We will be travelling to Beijing, Xian, Shanghai and Hangzhou in July. We love Cheung Chau but will not have time to come to Hong Kong this trip, is there anywhere we could do a side trip to from our main bases - doesn%26#39;t have to be an island but maybe coastal?
suggest you also post yr Q in the Shanghai forum as there%26#39;s a very nice girl (the Shanghai Kate Tam!!!?) who replies a lot for mainland Q.
Hello
- Really need guidance on an itinerary for China: arrive Beijing 5/14 and remain until 5/19 . My son (19) and I would like to travel until the 23rd. Should we do Shanghai, Xi%26#39;an or something else? More interested in activity than total indoor time.
Should we fly open jaw - into Beijing, out of Shanghai? Or back to Beijing? We need guidance on flights vs. trains.
Also, which is the best part of the Great Wall to do? Intrigued by the flying fox, or the alpine slide. Hiking is fine.
Thanks so much!
If you just have 5-6 days (14th-19th), you can visit beijing (4 days) and xian (2 days). But you son do have enough time to visit beijing, xian and shanghai.
For transportation, you can use overnight soft sleeper train between beijing and xian, check the train timetable through www.adventurechinatrip.com/chinatrain.asp. For the possibel leg of xian to shanghai for your son, air is a good way, you can check the domestic flight info through www.elong.com.
If you are very fit and very interested in some out doors activities, you can choose jinshanling-simatai great wall hike, but that will cost you one whole day. Still have questions about travelling in china? just feel free to contact me at lihongrui@gmail.com.
Cheers
You have 6 days. You could go to either Shanghai or Xi%26#39;an for a couple of days after Beijing and then fly out from there. However I don%26#39;t think Xi%26#39;an%26#39;s international flight connections are very good, so Shanghai might be a better choice if you%26#39;re flying open-jaw. Otherwise put Xi%26#39;an as an overnight trip (by overnight train, both ways) from Beijing so that you can fly out from Beijing.
Overnight Z trains would be best for your situation.
For the Great Wall, do Mutianyu (or perhaps Simatai) if you have half a day. Do Jinshanling-Simatai if you can afford an entire day.
Hi,
anybody knows where I can find online the timetable of the ferry connecting Xiamen to the islando of Gulangyu??? I need to know if the service runs at night...
thanks
Yes, it definitely does.
hope below link helps....
www.xmn.com.cn/viewthread.php…
in case you still miss the last sailing 00:20, you still can rent a small boat to Xiamen. It%26#39;s on the left side of Gulangyu ferry if you face to Xiamen, walks abt 5-6mins, there is a old ferry that you can ask for rent.
What is normal for the weather the first week in March. It seems to me like it will be in the 50';s, which is like a heat wave to me. I live in Ohio, USA. My husband insist it will be cold and to prepare. What kind of coat should I take?
Thank you,
the weather in shanghai will be 50%26#39;%26#39;s, but damp and often drizzles. if you dont mind the cold a thin jacket should be ok. Beijing is rather worm this year, the temprature is same as in shanghai at the moment, but very dry. Don%26#39;t warry, it%26#39;s very cheap to buy cloth in the market place here.
In October 2007, the Special Olympics World Games will be held here. I live in North Carolina and we have two of our athletes going for Roller Skating. We run the local Special Olympics for this county but have no help from the state to book the parents and their coach to attend the games. So my question is.....Do anyone know where the games will be held? Also since I know nothing about China, we are looking to book hotels for the parents (and pay for them) but I don%26#39;t know much about what hotels would be good for a decent price. Since we have to raise all of our own funds for this trip we don%26#39;t have a ton of money. Any advice would be helpful.
One last thing, I am sure they have cheap food over there we can grab on the go, are their fast food resturants about the same prices as those in America?
Thanks in advance!!!!
A Value Meal at McDonald%26#39;s or KFC would be about 20 RMB.
This is the official website for 2007 Spcial Olympics in Shanghai
www.2007specialolympics.com/index.php鈥?/a>
And that one is in Enlgish.
Hi
Planning a trip to Shanghai in March.
Do you know any good places where I
can buy contact lens and glasses for my family.
Helen
there are a lot of glasses shops or shores in Shanghai.
As a local people, I recommend Wu Liang Cai Optical (No.456 East Nan jing Road)
you can buy both contact lens and glasses there.
Chinese address is:鍗椾含涓滆矾456鍙?/p>
It%26#39;s near the Nan jing walk street :-)
Thanks for your help.
I am sure we can find glasses now.
:-)
Have a nice tour in Shanghai
Happy Spring Festival ( Chinese New Year)!
Haven%26#39;t been yet, but I heard there is a glasses market in the basement of the Shanghai train station. Lots of shops and you can get glasses with basic lenses for around $20. You can bring a prescription or they will use a machine to find yours for free.
hmmm..maybe they will be cheap, but what about the quality?
@_@....eyes are very important to people, so we should protect them la =D
state-owned store will be good for the quality, and the price will be reasonable
Hello, i am looking a hotel that is not too expensive and that is close to all the good nightlife
LKF Hotel by Rhombus is very close to the night life in Central district.
dear Irish32, I have just come back from HK and I stayed at Hotel LKF and it was really fantastic.It is smack in the middle of Lan Kwai Fong.I was a little concerned that it might be noisy considering all the partying downstairs, but we didnt hear a thing. Contact them directly as they are offering very good deals way below the advertised rack rates.They have a extra lift which spills you out into Lan Kwai Fong.The rooms are amongst the largest I have seen in HK and I have stayed in all the Five Stars.This is a boutique hotel so only has four stars.If you are looking to meet people this is the area for you. The address is 33 Wyndham st, Central.Ph 35189688. You might want to read the reviews of others who have stayed there.
Thanks , i think we will be staying in LKF hotel, sounds good , i am looking forward to it , cheers
Make sure you book the correct one, because there is another one with a siimlar name - Lan Kwai Fong Hotel - not actually in Lan Kwai Fong.
I will be traveling to Shanghai the week of April 1, 2007 with my wife and daughter. I would love to hear from any other families that have done this vacation or locals that could help me with choices in hotels, dos and dont%26#39;s, tour guides, etc. Thank you for your help in advance.
Jim
What are your interests and how old is your daughter?
DO stay on the Puxi side near the centre of town. It is not necessary to be on the Bund.
DO you want an apartment (the same cost of a 4/5 star hotel with laundry, 2 bedrooms, Televisions and kitchen or just a hotel room?
Arrange for a tour to a water town. Wuzhen, Tongli, Xitang or you could go to Suzhou or Hangzhou (gardens and lakes but packed with tourists)
Also serach Shanghai itineraries at this website for other ideas from many other familes.
Purchase a Lonely Planet guide and use taxis rather than go on tours for the day. That gives you flexibility with your child who may otherwise be bored to tears or hire a private guide just for your family.
You should visit the Shànghai Municipal History Museum in the basemnt of the Oriental Peal Tower. A must for anyone going to Shanghai, especially with children.
How old is your daughter?
What are your family%26#39;s sightseeing interests and preferences?
What%26#39;s your budget like for accommodation?
How long do you have to spend in China? Would you be in Shanghai only?
Email me at ellyse99@yahoo.com (please put ';TripAdvisor jimt23'; in the subject line so that I don%26#39;t junk your email by mistake, thanks) with those answers and more details about yourself and I would be in a better position to help you out with itinerary and etc. I%26#39;m studying in Shanghai and have travelled extensively in China for the past 3.5 years.
Hi All,
My fiance and I are planning to visit China next month (2 Mar - 12 Mar) and we are hoping someone might be able to assist us with our planning. We will be visiting Shanghai, Xian and Beijing.
Can you please have a look at our plans for Shanghai and let me know what you think? We enjoy sightseeing, local history, food, and are hoping to get the most out of this trip. If there are places you would recommend we visit that I have left out, please let us know. Or if you think that we have not got enough time OR too much time in a specific location etc., please let us know. Oh, if you could recommend any restaurants (for breakfast, lunch or dinner), please let us know (Just a personal preference and no offence meant - please do not recommend any place that serves anything other than beef, pork, poultry, fish, vegan)
Day Start End Duration Activity
Fri 1430 Arrive in Shanghai / Customs / Check-in
1600 1730 1.5 Rest
1800 2000 2 Local Area Walk and Shopping
2000 2130 1.5 Dinner
Sat 830 1000 1.5 Yu Yuan Gardens and Bazaar (Breakfast, Local Area Walk and Shopping)
1015 1415 4 Shanghai Museum + Lunch
1445 1645 2 The Bund/Friendship Store
1645 1730 0.75 Bund Sightseeing Tunnel
1730 1900 1.5 River Tour/Local Area Walk and Shopping
1900 2000 1 Dinner
Sun 700 1000 3 Zoo
1030 1200 1.5 Jade Buddha
1200 1330 1.5 Lunch
1400 1600 2 French Concession
1615 1715 1 Weald Outfitter (Outdoor gear - GPS systems etc)
1730 1830 1 Dinner
1830 2000 1.5 Local Area Walk and Shopping
Mon 830 1400 ***No plans as yet***
1400 1630 Go to airport, check in etc.
1650 1910 Flight (Shanghai - Xian)
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!
it%26#39;s quite good :-)
another good place you can visit:
Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center
It will show you the future of this biggest city in China.
It%26#39;s located near Shanghai museum.
Admission fee is 30RMB/person
Thanks CuteMinMin!
Will add that to my itinerary
hehe....
Have a nice trip!
Hope you will love Shanghai!
for restaurant, my favourite one is Bali Laguna inside JingAn park,very romantic setting and good food. It%26#39;s the first restaurant my husband brought me to when I just arrived to Shanghai from London three years ago. for local best quality food, go to Ye Shanghai in XinTianDi, very good Shanghai food, also M on the bound is the best restaurant with the best view in Shanghai.
Oops! sorry didn%26#39;t mean to do AD here. Try to get the That%26#39;s shanghai magazine. It%26#39;s very useful. you can get from your hotal. Have a nice trip.
haha, yes, yes!
That%26#39;s Shanghai is very good!
Sometimes you can get it in your hotel.
You can find hot resturants( food + drink), clubs, bars, sports, etc in it!
u can get an English yellow page, it%26#39;s very helpful
Thanks for the tip! Will look out for the magazine as soon as I get there!
Hi All,
My fiance and I are planning to visit China next month (2 Mar - 12 Mar) and we are hoping someone might be able to assist us with our planning. We will be visiting Shanghai, Xian and Beijing.
Can you please have a look at our plans for Shanghai and let me know what you think? We enjoy sightseeing, local history, food, and are hoping to get the most out of this trip. If there are places you would recommend we visit that I have left out, please let us know. Or if you think that we have not got enough time OR too much time in a specific location etc., please let us know.
Oh, if you could recommend any restaurants (for breakfast, lunch or dinner), please let us know (Just a personal preference and no offence meant - please do not recommend any place that serves anything other than beef, pork, poultry, fish, vegan). Also if you can recommend a hotel, it would be great! Looking for a 3.5-4.5 star hotel comfort level and price range.
Day Start End Duration Activity
Wed 1520 1650 1.5hrs Flight (Xian - Beijing)
1900 2000 1hr Check-in Hotel
2000 2200 2hrs Local Area Walk %26amp; Dinner
Thurs 700 1030 3.5hrs Tiananmen Square (1)
1030 1700 6.5hrs Forbidden City (2)
1715 1830 1.25hrs Temple of Heaven
Fri Great Wall (Not sure where to go yet)
Ming Tombs
Sat Lama Temple
Shopping @ Liulichang
Ming City Wall
Summer Palace
Sun ***No Plans Yet***
We would also like to see the following places. Do you think there is enough time on the Sunday or can we fit some in on other days? If we can%26#39;t fit them all in, can you recommend which ones are MUST SEES?
Ancient Observatory
Underground city
Natural History Museum
Beihai Park
Hutongs
DongYue Temple
White Cloud Temple
Your assistance in this is greatly appreciated! :-)
I%26#39;m pretty sure that the Temple of Heaven closes at 18:00. (The park is open later, but the altars in the center close earlier.)
Since you will be in town on the weekend, you can go to the big market at Panjiayuan.
As far as the other things you list, I would visit the Hutongs--you can do this in the evening.
Beihai park is pretty good, but it is another Imperial park, so you may have had enough of that.
I like the observatory, but it is not a must see--a good thing to do if you find yourself on the subway and have some time, since it is at a subway stop.
If you go to Liulichang (not really essential) you can go to the Underground city when you are there.
I would not consider the Ming tombs or the Ming city wall must-see either.
As suggested, we will replace Ming City wall with Underground City and visit the Hutongs on Thursday night.
Thanks for the assist travellevret.
Any other input or suggestions will be very much appreciated.
Hi just looking at your Thursday arrangements for now. If you are planning on seeing the flag raising in Tiananmen you%26#39;ll need to be there earlier than 7am. Three and a half hours is a long time to spend around there unless you also go to see Mao in his Mausoleum. The last time I heard this was only open every other day but perhaps someone can advise on opening times. You have allowed a long time in the Fobidden city , i just hope there aren%26#39;t improvement works there at the time of your visit as you might want to cut this short. Fabulous place to wonder around though. 15 minutes to get from there to TianTan is not realistic especially as 5pm will be rush hour and you%26#39;ll need a taxi for that journey. Beihai park is just to the northwest of the forbidden city so consider this an option.
For hotels, definately check out Elong or Ctrip. All budgets catered for . If you need help with areas give us a buzz.. For restaurant listings check out www.thatsbj.com or www.cityweekend.com.cn which might help. Enjoy your trip.
Thanks johnniew.
That sounds great! That means I should be able to fit more in on that day :-)
For the record, the items I plan to cover in the square and in the forbidden city are as follows -
(1) Flag Raising Ceremony
Chairman Mao Mausoleum
Monument to the people%26#39;s heroes
Museums
(2) FORBIDDEN CITY
Gate of Heavenly Peace
Imperial City Museum
Worker%26#39;s Cultural Palace
Imperial Archives
Jingshan Park
I think the Tea House is a must,on Sunday you may meet a Chinese style Wedding.
Can you please tell me which teahouse you are referring to, and if possible its location (or the area it is in)?
I didn%26#39;t find anything that special about Temple of Heaven. Loved Lama Temple. Summer Palace is HUGE!!! It really is a long day and it is farther away from most sights but beautiful. Underground City was without a doubt a must see for me. (However, I spent so much time seeing similar sights that this was something ';different'; to check out). Also, I would really see some Hutongs - chances are they will be gone in a few years and it is so amazing to see these little closeknit communities right in the middle of this huge city.
Thanks JellyTwo and peonybeauty!
JellyTwo, does the summer palace take the whole day to visit? From what you said, I assume it will be a worthwhile trip ... just working out a way to fit it in too! :-)
Thanks for all the input so far! Really appreciate it.
You need at least half a day for the summer palace. It takes time just to get there, and it is enormous.
If the weather is good and you want to have time to explore everything that interests you, you might spend most of the day there.
hi
are you able to recommend any good dining places suitable for families
near the salisbury ymca
thanks
triom
Near the YMCA Salisbury, is Canton Road. You can either go into the Harbour City Shopping center.. a huge shopping complex that stretches the WHOLE of Canton road, lots of dining options there for families, all kinds of cuisines, casual to formal, food courts to cafes, to steakhouse, to Australian cuisines......
Anyways, you also can go to Peking No. 1, also on Canton Road....
And silvercord center, and along the Canton road is the infamous Sweet Dynasty that is moving (expanding) a few stores down the road on Canton Road end of March.. bigger and nicer I guess.
Also Cousins%26#39; (is opened there across Prince hotel) I love their milk tea, wonton noodles, toast, and rice rolls.
In Toy house, there are TONS of wonderful Japanese cuisines.... I am there once a week... it%26#39;s that delicious.
If you walk further in behind the YMCA, there is Ashley Road, with a TON of dining options... my personal favorite is in a tiny street, near Ashley Road, in there is Munch a very good organic/fusion/western small cafes that has very good and fresh food.
Have a great time.
If your kids are as fussy as mine then you%26#39;ll love Dan Ryan%26#39;s in Ocean Terminal. Nothing remotely Chinese about it but plenty of burgers, nachos etc! There are also fast food outlets all around which I know is awful and terrible when you%26#39;re doing Asia but sometimes you need these things!
Don%26#39;t know if you%26#39;ve been to the The Salisbury/YMCA before or not - we were there last year and had a family suite overlooking the harbour. The best value for money! This was before the laser show had started but it was still great.
Lots of great restaurants up on the Peak as well. You%26#39;ll have to prebook though. And also plenty to appeal to all on the seafront at Stanley Market. There%26#39;s also Lucy%26#39;s at Stanley which is well hidden away but lovely (full of ladies who lunch!).
To get from The Salisbury to YMCA wil take you a good hour. 5 minute walk to ferry terminal, 6 minutes on Star Ferry and then take the number 6 bus to Stanley (don%26#39;t take a taxi, the bus is way more fun).
Sorry too much info but I love Hong Kong!
hi,
i bought a very good travel guide about China, and I find in Beijing ';South Cathedral'; - ';it is a Catolic Church'; - now, i`m interesting - is this a State Catolic Church or Roman Catolic? ( there is a difernce!!!) I`m trying to find Roman-Catolic church!!! Thank you!
All of the obvious catholic churches you will find in China are under the Chinese government, not the Vatican, including South Cathedral. There are underground churches under the Vatican, but they are underground, so you won%26#39;t find them in guidebooks!
In my experience, I would say that the members and priests in the Chinese Catholic church do consider themselves to be Roman Catholic and under the Vatican, despite the lack of an official, formal relationship.
It%26#39;s not so simple to define this relationship, as the Vatican has also recognized the ordination of some of the bishops of the Chinese church.
Thank you - you`ve been very helpful!
We can%26#39;t seem to find a way to get from Beijing to Datong (except by overnight train). We want to see the Yungang Caves. Is there a tour group that does this trip?
Go to Datong by overnight train and then get a bus to Yungang Grottoes for only 2.5 RMB, no need for a tour.
Though if you really want one, it%26#39;d be easy to find once you%26#39;re in Datong. The CITS runs an acceptable IIRC.
Missed a word there. I meant ';runs an acceptable one';.
Datong is a bit too far from Beijing for a day trip.
Agree. I think I%26#39;ve said earlier that it%26#39;s an overnight train ride of 6-7 hours. You%26#39;d need at least 2N1D for this.
It is rushed to do a one-day tour to datong from beijing. You can consider 2d/1n. Besides train, you can take coach for this trip, normally takes about 4.5 hour from beijing to datong, here is a thread about the coach to datong from beijing, check out at adventurechinatrip.com/bbs/forum_posts.asp鈥?/a>
Cheers
Does anyone know of a place in HK where you can be taught Buddhist meditation in english?
Thank you.
bumpy bump
Not sure if this will help but Su Bong Zen Monastery in Causeway Bay provides translation for English speaking participants.
Their website is;
http://www.subong.org.hk/index_e.htm
and the e-mail address for enquiries is;
info@subong.org.hk
Thank you Solent. I wil check it out.
I was HOPING that some of the local experts may have known. Guess they deal mainly with shopping and hotels.
Thanks again:)
Any view on the St Regis hotel?
I can see it is a great hotel, but what is actually happening there each evening?
Also how far is it away from the shopping? I want to buy the fake watches / bags etc?
Nice to have luxury, but sometimes fail to see the city you are in.
It%26#39;s very near the subway station - a few stops away from the fake market at the Science and Technology museum.
Wonderful Italian restaurant!
haha, I agree :-)
The big shopping market is located in the underground of Century Square ( Next to Shanghai Science and Technology museum)
Fake things all sold them, because a lot of shops are from Xiang Yang Market-- used to be the biggest and most famous fake market in Shanghai.
You can take subway or taxi to go there.
If you want to see the scenic spot at night, I recommend Riverside Promenade. It%26#39;s next to Lu Jia Zui, not far from your hotel. ( Take taxi will be OK)
yes, i%26#39;ve been there several times with my clients
u can buy cheap fake watches/bags there with low price.
I stayed there two years ago. The hotel is very nice. But i felt it is a little bit out of the way...
Rivergod,
don%26#39;t worry, you can take subway to the city center :-)
subway make Shanghai smaller and smaller~~haha
We are staying in Hong Kong in November, 2007 with friends who will be staying at the Hilton. Can ayone recommend a hotel that is clean and safe that is close or convenient to the Hilton?
We%26#39;d like something close to the metro.
Thank you
For November you either increase your budget 3 fold or grab anything coming up within 5 miles of Conrad.
There are a number of hotel located between Conard and MTR Wan Chai Station - Metropark Wan Chai, Empire Hong Kong, Wesley, Harbour View International House which may fit your budget, but you need to check rates later as they usually don%26#39;t release November rates this early.
Hello...
any help will be appreciated.
my class planned to go to macau for a 3days 2nights trip (11th - 13th March %26#39;07)...what kind of weather condition should we expect?heard it%26#39;s 20+deg cel in the day time and 10+deg cel in the night time? (it%26#39;ll be more or less similar to hong kong?)
and after macau i and 3 of my female friends planned to extend our holiday. Planning to take a ferry to hong kong for 4days 2nights... where and which ferry services are available and where will we be landed, in hong kong?
as this is all our first time to hong kong we don%26#39;t really know where to go and what to go during our stint hong kong...and our main interest will be to get cheap shopping stuffs...heard that ladies market is ideal, is it easy to locate?
any help will be greatly appreciated. thank you.
Look uo the Discover Hong Kong site and http://www.olamacauguide.com/index.html for some info.
and http://www.turbojet.com.hk/ for ferry.
If you are looking for cold weather, you may be disappointed, there are some days in March having 10 deg C, but not everyday, so may or may not experience cold within your stay.
Hong Kong%26#39;s MTR is very similar to Singapore%26#39;s MRT. You can take MTR to Mong Kok and ladies market is nearby.
Agree with that HK weather is getting warmer, normaly higher than 20 Cel degrees in mid of March.
The ferry will land on Cheung Wan as what above mention, takes around an hour to do so,
You can see some HK tourist area and also cheap and special accommodation in below website
http://www.involvementstay.com/
Lots of place you can go like Ladies market, Stanley, Jade street,
Places like Mong Kok, Yam Ma Tei, Sham Shui Po, they have lots of cheap stuff.
juts go there by MTR
I would like to have some information about this place
http://www.studiostudio.com.hk/
I contacted them and they wrote me back...
They say they are located at 320-322 Lockhart Rd, Wan Chai and 62A-64A Lai Yin Building, Causeway Bay
So all I want to know is if this place really exist and everything and if anybody could confirm how it is etc...
Thanks alot
I have heard of this place, they have numerous locations.
Depending on which location, and which room you get, it%26#39;s ok for someone who doesn%26#39;t require daily maid service, and an apartment style stay.
Some rooms are decorated better than others.
Thank you Katetam
if it has at all.
im going March 23 for 9 days and wanna know what to expect.
THANKS!!!
some major sites are under maintenance for olympics.
This is a question that all future travellers want to know but nobody wants to give a DETAILED answer. Please if you live in Beijing could you help?. Many people will keep putting off their plans to travle until after the Olympics if they are in doubt about the extent of the renovations/bull dozing.
Hi All,
My fiance and I are planning to visit China next month (2 Mar - 12 Mar) and we are hoping someone might be able to assist us with our planning. We will be visiting Shanghai, Xian and Beijing.
Can you please have a look at our plans for Shanghai and let me know what you think? We enjoy sightseeing, local history, food, and are hoping to get the most out of this trip. If there are places you would recommend we visit that I have left out, please let us know. Or if you think that we have not got enough time OR too much time in a specific location etc., please let us know. Oh, if you could recommend any restaurants (for breakfast, lunch or dinner), please let us know (Just a personal preference and no offence meant - please do not recommend any place that serves anything other than beef, pork, poultry, fish, vegan). Thinking of the Bell Tower hotel atm ... what do you think?
Day Start End Duration Activity
Mon 1650 1910 Shanghai - Xian ( Flight No.锛?HU7846 )
2010 Checkin Hotel (Xian)
2030 ? ? Big Wild Goose Pagoda for music water fountain
900 1700 8hrs CITS Eastern Tour (Big Goose, Terracotta, Qin Shi Huang)
Tue 1700 1800 1hr Hotel and Rest
1800 2100 3hrs Local Area Walk and Shopping and Dinner
2000 ? ? Tang Paradise (Near Big Goose) for water film drama
Wed ? ? ? Shaanxi Museum
? ? ? Bell Tower
? ? ? Drum Tower
? ? ? Forest of Steles Museum *
1520 1650 1.5hrs Xian - Beijing (Flight No.锛?HU7238 )
With hotels, please recommend hotels within the 3.5 star - 4.5 star hotel comfort level. Thnx! :-)
No need to take the CITS tour, go on your own.
What%26#39;s your budget like for accommodation?
I%26#39;m a bit overwhelmed here with the amount of questions to answer (catching up on backlog for %26gt;1 week) so you might want to email me directly at ellyse99@yahoo.com if you still need my opinions/recommendations/suggestions -- please put ';TripAdvisor dodgyr'; in the subject line so that I don%26#39;t junk your email by mistake, thanks. :)
You can travel independently. Seems that you have two days? (I recomment leave xian for beijing by overnight train, check train schedule at http://www.adventurechinatrip.com/chinatrain.asp). Two days are enough for normal sightseeing in xian, you don%26#39;t need to arrange everything so rigidly. If have any questions, just feel to contact me at lihongrui@gmail.com.
Cheers
Hi,no matter travel by yourself or with the tour company,as long as you enjoy yourself is ok !
please ask me free if you have questons for Xi%26#39;an.
i%26#39;m local citizen and used to workin China travel service
best regards
zyq981125@163.com
Hi,
Do you know of a website that shows city of Beijing?
Thank you.
Look through this site: http://english.mapbar.com/enmodule/
It provides english version online map.
Try this webiste for detailed street maps
Sorry drben.net/ChinaReport/Beijing/Landmarks-Hots鈥?/a>
What are things one should know about Guangzhou? While there what to see what to do? Places to eat? Places to go? Places to shop or areas to shop? Any Information, anyone can give would be great! Thanks
www.google.com
www.yahoo.com
http://wikitravel.org/en/Guangzhou
travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/guangzhou.htm
http://www.guangzhouexpert.com/shopping.html
We are deciding betwen the Radisson Shanghai New World and the Ramada Plaza Shanghai. The price difference of $50 total for 4 nights is not a factor in the decision. I would appreciate opinions of which is the better choice?
Thanks,
Les
Radisson New World would be my choice.
Hi all,
Am planning a quick trip to Chengdu from Shanghai, really just to visit the Wolong Panda Reserve over a weekend in April. Any idea how long the flight is from SHanghai to Chengdu and if flights are easy to buy once in Shanghai?
Have read the great posts about the driver/tour guide Mickal and was wondering if anyone has visited the Wolong Reserve recently - am trying to get a gauge on if the roadworks have been completed and how much time to leave for travel. I have no idea what else is in Chengdu so am really wanting to arrive in Chengdu on the Friday night and leave the Saturday to drive and visit the Wolong Reserve and then return to Shanghai on the Sunday. Is this do-able?
What sort of prices am I looking at for a return flight Shanghai/Chengdu/Shanghai; hotel stay for two nights, driver/guide if I am travelling on my own? Also should a female travelling on be concerned for personal safety given I do not speak Chinese?
Thanks for your input and comments.
I think he has posted recently that you should allow for 2 days for Chengdu -- Wolong panda reserve -- Chengdu, so unless you have a really long weekend (ie %26gt;2 days) and don%26#39;t mind being tired out, I would advise you to see the pandas at Chengdu panda reserve instead.
Yes, flights for Shanghai -- Chengdu -- Shanghai are pretty easy to buy here.
If you want more information or help with your trip, email me at ellyse99@yahoo.com and put ';TripAdvisor aussie_holiday_girl'; in the subject line. I%26#39;m studying in Shanghai and have travelled extensively in mainland China for the past few years. My friends and I visited Chengdu as our last stop on a 10-day Sichuan trip over October holiday week last year.
That is about all I know to say to start with! I will be meeting my husband who is station in Baghdad in Bejing we were planning on going the end of April and staying through the middle of May (aprox 20 days). After reading the posts about the first week of May being aq holiday it seems we might have to change the dates. We are flixable somewhat.
We found people to be great help on here about places to stay and internet sites which was a last minute hotel booking site for Thailand which worked out great and we are looking for a site like that as well.
What we are needing are the must sees even in the outer towns or even if it is a short flight away. We enjoy doing everything from the tourist type things to going to the outlying villages and seeing the culture there.
Please if you would please give any great websites, hints must sees, areas of town to stay any type of hint of anything would be great to make this a memorable trip for us!
We found Trip advisor to be a life saver last year when we did the same thing but met in Thailand.
Thank you so much in advance for your help!
You can spend a few days. China is way bigger than Thailand, and you can%26#39;t go to all of the good places in 20 days, so it would help to have some idea what you are interested in.
In general, though, you can go west or south after spending about 5 days in Beijing
West--stop in Datong (Buddhist caves), maybe see the old town of Pingyao, then Xi%26#39;an and go south from there to Chengdu and Lijiang and Kunming if there is still time.
South--go to Shanghai visit Hangzhou, Nanjing and a scenic village on a canal, then head down to the Guilin/Yangshuo area for the scenery and then to Kunming and Lijiang if time allows.
Those are rather different trips, and one is not clearly better than the other.
First off, come anytime after the 2nd week of May.
What%26#39;s your budget like? Do you have to fly out of Beijing as well? I presume you%26#39;re on your 1st trip to China with zilch knowledge of Chinese, do specify if otherwise.
Why do you say go anytime AFTER the 2nd week in May? We just made travel arrangements from May 8-15.
Oops, I think I meant to type after 1st week, not 2nd week. Sorry there. Your dates should be fine.
I book a room at the Kempinski Sanya for march 2007. Since it is so new I was wondering whether the hotel is ready ?
Yenny, the hotel is perfect, but it is about 15 km. far away from the city and +20 km, +40 km. far away from the best beaches and districts. At least it is close to the airport.
Hey, romantic tropic, you miss the most important one: Kempinski is the unique hotel which is on the beach in Sanya Bay.
Frankly speaking, it%26#39;s really far from downtown. Will not so convenient for your meals. For transportation, you have to take taxis. Bty, there are sightseeing buses with 2 floors pass by your hotel. You can take them to Tian Ya Hai Jiao. : )
A new hotel, just finish decoration, I guess it should be very smelly. Our new office is more than half year after decoration, but still very smelly.
I%26#39;m trying to decide between visiting Xi%26#39;an or Guilin / Yangshuo for three or four days in March.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this decision?
Guilin/Yangshuo have really stunning scenery and I think you can easily fill 4 days there.
Xi%26#39;an is not such an attractive place, but the Terracotta Warriors are good to see. It is less obvious what you would do there for 3-4 days, but there is a good museum, the Muslim quarter is worth a visit, as is the old city wall. If you are adventurous, you can also climb the nearby Buddhist sacred mountain, Hua Shan.
These are very different trips.
What is the best way to get from Yangshuo to Hong Kong?
A three day itinerary for Xian could be:
Day 1 Arrive, hotel orientation
Evening at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda Square. The square is composed of waterscape fountains and restaurants. Musical water fountain show (free) commences around 8pm. Don%26#39;t miss this.
Day 2 Terracotta Army tour. Also drop by Banpo Neolithic museum and Huaqing hot Springs (ancient spring resort)
Evening Tang Paradise
Day 3 Start at the South Gate and walk to Shuyuanmen Culture street to The Stone of Stele Museum. After this go to the Xian City wall and moat. Rickshaw, bike or walk on the wall. Taxi to the Drum and Bell Tower square. Walk to the Great Mosque via the souks. If you still have time, you can go to the The Provincial Museum. In the evening you can go to a Tang Dynasty Dance Opera theatre show.
HK to Yangshuo. You can take a train or fly to Guilin.
Scenery - Guilin/Yangshuo
History-culture - Xian
Depends on which you want.
Yup, would depend on your own sightseeing interests.
Yangshuo to Hong Kong: depending on your budget, flight/bus+flight/bus+train/etc.
I sent an email to your yahoo account the other day. In short, I was wondering whether we needed to book our in-country flights before arriving in China. My guidebook (Frommers) say to wait until arriving in China to book flights.
Sorry, I%26#39;m trying to catch up with email backlog and etc after coming back early from Chinese New Year holiday. Will reply to you ASAP!
xi%26#39;an is a nice place and it necessary fro every foreign friend to visit
you will find the origin of chinese culture%26amp;history
i wish to help everyone who like xi%26#39;an
Jeff
zyq981125@163.com
We plan to visit Shanghai this April for about a week. Is there any service apartment centrally located, clean, and not too expensive? Thanks!
Somerset Grand is centrally located and is walkin distance to restaurants, Nanjing Rd or even the Bund. We stayed there. It has a nice breakfast - 3 restaurants on the site itself, nice pool area, children%26#39;s playroom. Limited service though re tours, concierge.
Somerset has quite a few locations, the ones in Xuhui and Luwan districts are well-located. Hong Kong Plaza is another good consideration.
New Harbour Serviced Apartments is great as well. tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g308272-d501436鈥?/a>
You can book it throught Expedia.
Both Somerset and New Harbour seems very nice, I will have to decide on which one to book :)
Thanks, guys and girls!
I just stayed at the New Harbour Serviced Apartments for 1 week (feb 9-15 2007)and can only give you rave reviews. I booked through Asiatravel. My friend and I had a 2 bdrm apt. on the 25th floor - great view of city and river. Reception staff spoke good English and were most helpful - exchange desk gave bank rates - rooms cleaned daily and were spotless. No utencils in kitchen (does have a microwave) so bring your own paper plates/plastic forks etc. There is a bottled water unit with ice cold and boiling water spigots. 2 Tea/coffee cups are provided as well as styrofoam drinking glasses. In the 2 bdrm unit there are 2 TVs - 1 in living room and 1 in large bdrm. Apt is quiet and very comfortable. Breakfast buffet is huge and delicious featuring Chinese and western dishes. There is an omelet station so you can have fresh eggs done any way you want. New Harbour is secure - gated with 24 hr. doorman on duty. There is a Chinese market across the street. Peoples Square/Nanjing Rd./the Bund all within 15 minutes walk. For ';knock off'; shopping, take metro from Peoples Square to the Museum of Science/Technology. New Xiang Yang market is on the bottom floor of the Metro Station and is huge. Enjoy and shop till you drop.
I recommend the New Harbour highly and will stay there again. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. cvilseck@cytechusa.com
I just stayed at the New Harbour Serviced Apartments for 1 week (feb 9-15 2007)and can only give you rave reviews. I booked through Asiatravel. My friend and I had a 2 bdrm apt. on the 25th floor - great view of city and river. Reception staff spoke good English and were most helpful - exchange desk gave bank rates - rooms cleaned daily and were spotless. No utencils in kitchen (does have a microwave) so bring your own paper plates/plastic forks etc. There is a bottled water unit with ice cold and boiling water spigots. 2 Tea/coffee cups are provided as well as styrofoam drinking glasses. In the 2 bdrm unit there are 2 TVs - 1 in living room and 1 in large bdrm. Apt is quiet and very comfortable. Breakfast buffet is huge and delicious featuring Chinese and western dishes. There is an omelet station so you can have fresh eggs done any way you want. New Harbour is secure - gated with 24 hr. doorman on duty. There is a Chinese market across the street. Peoples Square/Nanjing Rd./the Bund all within 15 minutes walk. For ';knock off'; shopping, take metro from Peoples Square to the Museum of Science/Technology. New Xiang Yang market is on the bottom floor of the Metro Station and is huge. Enjoy and shop till you drop.
I recommend the New Harbour highly and will stay there again. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. cvilseck@cytechusa.com
i would like to stay 3 night in hong kong (tsimshatsui) any advice?
Price varies very much between different hotels in this area, from about 拢30 to 拢200, any idea on how much you%26#39;re going to spend?
As I have found out, it actually depends more on when you will be visiting. It appears just about all the hotels in HK are very efficient at pricing their rates at different times of the year. They all likely look at the same convention calendar and estimates of visitors arriving for each plus other factors such as holidays and other special events.
Consider the Salisbury YMCA. It is an excellent hotel, well situated and rooms costing approx. 拢50 to 拢80 according to season and view.
Where are all the local food markets that the local chinese go?
%26amp; what about the night markets?Where do the local do their shopping;surely they dont go to Wangfujing or the silk market etc?
Eh, what makes you think that we all shop only at night markets?!
There%26#39;s a night food market at Wangfujing. Another good place to shop would be Xidan for clothes and such.
There are lots of local food market for local,along hutong or a small communite ,there will have one market,however local food you can have a look:ghost street,di %26#39;an men
Local also go to silk market,however with lots of bargain
other shopping:Xi%26#39;dan, Tianyi (whole sale of small gifts and everyday products\),Wantong
Dear Ellyse
I hope you are not offended regarding ';night market';;its just that I know the Chinese are very clever people %26amp; they like bargains! so they would not pay silly prices for goods that are a lot cheaper far away from the tourist places!
Dear Chineseqing
Thanks for your info;could you further inform me how to get to these places(Xidan/Tianyi)?
Actually, in many cities like Shanghai, Giffen goods are getting more and more popular. It%26#39;s fashionable to show that you can actually earn enough to buy luxury goods, instead of having to go for the cheap knock-off stuff. Just depends on who you%26#39;re talking to.
And yes in Shanghai the locals also do go to Qipu Lu, Nanjing Lu etc just like the non-locals do.
Oh and for Xidan there%26#39;s a metro stop, but I no longer remember exact directions, sorry. It%26#39;s been some time since I%26#39;ve been there.
';Fools %26amp; their money always parted';In the west we have the same problem regarding showing off;but most of the time its the poor that trying to look rich wearing designer cloths that they can%26#39;t afford(stupid with money)%26amp; the rich walking about in t -shirt %26amp; jean because they have nothing to prove!(clever with money)
Hi,
My husband is going to Hong Kong for business and me and my son would like to join him as we%26#39;ve never been to this part of the world.
I was wondering if 2 weeks in Hong Kong is worhing or is too much for one place? I was looking for some trips to Philippines but they are quite expensive considering that this would be in plus of our trip to hong kong.
I found a lot of things to do with my kid but I wonder if there are nice beaches? What kind of sand they have? Are there nice wotels/resorts/clubs where we can just rest for 5 days or so?
Thank you,
RedFox
Hi Redfox,
I%26#39;ve been to Hong Kong twice and altogether spent 8 days there and only managed to see a small part of this fantastic city, you could stay a month and not see everything Hong Kong has to offer. Plus you have all the nearby Islands to visit not to mention Macau. And yes there are lots of great beaches with golden sand to visit.
There are beaches but when are you going ? If u r going soon, it is not advisable due to weather. The beach resorts that will guarantee sun are the ones in South East Asia like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc
2 weeks is a good time to be exploring HK. There are many things to do in HK but if u really want to fly around the region, that can easily be done too with budget airlines like jetstarasia.com and tigerair.com
Good Luck
tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i8229-Hong_Kong鈥?/a>
Hi,
Thank you both of you for your replies.
I am going mid-end of march. In fact my husband will be there starting 17/03 for work and we though that it would be better that me and our son will join him few days later (he has important business meetings there so I don%26#39;t wanna him keep thinking about us...what are we doing, are we ok etc + he%26#39;ll have business dinners so....).
So, I will be in HK on 22/03 and will stay till 31/03. Is the weather nice at this time of the year?
After many research on internet I think that it will be wiser to stay only in HK because we don%26#39;t wanna be too tired by flying all arround. We are travelling from Prague (no direct flights to HK) so 40h fly in 10 days I think it%26#39;s enough!!!!
RedFox
Hi Redfox,
As we are both northern Europeans the weather will be a lot better than we are accustom to, it might rain a bit but should be quite warm so bring an umbrella and leave your overcoat at home you won%26#39;t need it. A light coat or sweater will be enough for the evening. Also it starts to get a bit humid at this time of year.
Hope the 3 of you have a fantastic time,
Billy.
P.S, don%26#39;t forget to visit Disney land Hong Kong.
Hey Thank you BillyBoy,
We will defenetly visit Disney. We know the one in Paris it is fantastic hope the one in HK is same even better.
ps: Czech republic is not really Northen Europe, lol. But it is quite cold in winter, though this year the weather is strange! just 2 days of snow!!!!!
Cheers,
RF
Hi,
If you find it too boring, you can always go to Macau. You can do it as a day trip or as a 2 to 3 -day trip.
I lived in HK and would not say they have nice beaches such as Greece, Phuket etc.
The weather in March is getting humid and hot (and possible rain) so make sure the hotel has a nice pool as good way to finish of the day with a swim.
1 week would be ebough for holiday.........Disneyland in HK is much much smaller than anywhere else and you may be disappointed.
';I lived in HK and would not say they have nice beaches such as Greece, Phuket etc.';
Name me some top tier cities that have world class beaches?.....
HK%26#39;s beaches are actually nice compared to other top cities%26#39;. I don%26#39;t think anyone would be foolish enough to expect beaches (like Greece%26#39;s...Phuket%26#39;s ) from a top tier city.
The reason I am saying this is that I have found the natural side of Hong Kong often get overlooked by others.....or should i say underrated to some extent...
Hi
My husband had a serious nut allergy. We are going to Hong Kong for 6 days in May for our 5th wedding anniversary (as it is somewere that I have always wanted to go). My question is - is it common for food in Hong Kong to be cooked in nut oils? We can avoid the obvious %26#39;nutty%26#39; dishes but I am concerned in case there are %26#39;hidden%26#39; nut elements....Any advice would be much appreciated....Thank you....
This question has been raised before - type in allergy in the search above and you will find all of the previous anwers. Good luck
The Chinese restaurants can cook with peanut oil (but there is some evidence this reduces the effect of the allergic reaction). So as a visitor it may be best to stick to western type food eg Dan Ryans, hotels, etc.
We lived there and our daughter has a nut allergy and generally were OK.
The hospitals are good with Englich spoken and always carry your epi-pen in case.
I%26#39;d like to buy some furniture and artwork on my trip to Beijing in March. Any suggestions on the best/least expensive way to ship it home?
where are you from?i have shipped to Canada once from Beijing,about 280USD per cubic,you can put youy small furniture and artwork inside big to save your money.
I%26#39;m from Alabama, USA. I%26#39;d like to know about specifics concerning shipping. Is it allowed to discuss where to go to ship things home? Are there certain vendors to use or stay away from? I%26#39;ve heard some horror stories about shipments never making it, or being hung up in customs, or having your stuff held ';hostage'; in CA until you pay more money.
Where do I even start when I get to Beijing? At home, I%26#39;d look in the yellow pages for a shipping company. Does anyone know a reputable shipping company?
Some of the furniture markets have shipping departments onsite. Chaowai Furniture market, near Panjiayuan market, has one at least. How good a deal you are going to get from them, I don%26#39;t know. I think you want to ship at least a 20 foot container full of furntiture to get a reasonably good deal on shipping.
Thanks for your post. I%26#39;ll check it out and let ya%26#39;ll know when I get back.
When are you traveling to Beijing?
Kristin
I%26#39;ll be there on Friday, March 1 for 2 weeks.
Hello,
First, thanks to everyone for being so generous with their time and sharing their experiences. This site has been invaluable to me in planning my trip to China.
Second, a few questions where I was hoping to hear people%26#39;s thoughts:
1. Does anyone have recommendations for restaurants in Beijing to have peking duck? Also, do people have thoughts on the restaurants Tin Tai Feng and Made in China?
2. We are going to be in Shanghai and currently are planning to see an acrobatics show at the Shanghai Center Theatre in the Portman Complex. I have been to see cirque de soleil several times, and while the shows have been entertaining and impressive, I think I%26#39;ve had my fill. Is there something particularly unique about this show in Shanghai that makes it a must-see, or would a first time visitor to Shanghai be better served wandering around exploring the city (taking into account the fact that we will only be in Shanghai for 2 days and 2 nights, and one of the days we will be spending in Tongli).
Thanks
1) You mean Ding Tai Fung, not Tin Tai Feng, I presume? That%26#39;s mostly for Taiwanese dimsum.
2) The show that you named isn%26#39;t the Cirque du Soleil-influenced one. I%26#39;ve been to both (the other one is at Shanghai Circus World) and like the one at Shanghai Circus World better, actually. I guess you could skip it and just spend the night somewhere else. There%26#39;s plenty going on for Shanghai%26#39;s nights, depending on what your preferences are.
For peking duck, the best one in China must be Quan ju de! Quan ju de is a hundred year of grand and famous restaurant in china. And it specialized in roast duck.The exterior of their roast duck is golden burning, but interior is delicate. It is worthy of te name indeedly. Each duck has special certification when it is fresh from the oven. Cooker performing the skill of cutting roast duck for customers.
There are 8 branches of Quan ju de in Beijing.
I recommend two of them.
1)Quan Ju De Roast Duck (Wangfujin restaur (全聚德王府井店)
Address: 9 Shuaifuyuan Hutong, Wangfujin Dajie, Dongcheng District.
2)Quan Ju De Roast Duck (Hepinmen restaura (全聚德烤鸭店和平门店)
Address: 14 building, Qianmen Xidaji, Chaoyang District.
Anyone can advise the taxi fare from Airport to Rambler Garden Hotel?
About HK$180.
Thank you !!
Has anybody eaten here? If so what is it like and what sort of prices would you expect to pay? We will be arriving at the renaissance harbour view after a 12 hour flight at around 7pm, so are wanting somewhere close by to eat. Ideally want to eat Chinese food in a nice laid back atmosphere.
Not expensive, but not good food. It%26#39;s just in the HK convention center.....
If you are staying in Renaissance Harbour View Hotel, the BEST (my favorite restaurant- I am there every week, was there everyday last week..hahaha)..... restaurant to eat is Dynasty. It%26#39;s really good food, nice harbourview at night. It%26#39;s pricey though. For dinner, two people, expect to pay $ 800 HKD for two. But it%26#39;s going to be a delicious meal with excellent service too.
There are also nearby places along Harbour Road.... just ask the Concierge.
Hope you have a great stay in HK.
Thanks - Dynasty sounds like a plan. Is there anyway of booking a table by email - as we%26#39;ve booked our room with asiarooms, so they won%26#39;t have our details til we arrive. It would also be nice to book a table with a harbour view?
What are your recommendation?
Also the $800 -does that include drinks, if not what sort of prices would we expect to pay?
marriott.com/hotels/…
The only thing I can think of is use ';contact us'; and inform them you need a window table for whatever date and whatever time.
But, unless you are there on weekends or special holidays, it%26#39;s usually not crowded, and a table is available for sure, but window tables, yes, usually taken, by frequent customers....
If you arrive around 7:00pm, I think by the time you get to the restaurant after check in... must be almost 10:00pm.....
Thanks Katetam
Our flight arrives at 5pm so hopefully we can eat around 8-8.30. It will be a Saturday when we arrive, so may be best to book
hope you like it!
Katetam:
One of these days, I will scream out your name in the middle of Dynasty and perhaps you will be around! I don%26#39;t frequent there as much as you do, but my parents, in-laws, uncles and friends of theirs are there every week, sometimes 3 days in a row!
Sammyfloyd, that%26#39;s hilarious.... yes, I welcome it anytime. I love to meet you in person!
We are going there for a cocktail party with work colleagues when in town next week. What does one wear to this kind of bar?
Thanks.
as it is a cocktail party ,women should wear the a cocktail number and men should wear very smart casual. It is a very tony place and the view is now arguably the best in all of Hong Kong.So put on your highheels, it is fabulous.
I am looking to go to Thailand or islands for my silver wedding anniversary. My ideal place would be a perfect beach, a small hotel (less than 50 rooms)on or very near to it and a few eating places. Peace and tranquillity and a romantic setting are top on the list. Has anyone got any ideas for me?
Sorry posted this in the wrong forum
Hey, the place is not wrong. Around Hainan island (it is a big one) we got some islets, I can find an islet with a hotel on it. I think you will like it, and everytime you will be able to take a boat and to came to the big island (Hainan, Sanya-city, for shopping, playing, etc.).
If you like this offer connect with me - tatarkishi at yahoo.com
Hainan, China is much cheaper than Thailand. Probably you will be able to safe 30 - 40 % of your money over here.
Congratulations for your Silver Wedding Anniversary!
I am due to stay at the Pudong Shangri-La Hotel for the second time at the end of the month.
Last time I was there I only ventured around the corner to the Mall near the TV tower.
I will be having meetings during the day, but would like to go to The Bund and shop for some fakes at the markets too.
My question is -- is it safe for a man on his own to wander around armed with credit cards and cash after dark?
Good grief, yes, of course!
In the rare possibility that you%26#39;d like to meet up for a chat/tea/meal sometime in Shanghai, email me at ellyse99@yahoo.com (please put ';TripAdvisor charversdad'; in the subject line so that I don%26#39;t junk your email by mistake, thanks); I%26#39;m studying in Shanghai and would be back in town by 26/2 at the very latest.
Shanghai is very safe as far as big cities go. The Bund area is very safe at all times. I wander around all over and have never had a problem. I am a Westerner and my Mandarin is limited but have NEVER had a problem anywhere or anytime in Shanghai.
You are so interesting!
definitely yes!!!!
Shanghai is a safe city!
Do not worry. Shanghai is a very safe city compared to other cities in the world. For the last 5 years i have been in shanghai more than 50 times and never had problems (Not even at 3:00 in the morning,
after a couple of drinks, walking through downtown)
From Pudong Shangri La Hotel take the subway to Science and Technology Park. There you will find a fake market (directly at the subway station) Don%26#39;t pay with credit card. Only cash.
At The Bund, many people will offer you copy watches, etc. Don%26#39;t buy them there. If you want relatively good quality, check at the a.m. fake market. Also for cloth, shoes, bags, etc.
Contact %26#39;ellyse%26#39; or %26#39;CuteMinMin%26#39; they know shanghai very well and have posted their replies to you already.
Anyone know anything about the Rui Tai Hotel or the Lansheng Hotel both in Shanghai?
Kuoni have just moved us from the former to the latter as it is ';a better standard';, want to make sure they don%26#39;t just mean ';cheaper';!
Names and spelling are both correct as per Kuoni correspondence but I can%26#39;t find much on here about either.
There seem to be 2 Ruitai Hotels in Shanghai, based on a Google. One in Hongqiao and the other in Jing%26#39;an. IIRC Lansheng Hotel is near People%26#39;s Square, so the location is quite reasonable.
I stayed at the Rui Tai hotel with Kuoni last September and it was definitely the poorest of the hotels that we had on our tour. The rooms were very run down and the carpets were squelchy underfoot. The location of the Rui Tai was also really inconvenient as it was well away from anywhere that you would want to be in Shanghai. The also tried to rip us off when we asked for a late check out, quoting one price when we arranged it and then trying to charge us 3 times as much.
I don%26#39;t know much about the Langsheng as I changed my booking there to the much more convenient Pudong Shangri-la, but the people who had stayed there said it was better than the Rui Tai. To be honest, it couldn%26#39;t be much worse.
Have a nice trip. I loved China!
Take Ruitai Honqiao Hotel. I already stayed there 3 times and it is OK. but not close to downtown.
Do you think that this hotel is too oft the beaten path for shopping and dining. I am a single female traveller so my concern is more returning to the hotel later in the evening. (safety being the issue).
Thanks
HK is perfectly safe 99.9% of the time and violent crime is rare. Use your normal cautions. You may also elect to walk back via the KCR exit near the Wing On Plaza and Kowloon Shangri-la so you can stay within the station area and not have to walk through the park area late in the evening (although even that is perfectly safe with lots of people throughout the night).
The Grand Stanford is less than a 5 minute walk from that KCR exit. Entering that exit, it is another 5 minutes to talk to the MTR station within the tunnels. Nathan Road is 10 minutes away, and Harbour City and Star Ferry is another 5-10 minutes. It is not the most convenient hotel. At the same time, it is not really very far either. If you don%26#39;t want to walk a taxi from Nathan Road back to the hotel should cost no more than HK$20, and more likely $15 (less than US$2).
My husband and I stayed there in December, after he had stayed for business back in June 2006. It is hands-down the absolute best service I have had at any hotel anywhere. I posted a review and some pics over in the reviews area.
I would not hesitate to stay there by myself. It may seem far away from everything, but is actually really easy to get around. There are many things within walking distance or a short, cheap taxi ride. The high speed ferry is literally across the street. You can walk to Nathan Road or the Star Ferry terminal in 10 minutes - or pay a few dollars for a quick cab ride.
There is a great buffet in the hotel and several good restaurants close by. Santorini%26#39;s is the single best Italian restaurant I%26#39;ve ever eaten in, including those in Italy. It%26#39;s just a half block away.
You won%26#39;t be disappointed!
Which airport should I use for going up to Beijing international from Shanghai;Pudong or Hongqiao?which one would be more convieneint from the city center .Thank you!
Definitely Hongqiao, if you%26#39;re talking about distance from downtown Shanghai. However check that it has flights at the timing that you want, shouldn%26#39;t be a problem though.
Take the train, don%26#39;t fly. I%26#39;ve done both and a luxurious train like the Z14 is much more convenient than flying and gets you right to the center of Beijing.
Yes, I would also highly recommend the train, if you have the time and don%26#39;t mind doing a comfy overnight train sleeper trip.
Pudong actually handles BOTH international and domestic flights. There%26#39;re some domestic destinations which fly solely from Pudong, eg Xi%26#39;an.
i would keep in mind that the train takes something like 12 hours while flying is around 2 hours. I myself, fly out oh Hong Xiao airport. They have flights almost hourly between the two cities.
However, the train trip is overnight. You have to sleep somewhere so why not on a comfortable train sleeper?
Apart from the 2-hour flight time, you also have to reach the airport early to check-in (1 hour), spend time reaching the airport from downtown Shanghai (0.5-1 hour depending on where you are and which airport) and spend time reaching Beijing downtown from Beijing airport (another 1 hour). Add to the fact that domestic flights are frequently delayed and you%26#39;re looking at about 5 hours or more of daylight wasted travelling.
Train is still more time and cost-efficient.
If your Hotel is downtown Shanghai. Take Honqiao. If on pudong side, take pudong airport. The traffic in Shanghai is terrible.
Train to beijing is nice but during nighttime you can not see anything, anyway. So take the plane.
The aim of taking train for Shanghai -- Beijing is to save time and money. Not really to see any scenery.
my wife and i are travelling to shanghai and beijing in april. for 1 week.we are both golf nuts. we would like to shop for shoes, wet weather gear, tops,balls, ect, ect.we dont want knock offs. can we buy good brand names and what prices should we pay? we are comming from australia for the first time with our 14 year old daughter and would like to catch the fast train from rhe airport. can someone tell us what this would cost? thank you.
maglev train:
Single-trip: 50RMB for Economy
100RMB for VIP
Round Trip: 80RMB for Economy
160RMB for VIP
If you use your today%26#39;s airline ticket, sigle-trip will be 40RMB /person
don%26#39;t expect any bargains if you are not buying knock offs. You can get real merchandise(you are not gauranteed that in shanghai) at better prices at home during a sale. For example a pair of nike golf shoes are over $90 USD in a golf proshop. Wet weather gear is outrageous. I have played at a most golf courses in Shanghai, and believe me when I tell you, you will over pay for this kind of thing. The maglev I believe is a nominal charge.
Agree, if you%26#39;re not looking for knock-offs then don%26#39;t expect to find bargains here.
Maglev costs 40 RMB each for a one-way if you show your plane ticket for that day. Don%26#39;t get ripped off by the taxi drivers at the end of the Maglev ride; continue on the metro to anywhere else. Where would you be staying?
Ellsye. we are staying at the Hengsheng peninsula intl hotel. have you any reports on this hotel? were do you recommend the best shopping in shanghai? thank you.
Hmmm, that%26#39;s not a very good location re transportation, though it might look good on the map/descriptions. Are you stuck at that hotel?
Oh and don%26#39;t catch a taxi from the end of the Maglev ride to your hotel otherwise you%26#39;ll just get fleeced for a lot of money. Take the metro onwards to Nanjing Donglu stop (no need to change lines, 4 RMB each) and then a taxi from there for 11-15 RMB depending on traffic conditions.
only for 1 night. the next night we are travelling to beijing on a sleeper train, staying for 2 or 3 days, then training back to shanghai. where would you suggest to stay when we return?we are only there for another 2 nights. is there anywhere we can store any excess luggage in shanghai, that we dont want to take to beijing?anywhere safe?
ellyse, were do you suggest for the best shopping in shangai?
You are better off buying the golf equipment in Australia.
Import Duty on genuine parts in China is high and the demand is low. (unless you want to buy counterfits, which you can find at the Underground Station, Science and Technology Park, Pudong)
Travelling on the Maglev Train is an experience because of the speed but Taxi is more conveniant and cheaper because from the Maglev station to your hotel you have to take a Taxi, anyway.
Depends on what your budget is and what your requirements are.
You can store your luggage at the left luggage at Shanghai main train station. These are not lockers but rather like cloakrooms with attendants to look after your luggage. You can find them at both the southeast and southwest exits of Shanghai main train station.
What shopping are you asking for? If you%26#39;re still asking about the stuff that you were asking about, I have no recommendations.
In case you%26#39;ve any more queries, you can also email me directly at ellyse99@yahoo.com -- please put ';TripAdvisor mick4922'; in the subject line so that I don%26#39;t junk your email by mistake, thanks. :)
I%26#39;m looking for some recommendations on hotels in the Nanshan district of Shenzhen. Can anybody help?
Thanks.
Alan
I only speak English and was hoping to find something in the 4 star range. I see there is a Holiday Inn but not sure I want to go all the way to China from the US and stay in an American chain hotel.
Any particular location that you have to be near to? When are you coming and what budget range do you have in mind for a 4-star?
I%26#39;m coming on March 3-9. I%26#39;d like to be near the Nanshan Hospital but am willing to be in the Louhu district also. Budget is $90-120 US dollars. (720-960 RMB).
Thanks!
Hmmm, it seems that you%26#39;re just under the price range for Kempinski Hotel. Another recommendation which%26#39;s further away would be Jinhui Jasper Hotel.
I am flying into HongKong. I would like to fly to Beijing. Could anyone give me advice on how, and where to purchase an airline ticket. I%26#39;m afraid I can not purchase the ticket early because I do not know my exact travel date until the last minute.
thanks.
There are a number of buildings where travel agents are concentrated and can buy air tickets fairly easily:
Central:- Lane Crawford House, 70 Queen%26#39;s Road Central;
Causeway Bay:- Hang Lung Centre, 2 Paterson Street;
Tsim Sha Tsui:- Carnarvon Plaza, 20 Carnarvon Road;
Mong Kok:- Bank Centre, 636 Nathan Road.
Thank you Tin,
Do you have any idea of the cost? I need a one way ticket, but it is usually cheaper to buy a RT. Is it like that in China?
Cross the border overland and fly from Shenzhen to Beijing instead, would be quite a lot cheaper than flying from Hong Kong. Round-trip Shenzhen -- Beijing would only be the price of one-way + one-way. No substantial discounts for flying round-trip.
marykay,
It would be something like HK$1200 to 2000 + tax flying out of Hong Kong. If you are also looking for hotel, a flight + hotel package may be a better deal.
Tin,
Do you have any idea of the cost from Shenzhen to Beijing?
Would I buy the ticket at one of the locations you mensioned earlier?
Thank you
Around 300 to 400 flying from Shenzhen each way. You can try websites such as elong.com or ctrip.com
Can anyone give me an idea of taxi cost from the airport to Metropark Kowloon for two people with one suitcase? Thanks in advance.
About HK$250 or 拢15.
Price from previous reviewer is correct however I wouldnt even bother with a taxi - haggle to get price right before you get into the taxi.
Buy an Octopus card when you arrive and you can get a train or a bus from right outside the station. I managed to get to Kowloon by bus with an octupus card, teenage son and two suitcases for about 拢2 each, we also got to see loads of sights on the way from upstairs in the bus.
The octopus card can be used for any bus, train, mtr, ferry, mcdonalds, 7/11%26#39;s and some vending machines. You then top it up at the stations with however much money you want but to give you a guide we spent approx 拢20 each on transport for a ten day holiday and this included back and forward to the airport, out to disney, out to lantau, and everyday journeys in and around HK and Kowloon.
The stff in the desk at the airport were really helpful and told us where to get off and wrote our apartments down in chinese just in case.
Hope you have a good time and if you want anymore tips from a fellow Scot then just ask.
Lisa
Hi
I have been looking on the web to see if its possible to travel from HK into Vietnam and havent been very succesful.
Are any of you able to shed some light on this.
I Plan to fly in to HK and then obtain a 30 day tourist visa. Will I be able to do this? If not what visa would i need.
Also It would be helpful if any body knows what modes of transport i Could use to do this trip.
Thank You
Al.
You%26#39;re missing out on some crucial information.
Yes, of course it%26#39;s possible to travel from Hong Kong to Vietnam.
However are you doing so directly, or via travelling in mainland China?
Are you planning to fly, or go overland?
Are you asking about 30-day tourist visa for mainland China, or Hong Kong? I think you can get a visa for Hong Kong directly when you arrive but you%26#39;ll need to arrange for a Chinese visa in advance if you plan to go into mainland China. That can be done at the embassy in London or through a visa company in Hong Kong. I would probably choose to take care of it in London before you leave so that you don%26#39;t have to bother about it on the road.
Hi
Thank you for your fast reply.
Yes I am planning to do this route by land (train/bus). With the visa I am hoping to get a visa for main land China while im in HK. I am unable to get it here in London because I am going to be in the Philippines for 3 months before I do this trip.
Are you able to tell me the names of the cities/towns on the border China/Vietnam.
In case you want a recommendation for a visa agent in Hong Kong, try Forever Bright (http://www.fbt-chinavisa.com.hk).
Take a train/bus Hong Kong -- Guangzhou, another train Guangzhou -- Nanning and if you manage to catch the twice-weekly, Nanning -- Hanoi train. Or if you don%26#39;t, train Nanning -- Pingxiang, make your way to the Friendship Pass, then bus/taxi to Hanoi (the former through Lang Son).
Thank You for all the info.
1 last thing I%26#39;m hoping you can help me with. When I arrive from the Philippines into HK I%26#39;m not going to have any onward flights booked as Ill be going over land into Vietnam. Is this going to be a problem when i apply for the visa for China.
Nope.
any recommendations on what we should do at night? I%26#39;ve heard the opera and acrobat shows are good?
opera and acrobat shows are the tourist must do for some western travllers. Besides you can go to lotus market (houhai area), there are a bar street, enjoy the night life there is fine.
I%26#39;m not sure what area of Beijing you%26#39;ll be in, but Wanfujing St. is great at night to walk around.
We%26#39;ll be staying in main area (Wanfujing St.). It sounds as if an acrobat and Kung Fu show are must dos.
You can go for a walk around the back Lakes area anf have a relaxing drink or meal whilst you are there. Please read the following for an idea about what it%26#39;s like and how to get around
frommers.com/destinations/…0201020034.html
I hired Asia Transpacific Journeys to organize a small-group trip to China last Oct.-Nov. for myself and eight friends. The company%26#39;s performance fell far short of its advertising.
Here are some problems we encountered:
Safety
The mountain road from Chengdu to the Wolong panda reserve is notoriously bad. ATJ, however, made our journey downright dangerous by sending us on this road at night and while heavy construction was going on. In the dark, our driver dodged piles of gravel, earth-moving equipment, huge boulders and 10-foot deep caverns cut into the roadbed while overloaded trucks passed us thisclose. Additionally, a traffic jam halted our progress for over two hours, so our supposed four-hour trip became a seven-hour nightmare (without bathroom breaks).
Customization
The company promises custom journeys but we didn%26#39;t go anywhere or do anything that every other tour operator offers.
I repeatedly discussed with ATJ my interest in China’s minority groups and their textiles, but the company arranged nothing enabling me to explore that interest.
Guides
The company claims to have knowledgeable local guides, but ours were very young and inexperienced. Our guide in Wolong had been there only once before! None had expertise in minority textiles. The guides knew the number of hectares in a garden, but couldn’t answer more in-depth questions.
Food
ATJ’s brochure touts its gourmet cuisine, but on our “VIP” tour we ate at the same tourist restaurants as every large bus tour. Although there were only nine of us, ATJ would not accommodate requests for the Chinese food we preferred. Instead they insisted on serving us things no one liked.
Coordination
Communications between Colorado and the local tour operators regularly failed thus leaving me to find solutions or to fight the same battle in every destination. One example, the company told me I could ship luggage from Beijing to Shanghai via Fed Ex or DHL for about $50 for 50 lbs. Our cost was more than double that and we had to rely on China Post to do the shipping.
My best advice: go to China, but avoid Asia Transpacific Journeys.
We deeply regret we were unable to meet the expectations of these travelers. While we have an exceedingly high client satisfaction ratio in general, travel to our destinations is not always easy, experiences can be subjective, and obstacles can and do occur. In rare cases where individuals are not happy with our services, we pride ourselves on going the extra mile to make sure we do whatever it takes to remedy the situation. We again regret those efforts were not enough in this case.
If you are interested in learning more or traveling with Asia Transpacific Journeys please contact us and we’d be happy to furnish you with an extensive client reference list, built over twenty years of creating life changing travel experiences for thousands of travelers throughout the Asia/Pacific region.
hi! we%26#39;re staying in HK for 4 days in March.
we%26#39;re also planning on doing a day tour in macau so that we%26#39;d get to see the beautiful sights there, especially the structures from the colonial period.
anyway, i%26#39;m about to book a Highlights tour with Shun Tak Travel, which costs MOP98 /per person for 6-8 hours.
lunch %26amp; jetfoil ticket does not come with this package.
luckily, Shun Tak also offers a lunch buffet (HK$ 369/pax) OR dinner buffet (HK$ 449) promo in the 360 Cafe at the Macau Tower which already includes the buffet meal %26amp; roundtrip jetfoil ticket.
so, i just thought of combining these 2 packages so that everything will be taken care of.
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; QUESTIONS:
1) has anyone tried a tour with Shun Tak Travel? are they any good? what about Grayline Tours? these two seem to be the most popular among websites. would you consider the prices above to be reasonable?
2) how is the BUFFET in 360 cafe? which is better the lunch or dinner buffet?
3) when is the best time to see the view in the macau tower 360 cafe? lunch or dinner? is the view of the skyline nice at night, like in HK?
* * *
THANKS so much in advance!
* * *
1. I think both of them are reputable agents in Macau.
2. Unfortunately I only went to the tea buffet, decent quality, but nothing really fantastic to remember.
3. Never visit Macau Tower at night, the view is stunning in the afternoon....
sorry can%26#39;t really help.
No prob, Taipo babe... thanks for the tip about the tower. I wonder though, why you ask us to stay away from it at night?
Oh well, if any of you have other suggestions, please do let me know. Thanks!
oops, I mean I%26#39;d never visited the Tower at night, sorry %26gt;=%26lt;!!
the view must be fabulous with all the casinos%26#39; light
