over-ambitious itinerary?

Hi all,

We%26#39;re visiting Beijing (1st time - staying with friends) and then hope to do the following trip: is it vastly over-ambitious in the time frame allowed?

Sun evening: overnight train Beijing to Xi%26#39;an

Mon: Sightseeing during day in Xi%26#39;an and then overnight train to Hangzhou

Tues: arrive Hangzhou, sightseeing and sleep in hotel

Wed: train to Shanghai and sightseeing; sleep in hotel

Thurs : flight out of Shanghai

Is there a left luggage office in Xi%26#39;an? any recommendations for inexpensive hotels in Hangzhou and Shanghai? There will be 3 of us travelling: my, my husband and 19 yrs old son - are there triple/family rooms or only doubles/singles?

Thanks so much for your help!

over-ambitious itinerary?

How will you book your second overnight train from Xi%26#39;an to Hangzhou? There are unlikely to be tickets left when you arrive in Xi%26#39;an on Monday. Also, you are going to be very tired by Tuesday morning, even if you do get a sleeper.

over-ambitious itinerary?

Xi%26#39;an -- Hangzhou trains are much slower than just ';overnight';. Better would be to take the Z train to Shanghai, then metro/taxi to Shanghai South train station, then a D train to Hangzhou.

And yes, you%26#39;re NOT likely to get any sleeper tickets if you try to wait to buy when you get to Xi%26#39;an. You might get hard seat or worse, no-seat.

Yes, left luggage is available at Xi%26#39;an train station itself.

What%26#39;s your monetary range for ';inexpensive';? When rae you travelling?

Yes, family/triple rooms are possible.

If you%26#39;ve any queries, feel free to email me at ellyse99@yahoo.com -- put ';TripAdvisor'; and your own username (eg Atenyi) in the subject line.

Hire a taxi driver putting your luggage in the car back to attractions,or hire a drive firt check in hotel,then for tour.There are family rooms(double+single bed) in the City Hotel.

Thanks for your helpful comments. We%26#39;re now looking to fly Xi%26#39;an to Hangzhou. Budget for hotel is 拢30 - 拢50 for all three of us: nothing flashy! Any recommendations welcome.

I have just read that 5th April is the day for Sweeping the Tombs - does this mean that there will be more people travelling 4/5/6th April?

Really appreciate your insights.

Yes it%26#39;s best to fly that section.

Budget accommodtion in Hangzhou tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g298559-i7153-k258鈥?/a>

That%26#39;s roughly 280-470 RMB for a triple/family room. If you%26#39;re travelling during the Qingming Festival holiday weekend then you%26#39;ll really need to book in advance.

I%26#39;d expect Hangzhou and Xi%26#39;an to be pretty crowded for the holiday weekend.

Hi, I am a travel consultant. Yes, your schedules were too tight to be a nice one.

Overnight on the train is not an easy job. No shower, only public toliets. The sleeper berths are narrow and short, if you were too tall, I am afraid you can%26#39;t even lie on it. The space between the berths is limited. Please watch your head when you stand up.

And it%26#39;s not easy to buy the train tickets, especially the soft-sleeper berths tickets when you arrive in a new city.

Luggage can be stored in the Left Luggage Office at each railway station (no for free).

For sightseeing, one full day is ok for the must-see in Xi%26#39;an, say the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the City Wall. If you were lucky, you can get the tickets to Hangzhou. K468/K465 departs at 5:00 pm and arrive in Hangzhou at 1:47pm, more than 20 hours (less than RMB 500 per ticket).

After you finished Check In, it might around 2:30pm. Your time for sight seeing is limited. One site is ok before your dinner.

West Lake, Flying Peak Temple, etc are famous in Hangzhou.

D trains between Hangzhou and Shanghai are many and fast, cost about 2 hours and less than 80 RMB per ticket.

And the must-see in Shanghai is the Yu Garden, Yuyuan Market, the Jade Buddha Temple, Oriental TV Tower, and the Bund etc. Half a day is ok.

My suggestion is skip Hangzhou this time, do the tour in Xi%26#39;an and Shanghai is ok. Travel is not for sightseeing but also relax and enjoy it.

For hotel accoommdation, twin beds rooms are normal room type. Hotels offer extra bed, you can ask them do so. It is cheaper than use single room. If triple rooms are available, go and book with them. You can book the youth hotels online. They are clean and cheap.

You can email me at glyitian@yahoo.cn if you have any further questions. I am more than happy to answer your questions.