klamchowder

I'd like to go to Hong Kong, Zhangjiajie, Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo. Does that sound like a good order to do them in?

Any insights on whether to it would be less expensive to just buy my first and last flights and book the other ones when I am there? Anyone done that before - do you just walk into a travel agency (I usually book online so am curious how it's done)? What's a good way to find a good price while I am there?

I noticed that the flight from HKG to Zhangjiajie (DYG) is 6 hours with 1 stop, but from Shenzhen it's a non-stop and only 1.25 hrs. Is it worth it to just go from HK to Shenzhen and catch the flight from there?

Some of these cities have more than one airport - any reason to use one over the other?

Any tips/hints? For instance I just read to avoid travel to Shenzhen on a Monday as it is very busy after the weekend with commuters.

If it makes any difference, I'm Canadian travelling in May. I know this is quite late planning but this opportunity just came up but I have the travel bug and I'd prefer to go than not even tho it'll be a budget trip.

Any suggestions/recommendations much appreciated!

cheers,

moondog

-Unless you're going for 15+ days, I'd say that's definitely too much to cram in
-You're way too early for booking intra-China stuff (you can do basic research in advance to get a feel for logistics, but don't actually buy anything until ~45 days out)
-for Zhangjiajie, I would definitely plan on flying from SZX (HKG to Changsha plus a bus also works); maybe stay in Shenzhen the night before, but the airport train from Futian is pretty reliable
-If you are trying to decide between Beijing and Shanghai, go for Beijing (I obviously prefer Shanghai as a place to live, but Beijing wins hands down for tourism value)
-If you want to do both, I would do Beijing first, and then possibly train to Shanghai
-Unless I had a lot of time, I would leave Japan for another trip (in order to enjoy China to its fullest), but SHA-TYO is pretty easy to pull off these days (maybe use miles on that segment because the most desirable flights tend to be pricey)

klamchowder

Thx a mint for the feedback and helpful tips, moondog - much appreciated!

I'm planning on 4 weeks but even then time is tight. I know I could use more time; I'm thinking at least I could do this as a "highlights trip" as it will be a while before I get back to Asia.

I forgot to add in my Chengdu stop for the pandas (hopefully) but am now unsure whether I should route HKG to Chengdu (CTU) or SZX to DYG first (i.e., go to Chengdu before Zhangjiajie, or after?). I noticed Macau also flies to CTU. What order do you think is best?

Thank you for suggesting a train btwn Beijing and Shanghai - I had not considered that at all. Looks like the train takes about 1.5 hours longer than flying but that time would be made up in clearing airport security, waiting on luggage, etc. Also interesting that you suggested Beijing first as it is an hour quicker on the train going north to south! And, half an hour faster from SHA to Tokyo than Beijing! Learning so much, thx for helping sort thru the weeds!

cheers,

moondog

The trains travel the same speed in each direction. The reason I suggest Beijing before Shanghai is because it is easier to get to there from places in the middle of the country.

Regarding SHA-HND, this is a really easy flight by Asia standards.

klamchowder

Great - thx again!