Help in Planning a Multicity Trip to China

[TotallyOz]

I am highly considering taking the boys and going away for a week or so. I would love for them to see the Great Wall of China and Hong Kong and Macau. I am flexible in where we go but we will end up in Hong Kong at the end.

 

What is the best airline to take for this multicity trip?

 

What other cities should be visit and for how long?

 

Will they have any problems getting into China? I know on this board we had talked about Hong Kong a month or two back but will it be easier going to say Shanghai first and then to Hong Kong? Are there things I should do to prepare them for the trip?

 

I would love advice on what to see and do and what airlines to take. I am very flexible with these things. I will stay at either Marriott or Intercontinental Hotels for each city.

 

Advice?

[firecat69]

First you will need to get a Visa for yourself which may be time consuming. Not sure if the boys need one but probably.

[fedssocr]

There are lots and lots of Chinese airlines these days. So flying in the country should be easy and with plenty of competition.

 

You might be better off posting a question like this on a more general travel website like Tripadvisor.com's forums or even Flyertalk.com You'll find plenty of expert advice there.

 

Obviously it's an enormous country with lots of places to see. But if all you want to do is see the Great Wall and HK and Macau that should be pretty straightforward.

[Rogie]

The wikitravel site looks useful and has this warning:

Climate

 

Northern China has all four seasons and they arrive with a vengeance. Summer and winter temperatures normally reach extremes of over 40 degrees Celsius and -20 degrees Celsius respectively.

 

http://wikitravel.org/en/Great_Wall_of_China

 

Then I spotted this using a search engine:

 

BEIJING — Three elderly Japanese tourists died after being trapped in sudden heavy snowstorms during a visit to the Great Wall of China, officials in Beijing and Tokyo said Monday.

 

The bodies of two women, aged 62 and 68, were found on Sunday evening while the body of a 76-year-old man was retrieved on Monday afternoon.

 

The Japanese man, named by Chinese state media as Shunichiro Yanai, was found by rescuers searching a snow-covered mountain near the wall in the northern province of Hebei.

 

Heavy snowstorms swept across northern China over the weekend, with the most extreme weather hitting Beijing, Hebei and the Inner Mongolia region on Saturday night.

 

Beijing was forced to issue its second-highest blizzard alert on Sunday after the Chinese capital was hit by an unusually early snowstorm.

 

In the 24 hours until Sunday morning the city saw 5.8 centimetres (2.3 inches) of precipitation -- rain and snow combined --

 

Hundreds of cars were stuck in the snow across China's capital over the weekend.

 

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gUzND7Q3I-OxQ0lOyK2eciD9mIng?docId=CNG.e472e831153a393bff6d127c063f3120.41

 

It seems the tour agency were at fault for not reccy-ing the route and have previous history of similar poor planning.

 

They were also unlucky. It was around this time of year when I visited the Great Wall (as part of a tour group booked in the UK) and the weather was fine, chilly certainly but no snow. I just wore a light jacket and my trademark woollen 'flat cap'.

 

Even so, treat the wall with the respect it deserves - it's not the place for an impromtu Sunday afternoon stroll!

[Guest fountainhall]

Michael – other posters have wisely brought up the issue of weather. I was in Beijing last January when it was 0 degrees, but I have also been there in other years when it was quite a bit below freezing. A trip out to the Great Wall with the wind chill much lower, and you ideally should have thermal underwear, sweaters, a thick outer jacket and warm boots to keep out the cold. Earmuffs or a scarf over the ears is another essential. The one benefit of January (if that is when your are planning to go) is that there are far fewer tourists than normal and hotel rates are much more reasonable.

 

Against that, you can be in Hong Kong and it’s 25º in the same month. Yet, if there is a surge of the winter monsoon, Hong Kong can feel quite grim at just 8º.

 

Visa

 

You and the boys can get into Hong Kong and Macau as tourists without a visa. But you must make sure that each of them has copies of all necessary paperwork - hotel reservations, some cash in their wallets etc. because the three of you will be processed individually, not as a group. I know of one Thai guy who had a really difficult time on entry because he did not have all the info on him - his bf had it all.

 

For mainland China, you will certainly need a single entry tourist visa (that assumes you ‘do’ Hong Kong and Macau either at the beginning or end of the trip – if they are in the middle and you go back to China, you’ll need a double entry). I’m not sure if Thais require visas or not. If no other poster knows, best to check with a travel agent or at the Chinese Consulate in Bangkok. The visa process is relatively simple (I’ve done it for a client here) and should take 3 - 4 days, or you can get a ‘quickie’ in one day – at a price! The Chinese Consulate is on Ratchadapisek in Bangkok north of the Fortune Town Shopping Mall at the Rama IX MRT station. Check this site for details –

 

http://migrationolog...isa-in-bangkok/

 

To save time and hassle, you might consider just having a local travel agent organize this for you.

 

Itinerary

 

A week is not a long time if you are planning Beijing, Hong Kong, Macau and possibly some other cities, especially with the time required to travel between cities. Beijing is a huge city and the traffic can be horrendous, so getting around is lousy during the long rush hours. This has to be factored in to the time taken to get from A to B. Navigating the subway system is easy and it’s cheap.

 

Personally I’m not a fan of the new Macau, but I think the boys would like it as it offers a glimpse into the Las Vegas style of resorts (they will love the Grand Canal in The Venetian, I’m sure) whilst there is also the old part with glimpses into what Macau was like 2 or 3 centuries ago. You would probably really enjoy Shanghai (and you would all be amazed at the Maglev train in from the airport which runs at up to 420 kms per hour!), and the boys would adore the panda reserve in Chengdu with its 40+ pandas, but I just do not think you have time. I'm sure Beijing's zoo has a panda or two.

 

Flights

 

If you were flying just to/from Beijing, there are several airlines which will offer very reasonable fares (including Air Lanka at Bt. 12,880). But you need a multi-sector ticket, and one-way tickets to/from and within China tend to be quite expensive. You could try and work out the cheapest routing by trying, say, Air Asia to/from Hong Kong or Macau and then a cheapish non-stop return ticket from Hong Kong to Beijing on Cathay Pacific, Air China, Hong Kong Airlines or China Southern. But only Cathay Pacific (in association with its sister airline, the excellent Dragonair) and the cheaper Hong Kong Airlines fly from here with stops in both Hong Kong and Beijing.

 

My suggestion. Have an agent check round-trip fares Bangkok/Beijing/Hong Kong/Bangkok. From Hong Kong you can take one of the dozens of jetcats to Macau (it’s only 40 miles away). Instead of returning to Hong Kong for the flight back to Bangkok, also ask the agent what the price is if you return Macau/Bangkok instead of Hong Kong/Bangkok. To save you time on the trip, Air China flies from here to Beijing overnight. I loathe 4 ½ hour night flights, but it’s a good way to make the most of the time in Beijing.

 

Other suggestions

 

1. Because of Beijing’s size, you might prefer to have an agent plan and organize the itinerary for you. On my trip to Harbin last January, I met a delightful guide from this organisation

 

http://www.chinacult...nfo/aboutus.php

 

He could not have been nicer (or cuter!) and I decided for my next trip to places within China I have not been to before, I will have them make the internal arrangements for me.

 

2. To see some of the gorgeous gay guys in Beijing, try to be there over a Saturday night. Make your way to the large Destination bar, the city's most popular night spot. You will be amazed, and the boys will be stars!

 

I'm happy to make lots of suggestions re what to do and see in each city. But better for you first to work out what your routing will be.

[Guest fountainhall]

Just spoke with a Thai friend who goes each year to China. Yes, the boys will need visas.

[paulsf]

go to flyertalk.com. There are sections on China and on Marriott Hotels. The Marriott section has a lot of good info on hotels within China. I'm partial to Cathay Pacific, but they will get you to everywhere you want to go with good frequency.

[Guest]

I've not yet been to China, but it's a big country. I'd be tempted to either make it a longer trip, or split this into 2 separate holidays, so there's a bit more time to spend in each place. Shanghai looks like a fascinating city too.

[Rogie]

. Other suggestions 1. Because of Beijing’s size, you might prefer to have an agent plan and organize the itinerary for you. .

 

Yes, good idea, whether Beijing for a shorter visit or indeed maybe use a tour company for a longer one (assuming an individual guide - perfectly fine for a city or small geographical area - wouldn't be able to offer his services for too large an area, at least not at a competetive rate) - see my comment below also. I like the idea of a guide as most Chinese outside of hotels don't speak much English, so unless you can speak the lingo you could have a problem especially if you run into any difficulties. A phrase book might be useful, more for emergencies than anything though, at least that'd be my reason for carrying one. I wouldn't chance my arm at pronunciation (Chinese being a tonal language) but pointing at a phrase and showing it to a person might work if the book has the correct Chinese lettering to accompany the phrase).

 

I've not yet been to China, but it's a big country. I'd be tempted to either make it a longer trip, or split this into 2 separate holidays, so there's a bit more time to spend in each place.

 

Yes agree. That's what I did, combining two separate tours of two weeks each into a mega month-long one. Both tours were run by the same company so a smooth transition was possible.

 

I guess Michael you wouldn't want to do that becasue you are going as a group of friends and what suits one person might not suit all. Definitely better to concentrate on just a few places, there's no point in running yourself ragged (even if at the end of the day you have a nice hotel to relax in, you've still got the pressure of deadlines, timetables etc to worry about).

 

Personally I would go easy on Beijing, I think it's overrated and a horrible city. I would never want to go back there, although I concede that might be many people's impression of many cities, Bangkok included. Familiarity often breeds. . . not contempt, but affection.

[Guest fountainhall]

I would go easy on Beijing, I think it's overrated and a horrible city

 

I suspect most major cities will have some liking them and others either disliking or loathing them. I really like Beijing, despite all the modern building and the traffic. You cannot duplicate the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, hutongs etc. anywhere. If you are there primarily for sightseeing, you can have a great time - especially if you stay over a Saturday evening . And I find Beijing people on the whole very friendly.

 

Shanghai, on the other hand, is much more contemporary and cosmopolitan, yet with parts retaining that old world charm the city was known for. It has fabulous hotels and restaurants ('M on the Bund' is one of the great restaurants anywhere) and trendy bars, plenty of sightseeing to occupy daytimes, and great history. But Beijing is in a different league when it comes to spectacle.

 

As Rogie and z909 have suggested, taking two separate trips - mainland China for one and Hong Kong/Macau the other - makes a lot of sense, and I doubt if it will be much more expensive.

[Moses]

I suggest to visit Beijing, XI'an, Sanghai.

 

Some tips:

- in Beijing: Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, circus, Great Wall (best - Shimatai section even it is twice more far from city)

- in Xi'an: old city, Terracotta Army

- in Shanghai: TV tower + museum of history of Shanghai (directly in tower's basement) + oceanaruim (just in 300 meters from TV tower)

 

Transportation btw cities is best (imho) by night train in sleeping cars (we bought all 4 "seats" in section of car and had total privacy), travel takes B-X 8 hours, X-S 10 hours. Besides romantic travel you will watch China from window - very interesting. Sleeping cars are very comfortable and cheap (about $250 for whole section).

[Guest fountainhall]

A quick clarification about the Great Wall because the Simatai section is presently closed to the public. It was closed in July 2010 for major renovation and is scheduled to reopen in October next year.

 

There are basically four sections of the Great Wall which can be visited from Beijing. The mountainous scenery at Simatai is regarded as the most spectacular, but it is the furthest from Beijing - about 2 /12 hours to the north east. This section of the wall was regarded as dangerous because it was particularly steep and in poor condition. This was especially true in winter when it was covered with snow and ice.

 

The other sections are Badaling, about 90 minutes to the north. This was the first part to be restored and is the one where most world leaders have visited. It is packed with tourists for most of the year, but less so in December/January. Visiting this part of the Wall makes it easy to take in the nearby Ming Tombs on the return trip.

 

Further east and slightly further away is Mutianyu where the scenery becomes more spectacular. This section is more interesting to some because it has a cable car to get you up to the Wall, and has fewer tourists.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoSPTzdYBaA

 

The fourth section is about the same distance away in a valley at the Jiuyongguan Pass. This is less spectacular but has more buildings as it was at one time a military stronghold.

 

Re train travel between Beijing and Shanghai, the overnight train takes about 12 hours. The daily high speed trains can take just 5. There was concern last year about the speed of these trains after one major accident. But with more than 40 of these each way each day, there have been no further incidents - as far as I am aware.

[Guest abang]

Going to Beijing at the end of the year is not a good idea.

Most of the schools in South East Asia have their long holidays during this period.

 

I would rather you visit China in the month of May.

It is not difficult to travel around Beijing as it has a very efficient subway (for the 2008 Olympics).

Most of the tourist attractions are located within 100 metres from the subway.

 

And to go to the Great Wall of China, ask around.

The last time (in 2009) I took a local bus from JI-Shui Subway.

It costed RMB 5 with the stored-valued card.

 

PM me if you need more information about where to go in China...

[Guest fountainhall]

Since we have not heard from you about your trip to Beijing, can I assume you have postponed it from the cold season?

 

The only problem with the Spring - which can be a great season - is the possibility of sandstorms. One of these will rule out a day or two. Since the summer is hot and sticky, I prefer autumn. But then whenever you go anywhere, there is a chance of some bad weather cropping up!