Help from the experts out there

Thanks for all the information that most of you have posted about China. I do have a few questions, we are going with a tour group (31 total people, half high school students and half adults) with one of the agencies here in the U.S. so the itinerary will not be perfect. I made a previous post regarding this earlier and was ripped apart (but that%26#39;s the way it%26#39;s supposed to be, be brutal like one of the other posters)...

Day 1: NYC-Shanghai

Depart from NYC where your tour representative will help you board the flight to Shanghai.

Day 2: Flying

You can enjoy delicious on-board meals and the latest movies.

Day 3: Shanghai –Beijing

Arrive in Shanghai, the tour guide will meet you at Pudong International Airport, and then help you transfer to a flight to Beijing. Then the local tour guide will transfer you to the hotel.

Day 4: Beijing

Beijing served as the capital for 5 dynasties over a period of 800 years with each emperor identified as a dragon sent from heaven. Begin your city tour with a visit to the Summer Palace, built in classical Chinese style in 1750 as a royal recreational resort. Among its famous features is the 700-meter-long corridor with its wonderful Painted Gallery, the Marble Barge, and several magnificently painted pavilions and pagodas. Next stop is the Palace Museum, more commonly known as the Forbidden City, until recently it was opened only to emperor’s family. This complex, the largest imperial palace ever built in the world, features more than 800 buildings with over 9,000 rooms, resplendent golden-glazed roofs, red lacquered pillars and vermilion walls. See the high-walled “Inner City” with its government buildings. Sightseeing continues at the Temple of Heaven where the Ming and Qing emperors conducted the annual ceremony to pray to the Heaven for a good harvest. Enjoy your night in Beijing. (B.L.D)

Day 5: Beijing

Here is your chance to climb the Great Wall of China! This wonder of the world, built 2600 years ago was one of the two man-made structures seen by the naked eye of US astronaut Neil Armstrong from outer space. Then you will have a chance to stroll around Tiananmen Square (the Gate of Heavenly Peace), the largest square in the world, and also known as a witness for many historical and contemporary events. Tonight’s special dinner will give you a real taste of the Peking duck. (B.L.D)

Day 6: Beijing

After breakfast, you will have free time all day. (B)

Day 7: Beijing – Shanghai – Suzhou – Wuxi

Today you will board the flight to Shanghai, the largest metropolis of China. Travel by coach to Suzhou, a city of gardens and waterways. Sightseeing includes famous Hanshan Temple and Liu Yuan. The next stop is a time-honored silk-weaving workshop where you can the secret about silk making, a specialty in local area for thousand years. Continue your bus tour to Wuxi, a compact but beautiful city located by Lake Tai. Stay overnight in Wuxi. (B.L.D)

Day8: Wuxi – Hangzhou

Today you will visit Liyuan Garden, one of the most famous gardens for lake scenery in South China. Wuxi is a city located in the north of Tai Lake. You can take a close look at pearl-farm in local factory. Continue the bus tour to Hangzhou and stop at a typical teahouse—Hangzhou is known for its green tea. Stay overnight in Hangzhou. (B.L.D)

Day 9: Hangzhou – Shanghai

Hangzhou is praised along with Suzhou as an “earthly paradise”. The day’s activities feature a boat trip on the beautiful West Lake. Then you will stroll through the Su Causeway. The Su Causeway is the longest series of bridges crossing over Hangzhou%26#39;s West Lake. Huagang Fish Pond now is a huge pond filled with gloriously colored fish. Stay overnight in Shanghai. (B.L.D).

Day 10: Shanghai

All day is free time. You can go shopping or have a rest. (B)

Day 11: Shanghai

All day is free time. You can go shopping or have a rest. (B)

Day 12: Shanghai—USA

Shanghai, once a tranquil but busy fishing village, and long known as a paradise for adventurers in the years before 1949, is now the largest commercial and financial center of China. Sightseeing includes the Old Town, a finely designed maze of elegant pavilions and ponds in the old part of this city. Then stroll along the Bund, China’s most famous waterfront stretching about one mile along the Huangpu River. It is time to pack the mementos. Then you will take the Maglev, a fast speed train to the airport and fly homeward or wing on to your next destination (B).

I can see problems with Day 4 because it%26#39;s impossible to do the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City in one day. This is not my main concern at the moment. I would like people to comment on the hotels and ideas for our free days if you wouldn%26#39;t mind. Again, half of the group are young adults and they LOVE shopping (authentic and nonauthentic items for souvenirs)

On Day 6 during our free day in Beijing, what would the experts recommend doing. I have a list that I made up

1. Silk Market

2. Oriental Plaza (I think, a 5 story mall with food court on the bottom)

3. Golden Resource Mall (2nd largest in the world)

4. Maybe a massage

Anyone else with suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

In addition, can the experts comment on the following hotels too.

Beijing, Loong Palace Hotel

Wuxi, LiYuan Garden

Hangzhou, Grand Metropark

Shanghai, GuangDong Hotel

Thanks again for all the help.

Help from the experts out there

For shopping in Beijing, the Silk Market or Yashow are good. If the free day is on a weekend, the Panjiayuan market is good.

Help from the experts out there

Reads like you have the following restrictions:

1. Open jaw not allowed;

2. Buses are hired by the day, therefore must utilise them to the full, or not at all;

3. Tourist shops will not be left out, but,

4. Not even an orientation in Shanghai.

Things to do in Beijing and Shanghai for your group should include libraries, art galleries and museums, and perhaps university campus.

i have a question Why fly from NCY to Shanghai, then go straight to beijing, fly back to Shanghai and do the tour stuff there.

Why not either fly direct to Beijing and then make your way south

or fly to Shanghai, tour S%26#39;hai etc then go then Beijing.

Its a big task to organise 31 people with luggage, tireness, and jet lag.

the museums and art galleries in Peoples Square shouldnt be missed plus Yuyuan gardens, which is markets place plus for a small cost the garden themselves which are quite different.

Calculas1918

When people return from China there are inevitably asked about these destinations

Tiananman Moa%26#39;s Tomb Great Wall Terra Cota Warriors Pandas and maybe some questions regarding rural China.

You have about 50% covered and as far as shopping is concerned I suggest only one thing bargain relentlessly as most of the stand alone shops you will visit will be on the list of the tour company and there will be kickbacks from what you purchase. All of the other markets are OK but remember that they are well used to dealing with tourists and their prices are loaded in anticipation of the bargaining that will take place. In the larger markets eg The Silk Market dont be afraid to walk away from something that you want as it will be found in another stall nearbye.

I think the time in Shanghai is a waste as it in the final analysis is only a modern big city and apart from the Bund and a few attractions there has little to offer that NY does not have because Malls have that same feeling and look whether in USA, Australia or China. You should ask to see some of Rural China and return home by flying out of Hong Kong. That would mean maybe flying from Huangzhou to Guilin doing some time in Yangshuo .

Anyway in regard to your free time I suggest that collectively you purchase a Lonely Planet China and with a series of group discussions find what you want to see then do it

Bring a Chinese English menu from home to assist in the food ordering or eat at KFC MacDonalds or Pizza Hut when you are on free time, ensure every member of the group has a Hotel card with the address on it so you can by taxi return if separated

Day four is totally impossible as it takes a day to see the forbidden city alone so I hope you all al joggers. At night while in Beijing you should see the Chinese acrobats and hit a few clubs. thebeijingguide.com/nightlife/sanlitun.html will tell you all you need to know about Sanlitun Lu or Bar St Just be aware that there are as in any nightclub area in a big city touts hookers thieves

Lucky Aussie

Apart from that it%26#39;s a worthless itinerary, I refuse to comment anymore. A lot of us tried to help with your last itinerary but it looks like we%26#39;ve been wasting our efforts and time.

please ask me free if you have questions for Xi%26#39;an

Jeff

Thanks for the comment out there and I am not try to anger some of the experts (including Ellyse). This is the way the tour is set up and there is really no way for me to change the plans around. Why did we decide on this route, because it was the best valued tour out there from the U.S. for us (remember, half the group are students and $1000-$1500 is a lot for them to spend).

If anyone can comment on our hotels again, that would be greatly appreciated, thanks again for the all the help and sorry for the misunderstanding...

Beijing, Loong Palace Hotel

Wuxi, LiYuan Garden

Hangzhou, Grand Metropark

Shanghai, GuangDong Hotel

One more question for the experts in Beijing. We went to Beijing last year and the main hall in the Forbidden City was closed due to remodeling for the Olympics and the same with parts with the Temple of Heaven, are they finished now, thanks again.

If you%26#39;re the ones paying for the trip, why is it not possible to tell the tour company to be less hare-brained and to cut out some destinations eg Wuxi so that you can spend more time in other locations?

Also, if you%26#39;re trying to keep costs low tell the company that you don%26#39;t need 5-star hotels! Guangdong Hotel in Shanghai is quite far from the sights -- it%26#39;s near Fudan University in the north part of Shanghai -- but I guess it%26#39;s a good hotel otherwise.

I would skip Wuxi too. The time is too short. Spend the time in Hangzhou.

For cool places to go in Hangzhou look here:

[url]http://www.morehangzhou.com/venue/lifestyle/hot-spots/[/url]

The libraries and museums in Shanghai aren%26#39;t great. Wandering around the old city is cool. Just being involved in the masses is enough. -