Italians and Spanish visitors often have an easier time adjusting to China than other Europeans — not because the countries are similar (they’re not), but because certain underlying values around food, family, and the enjoyment of being alive translate remarkably well. Eating is a serious activity in both cultures. The idea that a humble noodle dish from a specific city is worth travelling for makes complete sense to someone from Bologna or San Sebastián.
With visa-free access now in place for both EU passport holders, the administrative barrier is gone. Here’s what you need to know.
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Visa Rules for Italian and Spanish Passport Holders
15-Day Visa-Free Entry
As EU citizens, both Italian and Spanish passport holders can enter mainland China visa-free for 15 days. The policy covers tourism, business, and transit.
Requirements:
- Passport with at least 6 months remaining validity
- Return or onward ticket from China
- Entry at major international entry ports
Applying for a Longer Visa
If 15 days isn’t enough (and for a country this large, it often isn’t), apply for an L-visa at the Chinese Embassy in Rome, Milan, or Florence (Italy), or at the Chinese Embassy in Madrid or the Consulate-General in Barcelona (Spain). Standard processing takes 4–7 business days, fees around €65–80.
Flights from Italy and Spain to China
From Italy
Rome Fiumicino (FCO):
- Air China operates a direct Beijing–Rome route (approximately 10 hours nonstop)
- ITA Airways codeshares on some China routes
- Connecting options via Frankfurt (Lufthansa), Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), Doha (Qatar Airways), or Dubai (Emirates) — all excellent for Italian travellers
Milan Malpensa (MXP):
- China Eastern operates Milan–Shanghai Pudong direct, approximately 11 hours
- Air China’s Rome service can be accessed via connecting flight
- Turkish Airlines Milan–Istanbul–Shanghai is a popular routing
Return economy fares from Rome or Milan to Beijing or Shanghai: €450–900 depending on season and booking lead time. Airlines connecting via Istanbul (Turkish) and Doha (Qatar) often offer the most competitive fares.
From Spain
Madrid Barajas (MAD):
- Air China operates Madrid–Beijing nonstop — one of the few truly direct Spain-China routes (about 11 hours)
- Iberia codeshares on this route
- Turkish Airlines Madrid–Istanbul–Shanghai/Beijing is heavily used
Barcelona El Prat (BCN):
- No direct flights to China; connecting via Madrid, Frankfurt, or Istanbul is standard
Return fares from Madrid to Beijing: €500–950 in economy. The Air China direct is particularly convenient — no layovers, departs late afternoon, arrives Beijing early morning.
Setting Up Payments
Alipay with Italian or Spanish Bank Cards
Alipay accepts international Visa and Mastercard from Italian and Spanish banks. Setup:
- Download Alipay (international version)
- Register with your Italian (+39) or Spanish (+34) mobile number
- Verify your identity with your passport
- Add your Italian or Spanish Visa/Mastercard — Intesa Sanpaolo, UniCredit, Banco BPM, Banca Monte dei Paschi, Caixabank, BBVA, Santander, Banco Sabadell all work
Revolut and Wise cards (very popular among young Italian and Spanish travellers) also work on Alipay.
Cultural Connections: Why Southern Europeans Often Find China Approachable
Food as Identity
In both Italy and Spain, food is not just fuel. Each region has its own specialties, its own non-negotiable traditional dishes, its own pride that the local version is better than any other city’s version. Chinese food culture works exactly the same way.
A Sichuan local will tell you that no one outside Sichuan can make a proper mapo tofu. A Cantonese person will insist that dim sum anywhere else in the world is a pale imitation. A Xi’an resident will make the same claim about biang biang noodles. This passionate regionalism in food — the idea that place and method and local ingredients make the dish what it is — is something Italians and Spanish visitors understand instinctively.
Meals as Social Events
The Chinese approach to a meal — long, communal, with many dishes arriving continuously, eaten with conversation and without rushing — aligns well with how Italians and Spanish eat. Sichuan hotpot around a boiling table of soup, ordering more food as you go, staying two or three hours: this is essentially a Chinese version of a tapas bar evening.
Markets and Fresh Produce
Italian and Spanish visitors who go to local Chinese markets (菜市场, the neighbourhood wet markets) often have an immediate positive reaction. The quality of fresh vegetables, the variety of live seafood, the seasonal produce awareness — it’s recognisable from Southern European market culture, even in a very different setting.
What’s Different: Key Adjustments
The Internet
Google, WhatsApp, Instagram — none of these work inside mainland China. For Spanish and Italian travellers who use WhatsApp constantly:
- Set up WeChat for communication with Chinese contacts
- Install a VPN before leaving Europe — ExpressVPN and NordVPN work well
- Use Amap (AutoNavi) instead of Google Maps — it works well without a VPN
Noise in Restaurants
Chinese restaurants at full occupancy are loud. There’s nothing unusual about this in China — it’s the sound of a restaurant working well. If you’re used to Italian or Spanish restaurants where conversation at a normal volume is possible, the noise level in a popular Beijing duck restaurant or a full Sichuan hotpot place can be initially jarring.
Air Quality
In some Chinese cities, particularly Beijing in autumn and winter, air quality can be a concern due to particulate matter (PM2.5). It’s improved significantly in recent years, but during winter heating season (November–March in the north), there are days where the sky is visibly hazy. Download AQI China app to check air quality. Southern cities (Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu) generally have better air.
Recommended Itineraries
Classic 14-Day First Trip
Days 1–3: Beijing — Forbidden City, Great Wall at Mutianyu, temple and hutong exploration
Days 4–5: Xi’an — high-speed train from Beijing (5 hours), Terracotta Warriors (morning), Muslim Quarter (evening) — the spiced lamb skewers and pomegranate juice will feel somewhat Mediterranean
Days 6–8: Chengdu and Leshan — high-speed train from Xi’an (3.5 hours), Giant Panda Base, Leshan Giant Buddha day trip, proper hotpot evening
Days 9–11: Guilin and Yangshuo — fly from Chengdu (1.5 hours), Li River cruise, countryside cycling
Days 12–14: Shanghai — fly from Guilin (2 hours), the Bund, French Concession food and coffee scene, Xintiandi, day trip to Suzhou gardens
10-Day Food-Focused Itinerary for Italian/Spanish Visitors
If you’re specifically coming for food:
- Xi’an (2 days): The Muslim Quarter night market is one of Asia’s best street food experiences
- Chengdu (3 days): Sichuan cuisine at its best — hotpot, mapo tofu, dan dan noodles, the spice and numbing combination is unlike anything in Europe
- Shanghai (2 days): Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) are an obsession; the hairy crab season (October–December) is spectacular for seafood lovers
- Guangzhou (3 days): Cantonese cuisine — the best dim sum in the world, roast meats, congee, and a food culture that puts careful preparation of simple ingredients above complex sauces
For Italian visitors: the best comparison to Cantonese cuisine is perhaps northern Italian — simple preparations, quality ingredients, regional pride. The comparison to Sichuan cuisine is more like Calabria or Abruzzo — big, assertive flavours that aren’t subtle.