Travel Answers

Hi,
Sorry if this post isn't in the appropriate forum. I didn't know whether to post in China or Mongolia so settled on both.
I am looking to take this train route in June, preferably on or around the 27th June, when I believe there is a train. I want to book this in advance, as it's the busy season. Can anyone recommend any travel agencies for purchasing tickets, or advise me of the best way to buy?

Any help would be much appreciated!

Hi every one .... Can plz anyone tell me where should I go for buying stuff in urumqi if I'm a football fan .I am here in urumqi n in few days going back home but I don't know where to look for such stuff

Do you know the name/location of this restroom, with these red lady-shaped sinks?
flickr.com/photos/redhawk170...

The restaurant was located just outside the west side of the Forbidden City in Beijing (China).
The photographer "redhawk1700" took the photo some years ago and doesn't recall the name of the restaurant anymore.

Thanks for your help!

Hi, Where can I buy animation / action figure in Shanghai?

Are there any places like Akihabara or Nagano in Japan where there are a lot of shops?

Also, do we need to bargain? (In Japan, we do not bargain...)

Thank you very much for your advices.

I'm travelling to Sanya in July and I i want to visit some other city that would be interesting to see and quite close to Sanya. I'm on budget, so a definite no to star cruises to Vietnam. Hong Kong would be perfect, but I have no clue how to get there. Any suggestions?
Thanks

Zhaoxing or Sanjiang?
Hi all - need some advice from those of you have been there: we will be in Guilin and Yangshuo for a week (already booked at Yangshuo Mountain Retreat) this July/August. Then have 5 nights to see the Dragon's Back rice terraces area before flying from Guilin to HK.

I'm thinking of 1 night at ChengYang bridge near Sanjiang, two in Zhaoxing and the last two in PingAn. Now reading on different forums people say ChengYang is better to stay longer than Zhaoxing, and that we could even drop it. What do you think? We won't be taking busses - we are seniors and will either take cabs or organize cars. Want to do some hiking in the area, obviously, but 2,3, max 4-hour hikes rather than all day in the heat. Have already booked at Longji One Hotel in PingAn for the last two nights and the first night at the Dong Village Hotel. Still trying to book at Zhaoxing VIP. So, specific questions:
1. Two nights in ChengYang and 1 in Zhaoxing or visa versa? We'll probably arrive in ChengYang around lunchtime from Yangshuo if we leave there early.
2. Has anyone booked at Zhaoxing VIP, and if so, how? Can't find an email address, only a Chinese travel agent who says the rooms are either $75 or $150 per night! Seems steep!
3. I like the look/sound of Longji One, but also want to see Dazai. If we hike there through the terraces, which everyone says is amazing, would it be better to take a taxi to Dazai in the early morning and hike back to PingAn or the other way round? Which direction would we be going down more than up? (We're seniors, remember, although in great shape:):):).

Any other advice GREATLY appreciated from all you intrepid travelers!

I'm gonna be traveling to Yangshuo in mid-July and want to know if I should book a hotel in advance. Can anyone who's been there tell me if this is necessary? Will I have a problem finding a place upon arrival if I don't book in advance?

Thanks!

Just want to know how many ferry ports in Fuzhou because I'm planning to take a ferry from Kinmen (Taiwan). Thank you!

Hi, i shall be arriving to Beijing International Airport on 18Th of June together with my wife and daughter i like to know about the best way to transfer to Shangri-La Hotel and also best places for shopping.

Thanks

Is anyone know cheapest flight from tianjin to guangzhou? Under US$100 if possible? Thank you.

How can I reach to West Lake from GongShou? Can I use bike or public transport? I don't know Chinese. I can speak English

From N0 77 Xihua rd corner liwan rd which bus can we take.
to reach Yide lu market

Is there any Fuzhou-Jinmen (Taiwan) ferry service? What's the schedule like? The ferry will arrive at which port in Fuzhou? Thank you!

I hold an Australian passport. Can I visit Shanghai for a day only? I have return flight within 24 hours of arriving. Do I still need to apply for a visa before flying?

Hi, Below is my itinerary for Beijing. Will be going with my parents (both senior citizens). No tour bookings, was thinking of traveling by public transport because of budget constraints. Will surely love suggestions/recommendations!! Thanks!!

First Day:

Breakfast budget $15

1. Temple of Heaven   

           Opens at 8AM. Entrance fee 15RMB/person = 45RMB/$8

2. Pearl Market (just across the street and close early in the evening) Shopping Budget $30

3. Lunch Lunch Budget $30

4. Lama Temple Entrance fee 30RMB/person = 90RMB/$15 

5. Beihai Park Through ticket 20RMB/person = 60RMB/$10 

6. Dinner Da Dong Roast Duck in Dongsi Dinner Budget 400RMB/$65

7. Hotel

Second day:

1. Breakfast Breakfast budget $15
2. Mao Memorial

3. Tiananmen Square (5:56am flag raising time)
       Walk north through the Tiananmen Tower

4. Forbidden City 80RMB/person = 240RMB/$39 
5. Silk Market Lunch Budget $30

6. Silk Market Shopping Budget $30

7. Bird’s Nest/Olympics Budget Combo Tickets for Bird and Water: 80RMB/person = 240RMB/$40

8. Dinner Xiao Wang’s Home Restaurant Budget $30
9. Hotel

Third day:

1. Breakfast Budget $15
2. Car Rental $100 for car + $20 for tip

      Mutianyu Great Wall Entrance fee: 140RMB/person = 420RMB/$70

3. Lunch Lunch Budget $30

4. Back to Hotel

5. Dinner Budget $45

6. Beijing Acrobatics 7:15PM

      Entrance: 85RMB/person = 255RMB/$42 

7. Hotel

Fourth day:

1. Breakfast budget $15
2. Summer Palace 60RMB/person = 180RMB/$30

3. Lunch at Xibei Xibei Cai $45

4. Qianmen Street Shopping Budget $30

5. Wangfujing Street Shopping Budget $30

6. Dinner Budget $45.

7. Go to hotel to pick up bags.

8. 9PM Airport

where do we get branded bags like fendi ,coach etc aaa+replica in shenzen

Hi,

I am planning to take a day excursions near Xi'an. I understand that it is possible to do a day trip to Luoyang (Longmen grottoes and shaolin temple in a day). Would it be better to arrange a tour through a Xian tour operator or contact a Luoyang based operator? Much appreciate also if anyone can recommend a good tour operator that you have experienced with in the past. Thanks.

Hi i will be on guangzhou in business for 4 days and i will need a translator for two day, do you know any that can help and how much i will expect to be charge

thanks

We are joining a tour in May but as we are arriving two days early we took pot luck on one of the hotels that the tour group use and booked Shaanxi Business Hotel, Jing'an District. We have now heard that our tour is starting from the Ramada Zhabei and our third and fourth nights in Shanghai will be there. So we are deliberating whether to amend our initial booking so we don't have to change hotels (two nights in each).

The first day of our free time we aim to check out People's Square, The Bund and go under the river to Pudong. The second day we want to get a bus from People's Square to Zhujiajiao. Then we would come back and change hotels to join the tour.

The Shaanxi looks a more central location but as we will be travelling for 3 weeks, maybe we should just go to the Ramada for all 4 nights.......

Any advice from people who know Shanghai well??!! Thanks.

I am from USA, and I am going to be leaving school to work a 6 week internship in Beijing starting June 1, 2013, and I need to find an inexpensive place to live for that time. I am not picky at all, I would just like a place where I know my stuff is safe. The cheaper the better. I am not sure what part of the city I will be working, but on Google Maps it's located on Jinrong Street, Xicheng, Beijing. I would like to be kind of close to that, but I do not mind a commute. Thank you!

Hi I am new to Hangzhou, Can I rent a bicycle at Westlake? I do not know chinese. Do people understand English ?

My boyfriend and I are planning a 12-22 month round the world trip to India, Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam), China and Australia and are looking for some advice (see full thread at forum.virtualtourist.com/Asi.... We're planning to leave mid Sept. and visit the destinations in the above order, starting with India.

I had originally planned India Sept. '13 - Jan '14, China Feb - Mar, Southeast Asia Apr - Jul, followed by Australia for 2-12 months, but several people have suggested to switch around China and Southeast Asia, as China would be too cold in Feb/March and Southeast Asia too hot Apr-Jul. Hence we're now planning to fly to Bangkok from Chennai at the end of Jan '14, spend 4 months in Southeast Asia and then fly into China from Hanoi. After 2 months in China (June & July) we're planning to fly out to Australia from Beijing. - Does this sound like a good plan? I'm a little concerned about spending July in China, having read that plenty of rain sweeps the country during this month - is this a big issue?

I have compiled a list of regions and places that we'd be interested in, obviously we won't be able to visit them all due to time constraints, but which would you recommend? We're interested in culture, landscapes, wildlife, national parks, cuisine, beaches, some hiking (not trekking), adventures, photography. Also, they look very spread out, is there a logical route, and where best to start?

- Beijing

- Shanghai

- Jiangsu (Suzhou)

- Zhejiang (Hangzhou)

- Shanxi (Datong, Pingyao)

- Shaanxi (Xi'an, Mt Hua Shan)

- Anhui (Hongcun, Xidi, Huangshan)

- Henan (Kaifeng, Shaolin Temple)

- Jiangxi (Wuyuan)

- Hunan (Fenghuang, Dehang, Wulingyuan)

- Hainan

- Guangxi *must see (Guilin, Yangshuo, Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces, Li River Cruise)

- Guizhou (Chishui)

- Yunnan (Yuangyang, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Lugu Lake)

- Sichuan *must see (Chengdu, Jiuzhaigou)

- Gansu (Labrang Monastery)

We also have some specific questions:

- Getting around: Which is the best way of getting around to see the above regions, and how best to book tickets? Are budget flights a good option, in addition to trains and buses?

- Visas: Since there's a lot of places we would like to see in China maybe it would make more sense to extend our stay to 3 months (to arrive one month earlier in May), cutting Southeast Asia from 4 to 3 months - but am I right in assuming that while it is easy to extend an L Visa from 30 to 60 days, it is very difficult to extend it to 90 (we are one German and one UK national)? We will be in Southeast Asia before travelling to China, where is best to apply for it (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam)?

- Budget: I've used www.budgetyourtrip.com to find average daily costs and it suggests around ¥ 156/£16.50/US$ 25 per person for budget travel in China (including Accommodation, Food, Water, Local Transportation, Entertainment, Communication, Tips and Handouts, Intercity Transportation, Souvenirs, Alcohol) - is this realistic?

Any additional tips/advice regarding independent travel in China would be much appreciated!

Many thanks Nicole & Stu

I saw this photo when I was googling 'bridges' in Zhangjiajie and this one came up. They call it a moon bridge, and I'm wondering if it's really real and if so, whereabouts is it? I'll be in the area in September this year. And the chinese name if you know it, please!

sun-surfer.com/moon-bridge-z...

Does anyone know where to get an invitation letter to xinjiang ?
Or when crossing the borders from kazakhstan, does anyone control if you have it ?
Stelu

Is there any direct Shenzhen-Fuzhou high speed rail? Is it very frequent each day? How long? Easy to buy the ticket on the spot? I might enter Shenzhen from HK so what's the best way from HK to Shenzhen to catch this rail? Thank you!