China Travel Forum

[ZeldaVinson]

Hello! evrey one

I heve alot of new china travel question !

I am planning on going to China in around October of this year and just needed a few pointers on a couple of different things. Firstly, any ideas on a good itinierary would be appreciated. I am going to go there for about three weeks with one of my mates and would like to visit a few places, but would like to have a good chance to look around the ones that I do go to. I really don't want to do an organised tour, as I have done one of these before and although I did like it, I think that half the fun of going to another country is the challenge of doing things by yourself. I do not, however, speak one word of Chinese...would this be a massive problem if doing things independently?

I also need some advice on train travel in China. Is it possible and time efficient enough to do big trips between destinations on the trains? Also, are they reliable and cost effective?

[mickey]

I've been to Beijing last Oct and I only brought short sleeves with me - big mistake, it was quite cold at night.

Anyway, I spent 5 days in Beijing but it wasn't enough. I would say give it a week if you want to see most of the famous historical sites. Although it has a metro system there, you may still rely on taxi, e.g. there is no metro stop at Summer Palace.

About taxi, it can be a nightmate. I was trying to catch a taxi on a street to a theatre, no taxi driver was willing to take me there. They said either they didn't know the place or I should take it from the opposite lane. In the end, I didn't go. My advice is to get a taxi from your hotel. Also, take a hotel card with your so that you can show it to the driver.

Although not a lot of people can speak English well, you would be suprise to meet a lot of English people there...

Please feel free to take a look at my blog (below) as I mentioned about food in Beijing and Hong Kong. If you have any specific questions, please ask. BTW, do you have any rough plan?

[Big Tiger]

Visiting China should be great fun, especially since you've had a lasting interest in visiting that country! I'm sure the folks here are well qualified to assist with information and here is some from us:

If you visit our website you'll see there is a map that has city names, 20 biger cities are linked to basic (Wikipedia) information about the cities. Its a nice visual that can help you get your head around the geographical possibilities of visiting China! Its a huge place, obviously.

Trains are definately a great way to get around in China. They are punctual and affordable and generally very comfortable. Like another traveler said already its great to have some local help when buying train tickets (especially at major city stations during busy periods). We base our accomdations at university's so that when travelers do want a hand there is always plenty of friendly, helpful assistance available but its never the sort of thing that detracts from your feeling of independence.

In general trains are pretty inexpensive, especially on the less important business routes. Our general budget rule of thumb is that you can connect to most major cities (excepting cross country routes) for under $50, most of the time well under that amount. Overnight trains are usually available and can really save you time and money when you don't mind missing the scenery.

We encourage travelers to take side trips while going between major hubs or points of interest and trains in China totally enable that kind of travel. There is a lot to see and do in the smaller cities and in each region there is different food to enjoy too! When considering your regional choices a China travel guidebook can really help you narrow down your options and focus on what you most want to do and see. Incredible geography, so much history and so many cultural variables make it a tough place to plan a short visit...

Have fun in China!

[calver]

I would recommend to do something along the road Beijing, Xinjiang ,Xian, Guilin. Make an itenerary that would give you the possibility to see them. If you are flying to HK, go to guiling and move your way up.

In three weeks you can do a good tour of china by train. Take the overnight sleeper trains and that'll save you some headaches to find hostels/hotels. The train system in China is really well developed and much cheaper.

Have fun in October.

If you want to read more about the China culture/lifestyle/travel, check out the site www.adventure-china.com
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