Want to visit China without any hassles? Do it on a ship

China’s best-known sights, such as the Terracotta Warriors, Forbidden City, most famous bits of the Great Wall and Guilin’s superb landscapes, are all inland. Don’t be misled into thinking China isn’t a cruise destination, however.

Viking Yi Dun in Shanghai.

Think about it, and it should come as no surprise that China’s coastline is packed with oodles of history, venerable port towns and pulsating megacities that showcase the nation’s mind-boggling economic development, of which Shanghai is the most spectacular.

The cruise market in China showed a sharp rebound in 2024. Admittedly, much of that was driven by the domestic cruise market, which the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences estimates could be worth CNY550 billion ($119 billion) by 2035.

Adora Magic City, the first large cruise ship built in China, became profitable within two months of its launch in January 2024, an unheard-of achievement in the business.

But what about international cruisers? Well, if you’re looking for a worry-free way to see China then you’ll find an increasingly wide range of options.

International cruise lines are being encouraged to visit China by government policy and infrastructure development, boosted by visa-free entry that was introduced in May 2024 for cruise passengers.

Many cruise lines now call at Chinese ports, generally on itineraries between South-East Asia and Japan, or around Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, among them Holland America Line, Oceania Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Silversea and Windstar.

One of the big players is MSC Cruises, which returned to China in March 2024 after a pandemic-related hiatus. MSC Bellissima homeports in Shanghai.

Royal Caribbean is increasing its presence in China over the next two years and this year is adding a second ship there, Ovation of the Seas, which will homeport in Tianjin near Beijing. Spectrum of the Seas is already homeported in Shanghai.

Viking Sun cruises Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour.

Those moves are set to lure Chinese as well as international passengers, with cruise lines eyeing up the lucrative market of Chinese holidaymakers, who spend more per head on board than American passengers.

Shanghai is now Asia’s busiest cruise port and the sixth-busiest port in the world, with 3.25 million passengers a year. Shenzhen near Hong Kong is another big port, and Hong Kong itself is increasing its cruise capacity.

Other commonly visited ports are Dalian, Qingdao, Tianjin and Xiamen, all considered medium-sized cities (by Chinese standards) and agreeably mixing Chinese and European concession history with buzzing contemporary life and a pleasant, laid-back atmosphere.

The number of ports that cruise lines visit is growing. Last year Viking announced its expansion in China by becoming the first international cruise line to offer entirely domestic sailings aboard Viking Yi Dun.

From September 2025, the new itineraries will include ports where Viking has – for now – exclusive access, such as the Zhoushan Archipelago for maritime and Buddhist history, Dongtou for coastal scenery, and large island Pingtan for more attractive landscapes and a long history as a fishing base.