| 3 week itinerary for China | |
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| Jan 16, 2008 08:06 |   |
| guestknown | We are thinking about spending 3 weeks in China around the end of October & need help with the itinerary. We would fly into Beijing & out of Shanghai. What are the must sees & how long should we spend in each place? So far this is what I've got. Is this itinerary competely wrong? Are there places that are must sees that I've missed out? I've only just started researching so anyones suggestions are appreciated. 4 nights Beijing 2 nights Xian 1 night Chengdu 4 nights Lijang 1 nights Dali 2 nights Guilin 2 nights Hangzhou 3 nights Shanghai We would have another couple of days to add on to one of these places or we could spend them in another place. Should we do the Silk road & leave these places for another visit? I've also been told to visit PingYao is this worth an overnight train journey? Thanks |
| Jan 16, 2008 20:14 | #1 |
 | On first glance I would query 4 nights in Lijiang. Why? Are you planning to walk Tiger Leaping Gorge ? If so OK, but if not, Lijiang itself is probably going to be covered by 2 nights. Also 1 night in Chengdu.... why ? Is this a stopover to get you closer to Yunnan or is there a special reason. Chendgu is a huge city with loads to explore and one day seems kind of weird. I'd add one of your extra nights on in Dali - there's plenty to keep you busy there for a couple of days. Your schedule is tight, I have to say. Are you planning on travelling by plane between some of these destinations ? You might need to, because you're covering a massive amount of ground and you need to build in time for things not going according to plan. I did a similar journey in just under 4 weeks without the Hangzhou, Shanghai or Xian sections, and it was a squeeze. Things to look at are the Big Buddha in Leshan, Yangshuo near Guilin (personally I found Guilin disappointing and much preferred Yangshuo), try and visit one of the tea villages in Hangzhou. Honestly I would forget about Pingyao, your schedule is busy enough and adding that on might mean you need to skip somewhere else near the end. Be prepared to have to make changes anyway, keep your ideas flexible and have backups just in case. Check out TCG, there's loads of reviews and tips on the places you've mentioned that will help you to decide. Good luck :) |
| Jan 17, 2008 02:35 | #2 |
| GUESTKNOWN | Thanks Lemoncactus you've been a great help. As I said this is my first stab at an itinerary so I need all the help I can get. I'll forget about Pingyau & take off 2 nights in Lijiang. Our resaon for stopping off in Chengdu was to visit the Panda reserve we thought we would fly from Xian then travel to the reserve stay in a hotel nearby, visit the reserve in the morning, then fly to Lijiang in the evening but if there's more to see there then I'll add on a couple of nights. I've also added on an extra night in Dali. As you say we'll have to be flexible, we are planning on flying between places but we'll only book flights when we arrive in China so if we can't get flights to somewhere we'll have to change our itinerary. We're planning on getting the overnight train to Xian but if for some reason we can't get the soft seater we'll try to get flights instead. Is there something or someplace we should definitely book in adance before we leave or do you think we can leave everything to cahnce when we get there. |
| Jan 17, 2008 13:21 | #3 |
| LC is correct about Chengdu needing more time. Seeing the Great Buddah is an excellent side trip; I climbed Emei Shan and the experience was worth the time - I do not know how I would feel about just going to the top of the mountain without experiencing the mountain. I wish that I had spent more time in Chengdu restaurants and teahouses. |
| Jan 17, 2008 20:16 | #4 |
| Hi guestknown, You don't say when you're travelling, but unless it's the peak summer season or coincides with national holidays here (eg: Spring Festival week, around 7th Feb, May 1st week or Oct 1st week) I don't think you'll need to book ahead, especially if you're flying. What would be really useful though, is that you report back on your trip to the forum when it's over, to tell us if you experienced any difficulties or to leave any tips etc. Too few people do this (imo) and this is the first time I've thought to actually ask someone to do it! It's not compulsory, of course, and it doesn't need to be super-detailed, so don't feel obliged. You have the right idea, just keep things flexible. Have a great trip :) NB. Agree with Griz, I loved climbing Emeishan too, but didn't mention it because of your schedule, you might want to check it out though if you like mountains, temples and monkeys! |
| Jan 18, 2008 05:31 | #5 |
| GUEST29210 | We're leaving on the 24th of October. I will post a trip report when I come back, in fact as you say there's not many trip reports on the website which is a shame as I think after giving advice people want to know how you got on. Now I have another question. We don't usually overpack but as we'll be there for 3 weeks with different climate situations we will have to take 2 suitcases. Is it easy to travel with suitcases on trains? Are there restrictions with internal flights? In Japan they have a very good service where you can send luggage on ahead but I don't think this is possible in China or is it? Thanks again |
| Jan 18, 2008 11:11 | #6 |
| GUEST29210 | I will definitely write a trip report when we get back. We are arriving in Beijing on October the 24th so we should be OK with booking when we get there. I have another question. We don't usually overpack when we're travelling around but because of the different weather conditions we will have to take 2 suitcases with us. Wil this be a problem on trains or internal flights? Thanks again |
| Jan 18, 2008 12:13 | #7 |
| I would say definately more time in Chengdu and Dali is much better than lijiang so spend more time there. |
| Jan 19, 2008 04:50 | #8 |
| GUEST29210 | I've posted 2 replies which haven't been posted here. Is there some reason for this? |
| Feb 24, 2008 00:45 | #9 |
| What replies? I see 2 replies from you above. |
| Feb 24, 2008 01:34 | #10 |
| I would disagree that Dali is better than Lijiang. However, 2 nights is enough in either place. I would avoid travelling with 2 suitcases at all costs (unless you mean 1 each?). I have been on 12 month trips to multi climates, and got by with a small backpack. Looking at your plan, I don't understand why you need so much? You are going nowhere seriously cold or at altitude. Too much luggage will seriously weigh you down, and ruin your trip. Remember, it is easy to buy extra clothes if needed, but not so easy to throw nice ones away! You can also do laundry at many of the places. I would bring 7 days worth of clothes, and nothing more. Don't stay in Guilin city (boring) - go directly to Yangshuo. I would try to stay there at least 3 nights (maybe one of those nights in Xingping), as there is lots to do. I wouldn't stay for 3 nights in Shanghai - not that much to see compared to other places on your itinerary. My main advice to you (other than not having 2 suitcases) is to not try to cram too much in. You will end up too tired to have any enthusiasm to visit any places. It is better to visit a few places and see them properly, than visit many places and only see the obvious things. Why would you want to travel soft seater on an overnight train? Go hard bed class - it is by far the best way to travel in China. Soft bed is too expensive and boring. Hard bed is great value and people actually talk to you! Never take a seat on an overnight train. Apart from the lack of comfort, you stand a higher risk of getting something stolen. The thought of you getting on an overnight train without a bed, but with 2 suitcases is comical. Thieves will be round you like bees around honey. 1. Travel light 2. Don't be too optomistic with your schedule 3. Don't book too much in advance. This allows you to be more spontaneous. |
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