Commens about Thailand/China itinerary
Aug 7th, 2007, 10:06 PM
#1
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Commens about Thailand/China itinerary
Hello everyone,
I'd really appreciate any input you guys might give on my itinerary. I'll be traveling with my girlfriend, my cousin, my mother, and girlfriend's parents. It's a little bit too big of a group. ANyway, we'll be going to Thailand/China for a little under 1 month.
We're anticipating seeing as much as we can. We definitely want a thorough experience, but most of us do get bored staying in 1 place for too long. For example, there are often recommendations for 5 days in X city, but the way we travel, we usually feel like 3.5 or 4 days is very thorough.
I think everyone would like to do the touristy stuff, the must sees and dos for each place, if that helps narrow
So here's our itinerary. I'm particularly lost on the thailand, hong kong and guilin part of our trip as I've never been to those places. Beijing/shanghai are much more familiar. So please give any reccs or any suggestions. Much appreciated.
Thu 1/17 arrive bkk 10;30
hotel, then temples, grand palace
Fri 1/18 day trip to Ayuthaya, elephant rides, night markets, clubbing?
Saturday 1/19 remainder of temples, chinatown , massage?
leave for phuket on bus
Sunday 1/20 arrive phuket
golfing, snorkeling, beach exploring
Monday 1/21 daytrip to Ko phi phi
Tuesday 1/22 phuket golfing, snorkeling, beach
bus or flight back to bkk
Wednesday 1/23 full day in bkk
spa? cooking classes, shopping, dinner cruise?
Thus 1/24 early am leave for Hong kong
arrive in HK early afternoon
basically star ferries, dinner peninsula?, victoria peak, markets for next 2 days
1/25
day trip to macau?
1/26
etc
leave for shenzhen in evening.
1/27
am flight to guilin
to yangsho by boat? or is there things to see in guilin??
1/28
yangshuo
pastoral activities (unsure how long it'll keep us entertained) we are definitely all city folks, but are going to the countryside b/c its the thing to do/see
tuesday 1/29
to guilin? then to rice terraces?
Wednesday 1/30-monday 2/4 (6 days, 5 nights)
in beijing
1 day in tianamen sq, forbidden palace
1 day to great wall, hopefully not cold enough to preven us from walking
then also summer palace, ming tombs, yuanminyuan, other random things around beijing
2/5 to 2/11 in Shanghai. (7 days) I have family there, so ew'l be there during new years.
2 days are for hangzhou and suzhou.
the other 5 days are just for shopping, eating, "tourist sites in shanghai" there's hardly any.
I'd really appreciate any input you guys might give on my itinerary. I'll be traveling with my girlfriend, my cousin, my mother, and girlfriend's parents. It's a little bit too big of a group. ANyway, we'll be going to Thailand/China for a little under 1 month.
We're anticipating seeing as much as we can. We definitely want a thorough experience, but most of us do get bored staying in 1 place for too long. For example, there are often recommendations for 5 days in X city, but the way we travel, we usually feel like 3.5 or 4 days is very thorough.
I think everyone would like to do the touristy stuff, the must sees and dos for each place, if that helps narrow
So here's our itinerary. I'm particularly lost on the thailand, hong kong and guilin part of our trip as I've never been to those places. Beijing/shanghai are much more familiar. So please give any reccs or any suggestions. Much appreciated.
Thu 1/17 arrive bkk 10;30
hotel, then temples, grand palace
Fri 1/18 day trip to Ayuthaya, elephant rides, night markets, clubbing?
Saturday 1/19 remainder of temples, chinatown , massage?
leave for phuket on bus
Sunday 1/20 arrive phuket
golfing, snorkeling, beach exploring
Monday 1/21 daytrip to Ko phi phi
Tuesday 1/22 phuket golfing, snorkeling, beach
bus or flight back to bkk
Wednesday 1/23 full day in bkk
spa? cooking classes, shopping, dinner cruise?
Thus 1/24 early am leave for Hong kong
arrive in HK early afternoon
basically star ferries, dinner peninsula?, victoria peak, markets for next 2 days
1/25
day trip to macau?
1/26
etc
leave for shenzhen in evening.
1/27
am flight to guilin
to yangsho by boat? or is there things to see in guilin??
1/28
yangshuo
pastoral activities (unsure how long it'll keep us entertained) we are definitely all city folks, but are going to the countryside b/c its the thing to do/see
tuesday 1/29
to guilin? then to rice terraces?
Wednesday 1/30-monday 2/4 (6 days, 5 nights)
in beijing
1 day in tianamen sq, forbidden palace
1 day to great wall, hopefully not cold enough to preven us from walking
then also summer palace, ming tombs, yuanminyuan, other random things around beijing
2/5 to 2/11 in Shanghai. (7 days) I have family there, so ew'l be there during new years.
2 days are for hangzhou and suzhou.
the other 5 days are just for shopping, eating, "tourist sites in shanghai" there's hardly any.
Canyon Course). Do try and play there even if it's quite expensive.
Aug 8th, 2007, 07:01 AM
#4
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I agree with Gpanda. AirAsia is incredibly cheap and only a short hop from Bangkok to Phuket.
http://www.airasia.com/site/my/en/home.jsp
http://www.airasia.com/site/my/en/home.jsp
Aug 8th, 2007, 09:33 AM
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You only have about 2.5 days in Hong Kong. I wouldn't spend one day to go to Macau.
If you really want to go to Macau, fly BKK-MFM direct on AirAsia. Spend a night in Macau, then ferry to Hong Kong next morning for about 2 full days in HK.
Also, you can get to the Shenzhen airport from Hong Kong in the morning. No need to spend a night in Shenzhen unless you have particular reasons to.
If you really want to go to Macau, fly BKK-MFM direct on AirAsia. Spend a night in Macau, then ferry to Hong Kong next morning for about 2 full days in HK.
Also, you can get to the Shenzhen airport from Hong Kong in the morning. No need to spend a night in Shenzhen unless you have particular reasons to.
Aug 8th, 2007, 10:04 AM
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where do you originate from....if overseas from asia, i think you will find yourselves very tired upon arrival...you need to slow down!!
i read what you said but what you have laid out is almost impossible....getting around in bkk for that # of people necessitates use of the skytrain....in many ways that will slow you down too...more later
i read what you said but what you have laid out is almost impossible....getting around in bkk for that # of people necessitates use of the skytrain....in many ways that will slow you down too...more later
Aug 8th, 2007, 01:33 PM
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We will be originating from LAX, so it'll be a long flight. we depart tuesday in the evening, and arrive in the morning. I'm gonna write a rx for sleep meds for everyone so there's no jet lag. I feel like we have no time to waste!
It is difficult because we all want to see a lot, and different people have been to different regions, so it's a compromise.
Re macau, I heard it is a very small city and can be done in half a day, and transport from HK is 1 hr roundtrip? Am i mistaken?
It is difficult because we all want to see a lot, and different people have been to different regions, so it's a compromise.
Re macau, I heard it is a very small city and can be done in half a day, and transport from HK is 1 hr roundtrip? Am i mistaken?
Aug 8th, 2007, 01:41 PM
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Yes, Macau is a small place. The ferry is one hour each way, but you have to be at the pier about 20 minutes prior to go through immigration and to board, and may take 10-15 minutes to go through immigration on the other side if you're not a HK or Macau resident. So, that makes it about 1:45 each way. It's definitely day trip material from Hong Kong, but it'll be a full day trip, not half a day.
Since hotels are cheaper in Macau than Hong Kong, you may want to overnight there anyways, whether you're flying into MFM, or going to Hong Kong first. You can go from Hong kong to Macau in the afternoon, and then come mid-day the next.
Since hotels are cheaper in Macau than Hong Kong, you may want to overnight there anyways, whether you're flying into MFM, or going to Hong Kong first. You can go from Hong kong to Macau in the afternoon, and then come mid-day the next.
Aug 8th, 2007, 04:08 PM
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Make sure to check your itinerary. If you are departing LAX in the evening, you might be arriving in the morning IN A DAY, not the morning. i.e. if you depart Wed night, you might be arriving Fri morning if you have a stop somewhere, even if it's only 2 hrs, not Thurs morning local time.
Also, are you 100% positive you will be able to get off the plane and start sightseeing right away? What about experiencing some culture and even eating. If you get in at 10:30am, you will need to wait for your bags, get to your hotel, check-in, drop off stuff, go eat something, and only then start sightseeing (granted you're not exhausted from a 14-19 hr flight). That means you will only go starting looking at things at maybe 3pm.
The day trip the next day is at least an hour away. Hopefully, you'll have time to eat at least twice and have enough energy to go out after a long day.
Agree with others. Flying to Phuket is not that expensive and will save you a LOT of time. And are you planning to sleep on the bus and be refreshed to be doing all those activities right away once you get to Phuket? Getting to Phi Phi takes 2-4 hours depending on speed of the boat. Are you sure you want to go there and back in the same day? And I'm not sure if there are evening boats to return the same day AND have enough time to see at least one beach there.
Btw, if you're going to fly BKK-Phuket-BKK and BKK-HK, you can save money with Bangkok Airways Discovery Pass since it's 3 legs and they fly all those places I believe.
Also, are you 100% positive you will be able to get off the plane and start sightseeing right away? What about experiencing some culture and even eating. If you get in at 10:30am, you will need to wait for your bags, get to your hotel, check-in, drop off stuff, go eat something, and only then start sightseeing (granted you're not exhausted from a 14-19 hr flight). That means you will only go starting looking at things at maybe 3pm.
The day trip the next day is at least an hour away. Hopefully, you'll have time to eat at least twice and have enough energy to go out after a long day.
Agree with others. Flying to Phuket is not that expensive and will save you a LOT of time. And are you planning to sleep on the bus and be refreshed to be doing all those activities right away once you get to Phuket? Getting to Phi Phi takes 2-4 hours depending on speed of the boat. Are you sure you want to go there and back in the same day? And I'm not sure if there are evening boats to return the same day AND have enough time to see at least one beach there.
Btw, if you're going to fly BKK-Phuket-BKK and BKK-HK, you can save money with Bangkok Airways Discovery Pass since it's 3 legs and they fly all those places I believe.
Aug 8th, 2007, 05:12 PM
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To be honest with you, your itinerary sounds just ghastly. You've packed so much in that you won't have time to experience any of it. Begin by deciding what experiences are most important to you. If individuals in your group have different priorities, you can split up - for a day or a few days - you don't need to think of yourselves as being one unit.
For example, your ideas for Bangkok make little sense. You probably don't want to go to Grand Palace/Emerald Buddha/Wat Po the first aftertoon. It's hotter than blazes there and you will be tired from your flight. Schedule that for your first morning (get there when it opens at 8:30). And with so little time in Bangkok, do you really want to take a full day to go to Ayutthaya? And what do you mean by "remainder of the temples" on your third day? There are hundreds of temples in Bangkok.
As others have said, it also makes no sense to take a bus to Phuket.
You would be better off cutting some locations in order to spend more time in places you are interested in.
For example, your ideas for Bangkok make little sense. You probably don't want to go to Grand Palace/Emerald Buddha/Wat Po the first aftertoon. It's hotter than blazes there and you will be tired from your flight. Schedule that for your first morning (get there when it opens at 8:30). And with so little time in Bangkok, do you really want to take a full day to go to Ayutthaya? And what do you mean by "remainder of the temples" on your third day? There are hundreds of temples in Bangkok.
As others have said, it also makes no sense to take a bus to Phuket.
You would be better off cutting some locations in order to spend more time in places you are interested in.
