China Travel Forum

[Eleanor Burr]

My husband and I will be in Beijing on Fri Oct 3 for 3 nights - going back home from Shanghai on Thur Oct 16 (in Shanghai from Oct 13 for 3 nights).

In between, we plan to go to Xian , Guilin, Lijiang (2 nights each place).

What would be the best order (routing from Beijing and before Shanghai).

Flight connections to/from Lijiang are not always available, costly.

We checked www. elong, ctrip, flychina.

We try to be prepared/ yet wonder whether we can afford to wait to buy tickets once in China (we understand it's cheaper to buy in China).

Thanks Everyone for any input.

[Big Tiger]

Beijing, Xi'An, Lijiang, Guilin, Shanghai seems like it would make the most

sense. That takes you from northeast, southwest, further southwest, east

and back north east to Shanghai. Sometimes you just have to eat the

cost... Lijiang is a very popular place in Yunnan... you can find places in

China, CITS CAAC offices can provide information and tickets (we get ours through a contact at a local CAAC office).

You might search for CAAC offices online.

We've purchased many a ticket a few days before/on the day of flight.

Prices aren't too unreasonable. (Day-of tickets from Xi'An to Beijing and Beijing on to Harbin cost 2000 yuan or about $266. Exchange rate is about 7.5 yuan/dollar.)

Hotels in all those cities can be cheaper. In Xi'An, which we just got back

from two days ago (as well as Guilin and Beijing), we stayed at the

Shuyuan Hostel at the South Gate... 100 yuan a night for clean rooms,

though it has a bar and gets a bit noisy for those of us who don't travel to get drunk.

In Guilin, there are many hotels, but are you going down the Li River? If

you can work it to stay one night in Guilin, Yangshuo, at the takeout end of

the Li River Cruise, is worth a night... especially if you like scenic

countryside walks.

Do yourself a favor, though, and don't come here the first week of

October (1-7), if you can avoid it. That is the week of the Autumn festival,

in which all of China officially gets off school and work- that means much

of China is traveling at that point... which means that airfare, lodging,

restaurants and maybe even other forms of transport and tourist sights

will be more expensive.

We traveled last October (granted via rail and bus and to Inner Mongolia)

and it was bad at the stations but not too bad outside... I think because of

our destination. Anyway, keep that in mind at the very least when you go,

and if you can change the dates, everyone gets back to school and work on the 7th, so it should be better after that.

[World Cup]

The Li River cruise can cost more like 450... (500 yuan according to the

Lonely Planet and 325 if you hook up with a Chinese tour group (no English

guide- not that you need one at all...)) at least it did this February, which is

also the low season for the river.

The price may vary It was open due to the Spring Festival all the way to

Yangshuo, and I think it should be open in October.

[Ice Road]

PS forgot to say, river trip from Guilin depends on the river - sometimes

there is not enough water for it to take place.

In which case a bus takes about an hour, costs 15RMB (US$2)

[jawhar]

Unless the schedules have changed, you can't fly directly to Guilin from Lijiang either, you have to go via Kunming.

Good hotel in Xi'an is City Hotel, about 50 yards along South St (Nanjie) from the Bell Tower (famous landmark in the centre of town). I doubt you'd pay as much as 240RMB there. (US$40) In Beijing I stayed in Zhong An hotel, which is walkable from Beijing railway station. Again, not as much as 240 a night.

And if you're near the railway station, why not take overnight train to Xi'an? Soft sleeper is comfortable enough - costs around 420RMB (US$60)and saves a hotel night.
Check schedules at http://www.silk-road-china.com
Oh, I see train leaves from West station

Plenty of guest houses in Lijiang. Kind of large family house. Pay around 5 700RMB (US$10) .
Yangshuo is much nicer than Guilin. The river cruise from Guilin takes about 5 hours, costs around 300 RMB. Plenty of hotels there, at all prices. If you go on a Friday or Saturday, there is a good (and famous) show to be seen on the river. Costs around 180RMB. An excellent show, although perhaps a little short at 1h20. Cast of hundreds, including water buffalo and cormorants!

Depending on your ability, you can also hire a bicycle in YS for 10RMB a day. I can give you the name of a girl who will be happy to ride with you (or just guide you round) - contact me.