Shanghainese

You could visit the Summer Palace on the way back from the Great Wall if you do an early start. Temple of Heaven and the Lama Temple can be seen on the same day.

tibettourorg

7 days is not enough to travel so many cities, as the others said. You can choose one or two to visit.

SusuanW03843

Any hotel recommendations for hotel in beijing?

victorkaca

Your itinerary looks good, but you can condense D7 and D8 together...You can visit the temple of heaven(2 hours) in the early morning and then catch subway to the summer palace(2 hours). And then, you can catch the metro to the Front Gate where is the tiananmen square and the Forbbiden City. The back lake is not far from the Forbbiden city, and you can visit there in the late afternoon and in the evening because there are quite a few good restraunts and bars in that area.

EllenLM

I wouldn't recommend condensing Days 7 and 8. I HATE getting to the Forbidden City any time later than an hour or two after opening because it is so crowded as people push and push to get to see something in a given pavilion. I would change Day 7 to start with an easy walk through Tiananmen and then cross the street to go into the Forbidden City. If you're young and interested in seeing the bar scene, then hit the Back Lakes area in the evening for dinner.

I also suggest you factor in time to get from one place to another. For example, the subway from the Temple of Heaven to the Summer Palace will take more than one hour just on the train--that doesn't count time to walk to or from the station (which could be another 20-30 minutes each time, depending on where you are). I am a strong advocate of the Beijing subway--just be realistic about how big a city Beijing is and how long it takes to get ANYwhere.

Big hint: The Forbidden City has an audio tour you can rent in many languages, including English. (I think Sean Connery is the narrator.) It is excellent and will give you insight and history that you would otherwise miss.

temppeternh

> Big hint: The Forbidden City has an audio tour you can rent in many languages, including English. (I think Sean Connery is the narrator.) It is excellent and will give you insight and history that you would otherwise miss.

The audio tour is no more accurate about Forbidden City history than any other mainland source, and should be avoided as much as the human guides. The Sean Connery narration was replaced years ago. If you're interested in accurate and informative background read Geremie Barme's 'The Forbidden City', and bring a decent guide book that has routes around the site. Maps with little booklets of inaccurate history are also available at the entrances for a mere ¥5.

gfeibleman

I have been reading this string with interest. I too am looking at a first time trip to Asia next October or November . I could take up to 3 weeks including travel time from US. West coast. I'd like to fly in to japan and out of china or the reverse and would appreciate a suggested itinerary from those more familiar. Right now I am thinking 10 days japan and 8 days china but am not locked in to anything. Ideas?

kja

gfeibleman - You will likely receive better answers if you start your own thread. 10 days in Japan will barely give you enough time to even skim the highlights. japan-guide.com is a good source of information. 8 days in China is barely enough for Beijing. I would urge you to get at least one or two good guidebooks, read Fodor's destination guides, read trip reports and planning threads, and then post your questions in a new thread. Good luck!

jobin

If you go to HK for a few days before Beijing you can obtain a China visa in HK. Express service maybe next day. Must show hotel and round-trip travel bookings and HKD 1300 plus small rush fee. And do not accept what you may read on CCP web sites as many are out of date, and they don't give a damn. Frankly, China is not eager for visitors as CCP govt views westerners as troublemakers, thus the rules for getting a visa continue to multiply. Also, you may be able to only get a one entry, 30 day visa, as a first timer.
Certainly for Beijing during late November you will need a gas-mask if you desire to breathe, and bring you own oxygen as chinese vendors can not be trusted.
Yes, go to Taipei for the street food and chinese culture: you won't be able to tell the difference and the convenience is well worth it. And in Taiwan you can enjoy the hot springs hotels. The mainland is a sewer.

JPDeM

OK jobin, you are funny. How about some realistic comments.