3Likes
Hi there
I'm here in HK on work for the next 2 years, and hope to get a few visits into China whilst i'm here. My idea is to try to fit in a few visits whilst i'm here which won't cost too much money - i can't afford to spend lots.
Firstly - visa. As a UK passport holder with a HK work visa, where can i apply for the Chinese tourist visa? The research i have done shows either double entry (ie 'return' visit) for 45GBP or multiple entry over 6 month period for 90GBP. This would mean i could try to get a few trips in over a 6 month period.
Secondly - where to go. Has anyone had any good experiences of tours which cover multiple ciites? Can anyone recommend places (Beijing is one i want to go to) they have visited?
Thirdly - travel options. I know i can get the train from Hung Hom to Beijing/Shanghai/Ghangzou - is this the most cost effective? Flights to these areas are well over double the price of the train, albeit they take much less time. If i were to visit, say Beijing, i would do it for 3/4 days.
Finally - when. When are the best times to visit China - i'm from UK so a bit of 'cold' doesn't bother me!
Thanks in advance
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05-08-2010, 11:23 AM #1
Visits to China by UK citizen living in HK with work visa!
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05-08-2010, 11:32 AM #2
1. Get visa from the Visa Office in Wanchai. If it is your first chinese visa, you might be limited to a double entry.
2. Beijing is good. Xi'an to see the warriors. Guilin and Yangshuo for countryside. Chengdu for pandas and more countryside outside the city. Yunnan- Lijiang, Dali, Tiger Leaping Gorge for a longer trip. Get a guide book. I never go on tours - with a little planning China is easy to see by yourself.
3. Fly from Shenzhen for cheaper fares. Look on elong.net and ctrip.com and travelzen.com for flight and hotel prices. Trains are ok for overnight journeys, but getting tickets in China can be a problem at certain times.
4. You can travel China at any time of the year. In the south it is hot and wet in Summer. It is also hot in Beijing and Shanghai now. Visit Harbin for the ice festival in January. Autumn is a good time to go to many places,but it is a popular time for domestic tourist as well. Be careful about going at Chinese holiday times - October 1 and May 1.Last edited by drumbrake; 05-08-2010 at 11:35 AM.
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05-08-2010, 11:40 AM #3
you can go directly to 26 harbour road in wan chai to apply at the chinese embassy. or you can go to any CTS shop to do it for you. or you can use any of the advertised visa servies (see hk mag for example). direct is cheapest, last one is most expensive but also most convenient as they come to pick your passport up and drop it off again.
my favourites: beijing, shanghai, lijiang/dali, guilin/yangshuo, jiuzaigou, xian, hangzhou/suzhou and chengdu
for the big cities, flight is the easiest. overland buses are usually cheapest but a pain if you ask me. i did take a bus from guangzhou to yangshuo once though (overnight). not pleasant...
depends which area. up north is freezing in winter and brutally hot in summer, so best is spring/fall.
down south, summer can be very nice, especially places like lijiang or jiuzaigou up in the mountains.
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05-08-2010, 12:13 PM #4
The term 'Chinese Embassy' is somewhat misleading, however it is a commonly expressed term. It is the same thing that drumbrake is talking about. First visas my be single or double entry, but who knows? You may get a multi-entry.
I'm wondering whether it might be worth getting a business visa. Since you're here on an employment visa, a business visa for the mainland should be easy to get, and you might stand a better chance of getting 'multiple entry'. I honestly don't know, though, so I'm just putting the idea out there for others to comment on.
Whilst on the mainland, avoid referring to 'Hong Kong' and 'China' as if they are different places. Whilst this is common here, it can really tick mainlanders off. They may be separate in many ways, but they are the same country and Hong Kong is just another part of China.
My list of destinations would include : Shanghai, Chengdu, Lijiang, Yangshuo. I was sorely disappointed by Hangzhou and wouldn't recommend it. Do Suzhou, instead. Don't forget the towns and cities closer to home. For cheap, short visits, you can do a lot worse than Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Huizhou (which has a better Xihu than Hangzhou!).
I second Drumbrake's recommendation to fly from Shenzhen. It's perfectly simple and straightforward to do, and the savings can be significant. I use Ctrip when booking flights within the mainland, but shop around. It oughtn't to be too difficult to find flights to Shanghai that cost less than the train from Hung Hom.
Train travel within the mainland can be an adventure in itself. For nearby cities in Guangdong, I would use the coaches from Luohu coach station, or the train in the case of traveling to Guangzhou. For all other cities I would make flying my first preference when considering options.
No-one I know has any good experience to report of a tour group. I, too, would be interested to know if anyone has ever encountered a good one. The web is an excellent resource for trip planning, and countless websites will fill you in on the 'must see' and 'must do' (and 'must eat') things in each city.
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09-08-2010, 04:30 PM #5
How long does it take to bus from HK to Shenzhen? I hear it takes close to 2hrs?
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09-08-2010, 04:34 PM #6
Whoops, I meant the airport in Shenzhen.
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09-08-2010, 04:43 PM #7
Katie, if you're going to Bejing for only a 3 or 4 day trip, I think your best bet is to fly. Its already 2h45min from HK. Thats the same as flying the entire US east coast (Orlando to NYC). So I think the train is going to be way too long.
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09-08-2010, 05:19 PM #8
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09-08-2010, 05:22 PM #9
Train is just under 24 hours.
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09-08-2010, 05:22 PM #10
Add in the time it takes to get to Kowloon station and I guess its about 2hrs. Does that include the time it takes to get off the bus and go through customs at the border?
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Originally Posted by katiem84:
