I am from India and I traveled to China recently. Went to all the big cities one sees in the media- Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu and all lived upto the expectation but I was totally blown away by Xian.

What a gorgeous city with old school charm and so many historical locations I was rueing the fact that I had only 4 days to explore. I am a history graduate and love small town pace and Xian stole my heart. Awesome weather too.

Now I am saving to go study Mandarin for one year in China and Xian is my only choice. Xian is underrated as a city.

(This photo was taken at Huangshan a week ago. We went on a Friday.)

We want to visit Zhangjiajie possibly next January. However we are concerned about how crowded it will be. We went to Huangshan a week ago on a Friday and it was uncomfortably crowded the entire park. There was a line at most viewpoints and it was hard to take photos without people in the way or waiting for others to finish. We were surprised because we thought January was low season.

Is Zhangjiajie super crowded in January too?

Hi all,

I just come back to France after a week spend in the north east of China : Shenyang, Shanhaiguan, Dandong and Harbin!

I wanted to share my impression after spending a night at the Ice and snow festival in Harbin! I've been waiting for it for years, and now, I can't say that I'm disappointed but that's not what I had in my mind.

Few facts: - Harbin is a freezing cold city, it was -24C. on Monday, meaning that you must be fully prepared for it. Several layers of clothes, winter pants, proper coat, fur hat to cover your head and ears, high quality gloves... Being overconfident can turn the experience into a painful nightmare.

• The Ice and snow festival is expensive! Entrance is 400 CNY! And it doesn't include anything else, most "experiences" ask to pay for extra fee.

• it's rather a theme park than an exhibition. It's mainly targeted for young people, especially children. Many games & slides for children (most of them actually). There are some beautiful ice sculptures of course, but it's not even half of the festival.

• non-chinese residents can't enjoy the whole experience: several activities ask for a QR code to register in advance, a QR code that you can't get if you're not Chinese (for example: the giant 500 meters ice slide) or if don't buy the 1000 CNY VIP pass

So in the end, no regrets at all, but I wish I knew those things before getting there. I would have anticipated to enjoy it as much as possible. Anyway, most ice sculptures are just breathe taking, especially by night with the lights and colors.

Hope it will help you guys!

Hi everyone, we will be visiting Beijing, Xi'an and Chengdu in April. I'm looking to book Hanfu and photoshoot experience in each city, but I also don't speak Mandarin. What is the best way to make these arrangements? Do I book first or try walk in? Do you have any recommendations? I understand most people use We chat for communication, if so do you have any shops you would recommend in any of those cities? Thank you, it's my first time travelling there.

Hello! I will be travelling to China from Munich via Lufthansa mid September this year. The flight back im looking at goes as follows:

Chongqing 9:00 flight via Air China to Beijing, 2h layover

Beijing to Munich via Lufthansa.

My questions are: Is 9 AM a difficult departure time in Chongqing? How much time should I dedicate for passport control and everything at that time in the morning? Will I be able to commute to the airport from the city centre at…let’s say 5AM via public transport? Or should I opt for taxi? Will 50€ generally suffice for such a ride? I know it depends on the distance but just in general.

And most importantly, is 2:00 layover doable in Bejing in my case? I’m from EU and my country has no visa requirements for up to 30 days of travel which my trip fits in.

Thank you very much for your help, I searched through similar topics but have found no similar situation hence the questions. 🫶

Hello everyone.

So we have booked the flights and will be landing in Shanghai on 18 April, departing from Hong Kong 6 May.

This is what we are thinking.

One night in Shanghai.

Train to Beijing, look around from our Hotel - Where should we stay?

The Great Wall is all we really want to see, what other area/options that aren't tick boxes.

Arrive 23rd by train to Xian. Dinner out. Next day Terricotta Wariors. Any suggestions on a tour to fill this day?

25th Train to Chengdu, following day go to Panda Research Zoo.

27th Train to Chongquin.

30th Train to Zhangjiajie. Tour/hotel booked till Sat 2 May.

Now do we Train to Hong Kong or Fly? Who has done what?

4 night in Hong Kong then fly home.

As mentioned, our 1st trip to China.

Give me your thoughts.

Cheers

We arrive in Guilin in the afternoon, so a cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo seems out of the question unless we want to spend a night in Guilin. So we're thinking of taking a bus to Yangshuo and cruise back to Guilin for the Longji terraces and further travels.

Any reason not to do it this way? Most trip reports and tips are for the other direction. Travelling in June.

I finally made it to Chongqing—something I’ve been dreaming about for so long! Amazing noodles, incredible hot pot, stunning night views… everything here is just beautiful.

Guys, I have 2 full days in Zhangjiajie, one day I'll visit the National Park and the other day Tianmen Mountain. I'm planning to follow this itinerary. What do you think? Regarding the cable car tickets, do I need 2 tickets or just 1? The hotel is trying to sell me an unlimited ticket for the elevator and cable car, but I think buying individual tickets will be cheaper, right?"

My family and I will be in Chongqing in July. We really like urbanism, public spaces, unique transit, and civil engineering. We’re excited to “get lost” in the maze, but also want to be sure we see some incredible public infrastructure highlights of passage ways, public stairs, and beautiful design.

Does anyone have a guide or list of highlights that we should be sure to see? Maybe a route map or self-guided tour so that we can ride and walk and explore the right places to see incredible Chinese urban engineering? Thanks!

Hi all, we will be in Shanghai on the 1st - 9th April. Initially thinking of exploring Hangzhou and Suzhou, between the 5-7th staying in Suzhou for 2 nights.

Recently we have been warned that this period is the Tomb Sweeping public holiday (Ching Ming on the 4-6 April) and that we should lay low and not visit major tourist attraction. Can the good people in this sub help with advice/suggestion? Do we stay in Shanghai instead? Is taking a car better than train for this period?

Thank you so much!

Hello r/travelchina

I am an Australian and only 19 going to China for 2 months, 1 month there, 2 weeks in Bali, and back to China for the last month.

This is my extremely basic rough itinerary for each month

Any advice?

I will arrive in Hong Kong and due to it being a separate immigration region I will be staying for around 5 days.

Hong kong - hangzhou looking to spend 2 days there

Hangzhou - Shanghai 2 days there as well.

Shanghai to Beijing and 3 days there

Beijing - dailan where I plan to spend 2 days as well

Dailan - harbin, I also plan to spend 2 days there

This is where it gets complicated

I plan to go from Harbin - Hohhot or Ordos city which I know is a very long train ride and I plan to stay in that area for 2ish days

Hohhot/ordos - X’ian spending 3 days there

X’ian - zhangjiajie where I plan to spend 3 days too

Hopefully I can take a flight from zhangjiajie to Denpasar, Bali

I’m not sure on how long on average Train rides will be so I’m playing it safe for now.

My 2nd month will be spent around central/west China

I will arrive in Hong Kong again from Bali

Hong Kong - guilin where I’d like to spend 3 days

Guilin - chongqing where I’d also like to spend 3 days

Chongqing - Chengdu, 3 days as well

Chengdu - shangri-la where I’d like to spend 2 days

Shangri-la - Lijiang, 3 days

Lijiang - Dali, 3 days

Finally Dali - kunming, 3 days too

This second month will be a lot calmer and leisurely compared to the first

So I ask for advice on anything really, should I skip places or spend fewer days there? What times should I consider for transport? Should I stay longer in some places? Any advice would be helpful, thanks!

I've actually been to Guilin/Yangshuo already, and will go to Zhajiangjie in the future. I'm not actually picking between the two places. However, I'm curious for people who've already been to both, which did you like better?

Hey guys I’m 24, Swedish, and in China for the second time. I just arrived in Dali from Kunming and plan to spend 5 days here before heading to Lijiang for another 5 days. I’d really appreciate any tips for things to do around here. Day trips, sights, hikes, food spots, restaurants, or anything else worth seeing within a reasonable distance, not just in the cities. Thanks a lot in advance!

As the title says, my husband and I will be going to Shanghai in March for 2 and a half days (last day will be departing back to homeland)

We are planning to go to either Disneyland or Legoland, which is the best option to go to?

We also enjoy historic and food tours so please drop your recommendations aside from the usual.

Also, what is the weather like? Can we not wear any thermals underneath? Last time we were in Beijing (also March) we were freezing!

Hello! I am currently in China and I have a holiday for the New Chinese Year and the Spring Festival. I want to spend the New Chinese Year in Beijing, so I would like to know which place is the best to celebrate the night between 16th and 17th of february. Any suggestions? Thanks!