We are traveling to Hong Kong in March and are thinking about staying another 5-6 days and taking a side trip somewhere else. We have narrowed it down to either taking the train to Shanghai or flying to Bangkok.

The train ride to Shanghai will be an adventure and it will be neat to watch the Chinese countryside go by, but it will be chilly in Shanghai that time of year and a 24 hour train ride could get a little uncomfortable (we would get a delux sleeper though)

Bangkok would be great for the warm weather, great thai food, and cheap shopping, but not as adventurous as the train ride.

Does anyone who has traveled Asia have any suggestions which trip we should choose? Any input or advice is appreciated. We have read a lot of the basic travel info for both places, so we are really looking for an insider opinion.

Thanks!

We took the train in Mar 03 from HK to Shanghai-was a real hoot with no one speaking much english and us trying to order food!!! We had a great time-there is no private toilet in your cabin so that was a bit challenging! Shanghai is a great city-BKK is not my favourite place! If you go, pls go the whole hog and stay at the Grand Hyatt-it is one of the most amazing hotels in the world-they have great room service food and you can just sit there and look at the Bund and the river. We had a room on level 77, I think, ask for river/Bund view. Bangkok is a busier city and the food is great, however there is nothing like a Shanghai dumpling!!! You're in for a real adventure if you go with Shanghai. Take a address for your hotel written in Chinese as the taxi drivers cannot read or speak a word of English, we found. Have agreat trip whatever you do!

Of all the places you could visit in China, Shanghai is one of the least interesting and has the least to offer culturally, IMO. It is a very large city with some fantastic modern skyscraper architecture -- I call it the Jetson City. As noted, the Grand Hyatt is a great hotel with endless views. However, there is very little left of the old city, almost nothing of old Chinese origin and very little of the "colonial" era either. March is still winter and it will be cold (high 40s F with rain a distinct possibility) . The air pollution is much worse in the winter for some reason which will obscure your views. If non-English speak taxi drivers are an adventure, come to Zurich where I live and try it?

If you have never been to China and want to explore, I would go to Beijing which has so much more to see. IMO it would be a shame if your only experience of China were a huge and relatively westernized place like Shanghai where there is very little of cultural interest, IMO.

If you like train rides, go to India, or go across Russia by train. I just can't see the point of the train trip to Shanghai, the countryside is not that diverse between Hong Kong and Shanghai, and it will be bleak in March.

If you have never been to Thailand, Bangkok is a great introduction. There is so much to see and do, including cultural sites of world renown. March is a very good month weather-wise as well, with warm temperatures and little rainfall.

Couldn't help myself but to say that Shanghai has so much to see, the Bund, the french concession area, the amazing markets, parks with birds in cages, wonderful safe walks with little risk of theft, eating at local restaurants and hanging out in little holes in the wall sipping tea, shopping for dvd's and bargain fakes you cannot separate from the real thing,(heaps better quality than Thailand) wonderful train system through the city-seen one temple, you've seen em all, I say except Angkor in Cambodia-truly unique. I can imagine if you went to Shanghai on business it may appear just like any other city but we went with open minds and loved it. Also pollution in Bangkok rivals LA! IMHO.

I have to weigh in as another Shanghai booster. I like Bangkok but much prefer Shanghai. If you take the time to walk around on back streets and through the non-tourist areas, you will be fascinated. It is all one street away from the main thoroughfares. I strongly recommend a hotel called Panorama which is just north of the Bund, across the canal, and has great prices, a beautiful view of the Bund if you get a high floor, and lovely rooms. What it doesn't have is a concierge and a lot of english spoken, but if you are thinking of taking a train, you must be ready for that. I just searched for it and found it is now managed by Accor, so they may speak more English now (or French). It is less than $100 / night including breakfast.
We will be back in both Shanghai and Bangkok in March, but are much more excited about the return to Shanghai. If you go there, do not miss the new museum. It is spectacular. Just don't get coffe at the coffee shop - the price is outrageous. We have been on trains in China, but not the one you are talking about. The ones we were on were drafty, and had toilets which were of course, holes in the floor, but it was still fun. I would suggest bringing some food with you.
Please let us know what you decide.

I forgot to mention the fabulous museum!!! We spent a day there and walked all over the city for 4 days. Just like you epi, we walked all around the back streets-people were open and friendly and those shanghai dumplings do it for me every time! Forgot also to say that the adventure was not in the non-english speaking taxi drivers as I'm sure you realise, but in discovering a city which many people bag as boring and as having no cultural significance-this is just not true and will become apparent to those who take the time to relax and enjoy the place and its lovely people.

Thank you for the feedback. After reading quite a few threads on this board and looking through a few travel guides, I think we are strongly leaning towards Bangkok, mainly for the warm weather. After a cold winter in the states, it will be nice to sweat in the Bangkok humidity and spend some time next to the pool.

That being said, can anyone recommend a good practical travel guide for Bangkok? I would like something that actually scratches the tourist layer and gives good advice on how to enjoy the city for its culture and people, and discusses things to do that are not on every tourist's list. Any personal suggestions would be great too! We will probably be there 5 full days/nights.

Any insight is appreciated!

Speaking of insight... Insight Guides has a compact city guide for Bangkok. It gives a dozen walks/routes in Bangkok and another 7 outside of Bangkok. You'll find that at a great many places Insight recommends, you'll be the only visitor. The book includes the must-sees, of course, like the Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Budddha, but it also recommends seldom-visited places like the Suan Pakkad palace (we were the only visitors for the whole of our two-hour stay). There are some interesting suggestions, like "Wat Ben" at dawn to watch the alms-giving.

Bangkok is one of my favorite cities. I've been there about twenty times, and I can always find something new to explore.

Timeout guide book is a very useful tool in planning your trip-lots of up to date info on accom, markets, restaurants not found in Lonely Planet -we found a resort mentiond in Timeout for Nth Thailand near Myanmar border that was not in any guide we'd read. Ensure you check the publication date though. Have a great time.

HK and Shanghai are fairly simmilor.

Bangkok is a whole diffrent flavour..or is it smell.

if you want a train ride go too bangkok and hop on a train ther. in the same amount of tiem it takes too go too Shanghai by train you could be chillin in a world famouse beach in southern thailand.