Clothing for traveling to China | What to bring + Essentials

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How is it climate in China

China is a huge country with very different regions, but in most tourist areas there are four well-defined seasons. This means that clothing for travelling to China must be adapted to the weather conditions depending on the date of your trip. Below, I will explain how the climate varies throughout the year:

Spring in China: March – May

Chinese spring is a perfect time to travel. Temperatures depend on the region but generally speaking it is a mild season. In the northern area like Pekin and Shanghai temperatures are mild and range between 12°C and 20°C with little rain. In southern China, such as the tourist region of Canton or the nearby Hong Kong The climate is more tropical with temperatures between 20°C and 30°C and rain is frequent.

During the flowering months, natural areas and even city parks become beautiful. Keep in mind that in China, they take great care of and decorate their parks, turning them into very popular tourist attractions in their cities.

Summer in China: June – August

Summer in China is warm and humidIn the northern area, temperatures are around 30°C with a lot of humidity and it usually rains during the months of July and August. In the southern area, the climate is tropical with temperatures of 25 to 35°C and coincides with the monsoon season. We did part of our route through China in June and we were unable to visit the Guilin area due to flooding.

For this season, clothing for China must be light and breathable. You can also include a waterproof jacket or a raincoat for rain and transport, on the trains it can be quite cold. The sun can be very intense, believe me, a cap, sunglasses and sunscreen are essential.

Autumn: September to November

El Autumn is one of the best seasons to visit China for its mild and dry climate, as well as natural areas such as the famous Zhangjiajie Park They are very photogenic thanks to the orange and brown tones of the trees. The temperature in the north varies between 15°C and 20°C, although it drops quickly as the months go by. In the south, the temperature is very pleasant, between 20 and 30°C, and there is not much rain, making this one of the best times of the year to visit the region.

⚠️ Avoid traveling in early October, coincides with the National Day and all places are completely full of local tourists.

During the fall, in the north temperatures gradually drop, We recommend dressing in layers. Thin sweaters, transitional jackets and long trousers are ideal for this season. If you are only traveling to southern China, bring mostly light clothing.

Winter: December – February

Winter in northern China is very cold, with temperatures dropping to -10°C in cities like Beijing. Snow is common, especially in mountainous areas although the scenery becomes beautiful, for example at the Great Wall of China. In the southern area Temperatures range from 10°C to 20°C and are the driest monthsThe nights are cold and humid so it is recommended to bring warm clothing.

It is essential to dress warmly, so pack a thick coat, wool sweaters, scarves, gloves and a hat when travelling to China. Also, make sure you bring appropriate footwear for the cold and snow. Although temperatures indoors and in the metro are usually very warm, It is helpful to have clothing that you can easily put on and take off when entering and leaving buildings. If you are only going to the south, you won't need very warm clothing. Bring several layers of clothing that you can put on when night falls.

Suitcase for traveling to China, complete list

Clothing for traveling to China

We don't bring too many clothes to travel to China and in general for almost any trip because we always we put washing machines onWe brought enough clothes to last about 10 days and asked at the accommodations if they had a laundry service or if they knew of one nearby.

We recommend the clothes that, in our opinion, cannot be missing in a suitcase for traveling to China.

This type of pants are ideal during the spring and autumn months if you plan to visit a nature park like Zhangjiajie or hike the Great Wall. They are warm enough for the first time and you can take them down to shorts if it's hot. In summer, you can wear trousers sports shorts you will have enough.

If you travel in the summer months, you can bring long cloth pants. They dry quickly when you wash them, they take up little space, they protect you from the sun and they are cool. But anyway, this is not something you should worry about too much, everyone has their own style. Take what feels best and most comfortable for you. 

In summer we wear 2 long and 3 shorts. The rest of the year we usually only wear long trousers, but if you go to the south, which is very warm and tropical, also bring some shorts.

Opt for cotton t-shirts and neutral colors, so you can combine them with everything. For summer we take 5 t-shirts each. In China there are many stores and they are quite economical, It might be a good idea to buy something there.. You will be reminded of your trip to China every time you wear it.

In winter, don't forget to put some short sleeves under your sweater and to wear indoors. Although you'll probably almost always wear long sleeves. 

Among your clothes for China in the winter months You can't miss sweatshirts or sweaters and even fleece warm. Also in autumn and spring at least a couple to keep you warm at night.

Personally We always carry at least one for international flight and in the trains that you use to travel around the country. They are great for keeping you a little warm if you have the air conditioning on full blast. Which is usually the case, especially super important if you are going to spend the night on the night train.

A light down jacket will only be necessary if you travel during spring or autumn to the north. This is the hack the one we travel with because it takes up very little space when folded and weighs nothing. During the winter, wear a good coat.

It is also practical to take a neck scarf or a scarf during the winter. It is much appreciated early in the morning and at dusk.

I don't think you'll forget underwear, but just in case I'll leave it on the list. And regarding pajamas, keep in mind that they use a lot of heating and the beds have good duvets, so it shouldn't be cold at all.

If you travel to a coastal area during the summer months and you are the type of person who cannot resist trying the water, you cannot forget to pack a swimsuit. 

What shoes to pack for a trip to China

Opt for something comfortable, Think that you will spend many hours walking. 

We traveled in the summer and Most of the time we went in sandals and cool sneakers. We take advantage of the Sneakers for the most demanding excursions such as the trekking in Tiger's Throat, walk along the Great Wall or visit Zhangjiajie Park.

If you go when the weather is colder I would bring comfortable shoes or even a good pair of boots If you travel in winter, so that the cold and damp don't soak you through.

Toiletry bag for traveling to China

All Hotels have gel and shampoo so unless you want a specific one, there is no need to bring one.

We travel with gel and solid shampoo, a small bottle with additive, brushes and toothpaste, comb, deodorant, sunscreen protection 50 and cream cara. If we find we're missing something during the trip, we buy it directly there.

If you need a practical travel bag, I recommend you this which is the one we have used for months of traveling and we love it.

First aid kit for traveling to China

Regarding medicines, we can only give you generic recommendations, since it is something very personal. Even so, I leave you a list of what we were carrying in our luggage to China and any other country.

• Paracetamol and ibuprofen
• strepsils 
• Frenadol
• Fortasec or tiorfan (Antidiarrheal)
• Oral serum
• Antibiotic cream
• Strips
• Sterile gauze pack
• Monodose of antiseptic
• Mosquito spray (you can buy it there if there are a lot of them)

Other essentials | What to bring to China

To finish the list of everything that cannot be missing in your suitcase for traveling to China, Let's go with some essentials that you can't leave at home.

If you like photography you will enjoy China a lot, everything is photogenic. We enjoyed our trip camera with a 18 to 135mm lens.

Especially in summer it is a must for traveling to China. Walking around you will be many hours under the sun which is very intense. 

We who went during the summer wore a cap most days. Of course, don't forget your sunglasses either.

In China, plugs are used Type A, I and C (European). Some sockets are multi-input and you won't need an adapter, but in many others you do need a universal adapter. 

We always travel with an adapter multi-input to plug in all the carWe need to charge multiple devices at once, and sometimes hotel rooms don't have enough outlets. Since we got ours, we can't imagine traveling without it, not even in Europe.

In many Chinese cities, tap water is considered potable, but we do not recommend drinking it because it is known to be of poor quality and contain some contaminants. It is best to bring one or two bottles of water with you. reusable bottles How are you? So you can fill them up, It's practical and keeps the water cool.

We have written an article to compare the best travel insurance for china, but in the list of essentials we did not want to leave out the importance of having good travel insurance that covers everything you plan to do on your trip. 

For being our reader you have a 7% discount en Chapka Insurance (the cheapest option) or 5% on insurance Heymondo (the best quality-price). 

In China everything is paid with the Alipay or Wechat app, we have an article explaining How exactly does it work?To use Alipay you need a card where you carTo avoid paying bank fees, we recommend using a travel card.carias or poor conversion rates.

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Carry backpack or suitcase to travel to China?

For a trip to China we chose backpack because we use a lot of public transport to get to the accommodations. If you prefer to travel by taxi or you simply prefer to carry a suitcase because of the ease it gives you It's also a great decision. The cities have wide sidewalks and dragging a suitcase is not a drama like in other countries.

Usa packing cubes to organize your clothes or to store dirty clothes, we don't know how to travel without them!

Do you have any questions or is there something missing from the list? Share it in the comments.

I hope this article helps you choose clothes for traveling to China and prepare your suitcase well. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! You can continue preparing your trip by reading our other articles. China for free.

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