How it works

A four-step budget estimator for foreign visitors to China. No sign-up needed.

Set your budget

Enter your total budget in USD, travel month, and the number of adults, seniors, and children. We use the month to apply seasonal pricing.

Pick your route

Choose entry and exit cities. We suggest intermediate stops that fit your schedule. You can also add any of the 67 supported cities yourself.

Review the breakdown

See hotel, food, local transport, and attraction costs per city and per day. Adjust nights, swap transit modes (HSR vs flight), and toggle individual attractions.

Save your itinerary

Everything is encoded in the URL — no account needed. Copy the link, email it to yourself, or print the itinerary card for offline use.

Our data

Hotels: real averages from 443,000+ listings across 67 cities
Food: aggregated from restaurant data covering 60 cities
Transport: real HSR and domestic flight fares (updated 2026)
Attractions: entry fees for 5A-rated and popular tourist sites

Pricing assumptions

🚇City transit — Children under 6 free; ages 6–13 half-price. Seniors pay full price (tourist visitors don't qualify for local senior cards).
🎟Attractions — Children under 6 free; ages 6–13 half-price. Seniors 60+ half-price at most state-run parks and museums.
🚄High-speed rail — Children under 6 (one per adult) free, no seat; ages 6–13 half-price with seat; age 14+ full fare. Seniors pay full price.
✈️Domestic flights — Infants under 2 nominal fee, no seat; ages 2–12 approximately half the base fare.
🏨Hotels — Children share parents' room at no extra charge. Room count based on one room per two adults or seniors.

How the numbers add up

Every budget is split across six buckets. Each one uses an exact formula — no averages.

🏨 Hotel

rooms = ⌈(adults + seniors) / 2⌉
cost  = rooms × ¥rate/night × nights × peak_multiplier

Children always share the parents' room at no extra charge.

🍜 Food

eff_diners = adults + seniors + children_older + children_young × 0.5
discount  = party≤1→100%  party=2→95%  party 3–5→85%  party 6+→80%
cost      = ¥rate/meal × 3 meals × nights × eff_diners × discount

Group discount rewards larger parties eating together.

🎟 Attractions

adults              → full price
seniors 60+  }      → ½ price
children 6–12}      → ½ price
children <6         → free
cost = Σ entry_fee × adjusted_headcount  (per selected attraction)

Each attraction is priced individually — mix of full, half, and free admissions.

🚇 City transit

eff_riders     = adults + seniors + children_older × 0.5
                 (children_young ride free)
ride_share     = solo→×1.0  ·  2 people→×0.8  ·  3+ people→×0.7
                 (taxi costs split when traveling together)
cost           = ¥daily_rate × nights × eff_riders × ride_share

Covers subway and bus. Young children ride free on most Chinese metros.

🚄 High-speed rail

age < 6 (1 per adult)  → free, no seat
age 6–13               → ½ price with seat
age 14+                → full price (counts as adult)
seniors                → full price
cost = fare × (adults + seniors + children_older × 0.5)

Per 12306 official rules: age under 6 free (one per adult, no seat); age 6–13 half-price with seat; age 14+ full fare.

📦 Misc buffer

cost = subtotal × 20%

Covers tips, snacks, SIM card, taxi overflows, and surprises.

Worked example

2 adults · 1 senior (age 65) · 1 child (age 8) · Beijing · 3 nights · standard tier

🏨 Hotel⌈(2+1)÷2⌉=2 rooms × ¥500 × 3n

¥3,000

🍜 Food(2+1+1)×0.85 × ¥80 × 3 meals × 3n

¥2,448

🎟 Attractions(2 full + 2 half-price) × ¥80 · 3 sites

¥720

🚇 City transit(2+1+0.5) riders × ¥60 × 3n × 0.7 group

¥441

Subtotal

¥6,609

Misc buffer (20%)¥6,609 × 20%

¥1,322

Total

¥7,931

Inter-city transit excluded from this example.

All figures are estimates. Prices change — use this as a planning guide, not a booking confirmation.

Have more questions? See the FAQ →