JK

I am considering a trip for two to China in November-about 12-14 days. The proposed agenda is Beijing-Xi'an-Chongqing to Wuhan (cruise)- Shanghai-then possible Hong Kong. We are used to independent travel and after reading the various messages from other travellers - I think we can do it. I have just started on the itinerary and would appreciate a steer on a couple of points. I found a hotel Lu Song Yuan Hotel in Bejing which looks perfectly charming (we dislike the high rise hotels) but is it really? Is it too far out of the city? We are thinking of 3.5 days in Beijing and then taking the late afternoon train to Xi'an (overnight) Reading the other postings, people have suggested that one waits until they arrive in Beijing to book the train tickets. Still good advice? The hotel offers making the reservations - mistake or should we go down to the station and buy directly? In Xi'an, I found the Xian Garden Hotel (again trying to avoid the sterile environment.) I read that it was slightly out of town (anyone know how much?) but assume that taxis are reasonable and we can get around easily. Our next destination is Chongqing. Should we take the train or fly - how long is the train? Do we wait to buy these tickets in Xi'an or buy them in Beijing? We want to take a Yantze River Cruise and after looking at the top 3 cruise lines/tour operators - I think that their prices are incredibly high - $800pp approx. for a 4 day trip. I read the advice on waiting to buy the cruise tickets in country. One of the cruise lines has a Beijing central ticketing office - would I get real savings if I bought there or would I have to go to Chongqing to buy the tickets? Do we run a real risk of not getting on a cruise if we did that? I suppose we could overnight in Chongqing if we had to wait a day. I assume that early November that we could easily find a last minute hotel room. Is early November the wrong time to do the river cruise? We would then likely fly from Wuhan to Shanghai - again should we wait until arrival in Wuhan to buy a ticket to fly to Shanghai that day? This is as far as I have gotten with the planning. Thanks in advance for your comments.

Patty

Please be careful when purchasing Yangtze river trips thru a travel agency. My parents purchased (or thought they had purchased) a cruise on one of the Victoria vessels for this past July from an agency operating out of the Chongqing Marriott. When they later contacted Victoria's booking office, they were told that no reservation was made or funds received on their behalf and the cruise was in fact completely sold out. Luckily, they paid with an Amex card, filed a dispute, and recovered all of their money. I'm not sure what the solution is, but perhaps someone else can recommend a reliable agency or maybe it's best to contact the cruise line's office directly.

Jane

Our family went to China last summer. I am both a travel agent and an educator. Our family always has traveled independently. We did the same trip you planned with the exception of Hong Kong. We ended up doing a tour because we found we could get more value for our dollar through a tour. We stayed at upscale hotels and all meals were pre-arranged. Normally I would hate this type of thing but because English is not commonly spoken in China. I found a tour that had free time built into the dats. We also made some excellent friends on the tour and learned history from our Chinese guides. At the same time I went a friend also went and traveled independently. He went with a Chinese friend with relatives there. Be aware there are recommended shots before you leave. We took our children and it was a most enjoyable trip. We brought home lots of great photos and wonderful items. The prices for shopping are great! We went on a cruise. I would recommend going downstream vs. upstream and three days is long enough. Cruising is not what it is in the U.S. Pick a boat run by an American company. www.gosmartravel.com

jarhead

You have a few things here which i can comment on so i have copied your text and then added my 2 cents worth. <BR><BR><BR>"I am considering a trip for two to China in November-about 12-14 days." <BR><BR>I did Xi'an, Beijing and Shanghai in 9 days (?) last november... great trip<BR><BR>"We are used to independent travel and after reading the various messages from other travellers - I think we can do it."<BR><BR>I did it independently with my 71 year old dad - easy!!<BR><BR>"I found a hotel Lu Song Yuan Hotel in Bejing which looks perfectly charming (we dislike the high rise hotels) but is it really? Is it too far out of the city?"<BR><BR><BR>I don't know many of the hotels but we had one booked but ended up haggling at a different one when we got there. There are some scarey places sure but then there are sooo mnay options I wouldn't worry about it. Book a hotel and then when you get there leave yourself open to get a better deal somehwere else. Now for costs. We stayed 20-30 mins walk from tianamem (bad spelling) spuare for less than 300 yuan (2 beds) which included buffet breakfast. 2 people can have clean and safe rooms for less than 400 yuan with excellent continental breakfasts. This will keep you going needing only light snacks till dinner. <BR><BR><BR><BR>"In Xi'an, I found the Xian Garden Hotel (again trying to avoid the sterile environment.) I read that it was slightly out of town (anyone know how much?) "<BR><BR><BR>In Xi'an slightly out of town means almost nothing. We stayed at the Dynasty hotel which is just outside of the city wall (thats what they mean by out of town) for 375 yuan (2 people) and great continental breakfast. Depending on your numbers you might want to consider doing hiring a driver to take you to all the major sights. We joined with a solo traveller, saved heaps of money and we did what we wanted when we wanted and saw everything needed. When we didn't know something we just listened in on a guided tour (hehe). We bought a guided tour of the warriors when we got there and haggeled her dpown to half her asking price...always haggle.<BR><BR>Now if I have room I will give some other general advice.<BR><BR>One thing you should know... the chinese tend to lie on the floor or a board so to them the hotel beds are soft but to me they were hard... i went to the 5 star places and its all the same. <BR>I have no idea about trains as we got a package deal for 5 cities by plane less than the return flight for one city... so if you haven't booked the flights yet then make the agent work hard to find a better deal for you.<BR><BR>You can do most of the things by yourself without a tour. Catch buses for 1 or 2 yuan each or taxis everywhere (but they are shocking drivers) for not too much. there are 3 type of taxis with different prices so if cheap is important then get in a small taxi as they are cheaper. We did the great wall on a tour which was great, i think 86 yuan, english speaking guide and lunch included (pick up at hotel). doesn't matter how you book this but you might think about going independently and again join with others.<BR><BR>hope this helps<BR>PS HOng Kong is great but guangzhou might be an option for you instead and better shopping in china. Also, whatever you pay, just know that someelse just paid less. I got myself a bargain and then got my dad a better model for cheaper....just walk away!!!!

kmarie

In Xian, consider the Bell Tower Hotel. Within the walls, close to everything--not an American chain high-rise. Sorry, it's been five years and I don't remember the price.<BR><BR>As jarhead suggests, hiring a driver for the day in Xian can be a wise move. There was a taxi queue outside the hotel and my daughter negotiated the price, destination, and number of hours. (Actually, I think he was the driver with whom my husband chatted in English about American basketball!)