Great mainland travel destinations

[jamo82]

In my younger and (less) vulnerable years (ie 20 yrs ago) I spent 3 wonderful months backpacking around the mainland.

Now that my wife, baby and I are based in HK it would be great to take advantage of the proximity and visit some of the best spots the mainland has to offer - I’m thinking in particular of smallish “towns” such as Dali, Lijiang, Yangshuo, Xia He, Dunhuang - although I appreciate these spots are likely to have changed significantly since I visited them.

Any recommendations for long weekend mainland spots from HK that aren’t too remote / or a hassle to get to (I guess two flights / 1 flight and a train for a few hrs would be do-able)?

Thanks!

[Beanieskis]

Jiuzhaigou National Park is good for a long weekend. Although I don't know to what extent the natural beauty has recovered after the earthquake? As with all these tourist hot spots, it can get insanely busy, particularly during public holidays.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is also lovely, although maybe not do-able in a long weekend. I don't remember it being overly challenging but what you read online says it is - therefore may not be suitable with a baby in a carrier.

[drumbrake]

High-speed train to Guilin then on to Xingping. Stay in Xingping. It's a small town next to Yangshuo.

[huja]

In my younger and (less) vulnerable years (ie 20 yrs ago) I spent 3 wonderful months backpacking around the mainland.

Now that my wife, baby and I are based in HK it would be great to take advantage of the proximity and visit some of the best spots the mainland has to offer - I’m thinking in particular of smallish “towns” such as Dali, Lijiang, Yangshuo, Xia He, Dunhuang - although I appreciate these spots are likely to have changed significantly since I visited them.

Any recommendations for long weekend mainland spots from HK that aren’t too remote / or a hassle to get to (I guess two flights / 1 flight and a train for a few hrs would be do-able)?

Thanks!

I've been to all the places you mentioned - decades ago. They were all worthwhile holiday destinations then though a couple were remote and not as all easy to get to. Dali and Lijiang were well on their way to becoming Chinese Disneyland with over-the-top tourist attractions (traps). Yangshuo was low-key and roomy when I visited in 2001 - I think it only had one hotel with half-way decent standards. It was mostly backpackers and rock climbers. I know it's been built up since but the scenery was stunning and a trip down the river on a small boat was very relaxing.

[Trebor]

Yangshou was still fairly quiet and felt backpackery as recent as 2015 which is when i went.

[SirNotAppearing]

Agree with Huja on Dali and Lijiang. I was there in '92 and it was spectacular and required an overnight bus trip from Kunming along dodgy switchback roads to get to Dali. Emerging from the bus and looking up at the snow-capped Kunlun range and across Lake Erhai was a moment I'll never forget. Today, trains and airports have turned the town of two quaint guest houses into a much more metropolitan area with paved roads. Took a boat tour where Dai women served us their special three-course tea with its special ceremony.

[tparker]

I’m thinking in particular of smallish “towns” such as Dali, Lijiang, Yangshuo, Xia He, Dunhuang - although I appreciate these spots are likely to have changed significantly since I visited them.

Any recommendations for long weekend mainland spots from HK that aren’t too remote / or a hassle to get to (I guess two flights / 1 flight and a train for a few hrs would be do-able)?

... depends how long a weekend you're thinking? Keep in mind that some of our holidays may be aligned with Mainland long holidays, and you generally want to avoid going north then.

A 3 day weekend probably too short to make Dunhuang / Lijiang / Dali traveling worth it also. Both Jiuzhaigou airport and train station also quite far from some of the scenic sites, so long(ish) drives to be expected. Accommodation much improved though: if you win tomorrow's 80mil jackpot, there's a Ritz Carlton Reserve now in JZG.

Yangshuo very doable on high speed rail. I enjoyed my weekend in Xiamen too before the pandemic, or if you're willing to do an extra ferry hop, spend it in Kinmen (Taiwan). I had a trip to Shaoguan booked not long ago which I unfortunately had to cancel due to circumstances - but it has pretty parts sufficient for a weekend. Or Zhaoqing, if Yangshuo too far.

Unfortunately I've not managed nearly as much traveling in the region as hoped. Then the pandemic came. Now I have a 9-month old at home too. But very much looking forward to (and planning) some getaways too.

[drumbrake]

Maybe Kaiping - the other side of Zhuhai. There are direct buses from Hong Kong.

Or Yongding and the tulous

[PBPBPBPB]

Been to all these places except Yangshuo, and they were all great places to visit. Kaiping too, worth the trip to see the diaolou (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaolou), the fortified dwellings.

Another great place is Jiayuguan (Gansu), the western end of the great wall, to see how cleverly the end is 'engineered' so you can't just go round it, and to pass through the gate from which undesirables were expelled from China.

But all before summer 2018, six years ago.