China at Christmas?
 

I recently realized that I should have about a week off between Christmas and New Years (the office will be closed as clients don't want us around that week). That means that I want to go somewhere. :)

My original plan was somewhere warm, but China has been sticking in my mind and *might* be able to be done within my budget of $4,000 total. I realize that I have little time, and relatively little money for this trip, so I'm mainly wondering if a decent trip can be pulled off or if I'd just be better to go somewhere much closer to home.

I just did a quick search for flights and a flight from my regional airport to Beijing, round trip, is $1,435 total. Those flights would put me into Beijing on Dec. 24 around 3pm and would have me departing on Jan. 1 around 5pm. That gives me Dec 25-30 for sightseeing. Not near as much time as I want but that's the time frame I have for right now. If it helps, I don't really have problems with jet lag so I wouldn't lose time to that. I know that China isn't warm at that time of year, but I can dress warm and be fine.

My main interests are basically the tourist hotspots: the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the palaces, etc. If I could get to Xian for the Terra Cotta warriors I'd like to try. I speak no Chinese (I'd learn a few words/phrases but only the very basics) and I'm a young woman traveling alone. Would I be safe on my own (using common sense of course) and are there any day tours or similar that I could join to get some history and more information? I love history and want to learn more about the places that I'd visit than just from a little brochure.

Is this type of trip even remotely reasonable, and if so, does anyone have any itinerary ideas for me?

Thanks for your help! :)

China is very safe. There are several trip reports here from people who have traveled on their own - do a search. China can be quite cheap, although Beijing is pricier than less well-known places. You will be better off with one or more good guidebooks than a guide. Public transport in Beijing is good and the metro will be faster than taxis, although you would probably want to arrange for a taxi to take you to the Great Wall.

You could take a night train to Xi'an from Beijing, and maybe fly back. (For train info see seat61.com.)

I wouldn't worry about budget. You should, with very little restraint, be able to take at least US$1000 of that money home again.

By all means use Seat 61 to get some idea of how the trains look, for instance, but ignore the site's incomplete and inaccurate booking advice, and particularly the links to booking agencies, unless you want to pay up to 70% or even more too much for your ticket.

Winter in Beijing has the advantage that you'll get major sites (even Great Wall ones) almost entirely to yourself. The Forbidden City looks pretty under snow, too. But pollution is high, temperatures bitterly low, and the air extremely dry such that your skin may start to dry and crack. In Xi'an even worse. Entry fees to the more expensive sights are mostly lower, as are hotel rates as there's little business or leisure travel in this period and no holiday (except Jan 1). Everyone saves their energy and their travel budget for Spring Festival end-Jan/early-Feb. Access to plane and train tickets is also easier. I've paid as little as 30% of the official price for a Beijing to Shanghai flight at that time of year.

Peter N-H

Traveling alone is feasible, especially just to Beijing and perhaps Xi'an. China is not very safe, but traveling in most Chinese cities is generally safer than most American cities However, sightseeing in China for only six days in December is not, in my opinion, especially worthwhile, especially with the probable very cold temperatures in northern China.

If you really want to go to China, especially Beijing and Xi'an, go for two weeks, if possible, in September or October, avoiding the usual week long National Day holidays, around October 1.
The greatest hazards in Chinese cities are aggressive drivers and thieves. Beijing would be relatively easy for you to get around, use the subway system and buy a detailed map before you leave the United States.

YAY!!! I think you two just decided me on where I'll be spending Christmas. :) I can deal with cold, China's worth it! To be honest it'll still be warmer than at home. :)


I'll get a guidebook and do proper research but any advice, tips or ideas that you have would be highly appreciated. The general idea right now is Beijing and Xian. Would I be entirely silly to try to add in another city? How many days do I need in Xian (I only know of the Terra Cotta Warriors so far)?

JohnCa,

I wish I could be there longer and at a warmer time of year but it's just not feasible for now. I'm using up my vacation time in August for another trip (Italy) and September - March is busy season at work. Even if I had the vacation time, I can't take two weeks in the fall or winter without getting really dirty looks from my boss! :) I can go over Christmas and New Year's because the office will be closed. I'll only have to use about 1 day of vacation time and my supervisors will be fine with that.


I look at this time period as a bonus vacation! :)

Going to three cities in six days, in my opinion, seems too much. You probably should take a plane to Xi'an and back to Beijing. If you take the train both directions, this would be about a day in transit.

We stayed in Xi'an four days and went just about everywhere I wanted, in a leisurely way. There is a great museum, one of the best in China, and Xi'an is one of the only cities having city walls intact around the central area. There are also some other fairly interesting places to visit. I suggest two nights in Xi'an.

Try to stay in a hotel in Beijing near a subway station. The Summer Palace, Lama Temple, and Forbidden City City are three of the most interesting places to visit. Other worthwhile places include Beihai park, The Temple of Heaven, and walking along old hutong streets. Unfortunately most of the hutong neighborhoods in the city have been demolished since the 1990's. One of my best guides to the city is "Beijing By Foot," a set of walks in different areas, printed on index cards. I bought the guide at a Foreign Language bookstore on Wangfujing street, but they are probably available at the amazon website.

I have never been to Beijing during the winter, in December, January or February. Having lived most of my adult life in California, I generally avoid traveling to places having true winter conditions, other than formerly family visits during the Christmas holidays. Apparently Christmas is being celebrated to a greater extent in major Chinese cities, so many of the stores should be decorated sort of similar to the United States. This should be a nice touch to a visiting American.

There is plenty to do in Xi'an - don't miss the Great Mosque, the Muslim quarter and the Temple to the Eight Great Immortals. That said, it's not as atmospheric as it used to be, but that's true of most Chinese cities.

You do not lose a day taking the train, provided you take the night train, I just wouldn't take back-to-back night trains. You can leave Beijing at 21:19 and arrive (in town, not out in the country at the airport) at 08:19. In soft sleeper you should for sure get a good night's sleep. I do agree that adding a third city would be pushing it.

you could also consider bangkok, which could be done nicely in 5 days ans is warm...

I knew a third city would be nutty, but had to ask to be sure. :)


I looked at seat61.com and the soft sleeper looks wonderful. A bottom bunk is only around $61 (much cheaper than I would have expected).

Right now, it looks to be about the same price to fly out of Xian on the way home as it would be to fly out of Beijing so no sense in heading back to Beijing by train first. I'll just have to see how it works out when I get a chance to buy tickets.

Dec 24 - arrive Beijing in early afternoon.
Dec 25-28 - Beijing
Dec 29 - arrive in Xian around 8am on the night train.
Dec 29-31 - Xian
Jan 1 - fly home

Does that loose plan seem reasonable? Any suggestions for changes? Will I run into any scheduling problems due to Christmas and New Year?
Thanks!

Sounds like a good plan! The overnight train, of course, means that you get both transportation and that night's "hotel" for about sixty bucks. (I did that.)

The Xi'an train station is a bit, well, un-Iowa-like; make sure you know where you're going and keep your wits about you. (I thought I did that, but I didn't.) I still ended up paying only about $35 for a two-floor room, but you might want to have some lodging choices ahead of time and go in and check to see what price they can give you.

I totally wimped out with Beijing and got a Priceline room; I wasn't ready for negotiating when I got off the plane, as I am really a rotten flyer.

But your budget should most definitely be fine for a week: you can even get in some shopping==check the threads on that, too, though! A lot of sellers will tell you what they think you want to hear, of course.

And you definitely don't need a guide--although it's always fun to confer with the unofficial guides who will cluster around a lost-ish tourist on the street, even when you're not speaking Mandarin and they're not speaking English.

Have fun! (I did that, too. :) )
Here's pix: http://travel.webshots.com/album/420914054ZgOKwC
and the trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...s-in-china.cfm (It's old, but the feelings would remain the same.)

Just a thought, a flight across the pond to Italy and a transpacific flight will give you enough eqms for elite status.

Assuming you are on a paid ticket to Italy that qualifies for FF miles. Depending on which airline you are flying across the pond, check fares with the same airline or partner airline for your Beijing ticket to earn elite status for next year.

Your itinerary for Beijing/Xian looks good.

justshootme, thanks for the idea about the FF miles. I just signed up for a United credit card for their 30,000 bonus miles promotion as that's who we're flying to Italy with. Mom will give me her 10k miles from Italy and that'll give me around 50k for next year. I think a flight to Beijing requires about 130k miles, but the elite status would definitely be nice as I think I could get an economy plus seat with extra leg room. Until lately I've flown so rarely that I didn't even think about it!


Amy, I'll definitely reserve a room in Beijing ahead of time and would most likely in Xian as well. I'll be overwhelmed enough as it is so that's just one less thing to worry about. Thanks for the trip report link, it was very well written and quite entertaining! :)


I just got a guide book today and told my poor Mom of my travel plans. It's going to take her a bit of time to get used to the idea that I'm going completely alone and not in a tour group.

Thanks for all of the help everyone, I really appreciate it! I have a lot of reading to do now so that I can come back and ask a ton more questions. :D