Advice on my 16 day China trip

Unless you're really into engineering, I would pass on the visit to the three gorges dam. We saw it because we were in Yichang at the end of a Yangtze cruise. I would have been very unhappy to have flown there especially to see it. Our entire dam expedition was just 2 hours or so.

Thanks a lot-I included the dam because I thought I thought it would be a shame not to see one of the largest dams and one of my nieces was keen to see it as she is a geography teacher. I am thinking -perhaps we should leave it out and spend more time elsewhere-maybe Hangzhou or Xian or Beijing?

> I'm arrivin in Shanghai on 17 July, and WANT TO fly to HONG KONG on 01 AUG . Should I book this in advance through a tour agent or book it myself whilst in China.

Book it yourself while in China. About two weeks in advance it the time to start looking. You'd get the best price by buying in Guilin, but you'll be leaving it a bit late for that.

> Ju;y-take flight to Yichang and visit THREE GORGES dam.

What with the acrobats, kung fu, 'Tang dynasty' show, and trip to Guilin/Yangshuo you do seem determined that your trip should be entirely made up of ersatz, overpriced, made-for-tourists experiences, rather than actually seeing China itself. But I would agree with the comment above that you should at least not waste your time with a flight to see the dam, or even to take the Three Gorges cruise.

> 01 Aug- take Li river cruise , go to Yangshou, then later take flight to Hong kong .

That's a lot for one day. You need to be sure there are evening flights on that route.

Bailong elevator is a monster.
Hard to imagine the idea of building a glass elevator onto the side of a cliff, defacing the natural scenery of Zhangjiajie National Park, Hunan.
Eyeglasses and buckteeth on Mona Lisa!

A typical day trip to see the Three Gorge Dam, Sandouping would be a 2-3 hour bus tour making two stops, one near the spill way, the other one on top of a mountain next to the shiplocks.
Bring umbrellas, the area is known for scattered showers.
Upstream Yangtze Cruises used to stop overnite in Sandouping before 1994.

Most of our flights in China were full. If you need a specific flight, don't wait to close to the date to book it.

The prices I bought tickets for on 9588.com were great. I tracked the prices a few weeks out so knew what a good price was. C-trip actually had a "shop" in the airport at Guilin next to our gate.

2 of our China Southern flights were very delayed. The passengers on one revolted with the gate agents. I've never seen such an arguement with airline employees. There is no english spoken at the Chinese air gates. When there is a problem it's very hard to get details of the delay.

If you go to a ticket agency to buy airline tickets, no one spoke english. We needed help with this the one time we did it. You must also pay cash for your tickets. It's much easier to buy tickets on line. They're e tickets and worked flawlessly.

Thank you very much marija, PeterN-H, Cat12345, Images2 .
If I have to book 2 weeks in advance for flight from Guilin to Hong Kong, I have to start looking as soon as I arrive in Shanghai. What is best way of doing this? I read on report by Indiancouple that they went to buy tickets fron a Travel Agent in Shanghai. I wonder how easy this would be going to China for first time. Also I would have to book all other flights at same time eg flight from Shanghai to Yichang(IF I still go?) on 22nd, Flight from Zhangjiajie to Beijing on 25th, Flight from Xian to Giulin on 31st and Flight from Guilin to Hong Hong on 01st for myself and to Shanghai for my 2 friends. Train tickets are also needed-can I get them from same travel agent -from Shanghai to Suzhou on 21st,From Suzhou to Hangzhou on 21st, Hangzhou to Shanghai on 22nd, Yichang to Zhangjiajie on 24th, Beijing to Xian on 29th.
MY God , what a lot of journeys.

Would appreciate any suggestions as i'm not a very avid travellor.
I believe Summer holidays in China are in July and August- I wonder if fares go up during school holidays, as they do in the UK. This might also mean booking flights and trains slightly earlier?

> Most of our flights in China were full. If you need a specific flight, don't wait to close to the date to book it.

If you absolutely must have a particular flight and no other, this may be good advice. But when the flight will probably only have sold out in the last couple of hours before it takes off, its fullness is not of itself an argument for not waiting until arriving in China to make a booking.

> The prices I bought tickets for on 9588.com were great. I tracked the prices a few weeks out so knew what a good price was.

But this doesn't actually tell you anything about the prices available through other routes.

> If you go to a ticket agency to buy airline tickets, no one spoke english.

Slight temptation to say, "Duh!" here. This is, after all, China.

Nevertheless, most agents do have a few key words in English, but none are needed anyway. They know you want to buy a ticket, the timetable is bi-lingual, and prices communicated using a calculator or pen and paper. No one without Mandarin need have any fear of buying their own tickets.

Many agents do take credit cards, but there may be a surcharge. Cash is, in China, the usual way to pay for tickets. But with most under US$100, this isn't exactly a hardship.

Peter N-H

Faridabobat, my suggestions are as follows:

1. Instead of buying tickets from Guilin to Hongkong, consider buying tickets from Guilin to Shenzhen, which are about 50% cheaper. From Shenzhen airport to downtown Hongkong, or from Hongkong Intl airport to downtown Hongkong, is not much different in time or cost.

2. Set up an account on "Ctrip" site before you leave for China; it will only take a minute on your computer. Once in China, do all air bookings on the Ctrip site, and select the payment mode of "cash". They will deliver tickets to your hotel at no extra charge. In case of any difficulty, you can call their toll-free number from anywhere in China, and do the transaction over the phone (as we did). Their staff speak excellent English.

3. I endorse what Peter NH says about flights getting full; they get full a few hours before departure. If you are booking 4-5 days before departure, you have nothing to worry about.

4. For train tickets, ask your hotel to refer you to a suitable travel agent (usually different from the ones who do air bookings), or refer you to a "Train Booking Office". Here you may have some language problems, so try to keep someone with you who understands Chinese, and you can do all your train bookings at one shot in 10 minutes.

5. We bought our flight tickets at Shanghai from a travel agent who was 20 meters away from our hotel. Their staff spoke excellent English. We bought our train tickets from a Train Booking Office, which was another 15 meters down the road. At Beijing, we bought flight tickets from Ctrip over the phone, and they delivered the tickets to us in less than 60 minutes.

6. I notice that you are planning to fly from Xian to Guilin on 31st, and from Guilin to Hongkong on 1st. What a waste of time and money to go all the way to Guilin for 1 day; why not cut out some destinations, visit fewer places, and see them properly ? You will also create less stress for yourself. Remember, in travel, LESS is MORE. I would strongly suggest that you re-look at your itinerary, and have a slightly less hectic schedule. However, if you want to do it as you have planned, then booking tickets should be the least of your worries.

> 4. For train tickets, ask your hotel to refer you to a suitable travel agent (usually different from the ones who do air bookings), or refer you to a "Train Booking Office".

Well, yes and no. Almost any hotel will obtain rail tickets for you, and where there's no official travel office, the reception will do it. Half the time they just pop round the corner to one of the myriad offices with computers on the railway network, pay the official booking fee of ¥5, and then come back and charge you ¥20 to ¥30, which you may well feel is perfectly acceptable for the time saved (although most Chinese would probably not), and expressed as a percentage of the total ticket price can be a pretty hefty commission rate, depending on where you are going and in what class.

If you go yourself to an agent with a ticketing computer on the rail system you'll be able to pay ¥5, too. If you go to the railway station itself you'll pay nothing. If you go to any other agent you'll again typically pay ¥20 to ¥30 including delivery, so you might in many cases just as well get the hotel to do it, unless their commission is significantly higher.

>Here you may have some language problems, so try to keep someone with you who understands Chinese, and you can do all your train bookings at one shot in 10 minutes.

Let's not overcomplicate matters. In straightforward purchasing situations like this you don't need Mandarin, although naturally it helps to have it. All you need is to get someone at the hotel write down your needs and present it: the train number if you have a particular train in mind, and if not then just the destination, the class of berth required, date, no. of tickets, etc. Note, too, that in larger cities there are still often special windows for foreigners or where staff have enough simple English to explain matters, or at least enough experience to be able to communicate (e.g. by crossing out the date you have and saying "No!", then writing in the dates they do have). I haven't looked recently, but Shanghai and Xi'an certainly did have such counters, and they also exist at Beijing Station, Beijing West, and Beijing South (which also has bi-lingual touch-screen self-serve ticketing machines, which will no doubt spread across the system shortly. China will often take you by surprise by leaping from inefficiency to state-of-the-art procedures that may not yet have reached your home town.)

Buying a ticket is mainly a question of whether you view going to the station and working out your own way to a ticket is part of the pleasure of being in an alien environment (like looking round food shops or hutong walking), or a waste of time that might be spent on official sight-seeing. But assuming a modest level of gumption, language need be no barrier in situations such as this.

There are, however, important differences between booking rail and air tickets that need to be understood. Rail tickets are typically only available ten days in advance including day of travel, and while it's a long time since I failed to travel in the day I wanted, it must be recognised that rail ticket acquisition is less reliable than air ticket acquisition. Furthermore, while there are good reasons not to use the on-line air ticket agencies yet in the end they may have their uses, advance on-line purchase of rail tickets from agencies offering such a service (more than ten days in advance, that is) may carry surcharges of up to 70%. It also needs to be understood not only that there are only very limited numbers of return tickets available (and it's only a year or so that there have been any at all for the general public), but these are only between major stations. Furthermore, at any one station you will only be able to buy tickets for trains departing from or run by the same railway bureau (and working out whose trains are whose is not a headache you want to give yourself). You cannot be in Beijing and buy a ticket for a train from Shanghai to Guangzhou, for instance, unless you involve a rapacious agency with nationwide reach such as CITS, which will charge you a fortune simply to call its Shanghai office to go and get you the ticket. The overwhelming majority of tickets for any one train are sold at its point of origin, with allocations of assorted sizes for intermediate stations, depending on the size and importance of each stop. So although your timetable may show many trains from where you are to where you want to go, you are much less likely to end up boarding those that are merely passing through. In short, it is still normal in China to buy or order your ticket back to where you came from or on to your next destination as soon as you arrive.

And in general having a minute-by-minute itinerary worked out and booked in advance tends to lead to considerable extra expense, a loss of the advantages gained from independent travel, and some frustration as the itinerary at some point goes awry. Have a rough plan of attack, be flexible, and make it up as you go along.

Peter N-H

I agree with the comments to cut out some destinations so you don't overdo it and get exhausted. Leaving out 3 Gorges is good, is there a strong reason to visit Zhangjiajie? The bus ride there is very winding followed by a tiring hike (locals do carry tourists up in sedan chairs). Depending on your interests, you can take a daytrip from Shanghai to a watertown, and add a day to Yangshou or HongKong.

Zhou Zhuang & Zhujiajiao are the two watertowns near Shanghai.
Too much traffic to get any of the two.
The places are always too crowded.

Thank you everyone for your replies.. It is much appreciated and is very good advice. I have one important question, I believe the summer holidays in China are in July/August and a lot of people travel during these 2 months. Will this make it more difficult to get seats on trains and flights if booked in China, only a few days in advance and will the prices go up significantly?

My itenary was planned according to my interest by a chinese travel agent who i got in contact with. he is charging me 15000 RMB excluding a lot of internal tranferes to hotel etc. i now think this price is high and thus want to go Shanghai and do the bookings there myself. im just worried about the holiday period.

itenary: Jul 17(Fri): Arrive in Shanghai 1 pax (Farida) Arrival at O7.1O (AY 0057 Shanghai) . Transfer to hotel on your own.

Accommodation: Charms Hotel

Jul 18(Sat) to Jul 20th (Mon) Shanghai 1 pax Free on your own.

Accommodation: Charms Hotel

Jul 20(Mon): Hangzhou 2 pax (Farida's two friends) Two of Farida’s friends will arrive in Hangzho airport. Transfer and check in hotel on their own.

Accommodation: 4 star Hangzhou Lakeview Hotel

Jul 21(Tue): Shanghai-Suzhou-Haining 1 pax(Farida)
Transfer to Shanghai Railway Station on your own to take expressD5410 08:55/09:34 train to Suzhou. Upon arrival in Suzhou, your local guide will meet me at the railway station and transfer me to visit the Grand Canal by boat, the No. 1 Silk Factory to get more idea of Chinese silk, and the Master of Nets Garden. Then transfer to the railway station to take the express train D5475 19:20/ 21:15 to Haining. Upon arrival at the Haining Railway station, Take taxi and check in hotel on your own,stay with her other two friends.

Accommodation: 4 star Haining Hotel

Jul 21(Tue): Hangzhou 2 pax (Farida's two friends) (B)
Free on your own. Transfer to railway station and buy train ticke to Haining on your own. Arrive Haining 50 minutes later, transfer to hotel in Haining on your own.

Accommodation: 4 star Haining Hotel

Jul 22(Wed): Hangzhou-Shanghai 3 pax (B)
Explore tide bore at Yanguan Scenic area on your own. In the afternoon,buy train tickets back to Hangzhou on your own. Meet our driver at railway station and visit the Dragon Well Tea ( Longjing Tea ) Plantations Region to get more idea of the Hangzhou’s famous Dragon-Well Tea. Then transfer to your hotel.

Accommodation: 4 star Hangzhou Lakeview Hotel

Jul 23(Thu): Hangzhou-Yichang By flight-package included 3 pax
Transfer to airport on your own to connect domestic flight for Yichang. Meet our guide and go to the popular Three Gorges Dam-private tour basis. Transfer back to the hotel after tour.

Accommodation: 3 star Yiling Hotel or similar

Jul 24(Fri): Yichang-Zhangjiajie by train-package included 3 pax (B)
Morning is free for us to arrange our own activities. Then our guide will transfer us to the railway station and take the soft seat train 1473 13:08/18:20 to Zhangjiajie. Upon arrival, Take a taxi to the hotel on your own.

Accommodation: Beidouxing Hotel or similar

Jul 25(Sat): Zhangjiajie-Beijing by flight-package included 3 pax (B+L)
visit the National Forest Park, and the Bailong Elevator, China is the world’s largest exterior elevator.(Private Tour basis) Then transfer to airport for flight CA1360 21:50/00:20 to Beijing. Arrive Beijing, take taxi to hotel on your own.

Accommodation: On your own

Jul 26(Sun) to Jul 28(Tue) Beijing Free on your own, nothing included.

Jul 29(Wed): Beijing- Xian by train based on 4 berth cabin-package included 3 pax
Transfer to to the railway station on your own and take the overnight soft sleeper train to Xian.

Accommodation: train based on 4 berth cabin, soft sleeping bed.

Jul 30(Thu) Xian 3 pax ( private tour basis )
Pick you up at the railway station and transfer to the hotel. Breakfast and lunch on your own. Then proceed to the Terracotta Army. In the afternoon, visit the Great Mosque and the Muslim Street where you will have some free time in the street. Transfer back to your hotel in the late afternoon.

Accommodation: 4 star Xian Hotel or similar

Jul 31(Fri): Xian-Guillin by flight-package included 3 pax (B)
Transfer to airport via private van and take flight MU2329 0755/0930 to Guilin. Upon our arrival, meet our guide and take 2 hrs drive to Yangshuo to the hotel. Half day tour of Silver Cave and West Street.

Accommodation: 4 star Yangshuo Paradesa Resort

Aug 01(Sat): Guilin-Yangshuo-Guilin-Hong Kong (1 pax) airfare included - Shanghai (2 pax) 3 pax ----> 2 pax airfare included
Pick up from your hotel and transfer to Xingping. Take Bamboo boat from Xingping to Yangti and back to Xingping. Transfer to airport via private van and private guide,
Farida will transfer to airport with 2 freinds and board a flight to Hong Kong. End of tour.
.Farida’s 2 friends will transfer to airport with Farida and board the flight to Shanghai. Transfer to hotel via hotel shuttle bus.

Accomodation: Airline Travel Hotel Shanghai Pudong-one standard room

Aug 02(Sun) Farida's 2 friends
Transfer to airport via hotel shuttle bus. End of tour.

Any furhter suggestions will be extermely appreciated.
Indian couple thankyou for your advice setting up an account with ctrip which i will do, the day i arrive in shanghai i want to do what you did i.e go to a travel agency and book flights and then train tickets from a booking office. Could you tell me which travel agent you went to?

I have one day in Suzhou and have to leave that night for Haining, i wonder if i can do this on my own without a guide? also could you tell me the guide you booked in Yangshou

PeterN-H thankyou for your detailed reply, i just need to feel confident that i will be able to do these bookings and get the seats that i want.

thankyou all once again
farida

Indiancouple I forgot to ask -If I get flight to Shenzhen, how far is this from Hong Kong, and how will I get there, where I plan to stay in Tsim Sha Tsui area in a hostel.

thanks

Charms in Shanghai is in an excellent location, the hotel itself is 3-star at best, very little english spoken, toilet looks like a few inches from the tub, check out TripAdvisor photos. I've stayed at the Hangzhou Lakeview, you'll like it.

Suzhou can be a day trip from Shanghai by bus or train, don't think you need a guide. Haining is close to Hangzhou, unless you want to view the tide at night (you'll hear it, don't think you can see anything unless it's a full moon night which has the highest tide, not sure if you want to stay in Haining.

Once you arrive at Shenzhen airport, collect your baggage, and emerge into the main arrival hall, go to counter A08 (if you have arrived into Arrival Hall A) or B04 (if in Arrival Hall B). These are the counters of the Shuttle Bus service that take you from Shenzhen Airport to downtown Hongkong. You can immediately buy a ticket for 90 Rmb or so. Buses leave every 30 minutes, and they will take you to a decent departure lounge also.

The Bus will stop at the border, where you will have to get down with your luggage, and go through the Customs and Immigration Hall. The Bus driver will tell you the number of the departure "station" on the other side, where another bus will be waiting. Going through the Customs and Immigration in the hall is very smooth and well organized, and when you emerge at the other side, there are a lot of numbered departure points for buses. Go to the number you were told by the driver, and you will find a bus waiting, which will take you to Elements Mall in Kowloon, from where you can transfer to a taxi or metro.

The entire journey, including the immigration clearance, takes about 90 minutes. Buses are good, and there is no hassle during border crossing.

> I believe the summer holidays in China are in July/August and a lot of people travel during these 2 months.

This is profoundly wrong. The summer is low season for travel in China and there are no public holidays of any length in this period. Certain mountain and island resorts with a reputation for coolness see a lot of weekend travel if easily reached from cities. The northeast is a popular destination for students during the summer. Otherwise bear in mind that still only a very small part of the total workforce has discretionary holiday, and they mostly choose to travel in the spring and autumn.

> i now think this price is high and thus want to go Shanghai and do the bookings there myself.

If you want a trip from tourist trap to tourist trap, planned to the last second, overpaying for nonentity hotels, you might as well just go ahead and pay through the nose for what you already have.

If you're going to book for yourself then do so in the spirit of independent travel, be flexible, and enjoy the cost savings this will bring, too. As it is it's a determination to stick to an itinerary planned to the last millisecond, as opposed to having a general route and list of priorities, that will bring you grief when you fail to achieve it. You don't need to plan to the last millisecond, and in fact you don't need to arrive in China with anything booked at all (although you might want to have your first night's hotel booked, just for convenience while you get your bearings). You don't need tour guides for any of these destinations, but will see more, understand more, and be ripped off less if you just take decent reading material with you when you go.

> the day i arrive in shanghai i want to do what you did i.e go to a travel agency and book flights and then train tickets from a booking office

It has already been explained that you will not be able to buy train tickets in Shanghai for trains leaving other parts of China (unless there has been some very recent development on this front). And you will generally get better prices for air tickets at the point of departure.

Again, if you are flexible you will get everything you want, and you can just make up your trip as you go along. If you really cannot handle that idea (and that's fine--some people simply can't or don't want to), and absolutely really must see the exhausting list of tourist traps on your schedule, then the only way to guarantee that (more or less) is to pay a travel agent and put up with the side-effects of doing so.

Peter N-H

I would definitely book the first hotel, nothing I want to do less after a long flight than to hunt for a hotel. But other than that I completely agree with Peter's post. The only thing you HAVE to do is make your return flight. There's SO much to see in China that you'll have a great trip even if you miss a couple of the "must-sees".

Have you done independent travel before? If yes, dump your travel agent who's mis-guiding and mis-treating you. Assume you have booked your international flights, first things first is re-think your itinerary, you have got good advice here. Then look into hotels and how to get from A to B to C ..., note I didn't say book them but if you must,that's your choice and it's ok. 3rd task is easy, how to pack in and get to all the "must-sees" if you want your trip to be that way.

I have enjoyed reading this post very much - Peter N_H, you have been extremely helpful. we have a list of priorities and are willing to go wherever our travels take us in our 3 weeks. All we need to worry about is making our return flight home. It's hard to get your head around this when travelling to some countries can be so rigid.

Sorry, i've been away a few days, so did not see all the helpful ideas given to me. So a very BIG thank you to ALL. Yes, my internationl flights are booked, but no bookins yet in China.
I will book Charms through Ctrip and once in Shanghai, i'll buy train ticket to Suzhou (3 days later-21 July). I want to go to Haining that same night to see Eclipse on 22. That is why I wanted to be sure about this bit. After this the trip can be flexible.Any more suggestions will be appreciated.
If I go to Yichang, will I manage to go to 3gorges dam with a taxi?

3 gorge dam, Sandouping is a restricted area.
From downtown Yichang to Sandouping is around one hour, plus or minus.
Only vehicles with special permit could get access to the area.
Visitors have to go through a security check point at the entrance of the area.
The best way to see 3 gorge dam is to sign up a tour from the tourist hotels in Yichang.
The price is around RMB150 for the half day 3 gorge dam tour.
I have the contact of one of the local tour operators,
Comfort Travel, Yichang.
Phone:86-0717-6240035
Fax:86-0717--6240037
Email: 276969321@qq.com

> Only vehicles with special permit could get access to the area.

I've been there and back by public bus from Yichang. It's easy.

> The best way to see 3 gorge dam is to sign up a tour from the tourist hotels in Yichang.
The price is around RMB150 for the half day 3 gorge dam tour.

Possibly, but this is strung out by stopping at various viewpoints, and half a day is a lot more than is needed.

You can take the public bus and contract a tour on arrival if you feel you need it.

Peter N-H

I just don't want first timers bother with the hassles.

From Yichang to Sandouping by public bus:
Take route 4 or route 10 from Pier 3 in Yichang get off at Nite Pearl Circle station and switch for Route 8 to 3 gorge dam, Sandouping.
or take route 100 route 101 from Yiling new bus station in Yichang, get off at Nite Pearl Circle station and switch for Route 8 to 3 gorge dam, Sandouping.

They are local buses making many stop enroute.

They are local buses making many stops enroute.

>and half a day is a lot more than is needed.
I don't know what you're talking about!

Comfort Travel, Yichang has AM & PM tours.
AM half day tour:
Departs Yichang at 8:00 am
Returns to Yichang at 12:00noon
PM half day tour:
Departs Yichang at 2:00 pm
Returns to Yichang at 6:00 pm

"Contact for Comfort Travel" & "a typical day trip to see the Three Gorge Dam can be seen at my posts above".

Dear ALL thanks again for your inputs. I arrive in Yichang at 13:50 by flight. From airport I need to go to Three G dam. The buses mentioned are from Yichang ?city ,but what about from airport?
However I feel it might be easier to go with Comfort tour or can we manage to 'contract' a tour on arrival from airport, considering we will have luggage with us.Would it be better to pre-arrange pick up from airport if possible, then visit dam either with Comfort Travel or use a bus, but in this case (bus)we need to go to hotel first to leave our luggage.

Cat 12345 I can't seem to find "Contact for Comfort Travel" & "a typical day trip to see the Three Gorge Dam can be seen at my posts above". Pls help

faridabobat, here you go:

"Comfort Travel, Yichang.
Phone:86-0717-6240035
Fax:86-0717--6240037
Email: 276969321@qq.com"

There are other local tour operators running similar trips in Yichang.

"A typical day trip to see the Three Gorge Dam, Sandouping would be a 2-3 hour bus tour making two stops, one near the spill way, the other one on top of a mountain next to the shiplocks.
Bring umbrellas, the area is known for scattered showers."

It could be foggy also, 3 gorge area is the thunder storm center in China.

I will be happy to help if you need. Have fun!

Sun does exist in 3 gorge area.
Just don't be disappointed if the day you come is not a beautiful "rose garden" day.

Cat12345 thank you for all your help. I did email Comfort Travel, still awaiting reply. My problem is we will arrive in Yichang with luggage, so it will be more convinient to be picked at airport by a pre arranged car. Then we probably will have to go to dam first, with luggage, before checking in at hotel. I'm not sure about this though. I don't if we can go see dam if we check in at hotel first(will there be enough time, as arrival time of flight is 13:50).What do you suggest?

faridabobat,

You have to get your luggages upon arrival.
Most likely you have to spend overnite in Yichang and take the morning half day tour at 8:00 am departure.
I don't know which hotel you are going to stay in Yichang.
Perhaps you may want to ask your hotel to arrange a car with dam special permit to pick you up at the airport and have a private tour directly from Airport to the 3 gorge dam immediately upon arrival.
I'd never done it myself.
Bear in mind the Yichang flights usually arrive late.
You may also ask the same with the local tour operators.

From Yichang airport to downtown is about 30 minutes.

I have two more local operators running AM/PM half day 3 gorge dam tour in Yichang for your reference.

China Travel Service(International Department), Yichang
Address: Three Gorge Plaza, Block A,
52, Jie Fang Lu(Liberation Road), Room 1611
Postal Code 44300

Tel: 86-717-8356085 86-717-6908766
Cell: 86-13607203659 86-13972037548 (24 hr.) if not working try 86-717-136…..
MSN：sx927888@hotmail.com
QQ: 120275224 465692536


Yichang Holiday Tour
Address: Three Gorge Plaza, Block A,
52, Jie Fang Lu(Liberation Road), 15/F.,
Postal Code 44300
Tel: 86-717-6908319 86-717-6917239 (24 hours)
Fax: 86-717-6908939
MSN：sx927888@hotmail.com

Enjoy your trip!

Did you check out Shanghai Charms Hotel on Tripadvisor? Surely Ctrip has nicer ones for the same price.

CAT12345 thanks again, esp, for other two references. I phoned Comfort Travel y'day and again this morning. A lady picks up phone, and when I ask to speak to someone in English, she just hangs up! I emailed them y'day morning 8am (GMT)but no response up to now.I'm not yet sure which hotel to stay in -I asked Ctrip for a 3star hotel and they suggested Ping Hu hotel 300 RMB without b/fast. Do you have any suggestions?
We leave next day by train at 13:00.
I'll now try to contact other two operators.
Shanghainese
I was told Charms has excellent location, but just recently I read there is a lot of construction going on around hotel, making it very noisy. So I am thinking of another one. Any ideas from you?
Thanks all.

faridabobat,

Sounds like you might need someone who speaks Mandarin to make the phone call and CONFIRM the details.
Local tour operators in Yichang deal mostly with
Chinese domestic market.
Try China Travel Service(International Department), Yichang, they should have good English speaking staff to answer.

Your train leaves the next day at 1:00 pm..
Looks like you are taking train #1473 departing Yichang at 1:07 pm arriving Zhangjiajie at 7:17 pm with 7 stops enroute.
You may want to place a request for private tour from either the hotel where you stay or from the local tour operator.
If you can leave the airport before 3:00 pm on the arrival day, you would still be able to make the tour in day light.
It doesn't get dark until after 6:30 pm in July.
Or the next morning, check out and leave hotel at 7:00 am, the tour should be done by around 11:00 am.
Yichang train station is located in the center of the city on Dong Shan Da Dao.
Ping Hu Hotel suggested by Ctrip is also located on the same street, Dong Shang Da Dao.
Please check the website below for a better rate(standard room RMB200 w/breakfast) at Ping Hu Hotel from 07/23-24.
http://english.sunnychina.com/hotel/hotelinfo/2482/

I always stayed in Taohualing hotel when I came to Yichang.
You may check and compare the rate and accommodations with the website below.
http://english.sunnychina.com/hotel/hotelinfo/598/

Have a great trip!

Cat12345 Thanks once again. I cotacted both tour operators by phone and email. They have same email address? I had same problem with Yichang Holiday Tour- no body speaks English and they just hang up. But I had good luck with with China Travel Service. I spoke to a lady called Sally, who could speak good English, and was very helpful. She said they could arrange pick up for me from airport, take us to the dam and then to the hotel. She suggested a newly opened hotel which is economical, and asked if we needed to be dropped at rail station next day. She will let me know cost after talking to her boss, but did mention that pick up will be 300 RMB, another 300 to dam and a guide will be 150. I don't know if we need a guide. Also do you think these prices are fair?
I looked at web sites of Ping Hu and Taohualing hotels.
The latter is Location:
To the airport: 20 Km
To the railway station:0.5Km
To the city center: 0 Km
and Ping hu
Location：
30km to the airport.
1.5km to the train station.
1km to the city centre.
So Taohualing hotel is nearer to rail and airport, and there is a difference of 100 RMB between the two. So I think I'll stay At Taohualing. Do you think if I contact them they could also arrange a pick up and your of dam.
I really appreciate your help, thanks

Yichang Holiday tour is an affiliate of China Travel Service.

I wouldn't take hotels suggested by tour people in China.
300 rmb to dam is good price, just figure 2 persons taking group tour would be around 300 rmb.

Skip the guide if possible, info about the 3 gorge dam can easily be downloaded from internet.
Chinese guides throughout China are just doing the same, get info from internet and read them out in the tour bus. Some may throw in a couple of unlaughable jokes.
The tour company would likely provide a small car w/dam permit for your tour. Less people would mean more rooms.

Contact Taohualing and see how much they charge for hotel pick up and the dam tour.

Best!

Cat12345 thanks. Will contact Taohualing, see what they say. I need to find their number. I just hope the flight from Hangzhou to Yichang is not delayed.

Taohualing Hotel contact.

Tel: 86-717-6236666-7 Fax:86-717-6238888

Website:http://www.taohualing-hotel.com/english/about_e.htm

Cat12345 thanks. I phoned Taohualing Hotel ,reserved a triple room for 400 RMB without b/fast. Their charge for pick up and dam is 700 RMB. I will go with China Travel Service.
Would you be able to tell me if we can manage Zhangjiajie without a guide. We want to go to National Park and Bailong elevator
Good day!

You can easily manage Zhangjiajie without a guide.

AM: Upon entering Zhangjiajie National Park entrance, bear left, take the cable car round trip to see Huangshizhai scenic area.
PM: At the same entrance, bear right for a long bush walk to Bailong elevator.
Zhangjiajie Bus Station is located at the end of Renmin Lu near a big department store.
Zhangjiajie National Park is about one hour away by bus from the city. Fare: 10 rmb..

Bring umbrella or poncho.

Cat12345. Thanks again. We arrive in Zhabgjiajie by train around 18:20 after Yichang. Any suggestions on how to get to hotel from rail station , which hotel, and to get to National Park next day from hotel? Will hotel help us arrange transfer to airport that night? BTW,Sally at China Travel Service, has agreed to do everything for us, including transfer to rail station next day for 500 RMB!

Upon arrival in Zhanjiajie rail station, exit and make a left to the taxi stands.

Cabs are metered, I used to pay 20 rmb with the meter covered from train station to the hotel in downtown.
3 people with luggages might need to cabs.

I usually stayed in Zhangjiajei International Hotel, a joint venture with Hongkong, located in downtown, 20 minutes driving distance from airport.

One of the reservation web sites is below
http://english.sunnychina.com/hotel/hotelinfo/773/

There is a 5 star Wulingyuan International Resort Hotel near the national park.

Ask hotel staff to get a cab to the National Park, fare should be around 150 rmb.

There are 5 entrances in Zhangjiajie Scenic Area.
Make sure the cab drop you off at Zhangjiajie National Park Entrance.

Ignore those "bogus uniform tour guides" at the entrance area.

Temperature in the national park is usually 10 degrees F. lower than downtown Zhangjiajie.

Ca12345 . Thanks a million, this is very helpful. You seen to have travelled extensively in China. What is temperature likely to be after mid July? The rest of China is very hot!
'There are 5 entrances in Zhangjiajie Scenic Area.
Make sure the cab drop you off at Zhangjiajie National Park Entrance.'Do all entrances have different names? Is Zhangjiajie National Park Entrance the main one?

Nanjing, Wuhan & Chongqing are known to be ovens July & August.
Beijing sometimes have heavy showers in August.

The National Park Entrance & Wulingyuan Entrance are the two main entrances. Wulingyuan is the name of the entire scenic area.

Study more info about Zhangjiajie before you go.

The walk from the national park entrance to Bailong elevator is called "Golden Whip Creek/Stream trail", you would not be the only party walking on the trail. Go with the flow.
At the end of the trail, there are free shuttle carts to Bailong elevator.

There are fees for the national park entrance, cable cars & Bailong elevator.

All entrances have different names.

You stay is short.
Perhaps you should do the Bailong elevator in the morning and do others if time is permissible.

Cat12345 Thank you very much again. Sorry I could not reply earlier as I was away for last 6 days. I really appreciate all the help given. I will try to get more info beforehand. Any suggested websites?

Let me go on with my post on Jun 20, 09 at 09:22 AM
The walk from the national park entrance to Bailong elevator is called "Golden Whip Creek/Stream trail"

The Golden Whip Creek/Stream trail walk takes about two and half hours.
At the end of the trail, the scenic spot is called "water surrounding 4 gates".
From "water surrounding 4 gates", you can take shuttle bus to Bailong elevator.
When you are done with the ride, take shuttle bus directly from Bailong elevator to Wulingyuan entrance to exit without going back to the national park entrance.

There is no shuttle bus between Bailong elevator to the national park entrance.

The national park entrance & Wulingyuan entrance are the two main entrances used by tourists, the other three are not as popular, some bogus tour guides sneak people into the park to evade the entrance fee using those three entrances.

"Zhangjiajie", literally means "Zhang family territory" in Chinese, is only one section of Wulingyuan scenic area.
On top of Bailong elevator, the area is called "Yuanjiajie" or Yuan family territory.
There is another section in Wulingyuan called Yangjiajie, the Yang family territory.

The ideal length of stay to see the entire Wulingyuan is between 2 to 4 days.
Day pass is good to 2 days.

I have another one day route with less walking for you.

Forget the national park entrance, forget the Huangshizhai cable car and the Golden Whip Creek/Stream trail long walk.

Use Wulingyuan entrance to enter.

AM: Take shuttle bus from Wulingyuan entrance to Bailong elevator. Go back to Wulingyuan entrance for lunch.
PM: Take shuttle bus from Wulingyuan entrance to Tianzi Mountain Cable car station to see Tianzi Mountain scenic area.

I guess google or yahoo would have tons of websites about Zhangjiajie.

Cat12345 Thanks for everything. I'm thinking of staying either at Zhangjiajie Qinghe Jinjiang International Hotel or Wulingyuan International Resort Hotel, both are near the Wulingyuan Entrance. Wulingyuan International Resort Hotel is more expensive. Any suggestions on this?

I always stayed at the hotels in the city center when I came to Zhangjiajie.

Both Qinghe Jinjiang International Hotel and Wulingyuan International Resort Hotel are pretty new.

Qinghe Jinjiang International Hotel is run by Shanghai Jianjian hotel group.
Wulingyuan International Resort is run by the Best Western.

From airport or train station to either one of the hotels would take 45 minutes, fare would roughly be 150rmb + or -.

I don't know if one cab would be able to accommodate 3 people with luggages.

Cat12345 Are there bigger cabs available? Or we may need a mini van?
thanks so much.

Ask your hotel to provide transfer for 3 people with luggages.

Cat12345 Thanks. I phoned both above hotels,and staff at Wulingyuan International Resort Hotel can speak English, wheareas at the other it is a struggle, but can manage. I can't decide where to stay, since they are both 5 star. Once I decide then I can ask for transfer. Prices are 900 RMB at Wulingyuan International Resort Hotel and 698 at the other.

Just read this post. I will in Chengde on a surgical mission for 2 weeks and plan to travel on my own for 6 days after. I would love to get some advise. The group is staying at Jinyue International Hotel, on Yuan'andong Rd. I could not get any info on the web, have you heard of it?

The 6 days of my solo female(53) travel..places I want to go: Xian, Beijing & Shanghai (depart to US)) . I will take day trips by train to Zhangjiajie and Chengdu to see the Pandas on my day off during the mission. I am a cyclist would love to fit that in some fabulous countryside! I also wanted to go to Fenghuang, a preserved ancient town. Can you recommend places to stay in Beijing and Shanghai that are convienent to the places like the square, wall etc. Thank you so much, Max

Maxine19147

Jinyue International Hotel, on Yuan'andong Rd. is a brand new 4 star hotel in Changde.
It locates in front of Yuan river in the center of the city.
Tel: 0736-2911111
Fax: 0736-2911668
Email: jinyue6688@yahoo.cn

From Changde to Zhangjiajie by train takes two and a half hours, by car would be about 2 hours.

Chengdu, Szechuan is far from Changde, Hunan.
From Changde, take a 3 hour train to Changsha and switch for another 20 hour train ride for Chengdu.
Or take a 2 hour flight from Changsha to Chengdu.

From Zhangjiajie to Fenghuang, take bus #28, it takes 4 hours, only 2 departures a day at 8:30am & 2:30pm.

Or take train from Zhangjiajie to Jishu.
There are vans from Jishu to Fenghuang, takes about one hour.

There are tons of ad. from hotels in Xian, Beijing & Shanghai
on websites.

Cat12345 As you know I'm doing Yichang tour with China Travel Guide. They emailed me saying they have a group going to Zhangjiajie and one their nights is the night I'm going to be there. They are putting the group in a hotel called Honghegu, 3 star, and offered me a triple room for 260 CNY a night, and they say it is near National Park, walking distance, but can't tell me if it is near Wulingyuan entrance. I can't find any info on this hotel on internet-have looked at several websites. can you help please?
As always, thanks a million!

Depends on which entrance you want to use
The National Park or the Wulingyuan entrance

Honghegu Hotel is a 3 star hotel located near the National Park entrance.
Grand opening in 1987.
Last renovation 2004.
Total number of rooms: 73
Tel: 86-744-5719297
Here is a picture of Honhegu hotel:
http://img.51766.com/hhgjd/1199496766729.JPG


I also have a 3 star hotel near Wulingyuan ticket office for your reference
http://www.zhangjiajie.com.cn/english/stay_xx.asp?id=1313

Thank you Cat, I have not booked but have done some research and found a courtyard hotel in Beijing close to the square and museums,that offers a bike, sounds like a great way to see the sites! ( I will take my helmit!!)I feel, after reading all of these wonderful blogs, the best way to see China is to go with the flow with a unstructured flexable plan and do my homework! I might have one or two more questions in the near future. I am so appreciative for this site!!! The knowledge is priceless and not found in any book...Max

Have a great trip.
Bike safely!

Cat12345 I agree with Max19147 about being appreciative of this site! So much valuable advice! Following your advice I 've decided to stay near Wulingyuan entance, thus looked at Qinghe Jinjiang International Hotel and Wulingyuan International Resort, between which I can't decide. Since Honghegu is not near this entrance it is not for me. I've checked the last web site you sent but not sure now which is best to stay, considering that we have only a day to see the park including the bailong elevator.

This is the advice you gave me and I intend to follow this:

"Forget the national park entrance, forget the Huangshizhai cable car and the Golden Whip Creek/Stream trail long walk.

Use Wulingyuan entrance to enter.

AM: Take shuttle bus from Wulingyuan entrance to Bailong elevator. Go back to Wulingyuan entrance for lunch.
PM: Take shuttle bus from Wulingyuan entrance to Tianzi Mountain Cable car station to see Tianzi Mountain scenic area."

Considering above and also tryng to have conivience and budgeting, which hotel would you say is ideal for us? Please do help on this! Again thanks as always.

Try this budget 3 star hotel
Wulingyuan Hotel(Wulingyuan Bing Guan), 200 meters away from the Wulingyuan ticket office for scenic spots and only 35-minute drive from the train station and the airport.

Bing Guan meaning guest house, I guess it should be called Wulingyuan guest house.

Reservation
http://hotels.english.ctrip.com/domestic/showhotelinfo.aspx?hotel=2423&StartDate=2009-7-24&DepDate=2009-7-25#price

Here is a picture of Wulingyuan Hotel
http://www.chinazjj.cn/wl/index.htm

Wulingyuan Hotel(Wulingyuan Bing Guan)contact:
192, Wuling Rd., Wulingyuan District,
Zhangjiajie, Hunan. PC 427400

Tel: 86-744-5555886
Fax: 86-744-5555887

Cat12345 Thanks. Will check it out, and get back to you

Cat12345 Pls help. I tried but can't get much info on Wulingyuan Hotel(Wulingyuan Bing Guan)contact:
192, Wuling Rd., Wulingyuan District,
Zhangjiajie, Hunan. PC 427400

Is this hotel near the Wuligyuan entrance like the other two or can we easily do our trip as you suggested if we stayed here. You have mentioned it is near ticket office, but does this mean it is near Wuligyuan entrance too. Sorry if I sound ignorant, but I really don't know. I phoned the Wulingyuan Hotel(Wulingyuan Bing Guan) but could not communicate since they did not know much English.
Thank you very much in advance

I am not surprised people in this budget 3 star Wulingyuan Hotel do not speak much English, they deal mostly with the domestic Chinese market.

The Wulingyuan ticket office is where the Wulingyuan entrance locates.

When you are in China, you can still get someone from the hotel to speak to them to confirm what you want.

Please also try these two 3 or 4 star hotels, they are located within 5 minutes driving distance from Wulingyuan Entrance.

Yubifeng Hotel
Address: Wulingyuan Wu Jia Yu Lu Kau(next to Wulingyuan ticket office) PC 42700

Tel： 86 744-5556999 Fax： 86 744-5556199
Front Desk: 86744-5556699 5556094

Here is a pic of the hotel:
http://www.yubifenghotel.com/webinfo/200805001.asp


Dynasty International Hotel
Address: Wulingyuan Jun Di Lu Dong Lu Kau
Tel： 86 744-5556789　 Fax: 86 744-5666399　
Sales Dept: 86 744-5555558

Here is a pic of the hotel:
http://www.zjjrx.com/pic/200903/8/20090308115035_11.jpg

Best.

Cat12345
I am amazed at you extensive knowledge of China and tips on travelling and accomodation. Thanks so much. I will check these out. Would you say these are more convinient than Wulingyuan Hotel(Wulingyuan Bing Guan), since they are closer to Wulingyuan Entrance. Price at Wulingyuan Hotel(Wulingyuan Bing Guan) is 230 for standard room and 320 for deluxe room.

Also any tips on hotels in Xian nrar Muslim Quarter. Thanks again

All the hotels are about the same short distance to Wulingyuan Entrance.

Bell Tower hotel next to the Bell Tower will be closest to the Drum Tower in Xian.
I stayed in this hotel a few times when it was managed by Holiday Inn.

The hotel and the Drum tower is about 10 min walking distance apart with the Drum Tower square in between.

Starbucks, Dafacheng dumpling house & McDonald are located near the Drum Tower square.

Next to the McDonald and beyond the Drum Tower gate is Beiyuan Men Islamic street, the shopping street of Muslim quarter in Xian.

Beiyuan Men street is lined with restaurants, grocery stores & other stores.
At nite, it becomes a night market where many venders, peddlers and snack sellers set up booths to sell local arts and food to people.

Popular local cuisine sold in the nite market are barbecue mutton, mutton sautéed with minced pepper & xinjiang herbs stuffed in muslim pancakes, sweet muslim cakes & dried persimmons.........

Next to the drum tower gate on the right is a large market comprised of tents.
Dried fruits, pickled snacks, and tourist stuffs can be found there.

The muslim quarter is made up of small lanes and alleys.

The Great Mosque is easy to be found at the day time because there are arrow signs with direction to the great mosque on some corner buildings in the muslim quarter.

Other than the great mosque, I had gone into some smaller mosques (Cat12345 is a guy) in the area, saw the worshippers clean up and pray.
At the end, they gave some money to the female muslim panhandlers at the exit.

Bell tower is the city center with heavy traffic.
Some people complained bell tower hotel being a little noisy.

For me, it was fine.

Website of Bell Tower Hotel, Xian

http://www.belltowerhotelxian.cn/

Cat12345
Thanks for all useful info. We also want to visit other mosques apart from Great Mosque, since we are Muslims. Is it easy to find these? I've been told Mutton soup with chinese bread is Xian's speciality. Have you tried it?
Also pls help us in deciding hotel in Zhangjiajie from the last three you mentioned. Which one is best to stay? I do not know prices of the last two yet, but maybe they are similar. Apart from price which one offers better facilities, especially good bathroom and toilet.
Once again thanks for all help you have given, really do appreciate.

Cat12345
I called Ctrip to help me with these hotels, they have only Wulingyuan Hotel(Wulingyuan Bing Guan)on their system, so they can't tell me anything about the other two. I called all three hotels, no one speaks English. So I now rely on you please to help. Also, I wonder, if I can't communicate, how will it be possible to ask anything, how to go about, transfers etc. Thank you for all.

>We also want to visit other mosques apart from Great Mosque, since we are Muslims. Is it easy to find these?

It is not hard to bump into the mosques within the muslim quarter in Xian. I used to roam in the muslim quarter and bumped into the mosques at times.

The muslim quarter has tons of alleys and small lanes, the great mosque is located on huajue alley, on the left of Beiyuenmen shopping street from the Drum Tower gate.

Just look for arrow signs for great mosque on the corner buildings in the alleys.
Not far from the Great Mosque, there is a smaller mosque with a muslim goods store next to it.

At the end of Beiyuenmen street, there is a monument (actually a street sign).
Next to the monument on the left is xiyangzhi street, another part of the muslim quarter, xiyangzhi connects to miaohou Street.

There are 2 more mosques near miaohou Street, one on Daxuexi alley near Ali Fast food, another one next to star & moon hospital.

There is one mosque on Xiaopiyuan next to a muslim arts & craft store.
Xiaopiyuan is a couple more blocks from the Beiyuenmen monument to the left.
You may ask people in the Great mosque for more.

>Mutton soup with chinese bread is Xian's speciality

It is called “Pao Mo”, beef/mutton brooth with a little Chinese vermicelli & veg, few pieces of meat & “Mo”.

The Chinese bread is a muslim pancake called mo, mo is about the size of donut.

In the Pao Mo restaurant in China, customers would be given a piece of mo if they order beef or mutton pao mo soup.

They would crush the “mo” into small pieces slowly, enjoy a conversation at the same time, and give them back to the server to be cooked with the soup.
Small dishes of garlic, chopped parsley & chilly paste serve on the side.

There are tons of "Pao Mo" restaurants in Xian.

Laosunjia is most famous. It has outlets all over Xian like starbucks.
Others are just as good as Laosunjia.

Try to call these hotels during the office hours, some English speaking staff should be available.

If not, ask the Chinese hotel staff in China to call and confirm the reservation and transfers when you are there.
Tell the Chinese hotel staff to write down the hotel name and address in Chinese (don’t lose it!).

Yubifenghotel looks pretty good.
http://www.yubifenghotel.com/webinfo/200805001.asp
http://www.yubifenghotel.com/webinfo/200805002.asp
http://www.yubifenghotel.com/webinfo/200805003.asp
http://www.yubifenghotel.com/webinfo/200805004.asp
http://www.yubifenghotel.com/webinfo/200805005.asp
http://www.yubifenghotel.com/webinfo/200805006.asp

Worse comes to worst.
Take the 5 star 698 rmb Qinghe Jinjiang International Hotel or 900 rmb Wulingyuan International Resort.
They are all within short driving distance from Wulingyuan entrance.

Cat12345
The pictures of Yubifeng hotel are impressive,it does look good.I will try to phone again to book a room.
Can one get the famous Peking duck in Xian? Is anything worth buying from Xian, or can we get same in Beijing?
Thank you very much as always.
Any tips on Shanghai similar to the ones on Xian, please?

>Can one get the famous Peking duck in Xian?

Xian Roast Duck Restaurant (Xian Kao Ya Dian)
#369, Dongdajie (East Main Avenue.)
15 minutes walking distance from Bell Tower Hotel.

This is the oldest & most famous Beijing duck house in Xian
Bear in mind that local restaurants in China are crowded and noisy, that’s the way of life, go the Roman way.

>Is anything worth buying from Xian

Local folk arts & craft like paper cut, donkey skin puppet, farmers paintings..........
I used to browse on the Xian relica ancient cultural street on Shuyuanmen.
The street is lined with lots of tradition Chinese stationery stores selling paintings, Chinese stone robbings, calligraphy brush......

From Bell Tower hotel, turn right, that is Nandajie (South Main Avenue).
Shuyuanmen replica ancient cultural street is located on the left at the end of Nandajie.

DON’T buy jade in China unless you know what you’re doing.
If you don’t, just get some cheap souvenirs.”

Chinese tour directors/local guides from Ritz, Grand Circle Tour, Oat, Pacific Delight Tour, PDT, love to take their clients to “Jade factory” in Xian because they are big ticket items.

These so called “Jade factory” are customed made for tourist.
90% of jade sold these stores are Grade B or Grade C jades.
These jades have no real value because they have been bleached with chemicals.
The color would change after a few years.

China reminds me of people.
Shanghai means more people, lots of people.
Charms hotel is centrally located within walking distance from Nanjing Dong Lu walking street.

I would advise people not to go to Shanghai during the public holidays like Oct. 1, Aug. 1, May 1, Lunar New Year.......

Because of the huge crowd in the Bund area, the Nanjing Dong Lu subway station would usually be closed and cordoned off by arm police after 6 pm.

I happened to be in the bund area during one of these holidays.
As I mingled in the crowd, I lost control of myself but had to follow wherever people pushed me, go with flow!

You asked me about the muslim quarter in Xian.
Shanghai was the haven to 30 to 40 thousand Jews during world war 2.
The resided in Hongkau district.
Most of the houses they lived are gone. A few Synagogues are still left behind.

One of them, The Ohel Moishe Synagogue, is converted into a museum and open to the public.
Its address: 62 Changyang Road Shanghai 200082.
Tel: 86-21-65415008
From Peace hotel, take a cab to the museum take 20 minutes in normal traffic.

Cat, question... I plan to take a train from Chengde to Xi'an and spend the day there. Are there lockers at the station where I can leave and lock up a piece of luggage and my lap top while I wonder at the amazing solders and horses? Thanks, Max

I don't think so, I rather say I don't know.

Maxine 19147
I think you meant Changde, Hunan, not Chengde, Hebei near Beijing.
Shanghai train station used to have luggage storage service, not lockers.
I don't know and wonder if they still have it after these Tibet
Urumqi riots.

Cat12345 and everybody
Thank you very much on all the useful info given. I' m leaving for Shanghai on Thursday morning 7:00am British summer time, really excited and looking forward to the trip. I'm perfectly fine so hopefully should not encounter any quarintine problems. My nieces are joining me from Malaysia, they are well too, so everything should be OK. Once back, I'll post a report on our trip! Two questions on Shanghai. What exactly is French consession area and how to get there? Which is best "lighted" street to roam around at night? I'm staying at Manhattan hotel, although had initially planned to stay at Charms,as lately there are some bad reviews about Charms.

The Bund, Nanjing Road area were British concession, Hongkau district was American concession but later turned over to the British.
The bund area is having a big renovation for 2010 expo.

French concession is around the opposite end of the bund from the people hero monument, now Nanjing Dong Er Lu and Jinling Dong Lu.
From there the French concession stretched to Luwan district and Xuhui district.

Luwan has a big stadium where Yao Ming might once practice his basketball skill.
St. Ignatius Cathedral in Xuhui was built by the French with British architect.

Today, the former French concession can still be traced with lots of French villas.

Nanjing Road walking street would be one of the best places to walk around at night.
You may take one of the tourist carts on Nanjing Road instead of walking.

Xintiandi is also a nice place to hang out at nite.
It has some of Shanghai finest clubs, restaurants and boutiques.
The area was part of French concession.

From Manhattan Hotel to Xintiandi, take Shanghai metro green line at Nanjing East Road station for Songhong Road bound direction.
Get off one stop, it will be People square station, switch for red line for Xinzhuang bound direction.
Get off one stop at South Huangpi Road Station and use #2 exit.
Look for South Huangpi Road and a KFC outlet on South Huangpi Road.
Xintiandi is a couple blocks down on the right.

In Zhangjiajie, other than the entrance fee, Bailong Elevator and Tianzi Mountain Cable car charge separately each way.

On top of Bailong Elevator is Yuanjiajie, you will have time to explore Yuanjiajie scenic spots like "the No.1 bridge" "Getting faint terrace"..... No 1 bridge is one single big rock connecting two mountains, tourist can walk across it.
You can take shuttle bus to go down to water surrounding 4 gate and Wulingyuan entrance instead of taking Bailong elevator.

Same for Tianzi Mountain Cable car, you may explore Helong Park and the adjacent scenic spots before heading back by cable car and shuttle bus.

There are two kinds of shuttles bus, one in yellow, one in purple.
From Yuanjiajie to go down would be yellow bus and switch for purple at water surrounding 4 gate.

As a matter of fact, take one way only for the after Mountain Cable Car, explore Helong park and nearby, take yellow shuttle bus to water surround 4 gate and switch for purple bus to Wulingyuan Entrance.

Cat1234 Thanks a million. I'm not clear on the shuttle buses, could you explain pls! After going up the Bialong Elevator what is the best way of going about seeing the rest of the places?

Thanks

You will see these buses at the Wulingyuan entrance.

http://laiba.tianya.cn/laiba/images/10754712/12424528951165446478/A/1/m.jpg

As you step out the Beilong elevator, you will see the back garden parking lot with these buses.

http://club.zhong5.cn/images/upload/2009/04/17/13241161886.jpg

Take the yellow mini bus for about 10 minutes and get off at
"the Enchanting Stand"(get faint terrace)

http://club.zhong5.cn/images/upload/2009/04/17/12513161886.jpg

From the enchanting stand, you can enjoy the scenary and walk to "The highest natural bridge"(the No.1 bridge)

http://club.zhong5.cn/images/upload/2009/04/17/13013561886.jpg

Earliest bus starts at 8:00 am.
Last bus leaves at 5:00 pm
Free of charge