Help! Arriving in Shanghai After Midnight

Help! Arriving in Shanghai After Midnight - Next Step Suggestions?
Aug 11, 2009 07:37
guestMichael	Aiya! Well, having failed to find an alternate route heading west from Yanzhou, I have opted for a soft sleeper to Shanghai leaving at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon. The good news is I was able to buy a ticket on such short notice. The bad news is it looks like the train arrives in Shanghai at midnight! I was not really planning on staying in Shanghai, although I am sure it's a swell city. I thought I'd hop a train from Shanghai to Suzhou or Guilin. The new question then is, is it at all possible to buy a ticket on a train at midnight in Shanghai to either of these locations, or am I going to be stuck waiting until morning when the train ticket office opens? I would be very grateful for some help here. I am open to any alternatives, like maybe checking into a hostel close to the train station and waiting for dawn. In that scenario, does anyone happen to know a decent hostel that is close to the train station in Shanghai? Thanks again for your help!

Help! Arriving in Shanghai After Midnight - Next Step Suggestions?

Aug 11, 2009 07:37

guestMichael

Aiya! Well, having failed to find an alternate route heading west from Yanzhou, I have opted for a soft sleeper to Shanghai leaving at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon.

The good news is I was able to buy a ticket on such short notice. The bad news is it looks like the train arrives in Shanghai at midnight!

I was not really planning on staying in Shanghai, although I am sure it's a swell city.

I thought I'd hop a train from Shanghai to Suzhou or Guilin. The new question then is, is it at all possible to buy a ticket on a train at midnight in Shanghai to either of these locations, or am I going to be stuck waiting until morning when the train ticket office opens?

I would be very grateful for some help here. I am open to any alternatives, like maybe checking into a hostel close to the train station and waiting for dawn. In that scenario, does anyone happen to know a decent hostel that is close to the train station in Shanghai?

Thanks again for your help!

Aug 11, 2009 22:55	#1
ELLYSE Points: Join Date: Oct 30, 2005 Status: Offline	The train to Shanghai most probably stops at Suzhou before getting to Shanghai. Try to ask the train attendant. No decent hostels near the train station -- ie walking distance. At that hour there will be plenty of touts asking if you want a cheap hotel room though.

Aug 12, 2009 13:46

GUESTMICHAEL

Ellyse, once again you are absolutely right on all points!

Since I was getting a little desperate and needed to check out of my room in Yanzhou, I went ahead and booked a room at the Holiday Inn next to the Railway Station in Shanghai. (It's a wonderful room and not a bad rate, considering it's Shanghai).

On the way down, though, the train stopped at both Nanjing and Suzhou - two cities that I have *really* wanted to visit. If I had done my homework, I would have just jumped off at Nanjing, but since I was already committed to a hotel, I stayed on to Shanghai.

You are absolutely right about the touts at the Railway Station, Ellyse. I think because it was after midnight and "lao wai" are hard to come by at that hour, the touts were quite aggressive and not a little bit scary. I am really glad I was able to beat a quck retreat to my hotel - but not before a sweet young working lady offered to provide a host of exotic companionship services of a startlingly intimate and personal nature.

There's no place like Shanghai!

Aug 18, 2009 03:33	#3
ELLYSE Points: Join Date: Oct 30, 2005 Status: Offline	I'm still puzzled as to why you would've made a non-refundable/non-changeable reservation in Shanghai. Oh well, never mind.

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