9 Day Itinerary - Fly into Shanghai and out of Beijing in August
Jun 21st, 2009, 08:33 AM
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9 Day Itinerary - Fly into Shanghai and out of Beijing in August
I would appreciate assistance on an itinerary for 3 people in China - for a first experience. Unfortunately, it is a quick trip. We arrive on Day 1 at 7:30 pm in Shanghai, and fly out on Day 11 at noon from Beijing. We will have 9 full days in China. The travelers are my husband and me (58 years old) and our son (26 years). We love culture, and would like to experience China other than the two cities during our visit. Thank you!
Jun 21st, 2009, 11:33 AM
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You are wise to count 9 days, are you flying or taking the night train between the 2 cities? For that short of a time, I'd suggest take a couple of daytrips out of the cities, even the Great Wall visit will take up more than 1/2 day.
Jun 21st, 2009, 12:50 PM
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with short trips i feel that flying is always quickest, although an overnite train knocks off one nite's hotel bill, bit i would find it difficult to sleep thus ruining much of the following day...
you might also consider an overnite or day trip from beijing to xian....
in beijing make sure to visit the summer palace for at least a 1/2 day...it was our favorite place really...
you might also consider an overnite or day trip from beijing to xian....
in beijing make sure to visit the summer palace for at least a 1/2 day...it was our favorite place really...
Jun 21st, 2009, 01:17 PM
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Soft sleeper on Chinese trains is very comfortable - you should have no trouble sleeping. (See seat61.com/China.htm for info & pix.)
From Shanghai you could do day trips or overnights to Hangzhou or Suzhou - there have been a couple of threads recently about both places. Xi'an is the most popular side trip from Beijing (again consider the night train at least one way), but if you want something off the beaten track you could look at Datong - Buddhist caves, a hanging monastery and a nice nine-dragon screen.
From Shanghai you could do day trips or overnights to Hangzhou or Suzhou - there have been a couple of threads recently about both places. Xi'an is the most popular side trip from Beijing (again consider the night train at least one way), but if you want something off the beaten track you could look at Datong - Buddhist caves, a hanging monastery and a nice nine-dragon screen.
Jun 28th, 2009, 07:41 AM
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I agree that you could take the overnight train from Shanghai to Beijing in a soft sleeper and be quite comfortable -- leave around 7:30pm from Shanghai and arrive 7:30am the next morning in Beijing. Go to your hotel in Beijing, drop off your luggage and you could have the whole day available....
There are plenty of day trips from Beijing, aside from the tons of places to see in the city alone.
You can review my blog on living and traveling in and outside of Beijing at http://travel.chinafinds.com
In Beijing you could plan to see:
* Forbidden City
* JinShan park (behind the Forbidden City)
* BeiHai Park (near the Forbidden City)
* TianTan (Temple of Heaven) --- you could stay in a very nice Holiday Inn hotel near by the Temple of Heaven for very low prices (the executive floor could be at a rate of ~RMB650)
* The Summer Palace
* The Fragrant Hills
* The Lama Temple - http://site.chinafinds.com/travel/?p=139
DongYue Temple (Daoist temple in downtown Beijing) -- http://site.chinafinds.com/travel/?p=245
* Of course the Great Wall --- Mutianyu section is nice;
If you feel adventurous you could try to go to Chengde - an interesting place: http://site.chinafinds.com/travel/?p=141
While in Shanghai, you could try to visit one of the water towns - also interesting place: http://site.chinafinds.com/travel/?p=25 -- the town is ZhouZhuang...
There are truly many options
Happy Travels!
There are plenty of day trips from Beijing, aside from the tons of places to see in the city alone.
You can review my blog on living and traveling in and outside of Beijing at http://travel.chinafinds.com
In Beijing you could plan to see:
* Forbidden City
* JinShan park (behind the Forbidden City)
* BeiHai Park (near the Forbidden City)
* TianTan (Temple of Heaven) --- you could stay in a very nice Holiday Inn hotel near by the Temple of Heaven for very low prices (the executive floor could be at a rate of ~RMB650)
* The Summer Palace
* The Fragrant Hills
* The Lama Temple - http://site.chinafinds.com/travel/?p=139
DongYue Temple (Daoist temple in downtown Beijing) -- http://site.chinafinds.com/travel/?p=245
* Of course the Great Wall --- Mutianyu section is nice;
If you feel adventurous you could try to go to Chengde - an interesting place: http://site.chinafinds.com/travel/?p=141
While in Shanghai, you could try to visit one of the water towns - also interesting place: http://site.chinafinds.com/travel/?p=25 -- the town is ZhouZhuang...
There are truly many options
Happy Travels!
Jun 28th, 2009, 12:58 PM
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WE did this trip in reverse two years ago. For internal travel Air China, booked in advance through Expedia, was around £88 for economy but, for first class, only £125. We don't make a habit of paying to fly first class but, for a trip of two and a half hours, it was a bargain and the flight - oddly, on a brand-new Dragon Air plane - was excellent. Not as exciting as train but, on a shortish trip, maybe time is more important.
Jul 29th, 2009, 12:35 PM
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Your itinerary is similar to one we are planning for October '09. Are you also planning to include Xian and the Terra Cotta Warriors? If yes, how long would you spend there? Perhaps someone can recommend.....
Aug 7th, 2009, 10:10 AM
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Xi'an is great, the terracotta warriors, if you leave early, should be about a half day maybe a little more, then i would suggest cylcling along the old city walls, this takes about 2 hours. and definately stop in the muslim quarter for something to eat, night time is best. Big Wild Goose Pagoda is nice, walking around the grounds is great, I wouldn't suggest climbing it unless the air is smog free that day. they're most likely still building the subway system so clear views from the top are unlikely. there are also some nice museums in Xi'an if you like that sort of thing 
I took hard sleepers when I was in china because it was cheap, it was hilarious but really uncomfortable, so soft sleepers are probably much nicer. and flights within can be very inexpensive, i booked with a site called ctrip.com. if you want a less touristy section of the great wall I would suggest Simatai. you can take the cable car part way up and there is the option to zip line down, i did this and it was great. it is quite steep, so take that into consideration. Lama Temple was nice, and the forbidden city was great for pictures, I didn't get to go to the summer palace but i heard it is beautiful. Enjoy your trip, China is a fantastic place
I took hard sleepers when I was in china because it was cheap, it was hilarious but really uncomfortable, so soft sleepers are probably much nicer. and flights within can be very inexpensive, i booked with a site called ctrip.com. if you want a less touristy section of the great wall I would suggest Simatai. you can take the cable car part way up and there is the option to zip line down, i did this and it was great. it is quite steep, so take that into consideration. Lama Temple was nice, and the forbidden city was great for pictures, I didn't get to go to the summer palace but i heard it is beautiful. Enjoy your trip, China is a fantastic place
