China - Suggested Itinerary for 2 to 2.5 weeks?

ixoy

We're planning a trip to China in mid-October for about 2-2.5 weeks. I'd like to get a mix of old culture, new China wealth / city life, and some natural landscapes if possible. No real interest in night life and not bothered by the terracota warriors (so no to Xi'an). Seen enough pandas so won't be looking towards Shengdu either.

Perfectly happy to do day trips too from wherever I'm staying.

The country is huge so initially I was thinking:
Beijing -> Shanghai -> Hong Kong.
Seems Beijing could do with a week of that, especially if we're recovering from any initial jet lag. Seems to perfectly cover a lot of culture and even has some day trips.

However, I'm now getting the impression (from this forum!) that Shanghai doesn't offer enough, especially if we're doing Hong Kong as a modern city. Prefer to get a more rounded holiday if possible, which means some outdoor sights.

A few people mentioned Guilin to Yangshuo for natural beauty: It seems a bit far away though from Beijing. Is it good enough to stay over for a couple of days or are there more accessible places, closer to the original cities, worth seeing? Rather not go on a 3.5-flight for a 1-day side trip! Also getting to HK from there might be trickier.
I know there's also 3-4 day Yangtze boat cruises but I'd prefer not to be so tied down to an itinerary not of my own making.

Any suggestions given our time? Or does Shanghai provide enough when you have places like Nanjing nearby?

Thanks in advance.

athtrasna

Have only been to Hong Kong but would suggest 2 days there is plenty. It's compact and easy to get around.

killbillvol2

Personally, on that time frame, I'd leave out Shanghai. I know some people love it but it's a soulless place compared to any other Asian city I've been to.

The Guilin/Yangshuo/Li River area is lovely and won't be too overrun with Chinese tourists in October. You could possibly go from there to Guangzhou on your way to HK. Guangzhou will give you the big city experience and has a lot more personality than Shanghai.

It's easy to knock at least a week out of Beijing. I've been there a number of times and I've only scratched the surface. A day trip to the Great Wall is the obvious day trip option and well worth doing.

nailer54321

As a frequent visitor to China Beijing will easily take up a week of your time, been going there for years and still can't get over how much there is to do and see, you will need to do your research and choose what you want to see because you will not see everything in one week, also do not try do too much as it will leave you drained. Shanghai is not my favourite city by far but still worth a visit, Xiang for the Warriors well worth a visit, south China Guanzhoue worth a visit food is great there, then maybe a bus ride 3hrs to macau, there version of Las Vegas, from there you can get a fast ferry 1hr to Hong Kong, so much to see in China, don't try to do too much in 2.5 weeks as you will not take it all in. Do you research and plane your journey fron Beijing down to Hong King if you do it right you will take a lot in, nearly forgot if you do decide to go to Shanghai from Beijing try the bullet train it take 4.5 hrs well worth the experience. Enjoy your trip

uck51js9zml2yt

athtrasna wrote: »

Have only been to Hong Kong but would suggest 2 days there is plenty. It's compact and easy to get around.

I spent 6 months working there and there was still stuff I never saw!

athtrasna

Carla Grumpy Stampede wrote: »

I spent 6 months working there and there was still stuff I never saw!

Wow! We did a week and it was way too long

uck51js9zml2yt

athtrasna wrote: »

Wow! We did a week and it was way too long

You obviously didn't know where to go

newacc2015

Shanghai is only about 4.5 hours from Beijing on the bullet train. It is a very modern city. In fact the best thing I saw in the city was their planning museum. They knocked pretty much the entire city in the 1980s and replaced it with a modern city. It is very different to Beijing. It is like Munich, as it is very clean, rich and polished. There is a city close to Shanghai which I think is Hangzhou. Marco Polo said it was one of the most incredible places he has ever been. I didnt go, but apparently that city is why most people visit Shanghai

Beijing is the total opposite. It is overcrowded and quite rough around the edges. You would easily get a week out of Shanghai

Dont bother with Xian to see the terra-cotta warriors. They are not that impressive at all. There is actually nothing else in the city other than the wall and horrific pollution. Do yourself a favour and skip it

Chengdu has the Pandas. But apparently touching them is around €250. NY Times said it is a must see city

The biggest tip I have for China is bring a ton of RMB. Bank of Ireland sell it. Visa is not accepted anywhere other than tourist places like Hotels. None of the attractions take anything other than cash. None of the attractions are cheap considering China has quite low wages. Even our tour book which was printed 3/4 years earlier than our visit had prices about half of what we were paying

Buy a tour book like the lonely planet. It will tell you how to get around without having to use tour companies. The tour companies are a bit pricey, then they will stop 2/3 times to a place to try sell you tea or fake jade. Where as the Chinese state run train would have been less than €1 for the exact same route

athtrasna

Carla Grumpy Stampede wrote: »

You obviously didn't know where to go

That would be surprising as we are well travelled and my forté is discovering hidden gems. But I'll take your word for it!

nailer54321

I would recommend not changing too much money into RMB before you go, the rate that you will receive will be terrible. Just change enough for you to get to your hotel eg taxi fare etc. Most large hotel will be able to give to foreign exchange and a much better rate, also a lot of hotels will have a currency exchange machine in the lobby, rates are very reasonable. Avoid changing money at the airport in china from the foreign exchange places they will rip you off, if you do need to change money in the airport find a bank of china this will give you the best rates.

rossie1977

athtrasna wrote: »

That would be surprising as we are well travelled and my forté is discovering hidden gems. But I'll take your word for it!

3/4 of the Hong kong metro is made up of parks, mountains, lakes, beaches etc. Can't believe you saw all of that in 2 days!

The trip up to Big Buddha and po lin monastery for me is one of the best things to do in Hong Kong. Macau, just to see the sheer size of the casinos on the cotai strip (they dwarf the biggest Vegas resorts) is worth the 50 minute ferry trip

uck51js9zml2yt

rossie1977 wrote: »

3/4 of the Hong kong metro is made up of parks, mountains, lakes, beaches etc. Can't believe you saw all of that in 2 days!

The trip up to Big Buddha and po lin monastery for me is one of the best things to do in Hong Kong. Macau, just to see the sheer size of the casinos on the cotai strip (they dwarf the biggest Vegas resorts) is worth the 50 minute ferry trip

Obviously the giant Buddha isn't a hidden gem.it is however a day trip.:)

athtrasna

Carla Grumpy Stampede wrote: »

Obviously the giant Buddha isn't a hidden gem.it is however a day trip.:)

Did it, and even climbed all the steps on the way up. Did a week in HK it just felt way too long

cdeb

Tiger Leaping Gorge might be an option for landscape.

Hallstadt is completely not Chinese in a very typical Chinese kind of way - they've exactly rebuilt an entire Austrian town as a suburb of Luoyang. Probably too far from anywhere else to really fit in, but worth keeping in mind.

Lhasa is an option - you will need a guide though; book through a travel company. There's more to Xi'an than the warriors; wouldn't write it off entirely. The walled city is nice.

If you're taking up to 2½ weeks, it might be an option to get the train into China. Fly to Ulaan Baator in Mongolia and get the train to Beijing. Goes through the Gobi desert, then to Erenhot at the Chinese border where you've to change wheels. From there, it's overnight, and the Chinese countryside near Datong - you'll get plenty of rural views you won't get in a city or on a hike. The train gets into the centre of Beijing about lunchtime.

Obviously China is huge, and the above mayn't fit into the rest of your itinerary, but said I'd suggest them anyway. Worth it if even one item fits the itinerary or gives an idea to follow.

Beijing is nice, but it's hugely busy. There's crowds everywhere. The metro is horrendously packed at times. I spent four days in Beijing - enjoyed it, but was very glad to get on a train out and get a whole train cabin to myself and three other people. So I guess do factor in how you are with crowds - it's possible a week might be a bit long to take in Beijing.

Riding the Iron Rooster by Paul Theroux is a great read ahead of a visit. It was based on a trip in 1986, but while a lot has changed since then, a lot more hasn't.

Ticking and Bashing

October is a great month to visit. I liked Lijiang before I trekked Tiger Leaping Gorge. There's a load of tour groups who have 2-3 week trips to China - just copy their itineraries is my suggestion! I.e intrepid, gadventures etc.

ixoy

Thanks for all so far. Some sound great but, given the size of China, not the best in a 14 days in the country (I'm discounting the day we'll lose either side travelling).

Experimenting with two itineraries. The first is the simplest:

7 days: Beijing - , incl. Great Wall
0.5d Beijing -> Shanghai (Bullet Train)
4 days: Shangai, incl. day trip to Hangshou and/or Zhujiajiao
0.5 days: Shanghai -> Hong Kong (Flight)
3 days: Hong Kong

Itinerary #2 is a bit messier but possibly more rewarding:

5 days: Beijing - incl. Great Wall
0.5d Beijing -> Shanghai (Bullet Train)
3 days: Shanghai, incl. 1 day trip
0.5d Shanghai -> Guilin (Flight). Stay overnight in Guilin or proceed directly to Yangshuo.
1day: Guilin -> Yangshou (Boat trip). Alternatively, Guilin -> Yangshou by bus then bamboo boat trip down Li River from Yangshou. Stay overnight in Yangshou or Guilin. (Trying to work out the best option here!).
~1day: Yangshou -> Guilin (Taxi) -> Shenzhen (Train) -> Hong Kong (Metro)
3 days: Hong Kong

Itinerary #2 also has 1 day less than #1 so it could be spent elsewhere, i.e. a 2nd day in Yangshou or Shanghai or Beijing.

Any thoughts?

killbillvol2

ixoy wrote: »

Thanks for all so far. Some sound great but, given the size of China, not the best in a 14 days in the country (I'm discounting the day we'll lose either side travelling).

Experimenting with two itineraries. The first is the simplest:

7 days: Beijing - , incl. Great Wall
0.5d Beijing -> Shanghai (Bullet Train)
4 days: Shangai, incl. day trip to Hangshou and/or Zhujiajiao
0.5 days: Shanghai -> Hong Kong (Flight)
3 days: Hong Kong

Itinerary #2 is a bit messier but possibly more rewarding:

5 days: Beijing - incl. Great Wall
0.5d Beijing -> Shanghai (Bullet Train)
3 days: Shanghai, incl. 1 day trip
0.5d Shanghai -> Guilin (Flight). Stay overnight in Guilin or proceed directly to Yangshuo.
1day: Guilin -> Yangshou (Boat trip). Alternatively, Guilin -> Yangshou by bus then bamboo boat trip down Li River from Yangshou. Stay overnight in Yangshou or Guilin. (Trying to work out the best option here!).
~1day: Yangshou -> Guilin (Taxi) -> Shenzhen (Train) -> Hong Kong (Metro)
3 days: Hong Kong

Itinerary #2 also has 1 day less than #1 so it could be spent elsewhere, i.e. a 2nd day in Yangshou or Shanghai or Beijing.

Any thoughts?

Your second itinerary is ridiculous tbh. In two weeks you either do Shanghai or Guilin/Yangshuo. The "bamboo boat trip" is on a raft with a gigantic outboard motor btw.

Travel in China is hassle whether it's train, plane or bus. There's too much in the second itinerary.

cdeb

I think 5 days in Beijing is more than enough anyway.

I would consider train for Shanghai to Guilin or Hong Kong - the long ones are 20 hours (bullet is an option too), but it's overnight, so you don't lose as much time as that, and they're very rewarding for the insight into rural life. You see nothing on a plane.

killbillvol2 wrote:

Travel in China is hassle whether it's train, plane or bus. There's too much in the second itinerary.

Honestly never found that to be the case when I was there. I did Ulaan Baator to Beijing (train), 2 full days in Beijing (incl the wall), Beijing to Lhasa (train), 2 full days in Lhasa, Lhasa to Xi'an (train), 2 full days in Xi'an, Xi'an to Hong Kong (train), 3 full days in Hong Kong and on again - 2½ weeks all told. Had all tickets booked in advance; found the trains to be efficient and hassle-free.

That's not to say the second schedule mayn't be too busy; don't know enough to say for sure on that. But don't think it's too bad. If it is, Beijing could easily come down to 4 days.

killbillvol2

cdeb wrote: »

Honestly never found that to be the case when I was there. I did Ulaan Baator to Beijing (train), 2 full days in Beijing (incl the wall), Beijing to Lhasa (train), 2 full days in Lhasa, Lhasa to Xi'an (train), 2 full days in Xi'an, Xi'an to Hong Kong (train), 3 full days in Hong Kong and on again - 2½ weeks all told. Had all tickets booked in advance; found the trains to be efficient and hassle-free.

That's not to say the second schedule mayn't be too busy; don't know enough to say for sure on that. But don't think it's too bad. If it is, Beijing could easily come down to 4 days.

I've been to China 6 times for a month each time. We'll agree to differ.

cdeb

Fair enough. Just throwing out my own experiences there.

ixoy

For most cities, I've found 2-3 days is enough for me. Happy enough to move quickly and wouldn't care to spend too long in any city (longest I ever did was Tokyo for a week but did 2-day trips to Nagasaki and Hiroshima). I've often do 3-4 cities in a 2-week period.

I quite like train journeys - do you see a lot on the overnight ones? Seeing the country side go by is generally why I favour them over planes but a 20-hour journey is quite long. Would you not get sick of it after a while? Longest I did was a 10-hour one before, but that was on a comfie Japanese bullet train.

Suppose the big question is: Is Guilin / Yangshuo worth a (significant enough) de-tour? It'd be an effort to balance out the cities. I know there's some day trips from say Shanghai but not sure it'd be the same.

killbillvol2

ixoy wrote: »

For most cities, I've found 2-3 days is enough for me. Happy enough to move quickly and wouldn't care to spend too long in any city (longest I ever did was Tokyo for a week but did 2-day trips to Nagasaki and Hiroshima). I've often do 3-4 cities in a 2-week period.

I quite like train journeys - do you see a lot on the overnight ones? Seeing the country side go by is generally why I favour them over planes but a 20-hour journey is quite long. Would you not get sick of it after a while? Longest I did was a 10-hour one before, but that was on a comfie Japanese bullet train.

Suppose the big question is: Is Guilin / Yangshuo worth a (significant enough) de-tour? It'd be an effort to balance out the cities. I know there's some day trips from say Shanghai but not sure it'd be the same.

You won't see a lot on the overnight trains obviously but the Chinese will all be up and about at 5.30 am so you'll see the countryside in the morning.

If you're on one of the slow trains they often have sleeper carriages even for daytime journeys so if you're not on the bottom bunk you won't see a lot. I couldn't see the point of taking a slow train on your schedule though. On the high speed trains I get a headache from looking out the window for any length of time so the scenery is a blur!

My first trip to China was Hong Kong-Guangzhou-Shanghai-Beijing. I've been back 5 times but I've never returned to Shanghai or HK (and probably won't). I've been back to Beijing and Guangzhou though. They reward deeper exploration.

In two weeks you'll only get a flavour anyway. I got hooked and couldn't wait to get back and see more. If you think you'll never be there again go to somewhere scenic as well as two cities. And the Li river is very scenic.

ixoy

killbillvol2 wrote: »

My first trip to China was Hong Kong-Guangzhou-Shanghai-Beijing. I've been back 5 times but I've never returned to Shanghai or HK (and probably won't). I've been back to Beijing and Guangzhou though. They reward deeper exploration.

Interesting. Any particular reason you wouldn't go back to Shanghai or HK? I scaled back on Shanghai because I've heard that it doesn't have the same level of character as other cities but that it was still worth visiting (my parents enjoyed it) and had good access as a base for day trips.

cdeb

A 20-hour train journey is fun. As you say, you don't see much overnight, but that still leaves 12 hours of viewing to be done, split in two (saving a hotel cost). Obviously bring a book or a board game or something for when you don't want to look out the window. Have a walk around the train and talk to the locals. The Chinese countryside is very, very traditional - fields being ploughed by donkey, bicycles everywhere, stone houses - all way removed from the hugely modernising cities, and it's a nice contrast.

You'd need to ensure it fits into your schedule of course, but as I say, you could knock a day off Beijing to spend it on the train, and I think it'd be well worth it.

I guess maybe you need to start detailing what you want to see in each city, as that'll really shape your schedule.

Don't know anything about Guilin I'm afraid.

killbillvol2

ixoy wrote: »

Interesting. Any particular reason you wouldn't go back to Shanghai or HK? I scaled back on Shanghai because I've heard that it doesn't have the same level of character as other cities but that it was still worth visiting (my parents enjoyed it) and had good access as a base for day trips.

I really enjoyed HK but I spent a fairly intense week there and didn't feel I'd left much to see. If it fitted in with a trip in the future I'd maybe like to go to the races there - they don't run in July/August.

I hated Shanghai. I've been to all the big Asian cities and generally love big cities but I found it devoid of character. It didn't feel Chinese. It didn't feel much of anything. That said, some of my friends liked it - they thought the nightlife was fantastic.

nailer54321

your first itineraries looks ok, I would cut back by one day in shanghai 'thats just my person choice' and maybe add an extra day on to your Hong Kong trip and maybe get a full day trip to macau one hour by ferry each way then hop on a bus that will bring youto a hotel in the strip well worth a visit, As i said before try not to pack too much in as you will not take everything in, Beijing is my favourite city and have been there multiple times, Shanghai is not my cup of tea.it has changes so much from the first time I have been there and i think it has lost a lot of charicter but well worth a viist if it is your first trip, You will have a great time over there, eat were the locals eat and you will experience the real china and some of its fantastic food thats on offer, Enjoy

Hmm_Messiah

so my two pence worth, and some other locations

i used ctrip for most train and internal flight bookings, and another site i can't remember dlong or similar

Shanghai - Last favourite place

Xian I liked, not just warriors, th bell towers, cycling the city wall, muslim food street at night


Chengdu - nice modern city- went there twice!!

Kunming - the fresh air there was lovely and the hotpot

Hangzhou - west lake etc, and a day trip to shaoxing

Lijiang - went for two nights, we got tired and lovedly the narrow maze of streets where the hostel was - stayed 8 !! went up the nearby snow mountain (though i did not go all the way as hate cable cars)

Went to a small old town with an ethnic group ( real rather than the recreated villages - Bashu - but it is nthing except a small town -- with a "hipster coffee shop " for some reason. cant escape coffee shops in china

went on some trips only to find them closed - e.g 3 gouges due to the high water fall

Definitely Xian is much more than terracotta warriors -

Kunming and Chengdu are very nice cities


I found China crazy cheap, but quite difficult to navigate if you don't have some ne who speaks the language

internal flights were close to train prices some times
slow trains are ... very slow.. can lose a whole day - to experince once is ok

sleeper trains - unless you are buying the private berth you will have large numbers of chinese of all ages surrounding you - nice people - but lots of eating and talking - and protecting your stuff can be a problem ( due to no where to put it)

I was last there 2 years ago and people were still amused by the white guy in some places - kids asking for photographs with me etc.

I think best like some one said to not over estimate your progress, so travel is slow, and some places are just so nice . as well as the markets aimed more at tourists, just the food markets and "bar streets" that chinese go to are very atmospheric

I didnt get to hong kong, my chinese companion had not got a permit to go and overall flights directly to there can be cheaper - i would concentrate on the mainland personally

Ken Hom and that girl chef both did a tv series that would give you some ideas.


the only place i would definitely skip is Shangri La - the national park was great but like being transported to Donegal but with occasional need for oxygen can. it was great to see some tibetan people and buildings etc, but all a little forced.

killbillvol2

I'd agree with pretty much everything Hmm_Messiah said.

+1 on X'ian, Chengdu, Kunming and Lijiang. Shangri-La was pretty off the wall but not an option anyway in two weeks.

It's still very cheap outside of Beijing and Shanghai and only accommodation is expensive (relatively) in Beijing.

And if you're travelling alone prepare to be asked for a lot of photographs and to be interrogated (in a friendly but intense way) regularly. One morning on a night train the couple in the bunks opposite had gone and found a young Chinese girl with good English. About 20 Chinese gathered to give her questions to ask me. The first three questions were about property prices, health insurance and how I could afford to travel to China.