China Travel Forum

[sara]

Hello to everyone out there
In November I'm starting my tour in China.
Currently I have no definate plans but thought about starting in Beijing speding 2 weeks there. Then catch the train to X'ian, stay here for 4 days then overland by train to Shanghai maybe spending 4 days before I fly on.
Is this enough time in each place? Any recomendations would be useful such as which class train ticket to get, any good cheap hostels in X'ian or anything you think I should see along the way?!
Thank you,

[kamal]

It depends what you like. Beijing has the most to see, but the city itself is not very interesting. Shanghai on the other hand, is a pretty interesting city to explore, but doesn't have as many specific sites to visit.
I think you are allowing plenty of time in each place--some will say to much. You could hit all of the major sites in Beijing in 4-5 days. Your schedule wil allow you a more leisurely schedule and also time to visit some interesting places that you would not be able to visit on a shorter trip. I would recommend adding the rather odd Millennium monument and nearby military museum, Mao, the ancient observatory, the Taoist White Cloud Temple as a few of the 'lesser' sites that are worth a look (although admittedly more because they are rather bizarre than because they are really nice.)
Xi'an is not a very nice city, but exploring the city wall, Muslim quarter, a visit to the Provincial museum, climbing nearby Huashan, etc. All worthwhile, in my opinion.
Shanghai itself is more about exploring the city than visiting the sites, though you could spend a full day in the Shanghai museum. 3 days for the city is probably plenty, but you should consider taking a day to visit the nearby watertowns, and you could spend a day in Hangzhou and a day or two in Nanjing. It might be worth taking a day or two from Beijing or Xi'an to spend a little more time visiting these places.
have a good tour