Suggestions for two weeks in December
 

I'd love some suggestions for completing my itinerary. Planning on flying into Beijing on Dec 6 (20th anniversary trip)- would like to spend 3-4 nights in Beijing then take overnight train to Xian, spend two nights there. We'd like to end the trip in Shanghai for 2-3 nights (shortest trip back to the US). Otherwise we're open to suggestions.
A colleague of mine suggested Chongquing (I like spicy food) as a starting point for the Yangzee river trip, but my research is telling me this may be a waste of time. Maybe Chengdu would be a better alternative.
He also suggested Shenzen (because of the wide variety of food and low costs), but others have suggested to skip that. Should we go to Hong Kong?
I'd like to spend a few days at least somewhere with beautiful scenery, not spend the whole trip in cities. I've looked in Guilan/Yangshou, but I'm not sure if December is the right time to go.
I would appreciate any suggestions. Let me know if you need more information. We are in our late 40's and are adventurous eaters. Actual budget not too important, but I don't like to waste $$

eyeski
I think you'll get responses if you put CHINA in your title and start a new thread. A number of fodorites have been to the places you are mentioning.

I might also suggest you do a search for those places.

I myself have not been to China, other than Hong Kong, so I cannot offer help.

Eyeski,

I'm from China so maybe my suggestions can offer some help here. I'd suggest your trip be the combination of historical sight-seeing, time to the local life/scenery and the taste of mordern China.

Because you're traveling in December, keep in mind it will be quite cold in Beijing and Xian. I will definitely visit Great Wall, Empire Buildings, Terra Cotta Warriors...do all the historical sight seeing there.

Then I will fly to Guilin. It's much warmer and it's has this distinguished scenery/culture. Since Beijing and Xian are up north near desert, the trip to Guilin will definitely bring a very different experience.

Then I'd fly to Shanghai, the city of the modern china life. Be sure to go to Yu garden, stroll along the bond-where I grew up:-), take a cruise at NIGHT. The Peace hotel near bond has a great jazz band, it brings world war II era feel at night; or go to Xin Tian Di for some modern day night life.

Believe me there are all kinds of food styles you can find in Beijing and Shanghai, from spicy chinese to
french to brazil...these cities are like NYC with all kinds of restaurants, so you won't miss out the authenic food if you don't have time to go to Chongqing or Chengdu.

If you want to build Yangzee river tour into your trip, I'd skip Guilin and directly go on a cruise from Beijing. Don't know how many days you have, but normally it will be 4-5 days at least I think.

Hope above helps. But I believe you'll have a wonderful trip no matter what.

I'm going to Spain this December, booked hotel in Malaga but I need to plan out my itinerary as well - have you ever been? If so any suggestion?

With only 2 weeks and the fact that you are already firm on three places, please only pick one more place, as IMO you can’t “do” more than 4 places in 2 weeks (well, you can, but they will be a blur and you really won’t see them and IMO won’t enjoy or appreciate them). I would really discourage you from the Yangtze trip, it’s the wrong time of year to begin with, and I really think that the pollution and the dams have changed that trip forever; I may be wrong on that but that is my view. Please do not bother with Shenzhen unless you want really shoddy tailoring and crap consumer goods (and there are many places in China to get both).

Another poster has reminded you about the weather you will find in December in the places on your item so far, not an issue if you don’t mind it and are dressed for it. Beijing has a certain beauty in the winter, IMO.

You can find spicy food in many places, IMO if really good food is important to you in all honesty I would come to Hong Kong where you can get a wide variety of spicy Chinese and virtually all other cuisines on the planet <i>and</i> the weather is fabulous in December (in the 70s, sunny and dry). I would not go to Chengdu just for the food, it will be friggin’ freezing and there is not a lot there beyond the pandas (and there are some at Ocean Park here in Hong Kong if you really feel the need). You can also find spicy food in Beijing and Shanghai too.

The only alternative I would maybe suggest to Hong Kong would be Lijiang which I think is just a lovely little place which would be good for a few day stopover. Otherwise you itinerary looks good. I am not a huge fan of Shanghai and would certainly pick Hong Kong over it, so would do Lijiang and Hong Kong and also Beijing and Xian if this were my trip; but I live in Hong Kong and am a bit prejudiced. I like the physical geography of the mountains and harbour which Shanghai does not have (it’s flat). I also find Hong Kong much easier to get around. There is also fantastic walking/hiking here, esp in December, which you won’t find in Shanghai.

Not sure I agree that Guilin is good in December, I think the rice terrace areas are quite brown then and temps are pretty cool still. Still weatherbase.com for information.

Cicerone: Do you happen to know the transportation options from Hong kong to Lijiang? I am also toying with the idea of going to Hong Kong in late fall and am looking into adding one or two other destinations..

Train via Kunming? Direct flights?

Many thanks..sorry to break in here..

There are flights to Lijiang from Hong Kong, but no non-stops as far as I know, you have to change in Kunming, Chengdu or other places. (If you will be in Bejing or Shanghai I think there are non-stops to Kunming and that might work well as a triangle.) You can also fly to Kunming and then drive to Lijiang, this would be about 6 hours if my memory is correct. A stop off in Dali for a half day (or overnight to break up the trip) is quite interesting actually.

You may be able to train from Kunming, I have just never looked into it.

Thanks! I would not be visiting Beijing or Shanghai, so will check in to the flights from HK..or even the trains. I am hoping to get a bargain airfare around Thanksgiving
(read here about Continental offering good business class rates from Newark around the holidays; was hoping to spend about a week in HK and include a couple of other places..have not been to HK in about 20 years!)

Any other opinions on Hong Kong vs Shanghai?

I'm tempted to consider flying in/out of HK so I could fly Cathay Pacific, which has a great reputation from what I understand.

If we did that, could do HK, travel to Shenzen for cheaper flight to the next destination. Can one fly directly to Lijang from Shenzen?
What about Pingyao? That had been suggested as a stopover on the way from Beijing to Xian or vice-versa.

Could then work our way up to Xian and Beijing before returning to HK for flight home.

There are no trains to Lijiang. Train only goes from Kunming to Dali.

There are no non-stop flights from either HKG or SZX (Shenzhen) to LJG. You have to transfer in KMG (Kunming), but KMG-LJG is frequent and short. So, it isn't that much trouble to get to Lijiang from Hong Kong.

There is direct train from Guangzhou to Kunming, but that alone takes 25 hours, so no point.