dennisamm

We are Swiss couple planning to do our honeymoon (max. 34 days) in Japan and China. We are mostly into the beauty of nature and animals, but we also like cultural sights. We have never been in China nor Japan before. It's not that I haven't done any online research to put together an interesting trip, but when it comes to traveling, experience is worth a lot. So if you have been to any of these beautiful places, I would like to ask you kindly to share your opinion with us. Is the time frame reasonable? (it shouldn't be too hectic, we do not want to rush from one point to another..) Shall we spend more time at some of these places? Are some nice spots missing which are near to these? Any experiences with these airlines? We are thankful for any comment!

Day 1 - Day 2: Flight from Frankfurt to Tokyo with Qatar Airlines
Day 2 - Day 7: Tokyo
Train from Tokyo to Harone
Day 7 - Day 9: Harone
Train from Harone to Kyoto
Day 9 - Day 13: Kyoto
Flight from Osaka to Beijing with China Eastern Airlines
Day 13 - Day 18: Beijing
Flight from Beijing to Zhangjiajie with Air China
Day 18 - Day 20: Zhangjiajie
Train/Bus from Zhangjiajie to Fenghuang or Dehang (over Huaihua)
Day 20 - Day 22 Fenghuang & Dehang
Train from Fenghuang to Guilin (over Huaihua)
Day 22 - Day 26 Guilin & Yuangshuo
Flight from Guilin to Lijiang with Beijing Capital Airlines
Day 26 - Day 29 Lijiang
Train from Lijiang to Dali
Day 29 - Day 31 Dali
Flight from Dali to Chengdu with China Eastern Airlines
Day 31 - Day 34 Chengdu & Mount Qingcheng
Flight from Chengdu to Frankfurt with Qatar Airlines

Thanks a lot!

rhkkmk

looks wonderful to me..

I used china eastern last year and they were fine... more like a budget airline.

kja

Congratulations and best wishes!

Before heading to Beijing, do check into the air pollution levels, consider the health risks, and whether you want to take some kind of mask with you. Here is a recent post on the issue:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...y-that-bad.cfm

Given your interest in nature, you might want to cut a night or two from your planned time in Tokyo and spend the time in Nikko and/or Lake Chuzenji instead.

Enjoy!

Kavey

If you are able to add any more time to Kyoto, there is a lot to see there, and if you enjoy nature and culture, you may prefer Kyoto to Tokyo... there are many temples with beautiful gardens, for culture as well as the more "managed" side of nature and you can also head out of Kyoto to the many places nearby such as Arashiyama and Nara.

Shanghainese

I am wondering if you'd like to add a day or two for Xian, perhaps between Dali and Chengdu? There is lots to see there.

kja

Oh, adding Xi'an is a wonderful idea! I was glad to have 4 days there....