Hey all,

In a bit over a month I'll be visiting China for the first time (except HKG but that doesn't count). We will be in China for a little over two weeks.

I'm flying into Shanghai which means I will obviously see that city and we have planned to go up to Beijing also.

What other places are worth visiting in China considering we have never been there before?

Thanks for the suggestions ^

I actually just did my first trip to China as well (about 12 days long) and had a great time. I posted a trip report in that forum on it (entitled something like \"First Time to China with AA...\"). You\'re welcome to take a look at that for ideas.

As for some general suggestions, I\'d definitely spend an ample amount of time in Beijing as there is so much to see. I really enjoyed going out to the far western part of the country (in Xinjiang province) as well as the city of Chengdu in Sichuan.

I'm also planning a trip to China next month, there were some great suggestions and general information in This thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=557101) hope it helps, good luck ^

Hey all,

In a bit over a month I'll be visiting China for the first time (except HKG but that doesn't count). We will be in China for a little over two weeks.

I'm flying into Shanghai which means I will obviously see that city and we have planned to go up to Beijing also.

What other places are worth visiting in China considering we have never been there before?

Thanks for the suggestions ^

There are so many great places to see in China... but so little time! I would say it all depends on your interests. If you are interested in historical locations, Xian is a great stop. Being the ancient capital of China and the beginning of the silk road there are many interesting places to visit, the most well known being the Terrocatta warriors.

If you like natural scenery, Guilin is a nice stop. The Chinese claim it is "the most beautiful place in China" (I have been to several other places that also claim that honor) http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=5868708#
Smilie! There you can ride a short river boat ride and see the unique Limestone formed "gumdrop" mountains.

Chengdu is a great place to visit, there you can see the native to Sichuan Panda's and the mountains/Tibetan area's of Sichuan are a half day bus ride away if that interests you.

Then there is the Yangtze river cruise, where you can see the 3 gorges dam, and many other interesting places in various parts of China. China is a very diverse and interesting place!

I'll second the suggestion to see Xi'an. Don't make it a quick stop, though -- there's lots to see there in addition to the terracotta warriors (though don't miss them -- they're impressive and very well presented), and seeing them and the other sights that are nearby is a full day in itself. My wife and I spent 10 days in Xi'an in January, and we still didn't get to do everything that we wanted to. Xi'an is quite inexpensive by western standards, and has a number of wonderful restaurants. Be sure to visit the centuries-old Mosque and the neighborhood that surrounds it (Xi'an has a large Chinese muslim population).

I'll also second the suggestion to see Guilin. It's a beautiful area. We once did a package from Hong Kong that included airfare on Dragon Air, two nights at the Sheraton, all transfers, a river boat ride (which is the best way to see Guilin), all transportation in Guilin, and a guide -- total cost was about $150 per person, which didn't include the glass of she jiu (snake wine) that I had on the boat (you might want to skip that, unless you like your wine meaty).

Beijing is one of my favorite cities in the world. Like New York, Paris, London and Rome, it's a place we return to frequently and visit just for the sake of being there. Incredible restaurants, a wonderful new museum, great shopping, lots of ancient buildings -- if you had only one place to visit in China, Beijing would be it.

I'm somewhat less enamoured with Shanghai, though it's definitely worth visiting -- when you see it, you'll realize very quickly that, not only is China no longer a third-world country, but it is rapidly on its way to eclipsing the west. Definitely plan on day trips to some of the old towns that are nearby. We liked Tong Li -- a world heritage location where people still live as they did centuries ago. It's gotten touristy over the years, but the majority of tourists are Chinese which, in itself, is fun to see.

You'll have a great trip -- China is a fascinating place.