Myer

When to travel.

Looking for the best chance of having longest (I know longest day is end of June), warm (75 degree), no rain for Beijing.

I assume a travel visa is required. How does one get a travel visa?

Currency. Is it possible to purchase Chinese purrency of advance? Where?

Process of booking hotels. I a deposit or full payment required? Anything else?

Flights within China. Can they easily be booked ahead of time? If so, is it much more expensive.

Any other questions I should be asking but don't know enough to ask?

Thanks in advance.

thursdaysd

First, use the search facility on this site - your questions have been answered multiple times.

Second, get a guidebook or two - Fodors has one (more than one if you start with the picture guide), Lonely Planet is great for logistics. Try your library.

Then you'll be able to ask some detailed questions.

PeterN_H

Strongly support the recommendations made above--all of these very straightforward questions can be answered ina few minutes with a guide book or on-line. Would only differ with the recommendation of the LP guide which is in general both poorly researched, poorly updated, inaccurate or incomplete on practical details and very thin indeed on cultural and historical information. (There were, however, 29 other choices for Beijing alone in my local travel bookshop the last time I counted.)

dina4

We got our visas by making two trips to the Chinese Consolate in our city. First trip to pay and turn in forms (that you download from their website and fill out ahead of time), and a second trip four days later to pick visas up. I saved about $80 doing this myself. Many travel agents will do it for you, as you don't have to be there in person to apply or receive your visa, and so they charge you a bit more.

I can also say it was FREEZING in late Feb/early March!

Gpanda

You can get visas from a service. We used Visa Obtainers Inc. They were very good. Telephone number 202-347-2909.

buy a guide book, not lonely Planet. This will give an overview and allow you to ask more specific questions.

Interior flights can be booked on CTIP.co. We used them, but the general opinion is that booking flights when you're in China is cheaper. we wanted peace of mind.

Please note, Shanghai has two airports. Make sure you knwo which one you're using.