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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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| K Evans |
08 April 2002 |
Stayed at Jinglun Hotel - Beijing, China.
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Very easy to get around - cheap underground and taxis. I wasn't brave enough to try the buses! English translation in most places, making it straight forward. Taxis are cheap and being on the road in Beijing is quite an experience whether in the car or out of it. I think zebra crossings are for decoration only as cars do not slow down - it is up to pedestrians to car dodge. I saw someone knocked off their bike (driver did not even stop) and my taxi was hit on the way to the airport!
Do visit Tiananman Square - worth it for the sheer size of it, and The Forbidden City. If you can cadge a free entry and English Speaking Tour Guide plus beer afterward with a fellow countryman looking equally confused, so much the better. The wall is fabulous - try anywhere but Badalink which is over touristy. Be prepared for a good climb. Anticipated after effects can be headed off by following your great wall experience with a reflexology and full-body massage. It really works.
For meals there is a cheap and cheerful place on the far side of the World Trade Centre doing Chinese and other meals very well. The loft is a more expensive but trendy location. Otherwise there are lots of eateries, western, asian etc and plenty of Starbucks if you get fed up of tea!
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| P Thompson |
19 March 2002 |
Stayed at Jinglun Hotel - Beijing, China.
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An amazingly modern, clean city. See the wall, Forbidden City, some temples and Summer Palace. Very aggressive sales people at markets.
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| M Garrow |
22 January 2002 |
Stayed at Jinglun Hotel - Beijing, China.
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Beijing must tackle its pollution problem. The city was even dirtier than 1998.
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| B Sally |
19 January 2002 |
Stayed at Ramada Pearl Hotel Guangzhou - Guangzhou, China.
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Guangzhou was an interesting destination but a couple of days there were enough as the pollution is so intense you can taste it.
Guangzhou's parks and the Island definately worth strolling about.
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| R Carrico |
18 January 2002 |
Stayed at Harmony Hotel - Beijing, China.
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Beijing, on my 3rd trip to China I finally visited Beijing. The main problem I found was the enormous amount of people who pray on an outsider (6', Blonde American Male, I kind of stood out in the crowd) with their books, maps and other items to sell. And then there were the University Art students asking me to look at their work and give them my opinion (I'm a professional photographer by trade). Once in their grasp the display turned into a an attempt to get me to buy some of their work. I am an artist, too, yes??? Not after the first and only time that happened. I became just another tourist who has a fancy camera.
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| P Hodgson |
13 January 2002 |
Stayed at Century Plaza Hotel, Shenzhen - Shenzhen, China.
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Try to avoid shopping in the mall next to the train station venture nearer the cluster of hotels to avoid be overly pestered and ripped off.
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| G Mcgarry |
01 January 2002 |
Stayed at City Hotel, Shanghai - Shanghai, China.
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I took several side trips from the hotel through the city and far outside to several locations of great interest. I believe it was the city of Sou Zhou that has the canals, and the outing lasted an entire day into the evening. I would recommend any tour booked through the City Hotel since they work in alliance with the Renaissance (on tours) and other fine hotels to provide an intimate tour service where there is never more than 12 on a trip. The people with whom I travelled were natives from others areas of China and Kuala Lumpur, so again I was the only occidental there. On three occasions I had the same guide, and to say the least, she was quite possibly the most knowledgeable person with whom I have ever had lead an excursion.
The best way to get around Shanghai is through metered cab if you have distances, but walking and shopping is an adventure in this city second to none. There is a store for every pocket book and staffed with the most accomodating of people. I they do not converse in your language there is little barrier of understanding of needs and wants so it is strangely like being amongst people whom you have known before. It's simply the friendliest city in the world and I speak from vast experience.
The shopping at night is especially wonderful since the city is so gorgeously decorated in colorful neon and there seems to be a festival atmosphere everywhere you go. This is a total plus because there is also a feeling of safety in the busiest of areas. The people are simply fascinating in their friendliness and their knowledge of language.
Shanghai is without question the queen city of the Pacific and I will probably this year go back as soon as I can. One must be prepared to bargain at the open markets, but the values are terrific and so is the quality of merchandise. For Americans I would warn about buying high quality motion picture CD's in the event they are of brand new Hollywood product which could result in a hefty fine upon return to the U.S.
One must take care to use metered cabs and know exactly where you are going and have a hotel card with your hotel imprinted with its address in the event the driver does not know your location.It is important that you pick your locations like the Bund or the Poudon areas so you can walk and have many landmarks to guide you. However, for a city of sixteen million it is surprisingly easy to stay on track and enjoy every moement of your stay.
There is so much to see, and the New Museum is absolutely gorgeous-first rate in every aspect. The buildings are state of the art archectecturally and some of the most stunning in all the world. A side trip to take is a visit to the home of the father of modern-archectecture - the boyhood home of I.M. Pei and one will certainly understand his vision of his art and where it was first ispired. Even though the trip is two hours outside the city is is well worth it since other locations of great interest are also visited as well.
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| P Sullivan |
31 December 2001 |
Stayed at White Swan Hotel - Guangzhou, China.
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Guangzhou is a busy, crowded city, that has a bit of an air-pollution problem. However, we found several interesting things to do and see. We'd highly recommend the Xiangjang Safari Park (about 30 minutes outside the city), and, of course, the Hard Rock Cafe is a good safe standard for Western Burgers, Sandwiches, etc. Travel by Taxi is Asian Big City Scary...better not to watch!
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| L Jiang |
20 December 2001 |
Stayed at Holiday Inn Downtown Beijing - Beijing, China.
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Do not trust any taxi drivers in Beijing. I will never go back to Beijing again, it's dirty, heavily polluted and people are vicious and annoying. It will be the worst city ever in history to have the Olympic Games.
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| W Teo |
18 December 2001 |
Stayed at Shangri-la Hotel Shenzhen - Shenzhen, China.
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Surrounding environment is very insecure and a lot of pick pockets and thief around the hotel every now and then. Guest do not feel secure going in and out of the hotel. I had just experience myself being pick pockets by the thief just outside the hotel. I would not recommed any friends and relatives to stay in the hotel again.
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