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 Traveller's Tales: Advise for travellers in China
Heed our handy tips on safe travel in China. You may read about travel warnings, health, what to wear, travel with kids, travel with pets, local weather, local government, medical information and traffic information in the area.Also, you might want to read our
Beijing city guide,
Guangzhou city guide,
Kunming city guide,
Shanghai city guide,
and Xian city guide.
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| M Ha |
01 August 2002 |
Stayed at Novotel Xinqiao Beijing - Beijing, China.
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The smog in Beijing was pretty bad the three days I was there. The Forbidden City and Tiananmen are truly awesome but the crowds and extremely humid weather made it quite an unpleasant experience. Shopping wasn't great; went to Silk Street but nothing different from the street markets in Bangkok and Hong Kong.
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| C Murray |
22 July 2002 |
Stayed at Pacific Hotel - Shanghai, China.
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Got food poisoning from the restaurant with the huge goldfish tank inside the front doors, on the corner near the Park Hotel - best avoided. Great to get to Pudong on metro from the Pacific. Lots of art deco to see - great exhibition in the Park Hotel of Shanghai in the 1930s - good photos also in the Monument to the People's Heroes.
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| J Ratto-nielsen |
21 July 2002 |
Stayed at Mayfair Hotel Shanghai - Shanghai, China.
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Shanghai is a very nice city but extremely humid and hot in July. We arrived at Pudong airport late at night and took bus No 6 to the hotel (20 RMB per person)(note that the bus leaves you 10 blocks away from the hotel)
We did all our trips on the Metro which is very cheap and takes you everywhere.
You should visit Pudong, the Bund, and if you like shopping, go to the department stores in Nanjing Road. There are also great restaurants two blocks South from Huanping Station (line 1)
Do not forget to visit the Yuyuan gardens and the market around it for Chinese souvenirs.
We did not take any tours in Shanghai because we prefer doing things by ourselves and you can get anywhere by metro, bus or taxi.
Beijing:
We took a tour in Beijing to the Great Wall and Ming Tombs. We reserved it at the Tianrui Days Inn where we stay in Beijing and it was a total disaster. We spent most of the time in a "Traditional Chinese Hospital" and in an expensive souvenir store. On top of that, on the way back to the hotel the coach suddenly parked on the side of the highway and "it seemed" that they could not start the engine again. Finally, we got on a public bus that took us to Beijing and then we had to take a taxi, which we had to pay. Needless to say, the hotel took no responsibility and the clerk even mocked us. The name of the travel agency is "Beijing Youth International Service" so please be careful!!!
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| L Kakoschke |
17 July 2002 |
Stayed at Harmony Hotel - Beijing, China.
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The metro was excellent for getting around - very easy to follow without being able to speak chinese. Taxis are also good but recommend you have staff at hotel write down your destination in chinese. Also a map of Beijing is also useful to show taxi driver where you want to go - also lets him know that you know the direct route. Preferred the food in the tourist hotels - was a little more expensive but worth it. The cafe at the Harmony was very good. The hawkers in the street around Tiananmen Square drive you crazy - if they ask can you speak English - pretend you cannot. Also at the markets - they actually deter you from looking at their wares with their constant baggering. I would have purchased more if they had left me in peace. Watch your wallet in the markets. Caught a guy with his hand in my backpack.
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| L Sung |
14 July 2002 |
Stayed at Landmark Hotel Canton - Guangzhou, China.
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The price for food and clothing is great!! The taxi fare is very inexpensive. However, the city is not very clean and the air is polluted.
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| M Olofsson |
10 July 2002 |
Stayed at Jinglun Hotel - Beijing, China.
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Plenty to see and do in Beijing, problem is trying to fit it all in. Our children enjoyed a visit to the zoo, although not as modern as other western zoos there were lots of animals including pandas. A huge,recently opened, (largest in Asia ? )Aquarium is also well worth a visit.
We were disappointed in the 1/2 day tour to the great Wall purchased from Banda Tours in the Hotel lobby. we thought we purchased a 1/2 day excursion to the Great Wall. Unfortunately there was no mention that we would be stopping for an hour at a factory, (prices there seemed more expensive than e.g. Friendship Store, but probably dependent on your bargaining powers) with the result that there is not really enough time to walk up to the wall, spend time at the top and make it back to the bus via the many vendors lining the route down.
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| S Shimada |
09 July 2002 |
Stayed at Novotel Peace Hotel Beijing - Beijing, China.
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Beijing is interesting city more than I thought before. It took many days to explore. To move inside the city by a taxi, it takes longer time than you expect. Toilets at sightseeing points are clean enough. But do not expect same thing at standard restaurants.
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| F Jameson |
08 July 2002 |
Stayed at City Hotel, Shanghai - Shanghai, China.
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Shanghai is glorious - except for the air-pollution. My husband and I visited in summer during university exam week, so there were heaps of Chinese tourists. The temperature was not as hot as I expected, but the pollution and humidity did not help. Getting around Shanghai is not a problem. The underground Metro is extremely efficient and a breeze. The signs are in English, Chinese, and Pinyin. It certainly helps to know a little Chinese - so a tri-lingual (with characters) phrase-book is invaluable.
We did not go on any pre-booked tours, but found our way to Suzhou on the train (give in to the tuk-tuk drivers in Suzhou and let them show you around - negotiate a price BEFORE you get on) and found many old gardens etc. via the Lonely Planet guide on Shanghai.
The "Tourist Tunnel" under the river is a bit of a have. Do it only if you have drunk too much local coffee and had no sleep! Nanjing road is certainly a shopping mecca. For those of you who like to travel but can't handle the local environment there is Starbucks, McDonalds and KFC. The old city is fantastic - a bit pricey and touristy but worth it. Try the old Shanghai tea house in the old city - upstairs but a good re-spite from the hustle and bustle of the street below. Don't be afraid to ask where you are, where the train is going etc. The Chinese that I spoke to in my broken Chinese were extremely helpful.
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| E Drange |
04 July 2002 |
Stayed at Lu Song Yuan Hotel - Beijing, China.
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We visited the summer palace, the forbidden city, the great wall, the temple of heaven, the silk-market, the pearl market and the "underground city". We used taxi for these visits - a cheap and comfortable way of travelling. On the hotel location there is a man called "Mid" (not working there, but visiting) who offers tours cheaper than the hotel. Don't use him. The car is discusting - and he cheats on you; It's not really cheap at all - anyway he fooled us... We could easily made our way on our own - and recommend others to do just that. You'll easily find your way in Bejing. Maps are good.
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| R Levine |
25 June 2002 |
Stayed at Harmony Hotel - Beijing, China.
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The Beijing Noodle King was a GREAT local restuarant. It's a bit hard to find because there is no English sign, but a local helped us get there--I'm sure most locals can point you in the right direction. To the Great Wall, we tried to take a tour bus next door to the train station. We waited for three hours for the bus to get "full enough" to leave, until we finally got fed up and walked out. We then found out how to take an ordinary local bus to Badaling. It was very easy, much cheaper and didn't throw in extra sites or shopping excursions that we had no interest in. It's worth looking into if you would just like to go to the Great Wall and back.
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