Atm's in China

Piko

Hi guys,

can anyone tell me if i can definitely use my aib atm/laser card in the major cities China??

dark_jedi_ire

Having just come back from honeymoon in Hong kong, I could use my BOI Credit card to withdraw money from the Bank of China ATMs only. And the wife used her laser (AIB and it must have the switch part on the Card) on the same ATMS without any problems.

Give you bank a call.. thats what we did and they were very helpfull and all was well.

Mitzy

I travelled quite a bit throughout China last year & had no problem using any of the ATM's there.
Enjoy your trip - you'll have a ball.

Glowing

Yep, ATM's in the most far flung places in China - fab country, eat loads of food - its the best!

Piko

Thanks for the replies guys
I leave on saturday, woo!

Miss Fluff

Hey, I live in Beijing. I have a Bank of Ireland laser and an Ulster Bank laser here. Bank of China, Bank of Communications and the Industrial and Commerical Bank of China accept them as do the obvious ones like HSBC and other foreign banks. Enjoy your trip, you'll love it. The highest denomination of note is 100RMB which is equivelant to a tenner so you'll be wandering around with a wad thinking your P Diddy. Enjoy!:)

Piko

Hi Miss Fluff or anyone,

slightly off topic but....

can you reccomend any good (cheap to midrange budget) restaurants or bars to try in Beijing? My boyfriend is quite fussy about food so we'll have to eat in western style resaturants at least some of the time and we'd like to go to bars with a bit of atmosphere, not just with music thumping in our ears...

and what do you think would be best way to go out to the great wall? we'll be going somewhere other than badaling - jingshanling to simatai hike/mutianyu - and definitely don't want to take a tour that stops off in shops along the way. I've read about just hiring a taxi in the street and negotiating a fare but would they know the way to parts of the wall other than badaling and how safe would that be?

thanks

littlesurfer

i'm heading to china soon myself so this thread is really helpful..hope you have a fab time

Miss Fluff

Piko wrote:

Hi Miss Fluff or anyone,

slightly off topic but....

can you reccomend any good (cheap to midrange budget) restaurants or bars to try in Beijing? My boyfriend is quite fussy about food so we'll have to eat in western style resaturants at least some of the time and we'd like to go to bars with a bit of atmosphere, not just with music thumping in our ears...

and what do you think would be best way to go out to the great wall? we'll be going somewhere other than badaling - jingshanling to simatai hike/mutianyu - and definitely don't want to take a tour that stops off in shops along the way. I've read about just hiring a taxi in the street and negotiating a fare but would they know the way to parts of the wall other than badaling and how safe would that be?

thanks

Beijing should be gastranomic capital of the world. There are a huge variety of restaurants from Thai to French, Brazilian to Greek, Korean to American, the list is endless and hygiene is good. And of course Chinese, it depends what you are looking for, give me an idea and I will recommend some, be it plain old steak and chips or chicken feet and eel.

If you can tell me what part of the city you are staying in I can tell you about pubs. I presume you will probably be in the Chaoyang District so if that's the case then Suzie Wong's is really good although a trip to a KTV (Karaoke place) is a must and they can be found on any street corner.

The first thing to do when you get here is buy a copy of Insider's Beijing, it will be your bible, every location is also written in Chinese so if you can't say the name of the place you are going to you can point it out.

I'd strongly advise against just hiring a cab to go to the Wall. I have met very few taxi drivers with even one word of English. You'll be ripped off and you won't get the most from the trip. You can hire a private tour guide for the day and your own car (with driver) and that's the only way to do it if you want to do it properly. You should spend half the day at the Wall and the rest exploring the Summer Palace or the Forbidden City. It depends what company you book it through. Again, if you want to tell me where you are staying I can recommend some for you.

If you have any more questions don't hesitate or feel free to PM me if you like. Now is an amazing time to come here, its changing so rapidly because of the Olympics so you need to get here quick to get a feel for what Beijing was really like....and still is, don't get me wrong, you just need to dig that little bit deeper and explore that little bit more. It's a once in a lifetime experience, you'll love it.

Piko

Thanks for your reply Miss Fluff. I'll post here as littlesurfer would probably like your info too.

We'll be staying in the Park Plaza Wangfujing for 4 nights/5 days but don't mind getting taxis/subway anywhere (are the subways safe?). As for food, any place with simple food ,steak and chips as you say/pizza etc would be good for him, and when he has to compromise, i'd love to try any asian food - chinese/japanese/korean

Any suggestions of a good (private) tour guide would be great. We'll probably only use one for the wall and then see anything else in the city by ourselves. I want to do the hike from Jinshanling to Siamtai if it's not too hot/wet, so that would take up a day. Are there any rules on visiting temples etc? Do i need to cover my arms etc?

What markets would you recommend? I'll be looking for clothing/shoes more than souveneirs. I'll look for any electrical items when we're in Hong Kong.

This will be the first time either of us have been further than Spain so any advise would be helpful

Thanks again

Miss Fluff

Hey Piko, it's my pleasure, only too happy to advise! It's the type of place that it helps to have a few pointers etc before coming here. I will PM you my mobile numbers in case you need to contact me while here.

Wangfujing's proximity to Tiananmen Square means that there are a lot of
pr1ck taxi drivers hanging around the area to try and extort as much money as possible so try and get your taxi from the hotel where possible in the area. Wanfujing is very touristy so also be wary of people offering to sell art or people asking to practice their English or people offering day tours. They are all thiefs and you could find yourself seriously out of pocket if you engage them at all, so best not to even make eye contact with them. There are great subway links from Wanfujing so you can use that too and the subway is very safe and very cheap (and very very crowded!). Sure go on it for convenience during peak times (Beijing traffic is horrendous) but taxi rides start at 10RMB and the average fare will only cost you about 15RMB (1.50euro). If you are to do one tour (aside from the Wall and the other sites) is go and see the hutongs, they are less than ten minutes by car and you can get a rickshaw and spend a few hours there. I would highly recommend it if you want to get a real feel for old China.

Most of the good restuarants are around Chaoyang, steak and chips in Morells for example and you HAVE to go the Face restaurant on your last night. It is expensive but well worth it for a treat. You can eat in either their Thai or Indian restaurants. Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant (the one in Nanxingcang not the one near Sanlitun) is worth a visit. You will not be disappointed with the food believe me. I think veggies might have difficulty here though, there is meat in everything. Here is a link to an extensive list, I eat out a lot so if you have any questions about any of them let me know and I can let you know if I've been there.

Beihai Park around the hutongs is great at night-time. A beautiful lake and the opportunity to try various street meats so definitley go there.


These guys are good for day tours. http://www.2008tour.com/ Tell them you don't want to go to shops or factories. Also, although these guys are very good, pay them in cash. If you pay by credit card they will claim they have no machine and will bring you to a really upmarket Pearl Factory beside the Temple of Heaven in the hope that you'll buy lots of stuff!

Ya Show is the best market in Beijing for silks/handbags/shoes. I am a complete shopaholic and spend a lot of time there. Try and have a few words of Chinese like "too expensive" etc etc. Also tell the stall holders you love in Beijing so if they give you a good price you will tell your friends. You have to have balls like watermelons and just walk off if not happy with the price. They will always come after you and its all in good spirits. A good rule of thumb is pay between 10-15% of what they originally quoted you. Tell them they are gorgeous etc etc and play them at their own game. I think every stall holder in Beijing knows me at this stage:) Sanlitun is good to go to for a drink after your shopping. It is seriously tacky and seriously entertaining for people watching.

You will LOVE it, its a sensory and cultural overload and at every moment you will experience exoticism you have never witnessed before. In terms of personal safety it is very safe indeed, obviously don't take risks you wouldn't elsewhere and you will be fine. People will try and rip you off at every hand's turn, all done with a smile, so just be wary. Have a fabulous time and let me know how you get on.

Oh yes, high 30s today with high humidity so pack wisely. The little b*stard mosquitoes are relentless too so bring repellent. If you are due a period they don't sell tampons and bring your own shower gel etc (a lot of products contain skin bleach), they don't sell deodarant anywhere either so bring what you need. That's it, anymore questions send them on girl and have a great time. Don't be afraid to call or text me if you need me. (Chinese phones don't accept foreign texts so phone me on the Chinese one if stuck).

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)