Beijing Travel plan

[Joseph098765]

Hi

I am looking for 3nights 4 days china travel with my family (4 adult, 1 kid).

I check with travelexpert and found that they are charging $ 3700 for adult and $ 2250 for kid.

I am planning to visit few tourist spots at Beijing and return.

I keep option of going to Shanghai open - for 2 days.

what is your opinion...

- is given cost is good ?
- where should I check for better deal (in terms of cost and services)
- which are must visit tourist spot in Beijing and is there any day trip for tourist ?
- is it worth going to Shanghai ??

[Raccon]

The Great Wall is a must of course, I did a day trip to Badaling that included a short stop at the Ming Tombs. The Great Wall at Badaling is quite touristy but I did enjoy it nevertheless.

You can also spend quite some time in the Forbidden City or visit the Temple of Heaven or Summer Palace.

[Joseph098765]

The Great Wall is a must of course, I did a day trip to Badaling that included a short stop at the Ming Tombs. The Great Wall at Badaling is quite touristy but I did enjoy it nevertheless.

You can also spend quite some time in the Forbidden City or visit the Temple of Heaven or Summer Palace.

Thanks Man, i appreciate you sharing your experience.

[Morrison]

I have lived in both cities for several years.
My opinion is you can skip Shanghai, XiAn would be far more interesting
for its terracotta army and ancient city wall.
However, Beijing is so huge you better spend your whole holiday there.
Within a day you can only do ( and enjoy ) two sights.


- is given cost is good ?
no clue.
- where should I check for better deal (in terms of cost and services)
no clue. how about you buy cheap flights and organize hotel yourself.
- which are must visit tourist spot in Beijing and is there any day trip for tourist ?
a. go to JingShan ( coal hill ) park just over the street north of Forbidden City
walk up the little hill and enjoy a bird's view over the whole city
Try to make it there on a late afternoon to enjoy the sunset
b. BaDaLing is good, you could get off a few minutes earlier at JuYongGuan,
where there are much less tourists
c. flag ceremony on TianAnMen Square, preferably in the morning at sunrise
Just to see how many Chinese patriots are already up to watch this.
d. Lama Temple and near by Confucius Temple where the examinations for civil service
took place in the good old days of the Empire.
- is it worth going to Shanghai ??
not really

[Satay Sue]

Hi

I am looking for 3nights 4 days china travel with my family (4 adult, 1 kid).

I check with travelexpert and found that they are charging $ 3700 for adult and $ 2250 for kid.


what is your opinion...

- is given cost is good ?
- where should I check for better deal (in terms of cost and services)

It would help if you said what kind of accomodation/services you have been quoted for. Then maybe we can tell if it's a good price or not.

[East_coast]

Badaling is terrible!

Try a different section of the wall. I would look to grab a Taxi for the day and go to the Minyun section of the wall and then call back and stop at the 798 Artzone or Olympic zone or somewhere.

Of course you should try Peking Duck and have a long stroll around the Hutongs and BaiHai lake.

If you are worried about the price try going to a travel agent mall such as the Bank Centre in Mong Kok where you can compare offers from 30 travel agents in an hour or so.

Finally I would recommend you try to stay in a Hutong courtyard hotel rather than a bland business hotel.

If you are looking to see the real China (or where it will get to) then a visit to Shanghai for a few days is worth it. Quickly becoming normalised with modern malls, coffee shops, restaurants, bars etc. Xi'Am and Hangzhou are also worth a visit but best bits are probably places like LiJiang in the South West - next time!

[Ebi the shrimp]

It would help if you said what kind of accomodation/services you have been quoted for. Then maybe we can tell if it's a good price or not.

Yes, exactly. Cathay Pacific packages have a wide range of hotel choices.

http://www.cxholidays.com/chl/r/pack/CV1BJS03HKGK

[drumbrake]

I would book the flights separately from the hotel. Probably work out cheaper. Make sure you have a hotel near to a subway stop. I would agree about the courtyard style hotels - makes the experience more memorable than just another faceless concrete block.

Rather than Badaling, go to Mutianyu ( 慕田峪 )Great Wall. Hire a taxi for a day for around 400 rmb.

On another day, visit the Forbidden City. On a third day, go to the Summer Palace. Don't underestimate the size of Beijing and the size of those attractions - lots of walking so I think best to see each one on a separate day.

I would also go to Xi'an rather than Shanghai - although depends what you are looking for. If you add another city to Beijing, book a one way flight from Shenzhen to Beijing, then another one way from Xi'an (or Shanghai) back to Shenzhen. Look on sites such as ctrip.com elong.net and travelzen.com, or some agents in HK can book for a similar price. Getting to Shenzhen Airport from HK is straightforward with direct buses from several locations.

[Morrison]

taxi for a day for RMB 400 ? including a trip to MuTianYu?

BaDaLing is bearable if you go there on a week day and the upside is there is a good and cheap
public express bus starting from DeShengMen, North 2nd ring road, and it 's not too crowded .

Proximity to subway is a good advice, avoid rush hours or get crushed ^_^

[drumbrake]

Yes, or look on the Beijinger - there are private ads for English speaking drivers for 450-500 Rmb and up.