Is China safe for Australian tourists? An honest answer

The short answer: for an Australian tourist in Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou or Hangzhou, the everyday risks are traffic, getting lost and being unable to pay for things. Not crime. We say this to every family who enquires, and after a week in China most of them tell us it felt safer than the European cities they have visited. Here is the longer answer, because “is it safe” is the first question almost everyone asks.

What Smartraveller says, and what it means

At the time of writing, Smartraveller rates mainland China at “exercise a high degree of caution”. That is level two of four, the same level Australia applies to Indonesia, Thailand, France, the United Kingdom and most of Europe. It is not “reconsider your need to travel” (level three) and nowhere near “do not travel” (level four). Read the full page before you go; it is updated when things change and it is the reference your travel insurer uses.

What the advisory is actually worried about is the legal system rather than street safety: broad national security laws, the possibility of exit bans on people involved in business or legal disputes, and limits on how much the consulate can do if someone is detained. For a holiday, or a sourcing trip with a reputable partner, those are remote. They become relevant if you have an unresolved commercial dispute in China, hold Chinese citizenship as well as Australian (China does not recognise dual nationality), or work in journalism or activism. If any of that applies, read the Smartraveller page closely and take advice.

Crime: rare, and the scams are old

Violent crime against foreigners is rare. The big cities are heavily policed, covered by cameras, and busy until late. Walking back to a Bund hotel at 11 pm is normal; so is a woman taking the metro alone at night. Pickpocketing exists in crowds but is less common than in Barcelona or Rome, partly because nobody carries cash any more.

The scams to know about have been the same for twenty years and are easy to avoid:

• The tea house, art student or “practise English” invitation. A friendly, fluent English speaker on Nanjing Road or the Bund invites you to a tea ceremony, a student art exhibition or a karaoke bar. A huge bill appears and the door is watched. Decline every invitation from a stranger in a tourist area, however charming.
• Unlicensed taxis at airports and railway stations. Men who approach you in the arrivals hall offering a taxi. Use the official rank, order a DiDi (China’s Uber) in the app, or book a car in advance. Our Pudong airport guide covers the options and prices.
• Fake Chinese banknotes used to be given as change to foreigners. Almost irrelevant now that everything is paid by phone; set up Alipay before you fly and you will barely touch cash.
• “Closed today” rerouting. A helpful stranger near a sight says it is closed and offers to take you somewhere better. It is not closed.

Traffic and the footpath: the real risk

This is where visitors actually get hurt. Cars turn across pedestrian crossings on a green light, electric scooters are silent and ride on footpaths in both directions, and a green walking man does not mean the road is clear. The rules that keep you safe:

• Look both ways at every crossing, including one-way streets.
• Cross with the crowd, not ahead of it.
• Hold children’s hands within two metres of any road and keep them on the inside of the footpath.
• Do not rent a scooter, e-bike or car. Your Australian licence is not valid in China and the insurance will not cover you.

A private car with a driver is not a luxury here; it is how you get a family across a city without anyone stepping into a scooter lane.

Health: water, air, hospitals, medicines

Water. Tap water is not for drinking. Every hotel room has bottled water, every restaurant serves boiled water or tea, and kettles are standard. Brush your teeth with bottled water if you are cautious; most people do not bother.

Food. Street food from a busy stall with high turnover is generally safe. Choose places where locals queue. Our food guide lists what to eat and how to handle allergies.

Air. Shanghai’s air quality is usually moderate. Beijing’s varies with the season and the wind; winter can have bad days. If you have asthma or a heart condition, carry your medication, check the daily index on a weather app, and plan the Great Wall for the clearest day of your stay.

Hospitals. Shanghai and Beijing have international clinics with English-speaking doctors (Parkway, United Family, Raffles and others) that bill travel insurance directly. Public hospitals are competent but crowded and work in Chinese; a guide or hotel concierge will take you to the right one. For anything serious the consulate can advise on hospitals.

Medicines. Bring prescriptions in original packaging with a doctor’s letter for anything controlled, including ADHD medication and some strong painkillers, which are restricted in China. Ordinary over-the-counter items are available but under unfamiliar names, so pack your own.

Emergency numbers, the consulate, registering your trip

• Police 110, ambulance 120, fire 119. Operators often do not speak English; your guide, hotel reception or a DiDi driver can call for you.
• The Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai and the Embassy in Beijing handle lost passports, serious illness and arrests. Save their numbers before you leave Australia.
• Register your trip on Smartraveller so the consulate can reach you in an emergency.
• Keep a photo of your passport and a copy of your insurance policy in your phone and in your email.

Phones, the internet and feeling “cut off”

Google, Gmail, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and most Australian news sites do not work on Chinese networks. The first time, that feels unsafe. The fix is simple and worth doing before you fly:

• An Australian SIM on international roaming keeps all of those working, because roaming traffic routes through your home carrier. It is expensive per day but simple.
• An eSIM bought before departure does the same for far less. Our eSIM and VPN guide explains which ones work.
• Download an offline map of each city, and keep your hotel’s name and address in Chinese characters on your phone and on a card in your wallet.

Women, solo travellers, LGBTQ travellers, families

Solo women consistently report Chinese cities as among the easier places to travel alone: low street harassment, busy streets at night, a reliable metro with women-only waiting areas in some cities. Attention is more likely to be curiosity than threat, especially outside the big cities.

LGBTQ travellers are not at legal risk; same-sex relationships are legal and the big cities have open scenes. Public displays of affection are uncommon for everyone, and the same discretion applies.

Families find the cities welcoming to children in a way that surprises Australians: strangers help with prams on stairs, restaurants bring extra bowls without being asked, and children are fussed over. The stresses are crowds at the big sights and long walking days, which is why we go early and use a car. Our Shanghai with kids guide has the detail.

A pre-departure checklist

1. Read the Smartraveller page for China and register your trip.
2. Buy travel insurance that covers mainland China; note the policy number.
3. Set up Alipay with your Australian card and test it.
4. Buy an eSIM or enable roaming; download offline maps.
5. Photograph your passport, insurance and prescriptions into your phone.
6. Save the consulate numbers and your hotel’s address in Chinese.
7. Pack your own basic medicines.

What a guide changes

None of the above needs a guide. What a guide removes is the friction that makes people feel unsafe: not being able to read a sign, pay a bill, explain an allergy, find the right hospital or ask for help. For a first visit, one day with an English-speaking guide on arrival is the cheapest way to make the rest of the trip feel ordinary, and on our private tours the guide and driver are there every day. Either way, go. The people who worry most beforehand are usually the ones who come home planning the next trip.