China Travel Forum

[Christopher]

Hello

We are planningon visiting China for 3 weeks from the end of May until the middle of June.
We have decided that we would like to travel independently of a travel agency, but we still want to make sure that we are safe in doing so.
Our basic itinerary is this:
-Arrive in Beijing and see the main tourist sites there (2 days)
-Possibly explore Xian
-Take the train from Beijing to Guilin
Is there a train from Beijing to Guilin, does it operate regularly, and does anyone know how much it costs each way? Where can it be accessed from? Is it near the Beijing Airport? How do you get there from the airport?
-Stay in Guilin for a large portion and see the many sites there
-Explore the Yellow Mountains and take a hiking tour through them.
-Perhaps travel to Hong Kong
-Take the train back up, from Guilin to Beijing
Are there many stops we can hop on to the train from?
Besides this loose itinerary, we want to travel to less known places and explore (mainly) south China.
Should I book all of our hotel stays ahead of time? Are there places where we cannot take a tour because we do not have a reservation? Are there places the train does not go to in China that you have to take a plane flight to?
Also, I have no idea exactly what money form to bring and how much of it. I have read all of the information on this website, and it seems like Credit Cards are excepted in major cities, Traveler's Cheque's are recommend, but Cash is recommended in more remote areas - where we want to stay. But how much is enough for 3 weeks? At $30 a night in a hotel, 21 days would come to around US $640.
Apart from this, I'm sure I have many more questions, but I will let this suffice and consult my travel guide for additional information.

Thank you

[Eric]

Great to see your plan, it seems like it covers most highlights of China. the time you choose to come is really a golden season in China. Surely you will have a good trip as long as you do well preparation for the long journey.
You said you would like to travel independently, but i'm afraid if you do not have firends or any guide here, you will feel inconvenient especially for the communication.
As for the itinerary, my suggestion is
-3 days in Beijing (Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City , the Temple of Heaven, Badaling Great Wall, the Ming Tombs and Summer Palace are the must go places)
-2 days in Xian ( Main sites: Terracotta Warriors, Forest of Stone Steles Museum , Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Provincial History Museum)
-6 days in Kunming, Dali, Lijiang ( Everything there is amazing, definitely worth going)
- in Guilin ( Li river cruise, Yangshuo, Longsheng, etc, for enjoying the rural life there)
In China most cities and towns are connected by the railway and highway.
The trains from Beijing to Guilin operate every day, K21 starts from 9am to the next day 12am, T5 starts from 16:16 to the netx day 14:30, the tickets charge is varying from RMB 400 to 650 due to the class of sleepers.
Credit cards are accepted in most of big and middle cities in China, you can draw RMB with it in any branches of Bnak of China. Traveller's check is also very convenient for you. Money will not be a problem in all your mentioned places.
With $30 you can find a 2 or 3 star hotel in your destinations. Pre-reservation may be not very necessary but check the room availability beforehand will make your tour goes more smoothly. Air or train tickets can be booked with the help of your hotel.