Beijing Travel Forum

Hello All,

My original plan of having a family vacation with my two teens has changed. They have decided not to come to China with my husband and Me so now it will be just the two of us. I have pretty much decided to go to Beijing-Shanghai-Xian-Beijing in that order. I will have at least two weeks and might be able to stay 2.5 weeks if I really want to. I am planning on 6 nights in Beijing. How would you suggest to divide the rest of the time in the cities I have mentioned? Is 2 nights really enough to see and explore Xian? On travel days (overnight train) will we get into town with enough time to do anything or will it be too late in the afternoon to see anything worthwhile? You thoughts will be most welcomed.

Thanks, Donna

You should go from Beijing to Xian then to Shanghai and back as the train to Xian from BJ is an overnight train, arrives at around 7 am so you have the whole day (that is if you can sleep on the train). 2-3 days in Xian is about right. Xian to Shanghai is a long haul is go by train (20 hours), I would go by air as your train cost (if first class cabin) is almost 50% of flight but you lost a whole day on the train. Plus again depends how well you sleep on the train, if not you will be tired getting into Shanghai.
6 days in Beijing is actually too much (at least I think, I am sure many diagree), traffic there is a zoo so after 3 days you will be ready to get out of town. Spend more time in Shanghai and surrounding area, there are lots to see in Hungzhou and Suzhou. Shanghai itself has lots to offer subway is very easy to get around town, they just openned up two new lines and you can get from one side of the city to the other in less than 30 minutes.
I am sure you will get a lot more help from others on the details off this site.

6 nights in Beijing is good - I wish we would've taken at least this much time.
We spent 1 night and 2 days in Xian. We felt as if we had left so much unexplored.
2 full days, full nights in Xian would've been better. It is a long ride to the Terracotta soldiers and you certainly want to devote time to them once there.
We did Beijing - Xian - Guilin - Hong Kong.
Guilin/Yangshuo is another nice couple of days for the beautiful scenery and tranquil float down the Li River.
Once in Yangshuo (we actually preferred this to Guilin, it was nice to explore the markets.

China is so varied, rich in history and culture, wherever you are, you're sure to feel as if you are left wanting more.
I say go for as much if it's a one time thing, you have the flexibility and make the most of each city!!!

Do you just want to see Xian and big cities? (Actually Xian is a pretty big city as well.)
You should really want to stay 2 and a half weeks or longer.
Since one day is arrival and one day is departure, 6 days seems about right for Beijing.
You can see the warriors in a day, but more time is needed to see the city of Xian. There are other touristic sights but I found the city itself particularly attractive. Admittedly much I what I saw can be seen in many different cites in China, but it was my first stop after Beijing.
I can not say anything bad about Shanghai as I have chosen to skip it on my fist two trips to China, but I wonder if it is worth the time you would have to use to get to know the city. (All gigantic cites require time.) I suggest you consider the already mentioned Hangzhou, and Suzhou, plus other places rather than spend time in Shanghai this vacation. good luck.

Overnight trains typically arrive in early morning or at the very latest by noon so you won't be wasting daytime.
What are your sightseeing interests and preferences? I think you should be able to fit in a couple more destinations around Shanghai.

Hi Ellyse,

We love seeing different cultures through their history. Buildings, parks, museums, anything that shows us how a culture developed and where their history comes from. We love to see the non-touristy areas as well as the main tourist sites. Spending a day wandering through a small non-touristy town to get a real feel for how people live is what we really enjoy. Any tips you can give us on this type of excursion would be most helpful.

Thanks, Donna

If you're interested in history and culture then I would strongly recommend that you consider some other destinations that would be "on your route": Nanjing, Luoyang, Hangzhou and Datong (in rough order of preference). I absolutely do not mean to do these as daytrips, you'll have to spend about 2-3 days for Nanjing, about 2 days for Luoyang, and 1.5-2 days for Hangzhou or Datong.

YOu should spend at least 2 days in Xi'an. The two most significant sights in Xi'an are the Terra Cotta Warriors and the Shaanxi History Museum, both of which require at leat 1/2 day to see. Also visit the Large and Small Wild Goose Pagodas, the Hui Muslim district, and walk along the tops of the city walls. Although its completely targeted at tourists, see the Tang Dynasty show on one of the nights that you are in Xi'an.