Itinerary - high level feedback

I%26#39;m finally getting to China and will be flying in and out of Beijing. I will be traveling on my own and am deciding on what cities to visit. Packing and moving are my least favorite things, so I thought I%26#39;d do 3 cities. I%26#39;m thinking Beijing for about a week, a few nites in Xian, a few more in Shanghai and then back go Beijing for a last nite or two. I%26#39;ll be traveling for a little over 2 weeks.

It looks like there are several great full day trips options from Beijing and Shanghai, so I feel like I can see much more than just the two cities. My plan generally would be to fly between cities and I don%26#39;t want to lose tons of time in transit. [Questions later for help domestic flights :)]

Seeing the Three Gorges had sounded great, I%26#39;ve also read some feel it%26#39;s overrated. I%26#39;m not sure being tied up on a ship (travelling solo) for several days would be so super nor does it sound inexpensive for one, so I haven%26#39;t included that, altho I%26#39;d be interested in hearing pro%26#39;s and con%26#39;s to that decision before I make my plans.

I%26#39;m wondering if the three cities sound right to other travelers or would you suggest a subsitute or just one more city (and why). I enjoy museums, historical buildings, scenery, arts and culture and prefer to stay in at least moderate/tourist level accomodations. Do not want to be busy busy all the time, I enjoy wandering around enjoying my time off work. I haven%26#39;t booked stuff yet, but will probably use a combo of independant touring, large bus and possibly a couple days of private guides in Beijing and/or Shanghai (depending on price and availability). I%26#39;ll be there end of APril into mid-May.

Thanks in advance.

Itinerary - high level feedback

I%26#39;m not a fan of the 3 Gorges cruise. Awful waste of money and time. Email me at ellyse99@yahoo.com if you want my full report and candid photos -- put ';TripAdvisor'; and your own username (eg Ms.Travels) in the subject line.

The destinations around Shanghai are better off done as overnight or 3-day trips rather than day trips. Top picks around here for your interests would be Nanjing and Hangzhou. I would also pick a water village eg Tongli or Xitang.

Itinerary - high level feedback

Ellyse -

thanks for your response, I have seen you helping folks out for ages now and was hoping you%26#39;d see my post!

I%26#39;ll have to take a look at your suggestions, however, groan.... packing up and getting somewhere else...not my favorite. A day trip to Suzhou (per a guide book) sounded like it might be a nice change of pace.

I may take you up on your offer if you possibly have time for all your e-mails.

Thanks again.

I know that you do not like to pack and unpack but consider a few days in Yangshuo. You are doing only big urban areas. Nice place to relax. This would be different and is not difficult to get to as Yunnan is. You have enough time.

About booking domestic flight, just check the posts here, I just answered this for someone else.

Hotels are more expensive in Beijing and Shanghai but if you do some work you can find 4-5 star hotels around $100. There is a lot to do in Beijing in your free time if you just want to relax and hang out.

Thanks, I%26#39;m going to look into both suggestions. I have a total of around 15 nites, so I am fortunate to be able to add more stops. I have also seen multiple posts about internal flights and will follow them when ready.

Thanks for the assistance.

I know the feeling about packing %26amp; unpacking and wasted days in transit. As you have 15 days tho I would add another place.

Hangzhou is a short train ride from Shanghai %26amp; well worth it. Beautiful %26amp; very relaxing. Great or just wandering around the lake and not hectic like the big cities.

Or you would have time for Yangshuo. One again a great chill out place. We will be there in a few weeks time %26amp; plan on doing some rafting, boat rides, wandering around the country side to check out the little villages %26amp; markets. So much to do.

Lijiang in Yunnan is another option. An older city with lots of little day trips %26amp; fantastic scenery. Although this may be a bit too far to fit in with your itinerary.

Sounds like we are all trying to get you to add a destination LOL.

Anie

Will be looking forward to your posts with regards to Yangshuo and tyhe other places you visit. Jealous already. Still have 15 weeks to wait. Absolutely desperate to BE there.

Thanks Poppet. You have a good time too:)