HK to Beijing for 3 weeks- mid March to early April- itinerary help please!
 

I've just booked a 3 week trip to China for my first time, flying into HK March 15, and out of Beijing on April 5th. Unless I can convince a friend, looks like I will be going at it alone (30 year old male here).

I'll be spending about 4 days in HK and then 4 days or so in Beijing at the end. I know I went to spend around 4 days in Shanghai (including a side trip to Hangzhou and/or Suzhou) at some point as well. Other than that I'm at a loss. Definitely want to experience some more of China's natural beauty (love hiking and the outdoors in general) and some smaller/cities towns. Love architecture and history as well. I know it's a bit of an unusual time weather wise so would be great to know I'm spending time in areas that are likely to have milder weather (I know Beijing and other northern areas can still be fairly cold).

Budget is less of an issue so happy to fly/take high speed trains to most places. Also, happy to move around a lot (don't mind spending 2 nights or even 1 night if need be somewhere generally and then move on).

Any suggestions given the above would be greatly appreciated! Thank you all in advance.

Traveling solo can be a truly delightful self indulgence! I won't travel any other way. ;-)

Get yourself some good guidebooks -- perhaps Frommer's or the Eyewitness Guide. Look for those with Peter Neville-Hadley as an editor. In comparison to the cost of your trip, the cost of a guidebook will be nugatory, and you will have a wealth of information at your fingertips.

I visited only parts of northern China, but did so as a solo female. You might find some useful information in my now-old trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...na-amazing.cfm

Enjoy!

China is really awesome place for the trip..you will enjoy a lot..

Be aware that smaller cities will be large. Returned from third trip to China last year, HK too, and couldn't believe the growth of the cities even out in rural areas.
An area with natural beauty is Yunnan Province. Look around Dali. You can fly into Dali. Foothills of Himalayas, lake, farms, Bai minority culture.

For history and culture, the triangle Beijing-Xi'An-Shanghai is typical. A stop along the way in Pingyao is also worth it. All this can be done via high-speed train.
For nature you want to go south or south-west. Understand though that it is still winter time. The temperature will be somewhat cold. The Guanxi province is a popular destination and sort of on your way to HK. Further west you have the province of Yunnan which also has many hiking opportunities. The Sichuan province is another option to fill up your 3rd week.
Do some research on these places and return for specific questions.

A few weeks in Hong Kong and China in March/April would be great. I am a Hong Konger who have lived in Beijing for some years before and here are some of my little suggestions.

There are a lot of nice hiking trails in Beijing and northern China, or you can even go further westward if you have the time and are ok with high altitude. The Great Wall in Mutianyu would be good for an outing with all the flower blossoms in April, and if you prefer a hardcore hiking you may want to try Jinshanling. Beijing is a city worth spending a little bit more time and I can recommend a few reliable drivers who should be able to take you around the city if you want to save the hassle of public transport which can be rather chaotic..

Outside Beijing, the old city of Pingyao which is around two hours high speed from Beijing is a good choice. Changbaishan is a fabulous mountainous region in the northeast. If you want to go westward, you may consider Xian for the legendary terra cotta, or even more to the west to the Muslim region of Ningxia or even Qinghai where you can take a biking tour around the Qinghai lake.

Let me know if I can further help! =)

I'd describe the public transportation in Beijing as extremely easy and convenient to use. :-)

Went to, and lived in, northern China 10 yrs ago and found it interesting and scenic. My visit last summer revealed many disturbing aspects and i won't be going back. Every possible thing is commercialized. Scenic spots totally overrun with people, every roadway leading to the tourist village now dotted with ugly motels, sleeze restaurants, rubbish upon rubbish, etc.

The massive increase in car usage, as we read about 127 km long traffic jams in north China and daily 3 hr commutes into/out of Beijing, puts many more Chinese on the road every day. Drive from Tianjin to Shijiazhuang, or Qingdao? Sure no problem, except for the other hundred thousand other cars and drivers from Tianjin seeking the same 'day out'.

Hiking in China? Hardly. Absolutely no privacy and vendors will trail you like puppies hoping you will throw a coin. And dirty, OMG.

Have a great journey to the future of the world...go to china.

Thanks for everyone's help/suggestions: Here's what I have so far:

Wednesday March 15th: arrive in Hong Kong in afternoon
Thursday: Hong Kong
Friday: Hong Kong
Saturday: 18 Hong Kong
Sunday: Guilin
Monday: Guilin
Tuesday 21: Guilin (fly to Shanghai)
Wednesday: Shanghai
Thursday: Shanghai (day trip to Suzhou/Yangzhou)
Friday: Shanghai (day trip to Suzho/Yangzhou)
Saturday 25th: Shanghai.
Sunday: Huangshan
Monday Huangshan
Tuesday Huangshan (train/fly Tuesday night to Xian)
Wednesday 29th Xian
Thursday Xian. (take evening train to Pingyang)
Friday Pingyang. (take evening train to Beijing)
Saturday Beijing
Sunday Beijing
Monday Beijing
Tuesday Beijing
Wednesday Beijing. (fly home in afternoon)


1. Am I spending too long/stayign too little anywhere? Also, while these are the places I most want to see (without flying around all over the place) Are there better areas to be going considering the time of year - I know Yunnan/Szechuan are supposed to be warmer/drier but they're out of the way and while I would like to see them, I think they may need to wait until next trip?

2. How would I get from Huangshan to Xian? In general, is it possible to do visit Huangshan (both hike the mountain, and see a couple of the historic towns) on my own, or should I get a guide for this?

3. Can I wait till last minute (as in a couple days before) to book anything in case the weather looks like it will be terrible, in which case I maybe will go to Yunnan instead of heading east?

Thanks again!

Do you mean Pingyao?

I wanted more time than you are allowing for Xi'an (I was there for 4 nights) and for Beijing (I had 9 nights). One day should be enough for Pingyao, unless you want to see any of the outlying compounds.

I haven't been to your other designations yet.

1- Not enough time in Xi'An. you need another day, not sure where to take it from. Maybe the Shanghai area.
2- There is only one train per day from Huangshan to Xi'An. A bullet train but it still takes 8 hours. You waste your day traveling. But flying is even worst. You need to connect through Guangzhou and spend a night there.
3- No problem in waiting. You need good weather on top of Huangshan otherwise you see nothing. Note that Yunnan may be a bit warmer but still cold and many places (hotels and restaurants) have no heating making it more uncomfortable than places in the north.

I'd like to recommend you do the Shanghai Suzhou Hangzhou and Huangshan part in this way:

Shanghai evening bullet train Suzhou for 1 night
Suzhou evening bullet train to Hangzhou for 1-2 night
Hangzhou bullet train to Yellow Mountain
Huangshan
Huangshan to Xian by bullet train/flight

Xian to Pingyang, Pingyang must be Pingyao, right? If you just want to see the old city of Pingyao, 1 night is enough, if you want see Qiao's Family, etc. one more night is needed.

You can book your air ticket on ctrip.com, book your train tickets on china-train-ticket.com or china-diy-travel.com

Thank you Chinaren - so you think it's worth it to spend a night in Suzhou (I've heard differently from others).

Yes - Pingyao. Do you think it's worth it to cut that out and spend an extra in Xian as several others here have said. For what it's worth, I'm not terribly keen on seeing the terra-cotta warriors, but have heard Xian is still a unique and special destination regardless.

Thanks

Stay 1 night in Suzhou or Hangzhou to avoid going back and forth to Shanghai, then you can go to Huangshan From Hangzhou directly by bullet train.

Regarding Pingyao or Xian, It totally depends on Your interests. Are you doing It independently or arranged by a local agency?