danielgo

We have 12 days to spend in China and are trying to figure out an itinerary. Our thoughts originally were 4 nights Shanghai, 2 night Xian, 3 nights Beijing and 2 nights Hong Kong (we are flying in and out of Hong Kong). Seems like to many cities in 12 days. Should we cut out Shanghai????

rkkwan

You don't need to cut Shanghai, but you should give Beijing at least one more night. 3 nights Shanghai, 4 nights Beijing; or even 2/5.

thursdaysd

I agree with rkkwan - cut back Shanghai. imo the best sight is the wonderful Art Museum - you could do that and the other standard tourist sites with two nights. I'd give another night to Beijing and possibly one more to Xi'an - after you've seen the Terracotta Warriors there are still the Muslim qaurter, the Great Mosque, the Daoist temple and the Big Goose Pagoda, plus a pretty-good museum.

bobludlow

Shanghai is the Manhattan of China - bustling, busy, and huge. If you are visiting for the culture of Old China than either skip it or make a short visit of the museum with a drive along the Bund. But if you want to see China's nascent capitalism at its most bustling, Shanghai is an exciting place.

Marija

Before going to China I read quite a few negative comments about Shanghai on this forum, but we really enjoyed Shanghai. As the previous poster said so well, it's not the past, it's the future!

Neil_Oz

And if you're interested in modern Chinese history, Shanghai was the centre of 19th century European incursions into China and (not unrelated) the cradle of the 1949 revolution. There are interesting reminders of those times - the French Concession and Bund, of course, but also the former houses of Sun Yatsen and Zhou Enlai and the site of the first national conference of the CCP, all museums now. The fantastic art museum at Renmin Park is also well worth a visit.

bhuty

just in case you are still puzzling over this.......


Ditto all positive remarks and the 3 mights shanghai, 4 night beijing comment

Cicerone

My personal opinion is that 4 cities in that amount of time is rushing it. My general rule for my own traveling is that with two weeks I only try to “do” three places. I assume your 12 days only includes days you are not arriving or departing for international flights, if not, then really 4 places is way too much. If you have not been to Asia before, and if you are traveling in the summer when it will be hot and crowded, you may not be able to get in as much in a day as you think. Traveling between the cities, even by air, will take half a day at least, which will eat into your schedule. Finally, jet lag will slow you down a bit for the first few days. Personally, I would cut out one place and try to actually see and experience the other three more deeply. As mentioned above, Xian has a lot to offer (including an excellent museum which is, IMO, superior to Shanghai’s). I love the Muslim quarter and just wandering the little streets there is a great way to spend a few hours, and the city walls are very interesting. You could of course spend 12 days in Beijing itself as there is so much on offer there. I think Hong Kong is a great place, and 2 days is actually too short to see more than just the main tourist highlights, and there area lot of interesting neighborhoods that most tourists don’t get to, tens of dozens of great restaurants, good walks offering spectacular views, and of course great shopping (some bargains, but mostly just amazing quantity and quality). I personally would cut out Shanghai altogether. Shanghai is a huge, modern city (as is Hong Kong albeit much smaller and actually greener so you can see the future of China there as well). Beyond the Bund and perhaps Xiantidini, I don’t think you will really want to see other parts, and personally, I think it is a long way to go to see pseudo-European buildings (Hanoi’s are more interesting IMO).

keldar

I live in China and personally i prefer Shanghai over Beijing, There are many day trips to beautiful towns outside of Shanghai such as Souzhou the silk and chinese garden capital of china and Zhouzhuang ancient water canals ( the Venice of China ). In China experience the old french, British areas for the grand buildings, The old city and gardens and of course Nanjing Lu at night.I have no trouble sightseeing for a week in Shanghai. Just wander the streets.

JuneAnn

We'll be in Shanghai for 4 nights in April and are still deciding which is the best location for us to stay in. At the moment our choices are between the Westin and Four Seasons. We could also possibly get a good room at the Portman Ritz Carlton.
Which area is the best as far as location.
We won't be taking the subway so that's not an issue for us. Sightseeing, shopping and dining....

Thanks for any help.

keldar

we always stay at the novotel on nanjing lu . it is nice to sit in the evening at their street level outside bar and wath the world go by. nanjing lu is the main pedestrian main street.