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If possible, avoid the first week of May (Chinese Labor Day Holiday), the first week of October (Chinese National Day Holiday) and the Chinese New Year Holiday, which starts on the first day of the old lunar calendar and usually falls in February. These are the days when Chinese take advantage of their week-long holidays to travel around the country. WHERE TO GOIf you want to take in China at a glance, so that you won' t be told later that it was a shame not to visit China while living in Japan... You might want take a 10-day trip to Beijing, Xian, Guilin and Shanghai. This itinerary will give you an opportunity to hit the highlights of China such as the Great Wall of Beijing, the Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an, the natural beauty of Guilin and the hustling avenues of Shanghai. ONLY HAVE LESS THAN A WEEK?You need to focus on a couple of cities that most interest you: If you are a history buff, visit Beijing and Xi'an. If you want to have a good time going out, visit Beijing and Shanghai. If you are a naturalist, visit Guilin and Huangshan (the Yellow Mountain).
If you want to beat the clock and see the famous Yangtze River before the three gorges are submerged forever, take a Yangtze River cruise. If you are into archaeology and you are fascinated by the Silk Road...You will need around 2 weeks to travel the Silk Road. You will want to visit Beijing, Urumqi, Kashgar, Turpan, Dunhuang and Xi'an. Expect long road trips and tough travel conditions.If you are intrigued by the Chinese ethnic cultures... Your best bet is the Yunnan Province, home to 25 of China's 56 minority nationalities. The following cities offer the best natural scenery and rich ethnic cultures: Kunming, Lijiang, Dali and Xishuangbanna, which you can cover in about a week.If Tibet is on your mind and you are in great physical condition... Keep in mind that as a foreign national you are required to join a tour in order to get a permit into Tibet. Expect tough travel conditions and high elevation.If you are travelling to a major tourist attraction in China and are looking for ideas for excursions... FROM SHANGHAI Hangzhou - Hangzhou is one of the top scenic spots in China, most well known for its beautiful Xihu (West Lake). As the saying goes: "In Heaven there is Paradise; on Earth, Suzhou and Hangzhou". It is two hours from Shanghai by train.
Suzhou - An hour away from Shanghai by train, Suzhou is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in China. It is well known for its canals, gardens, and silk. UNESCO has listed four of Suzhou's classical gardens as World Heritage sites. Zhouzhuang - An ancient fishing village south of Yangtze River, Zhou Zhuang is most famous for its bridges and mansions. It is four hours away from Shanghai by bus. FROM SHANGHAI Yangshuo - An ancient city over 1,000 years old, it is famous for its spectacular scenery of hills and rivers. Yangshuo is located 65km (40 miles) Southeast of Guilin by road, and is the popular destination of river cruises from the city. OTHER POPULAR SPOTS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELLERS Beihai - Beaches and islands constitute the biggest attraction in Beihai. The silver beach is the ideal place for beach-lovers to relax and soak up the sun. HOW TO GET THERE
It is possible to travel independently in China. It is advisable to book hotels and air tickets in advance. Advanced reservations are critical for the Peak Season, especially for the ever more popular Yangtze River cruises. The Internet is a great tool for China travel booking. Especially for hotels, discounted rates are abundant on the Internet and they are sometimes 50% or more off the published rates. The Chinese airlines generally don' t offer discounts for advanced purchases and round trip tickets don' t save you any money. For train tickets, you usually need to wait until you arrive in China to purchase them. Due to the language barriers and different business practices in China, travelling independently can sometimes be challenging. An alternative is to join a group tour. Group tours are generally reasonably priced and the packages usually include guided tours and all air and land arrangements. The disadvantages of group tours are inflexible itineraries, large groups of all ages with different interests and rushed sightseeing. If you prefer to explore China at your own pace and yet don' t want to be burdened with the logistics, a private tour might be a better choice. A private tour usually gives you a personal car and driver as well as a local tour guide. Although generally more expensive than group tours, private tours do offer more flexibility, more personal attention from your tour guides and more comfort in transit. A good idea is to go with a small group of friends. If you can form a private group of 6 people or more, the private tour operators will usually give you a good discount. PRIVATE CHINA TOUR OPERATORS It is recommended that you choose a reliable travel agency with ties in China when you select a private tour. There are a limited amount of agencies with operations in China as well as abroad. One such agency, which has been popular with JETs is ChinaOnYourMind.
ChinaOnYourMind.com is a travel company founded by a group of well-traveled China enthusiasts and Chinese local experts. It has its headquarters in Illinois and branch offices in New York and Beijing and is a one-stop travel consultant and facilitator to China, serving English-speaking travellers worldwide. They specialise in custom designed private tours, which include your personal cars, drivers and English-speaking professional local guides. Their physical presence in China distinguishes them from its overseas competitors. ChinaOnYourMind's representatives call you at every stop of your trip to ensure that you are satisfied with the high standard of service at all times. ChinaOnYourMind is ideal for JETs who have no time to plan their China trip? Their local experts at will design your itineraries completely tailored to your interests. They also ensure that you recieve the best value on your tour through extensive comparison-shopping among top-rated Chinese travel agencies. Contact Details
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