China trip - 15 nights
 

Hi,

I am planning a trip to China this summer. I am going on a cruise from Shanghai then have 15 nights to travel up to Beijing. I am planning to spend 3 nights in Shanghai, 4 nights in Beijing and not sure where to visit in between. I was wondering could any body suggest if Qingdao, Jinan or Nanjing would be worth a visit along the way and for how long ?

Any advice or suggestions welcome :)

I haven't been to Shanghai yet, but thought Beijing worth at least 6 full days. But of course, that depends on what YOU want to see and experience. Do be sure to consider Beijing's pollution before you leave so you can decide if you need to take any specific precautions. Here's a recent thread on the matter:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...y-forecast.cfm

Given a choice between Qingdao, Jinan, or Nanjing, I would choose Xi'an. ;-) JMO.

Enjoy!

Qufu would be a more interesting stop than any of those (except Xi'an), I'd suggest: a relatively small-scale town with multiple palaces, temples, and tombs dedicated to Confucius, his descendants, and commentators, and one or to other odd and unusual monuments in the surround countryside, easily reachable by bike or taxi. It's about halfway to Beijing and reachable by train directly, or by train to Yanzhou just to the west, and connected by bus or taxi. The main palace-temple complex is perhaps the largest surviving collection of ancient buildings outside of Beijing and Chengde, but don't expect to see too many foreigners.

If you haven't already seen it, you might find some helpful information about Beijing, Xi'an, and Qufu in my trip report -- just click on my name to find it, and once you open it, use the search feature to find the relevant sections.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will look into qufu and xi'an. How many nights would you stay in xi'an or qufu ?

I spent 4 nights in Xi'an; depending on your interests, 3 nights could work. I spent 2 nights -- so one full day -- in Qufu.

Thanks kja your trip report was very helpful.

I am now thinking:
4 nights in Shanghai
Fly to Xi'an
4 nights Xi'an
train to Beijing
5 nights Beijing

Could anybody recommend hotels in any of the above. I would be looking for 3/4 star hotels in suitable locations and ideally at a good price.

You might consider shifting a night from Xi'an to Beijing.

Not sure ho many days you mean but 4 nights is a bit much for Xian as is 4 for Shanghai unless you also plan to visit some water towns nearby. If you cut a bit of time on these 2 cities then you could stop in Pingyao on the way to Beijing.
Hard to recommend hotels unless you give a price range.

Personally, I'd add time to Beijing before trying to cram in Pingyao. JMO.

JPDeM Thanks for this recomendation. My price range for accomdation is approx €50-€60 for a double room. I ideally would like to stay as central as possible.