I posted another query recently about using cell phones and credit/debit cards in Shanghai and got lots of good advice. Now I have another question. My son leaves in two weeks for Shanghai. He'll be spending four months there and we're hoping he'll take some time for weekend trips. Can anyone recommend good trips for an 18-year old? He has a Lonely Planet Guide, but I'd be interested in hearing what Fodorites have to say. Any details you can provide are greatly appreciated (travel info, accommodations, eating, sights, etc.).

Suzhou would be as good a place as any for a weekend, I think. Your son's Lonely Planet should have plenty of relevant info.

If he has a LP he should do fine. Suzhou is good for gardens, and there are several water towns. He could also consider Hangzhou, and I enjoyed Putuoshan, although it's harder to get to.

Four months is a long time in any place, and especially in China, and without knowing his interests or his budget or how long he will have for his trips (just weekends, taking more time as a vacation?), its hard to advise. I also think that the places he may think he wants to see now may change completely after he has been in China a few months and gets to know the place better…The very obvious places like Beijiing, Xian, Lijiang, Guilin, Hong Kong and the “water towns” around Shanghai are so well covered on this board and in books like Lonely Planet (which is very good for budget travel) and Fodors and Frommers that I would not go into it. If he has time and interest certainly areas of the Silk Road to the west and a place like Mongolia or Tibet. But he may find himself drawn to completely different regions based on the people he meets in Shanghai and the experiences he has there. I would let this stew a bit in his mind. He may end up wanting to ski in Harbin, or sit on a beach in Hainan Island.

Consider taking a flight to somewhere. I found no trouble walking into an airport and booking a flight in Shanghai/China.