Planning to go to Shanghai on 19 March - need help with trip

I am flying into Shanghai on 19 March. I am not sure where to start. Me and my friend want to see the highlights of Shanghai and other parts of China in 8 days. Please suggest the best way to travel, get around, and what to see and do. We are thinking of going to Beijing as well. I think some small towns would be nice along the way. Please tell us if we should arrange a tour, or if we can get along on our own. We are 2 girls.

Planning to go to Shanghai on 19 March - need help with trip

If you only have 8 days then Shanghai and Beijing will keep you busy for all of that time, without adding anything else!

You need to start by reading some destination guides, online or in print. Some URLs are provided below for you to start with.

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/1d57/5be/

www.frommers.com/destinations/shanghai/

lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/china/shanghai/

roughguides.com/website/鈥?/a>

http://www.timeout.com/travel/shanghai/

travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/shanghai.htm

Yes, you can DIY if you do your own homework. You don%26#39;t necessarily need a tour even if you have no knowledge of Chinese. No, English is NOT the lingua franca in China.

Planning to go to Shanghai on 19 March - need help with trip

Thank you for all of the great links. I am reading them and find them very useful. 1 item I have been looking for is the high speed train that goes from Shanghai to Beijing. I read about it in Time Magazine. It is supposed to take only 10 hours, and travels all night. It was supposed to go into service on Dec 21. Do you know about that train?

That%26#39;s the most expensive train on that route, but I think it would be nice if you could splurge... I haven%26#39;t had the money nor the chance!

Here%26#39;s a lowdown on the train choices for this route. Listed from the best quality train to the lousiest quality -- in terms of comfort.

1) Overnight D train (10 hours, 2 daily): 2nd-class and 1st-class sleepers, not sure about the price but heard to be around 800 RMB (currently seems to be discounted to 755 and 630 RMB)

2) Daytime D train (9.5+ hours, 1 daily): 2nd-class seat 452 RMB, 1st-class seat 542 RMB

3) Overnight Z train (11.5 hours, 3 daily): soft seat 283 RMB, soft sleeper 478/499 RMB for upper/lower bunk

4) Overnight T train (13.5 hours, 2 daily): hard seat 179 RMB, hard sleeper 306/317/327 RMB for upper/middle/lower bunk, soft sleeper 478/499 RMB for upper/lower bunk

5) Lousy slow train (23+ hours, 1 daily): hard seat 88 RMB, hard sleeper 176/183/190 RMB, soft sleeper 290/304 RMB

I wouldn%26#39;t suggest going by hard seat, it%26#39;s really too traumatic and not worth the savings. The D train is too expensive and a waste of money for most of us. The hard sleepers for the T trains are almost impossible to get so don%26#39;t count on them. My best options would be soft seat or soft sleeper on the Z trains.

Details and photos on my VirtualTourist Shanghai Transport travel page: members.virtualtourist.com/m/1d57/5be/9/

Thank you Elise. You have been so helpful! I have another question about Hotels in Shanghai. Most important, I am looking for a Hotel in an area that has a lot to do, so we can walk to many places. It would be good to have shopping, restaurants, fun activites, and some sight-seeing. What area of Shanghai would you suggest? Location is most important.

Either the French Concession area, or around the People%26#39;s Square/Nanjing Lu pedestrian street area. I personally prefer the former. Make sure you%26#39;re walking distance to a metro stop, preferably no more than 5-10 mins.

We had a lovely two days around Shanghai, including a day trip to Suzhou last spring. Rather than repeat much of what%26#39;s been said here and elsewhere, here%26#39;s a link to my travel blog where I recently posted about our experience, with photos. I hope it%26#39;s helpful...

鈥logspot.com/2009/03/shanghai-china-funding鈥?/a>

Happy Travels!

Your blog is good. I really liked the U-Tube Video you had on the site. It really got me excited seeing all of the buildings, the Mandarine Ducks, and the music.

Please tell me the very best location to have access to restaurants and shopping if we want to go back and forth to our hotel throughout the day. What Hotels specifically would you recommend? I was looking at the Salvo Hotel. I would like a Hotel for less than $100.00 USD per night.

Excuse me, but did you see my earlier response re accommodation areas?

For within 100 USD, I would suggest A-Live Design Hotel, Lijing Hotel, Pacific Hotel etc.