. you spend less time in the city and more time in the country.
- pros: Extensive language guide and more detailed information bank than any other guide on the market.
- cons: by far the biggest and heaviest guide, beating the already great lonely planet by 200 pages.
#5 of the mer porcelain
Not everyone who travels to China fits the stereotype of a 20-something trying to “see the world.”
For those mature travelers who’ve been around the block a few times and may have a few extra bucks to spend on their travels, consider Frommer’s Chinese Guide. While Frommer’s offers a more up-to-date guide to China’s major cities, this older guide covers the entire country.
- who is this china travel book for? those traveling with children or who consider themselves more “mature” travelers.
- pros : easy-to-read pages with larger fonts (the lonely planet is small!); helpful food guides and popular dishes; ratings based on being kid-friendly or even overrated.
- cons: no pictures; This guide has also not been updated since 2012, so some of the information is outdated.
before traveling to china…
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A word of caution. There is one thing that all of these china travel guides have in common: they are all very good at telling you where to go, what to see, and what to eat. .
sadly, they are pretty bad at teaching you how to travel to china.
For example, they will tell you to take a high-speed train to travel between shanghai and suzhou, but they won’t tell you how to buy train tickets or what you need to know about a Chinese train station. They will tell you how much an entrance ticket costs, but they won’t explain the best ways to pay for things in China.
That’s why I recommend that you combine the purchase of these China travel guides with another book: Traveling to China: Everything You Need to Know Before Traveling to China.
is a handy, easy-to-read guide that will answer most of your china travel questions and walk you step-by-step through everything you need to consider before you physically board the plane.
The book is available as an e-book download and as a paperback you can take with you.
oh, and full disclosure: I wrote this book, so I’m a bit biased as to how useful I think it will be to you 😉
conclusion | best china travel guide 2022
As you can see, there are plenty of great options when it comes to China travel guides in 2022. Once you’ve made a decision on which brand is right for you, the next decision is to buy a physical book. or a digital book.
I know there are a lot of people who appreciate having a physical book in their hands, but being able to highlight and search with an e-book is also very valuable!
If you are in the planning stages of your trip to China, be sure to visit the travelchinacheaper start here page which details a lot of free information for your consideration. You can also read some of our recommended must-read books about China.
Finally, if you want specific guides to major cities in china, check out the city-specific travel guide options below. Enjoy it and share if it was useful to you!
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