China Travel Forum

[Jerry]

I'm planning to go to Hangzhou during the May 1-5 holiday and I just wanted to know how I can make the most of it especially since many people will be travelling at the time. Will the cheap hotels all be occupied...will traffic be a problem...will finding a tourist group once I arrive be a problem...for a 3-4 day stay, where are the likely places to visit...can I just go around the west Lake on foot or will I need to ride some sort of transportation?

All the best,

[Eric]

The tourist places will be very very very very very busy .
If you have the choice, try to avoid travelling in China during one of the 3 big holidays. Especially Hangzhou, I think, which is very busy during normal weekends.The tickets for flights and trains are heavily booked and the hotel rooms as well. If you are in the city, of course you can take walks around the West Lake. The crowds may beyond your imagination in the May Days. One more tip : if you really want to travel in China during peak holidays (Oct 1, May 1, Lunar new year), but you can't stand the crowds, go west ! The more west you go, the less tourists you'll probably see. Try Tibet and Xinjiang province, which by the way are 2 of the most beautiful provinces in China. You'll still see tourists, more than usual. Once you leave the big cities, you will be almost on your own. Prices of hotels and transportation however will still be at peak tariff, but that's everywhere in China at that moment.