DH and I are planning our first big vacation in years this Sept. and I really want to go to China. I've traveled pretty extensively in Europe but neither of us have been to Asia so I feel a bit lost on planning this one. We have a limited time (8 days) to go. Is it even doable to visit Beijing and Chengdu in that amount of time? I don't want to feel rushed but unfortunately because of work, this is the longest trip we can take.

As for what I want out of it - seeing the panda sanctuary would be the top priority on this trip, as well as the Great Wall and exploring a bit in Beijing. I looked into some tours but couldnt find any that a) had the specific dates we needed and b) went to the exact places I wanted...plus I am really not a "tour person." I prefer to explore on my own.

The only thing that makes me nervous about this is the language barrier (I feel like at least in Europe, I can understand and read the characters and figure out words that I don't know to some degree). Would it be unadvisable for rookies to go it alone on a first trip to China?

Thanks!

I went on tours my first two trips to China, but then went back on my own for seven weeks, and still didn't speak Mandarin. If you start in Beijing you will have an easier introduction but you can get by anywhere with a good guidebook and phrase book and the right attitude. Those people who do speak English will be very ready to help you if necessary. Always carry a card for your hotel to give to taxi drivers (taxis are quite cheap) or show to people so you can get "home" and have your hotel write your destination(s) in characters for you.

I usually recommend train travel in China, but with only eight days (is it days or nights?) you would do better to fly between Beijing and Chengdu. For my (non-tour) visit to Chengdu see wilhelmswords.com/rtw2004. If you do a search here you will find several TRs from people who went (successfully) to China the first time on their own.

We went for 3 weeks in September, first timers, English only, fully independent. Got along easily and with not one problem. The infrastructure is set up nicely, with lots of English signage, and the logistics are not complicated. And when stymied, hotel reception always came through.

Beijing and Chengdu in 8 days is easily done, especially since there's not a whole lot more in Chengdu beyond the Sanctuary. I agree with the suggestion to fly between the two. And the Crown Plaza is pretty much the only game in town (Chengdu).

> the Crown Plaza is pretty much the only game in town (Chengdu).

The Shangri-La is a far nicer hotel. The Shang is riverside rather than in the center of town, but I prefer the Shang's slightly quieter setting (and I didn't find much in the center that's overly interesting).

Chengdu is pleasant if you stay in or near the old city. It is one of the nicest restored Chinese cities I have seen. There is a small hotel in the middle of it called "Zen" and it is really nice and well -priced. There was also a nice group of 4 star hotels which seemed to be copying "w" hotels or Novotels named "Enjoyable stars hotel" located near the old town. You need a hotel name when you arrive as there is no English-speaking help in the airport - but the taxis are metered and fair - if you have a name and address ready. The panda trip is only a half day. It is really nice to walk along the river in Chengdu - v. pretty.

There are several things to do in and around Chengdu besides the pandas. Several parks and temples. Emei Shan. Qingchen Shan. The big Buddha at Leshan.

"And the Crown Plaza is pretty much the only game in town" - I thought the Sofitel was rather nice (and it's ranked higher on tripadvisor). (Then I moved a long way down market to Sam's Guesthouse.)

There's also a decent Sheraton, not to mention several perfectly acceptable Chinese 'jingji' hotels.

I went to Beijing and Chengdu alone and independently, with no Mandarin (and a parlous sense of direction) and had a great time! For CHengdu, I highly recommend Sim's Cozy Guesthouse, myself, and wandering about the Leshan Big Buddha area. Oh, and the Mao Museum, if it's still there.

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...s-in-china.cfm
That's the story of the trip, and here are some of the pix:
http://travel.webshots.com/album/420914054ZgOKwC

When you say you have 8 days, you do mean 8 days on the ground in China, correct?

I would not worry about the language barrier--in my own very limited experience, there is not much of a barrier, as long as you have your hotel write out destinations in Chinese characters to show to taxi drivers and any pedestrians you might ask to direct you.

Please ignore Tracy_W's plug for Chinese travel agencies - she almost certainly works for one herself (and I suspect herbre does too). You emphatically do NOT need a Chinese tour operator - a little searching on this site will tell you why.

Thank you so much for your advice.

If we go it would pan out this way - night flight from US on Thurs Sept 16, arrive Fri Sept 17 and then fly home on Friday the 24th. So really it's only 7 full days, flying home on the 8th day (but herbre, that would fit perfectly in your suggested itinerary).

I am assuming we could just have our hotel arrange for transport from Chengdu airport?

One concern DH brought up is getting around. For example in Santorini we would have our hotel call us a cab to go somewhere, but once we were ready to head back to the hotel, it was often difficult to find another cab to get back, and sometimes we would have to wait a very long time until one came around (to the point where we got nervous that one might never come and it was much too far to walk back). I told him I am sure Beijing would be another story since it's a large city but I think the Santorini experience freaked him out a little..."what if we're in some random part of the city and can't find our way back and no one around speaks English" type thing. I did see on some of the hotel websites they give you something you can print out w/ the hotel name in Chinese so I am sure it wouldn't be that hard.

Taxis - you should have no difficulty finding taxis - nor should you need to pre-arrange airport pickup in either Beijing or Chengdu, but I suppose you could if you wanted to. BTW, no tipping in China.

Note that Beijing has a good subway/metro system - you need a guidebook with city and metro maps. You are often better off using the metro in Beijing, to avoid the traffic gridlock.

Your hotels will have cards with their name in characters and probably a small map.

Do not worry! As Thursday said above, the hotel's are well prepared for this and will give you a card with the name and address. Most hotels I've stayed at have cards that also have the main locations of tourist interest written on these cars, so all you need to do is point to "Forbidden City" or "Summer Palace" on the card. I was nervous before my first trip and believe me, it is a snap.

Honestly, you can do this but you do need to allow some time to overcome the jet lag, so maybe take it easy the first day if possible. But I am probably ancient compared to you, so....

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice. In the end DH is really nervous about going to China w/out a tour and really does not want to go I am certainly the more adventurous one when it comes to travel so I knew this would be a hard sell! We are pushing back the trip to a year when we will have more time off from work and more flexibility as to when we can go, so then we can do a more in-depth visit and tour.

I think you are making a good decision--8 days is really a short time for those coming from the US.