khedge

Hi. We are going to China in March to adopt a child. We will be going to Shanghai with our 3-yr-old daugther for 3 days prior to adopting our Son in his province.

We will have a lot of luggage as it is a long stay in China with 4 people (up to 3 weeks). What would a taxi to the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Shanghai - Pudong 889 Yanggao Nan Road Pudong cost and would their be taxi/vans available to us and our luggage?

Our potential guide has proposed $160 for this transfer and I thought that was a lot. She recommended not grabbing a taxi from the airport because there could be confusion with language barrier on getting to the right hotel.

Also, this is the stuff we want to do:

We want to go to the top of Shanghai World Financial Center because
we heard this is the best view. (is this the case?)

Also maybe Oriental Pearl Tower though I heard very long lines?

The Gardens.

Yu Yuan/The Bund - basic tourist stuff.

Zhujiajiao/Qibao looks cool.

Our 3 year old is a pro traveler and is ok with being on the go, but we want to avoid any long lines. Anything we should scratch out from above, or add?

We are pretty good travelers - have been to over 30 countries, but we want this to be EASY which is why we are considering a guide. Do we really need one? And are we on par with what we should be doing during our short stay in Shanghai?

Also is the hotel we have chosen a good choice for the things we want to do? We want to stay at a Hilton property because we have free rooms, and every penny saved helps with these adoptions!

Thank you so much!!

JPDeM

You certainly do not need a guide to visit these places. By the way, about the Pearl Tower, no need to go to the top for the view as you have a better one at the WFC but there is a good Shanghai history museum at the base of the tower.
There is no language issue in taking a taxi as long as you have your destination in writing (Chinese). However I am not sure that a van will be available. I have seen them when taking a taxi. They were not in the taxi lineup per se but hanging out not far behind the line. It may be better to line one up ahead of time.

thursdaysd

I agree that you don't need a guide. Taxis are easy, and all you need is your destination in Chinese characters. Sounds like your "potential" guide is trying to rip you off (which is totally unsurprising with Chinese guides).

WRT luggage - why are you packing so much? Pack for a week and do laundry.

sylvia3

My daughter (who lived there less than a year ago) suggests a taxi, and thinks that it will NOT cost that much (she thinks a maximum to ANY hotel in Pudong would be $50).
Agree you are overpacking; your hotel has laundry/valet service (tho you can do as the Chinese do, and hand wash/hang your own).
E-mail the Doubletree and ask if they have airport transport; many hotels do.
If not:
Go to the hotel's website and print out the address in Chinese. You can ASK the taxi driver how much they will charge; some will set a price for you without the meter, and others will ignore the meter and overcharge (make sure the meter is on, if you want that).
Don't get into any unmarked cars or vans. The taxi line is obvious, ignore any hawkers.

rhkkmk

we loved the hop on hop off bus for seeing many sights..

ask your hotel what it would cost for a taxi and do they have a van to send for you... hotels are always on the expensive side but reliable for an initial arrival.