Gigi

Well, folks, you have given me a world of advice that I so appreciate. The final itinerary is shaking out to be:<BR><BR>I am arriving in Beijing on March 3rd, depart from Beijing on the 20th. We shall be staying in Beijing for 7 days, and then will spend the rest of the time touring.<BR><BR>The destinations I have in mind are:<BR>Chengde<BR>Pingyao<BR>Xian<BR><BR>I was looking for some quiet, ease to get into the countryside (with the aid of a rented car and driver) to see the rural culture. Mike Thompson gave me information on Chengde which sounds perfect.<BR><BR>So, given this, I think I have it figured out as follows:<BR><BR>Beijing March 3 to 10<BR>Hire car to get to Chengde, via Simatai and Eastern Qing tombs, arrive Chengde late afternoon.<BR>Leave Chengde 5 days later, via the area where the Great Wall meets the Sea, fly (And I am having difficulty finding an airport near Chengde) from here,<BR>????? flight to Xian.<BR>Stay in Xian 2 to 4 days,<BR>overnight train to Pingyao, stay there for 1 to 2 days, <BR>train or bus to Beijing for remaining days.<BR><BR>So, the question is: I would like to see the where the Great Wall meets the Sea. Is there an airport near this spot where I may fly to Xian? Any website where I can find flight departure times and fares listed?<BR><BR>Secondly, is the overnight train from Xian to Pingyao my best transport? <BR><BR>Thirdly, should I take the bus (as I read today, I probably should,) then, where do I locate this in Pingyao? <BR><BR>Paige, Peter, Michael, Annette, and so many others...thank you for your generosity is sharing. I am so looking forward to this trip and you all have helped so much! <BR><BR>Cordially,<BR>Gigi<BR>email: [email protected]<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>

Peter N-H

Do you really plan to spend *five* days in Chengde? And keep the car for all that time?<BR><BR>I have to wonder what you plan to spend five days doing.<BR><BR>The nearest airport to Shanhaiguan (where the section of the Wall which meets the see was completely rebuilt a few years ago) is Qinhuangdao, not far away and easily reachable from the town by taxi or bus. But there are no flights from there to Xi'an.<BR><BR>There are, however, daily flights to Taiyuan, which is the closest city to Pingyao. From Taiyuan long distance bus station comfortable aircon express minibuses will get you there in something over an hour.<BR><BR>If you should return to Beijing first, your best option is still bus--the overnight train to Pingyao is very slow. From Lize Qiao bus station in Beijing there are comfortable Volvo buses and similar which will take you to Taiyuan in six hours (aircon, attendant, on-board lavatory, etc.) and you take the minibus from the same bus station.<BR><BR>These drop you outside the railway station, which is just outside the city walls. Bus will also be a quicker way of reaching Xi'an--the three trains are poorly timed and quite slow.<BR><BR>If you are then returning to Beijing from Xi'an, you have several choices of overnight express train, or many flights daily.<BR><BR>But what will you do with *five* days in Chengde? It seems far too many days out of a short trip.<BR><BR>Peter N-H<BR>http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

Gigi

Hello, Peter<BR>Thank you for responding to my thread. Actually, I will lose the first day just getting there via Simatai. Apparently this journey will take some time. <BR>The only reason why I am thinking five days, Peter, is that I need a bit of quiet. My job is pretty stressful, Beijing while offering different stimuli can be considered stressful, too. <BR>My favorite part of any vacation has been the tiny city: Toledo in Spain; the northern villages of Portugal; Amalfi in March, etc. In all my research it appears that I will be nearest peace while in an exquiste setting. <BR><BR>I am already planning another trip to China. There is no feeling here of having to see everything in a short time. <BR><BR>The hotel arrangements outside of Beijing haven't been made, yet. I think I shall only have my TA book the first night in Chengde as availability appears pretty good, and then see what happens.

Peter N-H

I must admit that China is probably the last country I would think of when looking for peace and quiet. It can be found, but in far remoter spots than Chengde, which a busy, bustling town with a great deal of construction going on. Indeed, an entire city block has been flattened, and several new hotels, apartment buildings, offices, and shops are going up in the town centre. However, I've like Chengde on all my three visits. <BR><BR>Its busy season is from the first week of May to the first week of October, with particular emphasis on those two weeks, when it might actually be difficult to get a room. There's an oversupply of rooms, and its growing. Discounts of up to 30% should be expected on room rates through the summer, and 50%-60% during the rest of the year. But you won't get these rates if you book in advance through a travel agent.<BR><BR>If you're in the &quot;four-star&quot; range, a brand new hotel just about to open when I was last there, might be your best choice. This is the Shenghua Dajiudian, at Wulie Lu 22, 0314/227-1188. Fax 0314/227-1112. Surprisingly, given its age, some of the best room are the newly-refurbished four-star section of the otherwise three-star Shanzhuang Binguan (Mountain Villa Hotel), directly opposite the main entrance to the resort. 0314/202-5588. Fax 0314/203-4143. Probably rather quieter would be an hotel actually inside the park, with its own entrance just round to the left of the main one, the Qi Wang Lou Binguan, at Bi Feng Dong Lu Bei 1, 0314/202-4385. Fax 0314/202-1904. This is a Qing era courtyard building, with modern refitting to turn it into an hotel. Your door opens directly onto the courtyard, but the interior fittings of the rooms are like a standard hotel. Some foreign tour groups stay here (although there aren't that many), and its not only the choice of the leaders (several famous names have left their calligraphy), but where the Hebei government puts up its official guests. Although the ancient buildings have been tastelessly outlined with lights, it's the nearest thing you'll find to charm in Chengde accommodation, and was once good enough for the Qianlong emperor. This one's also busy during Western holidays (expats take Easter breaks here, for instance), and only has 70 rooms. But in addition to the very flash (by provincial standards) Shenghua, there are a number of other shiny choices, such as they Qianyang Dajiudian, and the not so conveniently located Hong Lou Binguan. In short, it shouldn't be a problem.<BR><BR>Peter N-H<BR>http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

scigirl

Hi Gigi - Five days does sound like a lot for Chengde. I think you'll find it very different from Toledo, Spain. Not quite as friendly a city for exploring on foot. However, the areas of the outlying temples and the summer palace are quite peaceful (might be a bit chilly in March). With 3 days (assuming 2 days travel time on arrival and departure) you'll have plenty of time for exploring. Weather allowing you can do a lot of hiking and quiet reflecting in the temples (some of which seem rarely visited and are very quiet).<BR><BR>If you were taken with Toledo do be sure to walk through the hutong neighborhoods in Beijing - Peter has a post on this forum describing a walk. You'll find the narrow twisty streets and old buildings to be maybe an Asian equivalent to the twisty streets of Toledo. (Of course, also compleletely different from Toledo also....)<BR><BR>Have a good trip!<BR><BR>Anneke

designergigi

Thanks again, Peter and Anneke. <BR>I feels that everything is falling into place. It is highly unusual for me to be traveling this way without all the reservations of plane/train/hotel being made in advance. But, I love the freedom to move on when I choose.<BR><BR>22 days and counting! I can't wait, and thanks to all the people who helped me get this planned!<BR><BR>Gigi