Tips on travel to China

I booked my trip to China though China Tour.net (www.chinatour.net). China was awesome and for the most part the tour went well. Below is the itinerary that I booked. I've noted some issues in bold so that you can learn from my experience. This tour cost 8,790 RMB (close to $1,300). Another teacher came with me and shared the first four days so that brought the cost down by 1200 RMB (the original price was 9,990 RMB).



First note: The Chinese currency is the Yuan but it is noted as RMB meaning Rembi. Rembi and Yuan are one and the same At the time of the tour the US dollar to Yuan was about 6.75 so rounding up I estimated that 70 RMB was like spending $10.

Second note: I booked this tour entirely over email. I made my first officially inquiry on the website and then just exchanged emails with Tony. It seemed odd to arrange a major trip without eye contact or a phone call but it all worked out.

Third note: The tour company required a 50% deposit. I did the math on how many Won I needed to send and then rounded up to make sure I paid at least 50%. I was able to do a wire transfer from my Korean back with my co-teacher's help. I am somewhat thinking that my transfer was double converted from Won to US dollars and then US dollars to Yuan because I got killed on the exchange rate. I paid the balance in cash to the first tour guide when I got to Beijing.

Including:

1, Soft sleeper train tickets Beijing to Xian,;

2, flight tickets Xian to Chongqing and Yichang return to Beijing; 

3, 2 Nights Beijing downtown 3-star Hotels accommodations with breakfasts;
4. 1 night in 3-star hotel in Xian

5, 1night Beijing airport hotel 3-star with breakfast;

6, President No 3 yangtze river cruise, 3 nights with accommodations
(NOTE: the first night do not offer dinner, but we can arrange in Chongqing before board);

7, Ground transfer along the city trip;

8, English speaking local tour guides in Beijing, Xian, and Chongqing;

9, entrance tickets for site visit;

10, Meals as you listed;

11, free shopping stops in Beijing for two, each stop at around 40mins.

Beijing Xuanwumen Hotel. King bed room in hotel, right? Cruiser just offer twin bed standard. 



General Notes:
1) Most of the rooms were smoking rooms. I didn't specify so it's my fault. However, I'm not sure if non-smoking rooms are always available in China.

2) All hotels, the river cruise, and even the train had western-style toilets. That is not yet common in China.

3) The tour company sub-contracts with English-speaking tour guides and drivers. All in all it worked out but it's good to be aware of the fact that they don't all work for one company so information doesn't flow seamlessly.

4) Everyone you deal with in China is expecting a tip. The guides, the drivers, anyone who gives you a demonstration of a tea party or specialized tour. I've noted some of my spending below. In some cases I was probably cheap and in some I was probably too generous.

5) Breakfast is usually a buffet that offers a mix of western and Chinese food.

6) The Chinese government requires that your tour companies send you to several state-owned facilities. These include a jade factory, a silk factory, and a pottery factory. Factory really means showroom and they are hoping you'll buy something. There is no pressure to buy you just have to walk around a bit while your tour guide gets his/her card stamped.

7) It's not hard to find casual restaurants in China. It helps to head away from office buildings and into neighborhoods. We took our chances with regards to food poisoning. Nearly everyone who visits China has some sort of digestive issue so bring some pills like Cipro.

8) Food is really inexpensive in China. Peking Duck is expensive (200 RMB) but most dishes are 20 RMB or less (that's $2.50). Beer is really cheap too. 600 ml bottles of the local lager at 3-5 Yuan at convenience stores.


Day 1 Entry Beijing (SATURDAY)
Arrive in Beijing and be greeted by our tour guide who will escort you to your hotel. Visit Temple of Heaven OR 798 Art Zone. Night in Beijing hotel.

NOTE: We emailed Chinatour.net and asked to see the Temple of Heaven on Day 1. Our tour guide was never told so she wasn't prepared to take us anywhere but the hotel. We worked it out to see the Temple of Heaven on Day 2. To free up time we took the subway two stops and walked around Tianan Men Square by ourselves.

Day 2 Beijing (SUNDAY) (B,L)
Visit the Great Wall at Badaling section, one of the man-made wonders of the world. After lunch tour the Forbidden City with Tianan Men square.Climb the small hill in Jinshan Park to view the whole Forbidden City. . Night in Beijing hotel.

NOTE: We changed the day to start at the Temple of Heaven and then go to Forbidden City. We hiked to the top of the park and then drove to the jade factory. They had a restaurant on the 2nd floor so that's where we had lunch. The guide suggested a less crowded section of the Great Wall so we didn't go to Badaling but I can't remember where we went. After that we went to the silk factory.

Day 3 Beijing to Xian by train (MONDAY) (B,L)
In the morning ,visit the Summer Palace, one of China`s largest and best-preserved imperial gardens. After lunch visit Lama Temple .Then visit Hutong (old lane in Beijng) by rickshaw and a family visit in Hutong. Take the evening train to Xian with soft sleeper. Night on sleeper train to Xian.

NOTE: We started with the rickshaw and ended at Summer Palace - again another example of a communication gap, but it wasn't a big deal. We were told to tip the rickshaw guys 10 Yuan each. We were also taken to an eastern medicine clinic that wasn't on the schedule for a brief information session and a foot massage. We were told to tip 20 Yuan for the massages.

NOTE: We didn't get the best hand-off at the end of Day 3. The tour guide seemed anxious to go do something else. She left us at the Olympic park around 3:45 PM. She said we could take a 50 Yuan cab ride (over an hour) or the subway and then a cab to get to the train station. The subway involved three transfers and when we exited at rush hour it was IMPOSSIBLE to find a cab. Some Chinese students helped us with the subway and gave us a bus number. The train didn't leave until 9:31 PM so we had plenty of time but it was hardly door-to-door service.

NOTE: The same tour guide told us her tip should be 300 Yuan each. That's about $45 each. We had only budgeted about 400 Yuan per day for expenses. I just told her that we couldn't do more than 300 Yuan total. She backed down immediately. Given that she left us hanging in the Olympic park we were glad we didn't give in. We gave the driver 100 Yuan.

NOTE: We had dinner in the train station. The food was fine. We were told there would be beer and food on the train but given that it departed at 9:31 PM we didn't wait. It was a good thing too. We crashed right a way so we never checked for the food car but given that people were sleeping in the aisles I'm not sure it would have worked out.

Day 4 Xian (TUESDAY) (B,L)
Visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. In the afternoon visit Shanxi History Museum and then the Ancient City Wall. Night in Xian hotel.

NOTE: We didn't sleep all that well on the train so we were rather tired and sweaty by the time we arrived. Our guide met us and told us that we were heading to the hotel for the buffet breakfast. I asked if there was any way we might check in to our rooms early so that we could shower. The guide called and found out that we could which was a huge break. We were at the hotel from 9:30 - 10:30 AM. Neither of us were hungry so we skipped the buffet which ended at 10 AM.

NOTE: Prior to the tour I had asked Chinatour.net about access to laundry service. They told me that the hotel in Xian had laundry service. That is true but if we had left it up to their plan it wouldn't have worked out. The hotel took laundry at 10 AM to be returned in the evening. If we had checked in at the end of the day as planned we wouldn't have been able to get laundry service. Since we got into the rooms early we just made the 10 AM cut-off. I washed about half of the clothes in my backpack and it cost 76 Yuan (about $11).

Day 5 Xian to Chongqing (WEDNESDAY) (B,L,D)
Morning's 1hr15min flight to Chongqing.
Visit Ci Qi Kou Old Town with its Qing dynasty homes, tea houses, shops and old docks. This evening, board your cruise ship to begin your memorable Yangtze River cruise downstream Night in Splendid China (President No. 3) cruise ship.

NOTE: My flight to Chongqing was at 8:30 AM so the guide and driver came to get me at 6:30 AM. The other teacher's flight was not until 4 PM so they arranged for a different driver to pick him up. We tipped her 300 Yuan and 100 for the driver. That was probably high since they really only were with us for one day, but she got us in to the rooms for a shower after the train so she earned it.

NOTE: My third tour guide met me at the airport. He explained that the riverboat didn't open until 6 PM and didn't depart until 10 PM. It was approximately 10 AM when I arrived so I had a long day to fill. He stayed with me until about 2:30 PM. He took em to the Old Town which really didn't take up more than 20 minutes. After lunch we went to a hilltop park. I climbed a tower that had a panoramic view of the city - that was worth it. In the same place I went to a tea ceremony (20 Yuan tip) and a brief tour of a massive mural of the river (10 Yuan tip).

NOTE: The guide didn't have any more ideas for what I might do. I asked him to take me to the cruise ship so that I could at least drop off my big bag. He then dropped me in the center of town. I wandered the streets a bit and found a place for dinner. It was only a 15-minute walk back to the dock to catch the ship. I got there around 7:30 PM.

NOTE: I tipped this tour guide 150 Yuan and gave 75 Yuan to the driver. They were only with me for 4.5 hours.

Day 6 Yangtze River Cruise (THURSDAY) (B,L,D)
Set sail in the morning. Explore the cruise ship’s many facilities before afternoon arrival at the Ghost City Fengdu along Yangtze River Night in on cruise ship.

NOTE: The cruise ship was old, but otherwise better than I expected. Beers on the ship were 30-35 Yuan so I brought some onboard with me. The room was surprisingly large (for what I have heard about cruise ships) and had a small refrigerator. I had a roommate (a cool guy from New Zealand). We were seated at an English-speaking table. The cruise ship had a group from France, Germany, and Poland. There were also about 50 Chinese tourists on the ship.

Day 7 Yangtze River Cruise (FRIDAY) (B,L,D)
Cruise through the first of the Three Gorges on yangtze river: Qutang Gorge. Then, cruise on through Wu Gorge. At Badong, transfer to a small cruiser for an exciting excursion on Shenlong Stream. Next, cruise through Xiling Gorge, the last and most scenic of all Yangtze three gorges Night in on cruise ship.

Day 8 Yichang to Beijing (SATURDAY) (B,L)
This morning, stop at Sandouping to view the Three Gorges Dam. Continue on to Yichang where ending your Yangtze River cruise by boarding your early afternoon flight to Beijing.Take airport hotel and their free airport transfer.

NOTE: The driver and a guide were waiting for me when the cruise ship docked. I had been assigned to share a van with two other Americans who were also going to the airport. We were in the van by 12:45 PM and our flights were at 4:45 PM and 5 PM. The English-speaking guide tried VERY hard to get us to take several tours in the city since we had extra time. I was not in the mood for more awkward shopping and tipping so I said no.

NOTE: The Yichang airport is very small. It has some stores but not real places to eat. The aircon doesn't work well either. Unfortunately a serious thunderstorm came through so all flights were delayed about 2 hours. I can say from experience that 5.5 hours in that airport is way too long.

NOTE: I was told that I was staying at the Capital Airport Hotel and that the hotel had a shuttle. I wasn't told how to find/call the shuttle. Instead, I boarded the inter-terminal free shuttle. Luckily, the shuttle went past the hotel. I rode the shuttle back to the terminal and took a 10 Yuan cab ride to the hotel. If my flight wasn't late I would have figured out the hotel shuttle.

NOTE: The hotel was OK but not great. It did have a free breakfast buffet that was not included on my itinerary so that was a plus.

Day 9: Flight back to Korea. (SUNDAY)
Take airport hotel's free transfer to airport, only 5 to 10mins you can get to.

NOTE: The hotel staff told me my flight would leave from terminal 2. Terminal 3 at the Beijing airport is the massive new international terminal. Terminal 2 is more manageable and has more food options (and Starbucks).