Any advice on key destinations, visas, travel, pricing etc. would be most welcome.
Hi everyone, my first time ehre and my first time travelling extensively as well. I have been wanting to go to China for a considerable amount of time and I finally have the means to go ahead and do it. I want to be out there for up to three months if possible and it will need to be fairly cheap. I want to plan it well so that I can see everything and not fall short anywhere. Any help you can offer I would be most grateful for.
Reply to this hi friend, welcome to my country! just wandering on the internet and saw your post, i haven't traveled many part of china myself, but i would like to try
since this is your 1st time to China, I would recommend Beijing, grottos in Datong, acient town of Pingyao,Xian, Silk Raod, Tibet, pandas and spicy food in Chengdu(my hometown), Yunnan (a place of all kinds), Guilin, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. and many others like Mt. Huangshan, Zhangjiajie reserve in Hunan, etc, it's a vast country. but among all this Yunnan is a must. Tibet is only available for guided travelers. if you intend to visit Tibet, plan it beforehand more than one week as international travelers to Tibet(and currently regions that are ethnically Tibetan) will require a series of formats.
to cut down the cost,
transport: travel by public train and buses when possible although you can find some cheap airtickets on http://www.qunar.com/ (in Chinese, the other one runs domestic flights that have english service is http://www.elong.net/ according to my experience, the "qunaer" costs less usually). Bullet trains are available in eastern part of China, it is a good way to take the trains. you can also try to learn a little manderin before you go, it will help a lot as most chinese out of the major cities don't speak english adn it will make you less-foreign so that many will have a second thought when they try to take advantage of you. Bargin is necessary everywhere except liscensed taxi, hotels, restaurants and big shopping malls.
lodging: as i am a rookie traveler myself and dont;t have experience of international traveling, i assume accommodations recommended by lonely planet or other books are good choices. hotels are usually a good source for travel info, but i suggest consult at least two hotels before make an decision because you may possibly get more than one answers for the same question. but the foreign traveler-frequented hostels usually have solid information and a good place to meet possible travel partners.
i would like answer if you have more questions.:-)
alex T
Reply to this I have lived in China for 2.5 years and have traveled extensively all over the country. I would recommend using Hostelworld.com or Hostelbookers.com for hostels. Get a dorm room as it will save you money on accommodations.
Yunnan is a MUST SEE in China that many travelers skip. Hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge is amazing. You can hold a panda in Chengdu along with eating amazing local spicy food. For me big cities in China all start to look the same but Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong are really cool. You can check out our blog to see different places but it depends what you are into.
Bargain, Bargain and Bargain some more. Learn numbers in Chinese before coming as you speaking a little Chinese will help you tons by not getting ripped off as much. As a foreigner you will ALWAYS pay more than a local for entrance tickets, souvenirs and street food or anything without a fixed price on it.
Avoid traveling in China during the 1st week in October (National Day holiday 7 days long) and Chinese New Year. Trains, buses, planes and hotels sell out quickly during these times. Remember China has 1.3 billion people and many travel only 2 times a year during these times.
Hope this helps and feel free to send me a private message with any other questions.
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