Holiday tour of China - advice please

lennyloulou

My hubbie and I are thinking of going to China.
The plan is to save now and go 2 weeks in April 2015 or 2 1/2 weeks July 2015. I have looked a bit on cnto.org
We don't know anyone who has gone and our broad outline of an itinery is below based on what we have read and are interested in. Any advice please would be appreciated....
1. Fly to Bejing- 2 nights on Beijing...the sights
2. Fly or train to Xi'an- 2 or 3 nights....terracotta army
3. Fly or train to Chengdu, 2 nights- pandas
4. Fly to Lhasa- Tibet 5-6 days. Unsure of visas into Tibet. Think we must join tour to get into Tibet, know it is tough to get in. Hubbie wants to see monasteries/Base Camp Everest.

When is the best time to go? for these areas... April or July?
Flights or trains between destinations?
Are we giving too much time in any one area or not enough?
Any other areas/sights you would recommend? We are interested in Buddhist/History culture
Who would you recommend fly with?
Should we book direct with a tour group?
How much money should we aim to bring with us?
Any advice please, Cheers!

Muahahaha

I can't answer all your questions but would say a few things.

2-3 nights is probably too long in Xi'an, once you've seen the Terracotta Army all that's left is a big busy polluted city with little character.
Trains in China are very efficient, fast and new. You can book sleeper cabins which have air con and are very comfortable so taking an overnight train is the way to go. It also means you'll have lots of Chinese people approach you, offer you food and tea and conversation- for me some of the best times I had in China were spent on long distance trains journeys talking and laughing with locals. You won't ever experience that if you fly everywhere.

Consider visiting the karst limestone hills of Gullin or nearby Yangsho. The scenery there is just spectacular and it's a welcome relief from the busy Chinese cities you'll encounter. Google 'Gullin china' and click Images and you'll see what I mean.

If you want a Buddhas then Thousand Buddha Mountain might fit the bill. For a truly huge Buddha go to Leschan where there is one carved out of rock in a cliff face. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leshan_Giant_Buddha

Axel Lamp

2 nights in Beijing isn't enough. So take the time from Xian instead.

Beware of the altitude sickness in Tibet. It affects everyone differently. Permit to Tibet can be tough to get as we'll. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES try to wing it and enter Tibet without the permit.

China air have reasonably priced internal flights.

Batgurl

Double, if not triple, your time in Beijing. 'The sights' are the Great Wall, the summer palace, the forbidden city, tianamen square, the temple of heaven, the Ming tombs, the Olympic stadiums. Beijing is MASSIVE. Just getting from a) to b) takes an hour or two.

Xian -two days are fine. Terracotta warriors, giant goose pagoda, definately rent a bike and cycle the city wall.

Chengdu - two days should be ample if it's just the giant panda research base you want to see.

Not too sure about visas etc to Tibet but tell hubby Everest Base camp would take 11 days min by itself so it's unlikely you could do it and everything else in 5.

Have you considered a tour of china? Intrepid do good guided tours of china and sometimes they work out cheaper than doing it yourself.

Finally, definately pick April over July. July is peak summer and stinky hot. 40 degrees plus - they were cooking eggs on the pavement when I was there in July!!!

Axel Lamp

Batgurl wrote: »

Not too sure about visas etc to Tibet but tell hubby Everest Base camp would take 11 days min by itself so it's unlikely you could do it and everything else in 5.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but Base Camp on the Tibet side is easy (relatively) to get to. It's Base camp on the Nepal side that takes a long time to get to.

killbillvol2

Batgurl wrote: »

Have you considered a tour of china? Intrepid do good guided tours of china and sometimes they work out cheaper than doing it yourself.

Really?? I'd love to see an example of that. Intrepid tours I've looked at work out at between double and quadruple what I'd do it for independently.

OP, two weeks is very short for your proposed itinerary. I'd be inclined to leave Tibet out as it's a pain to organise.

+1 on staying longer in Beijing. I've been there 4 times totalling about 4 weeks and there's still lots of new things for me to see.

Also, in your limited timeframe you'd be better to fly or take bullet trains although I'd agree that overnight trains are a great way to travel in China.

Batgurl

killbillvol2 wrote: »

Really?? I'd love to see an example of that. Intrepid tours I've looked at work out at between double and quadruple what I'd do it for independently.

You should sign up for their newsletter, they run 50% off/2-for-1 sales about four times a year.

I got an email before christmas that had a 9-day golden triangle tour (Beijing, xian and shanghai) all hotels, food, activities, transport, internal flights, airport transfers etc for €499 per person. For someone who is time poor (which is the OP by the sounds of it) a tour is probably a better option.

MaQingLong

Been living in China for 10 years, try to answer some of your questions....first avoid July, too hot. Spring or Autumn is best.

2 or 3 days minimum in Beijing. Go to NanLuoGuXiang also, an 800 year old Hutong (alleyway) with great little bars, restaurants and shops. Also a good mix of locals to tourists. Great Wall is a must, along with the Summer Palace and Forbidden City / Tiananmen Square (accross the road from each other). Try the duck....

Mixed reviews over Xi'an.....2 days maximum.

If you are into Buddhist/History culture you have to visit the Giant Buddha at Leshan near Chengdu, I was there just last November. Like a lot of attractions in China however be prepared for lots of people...a bit of patience goes a long way.....Sichuan food is fantastic, try the spicy hotpot.

Some other points:
Agree with the other poster, the trains are a great laugh.
China is very safe (posible exception of the southern provinces)
I live in Shanghai, so i am biased....but for me it is worth a visit.