mlbcruiser

We may soon be making our first (and likely only) trip to China on a pkg. tour. Although we have traveled a lot - and always independently- my husband insists we do a pkg. for this one. (Please realize that is a dead issue and I do not need more input on it.) All three tours will visit the top sights in each respective city. Tours #2 abd #3 are quite a bit less expensive than #1, partly because they are just slightly shorter. Even though I would love to see Guillin & Yangshuo, it will not bother me all that much if we don't get to see the terracotta warriors.

1. Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Yangshuo, Suzhou, Tongli, Shanghai
Highlights: The Bund, Reed Flute Cave, Li River Cruise, Terracotta Warriors, The Great Wall of China, Forbidden City, Canal Ride

2. Cities: Shanghai, Suzhou, Taian, Qufu, Jinan, Beijing
Highlights: The Bund, Canal Ride in Suzhou, Mount Tai, Confucius' Hometown, Forbidden City, The Great Wall of China

3. Shanghai, Suzhou, Zhengzhou, Dengfeng, Luoyang, Beijing
Highlights: Shaolin Temple, Longmen Grottoes, White Horse, The Bund, Great Wall, Forbidden City

If you are familiar with these areas (and esp. if you visited them as a tourist), I would love to hear your opinion on which itinerary would be best. Thanks for any replies!

thursdaysd

It would be interesting to know which company or companies these are with. But on your specific question I would go for either the second or third as offering something a little different to the usual tours. While it might be a pity to miss Xi'an (which has more to offer than just the warriors) it would be a good idea to miss Guilin and Yangshuo, especially if you're on a tour, as they have become very touristy.

I would probably opt for the second, as I'm not interested in the Shaolin Temple, but otherwise I'd pick whichever has fewest days in Shanghai, unless you're a shopper or a big fan of modern architecture.

kja

Of the places you list, I visited Beijing, Xi'an, Tai'an and Tai Shan (Mount Tai), Qufu, and Luoyang on my trip to China last spring. You might find my trip report helpful when deciding which of these places would be most interesting to you.

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...na-amazing.cfm

rkkwan

Unless you have some fetish on kung fu, definitely NOT the 3rd one. Deng Feng is basically a brand new town with 60-70 "schools" that train young kids. Most of Shaolin Temple is newly rebuilt as the center of a crass commercial empire. Zhengzhou is just another featureless large Chinese city.

HappyTrvlr

I would choose #1. You can't begin to imagine what it is like to view the Terra Cotta Soldiers inn their setting until you are there in person. I really liked two other museums in Xi'an along with it's old city wall.