China Travel Forum

[potter]

My wife and I will be traveling around China for two and a half weeks at the end of August. My current plan is to stay in Shanghai for two days and then the morning of the third day head down to Hangzhou for two days. I will then have one extra day before I plan on going to Xian.
Any thoughts on which of these options is the best way to spend that day:
1. Go down to Shaoxing for the day and get back in time for a night train/flight to Xian
2. Head back to Shanghai the second night, and then spend the day going around Suzhou before leaving to Xian
3. Go back to Jiangsu but skip Suzhou and spend the time at a water village (is there time for this option?)
4. Other ideas?
Thanks!

[aynor]

Depends if you like tourists. I have been to Zhouzhuang, Suzhou, Wuzhen (water town near Hangzou), and Shaoxing. Believe it or not, Shaoxing was my favorite simply because it is not swarming with tourists, and although it doesn't have quite as many canals, it is also not as kitschy. If you stay in the center of Shaoxing, you can see a lot of cool sites. I still consider Shaoxing a "water town", just a huge one compared to Zhouzhuang and Wuzhen. Flora is right in saying "zhouzhuang is the no. 1 water town in China" but why is that a good thing? That just means there are tourists everywhere. Therefore, I thought Wuzhen was better in terms of a small water town, as it was slightly less touristy.
Then again, I don't recommend missing Suzhou, but you need more than a day to see it. Also, if Hangzhou and Suzhou are fairly complementary to me, in that case if you see one you don't really need to see both. If you have time, it is better to see both, but China is big. By the way, I suggest taking a boat to Suzhou if you go from Hangzhou along the canal- overnight but saves a hotel room etc.. I also suggest taking a bus, not the train, if you go to Shaoxing from Hangzhou.
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china tour

[Guest]

1. This tour is possible, but the ride back to Shanghai from Shaoxing is really long, the last train from Shanghai to Xi'an is around 2200 so you'll have to leave Shaoxing about 5 hours before that... leaving it at about 1700, then. I suppose this is possible, but you'll be quite rushed for time.
2. This is possible.
3. Yes, try Tongli/Luzhi, these 2 are quite straightforward to get to from the Suzhou train station. Zhouzhuang is, too, but it's really too touristy. Alternatively, they can also be reached by tour buses from Shanghai, but this method of transport is slightly more expensive.
4. Do one day in Hangzhou, do your daytrip on the 2nd day in Zhejiang province and then spend the 3rd day in Hangzhou before heading back to Shanghai.