Possible China intinerary
#46
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
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In terms of my Xi'an portion of the trip I am going to take the evening train from Beijing to Xi'an where I get in around 10pm something. I will stay in a hotel and then the next day visit the terracotta warriors. Logistically speaking what time should I look for my flight out to Guilin? I had wanted to make it from Guilin to accommodations in Yangshuo. There is a 510pm flight geting me in at 7:15pm, Would that be too tight of a fit given the time it takes to make it out to the museum and then to the airport? There is a later flight of 8:05pm which would get me to Guilin at 10pm. The last bus to Yangshuo leaves shortly thereafter and with a flight delay I would miss it and be forced into a taxi.
I suppose I could take the late flight to give me as full of a day as possible in Xi'an and then stay in Guilin upon my arrival (it would be dark anyway). That would let me take the boat early the next morning to Yangshuo. On my final night it makes sense to stay in Guilin (instead of Yangshuo) if I am going to take an 810am flight?
I suppose I could take the late flight to give me as full of a day as possible in Xi'an and then stay in Guilin upon my arrival (it would be dark anyway). That would let me take the boat early the next morning to Yangshuo. On my final night it makes sense to stay in Guilin (instead of Yangshuo) if I am going to take an 810am flight?
#47
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
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I actually have been able to pull up kwl-hkg on ba.com before, but my searches today haven't yielded anything ("try back later" message, which is BS of course).
There are several threads in the BA forum on this topic (airports that ba.com doesn't recognize). If you are still interested in pursuing kwl-hkg (or vice versa), I suggest you post to one of the more active ones (much better than starting your own thread): if you can't find the threads in question, try searching the BA forum for danang or hongqiao. While it's possible that there really is no availability on 7/8, my gut tells me that a system glitch is the root cause of the problem (i.e. there is no way in hell that kwl-hkg is sold out for the entire year).
There are several threads in the BA forum on this topic (airports that ba.com doesn't recognize). If you are still interested in pursuing kwl-hkg (or vice versa), I suggest you post to one of the more active ones (much better than starting your own thread): if you can't find the threads in question, try searching the BA forum for danang or hongqiao. While it's possible that there really is no availability on 7/8, my gut tells me that a system glitch is the root cause of the problem (i.e. there is no way in hell that kwl-hkg is sold out for the entire year).
#48
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
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You can still buy tickets for tomorrow flight so I wouldn´t be worry about to get a ticket in july.
But when you wanna fly from Guilin to Shenzhen the same day as your interntl. flight from Hong Kong I really would check the weather report in advance.
July is still rain season.
But when you wanna fly from Guilin to Shenzhen the same day as your interntl. flight from Hong Kong I really would check the weather report in advance.
July is still rain season.
#49
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Southeast USA
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Posts: 6,710
Are the delays that severe? The flight Guilin to Shenzen would be 8:10-9:10am or something. My flight out of hong kong would be 6:45pm. Is there a risk here where I should just buy the flight back to hong kong the day before and spend the night there, which seems to be the only other viable option given that trains are starting to sell out.
You could also buy both the flight and the train tickets now, and if there's no issue with weather, refund the train tickets. The Guilin-Guangzhou ticket can be refunded the day before or on your way to the airport (penalty is 5-20%), and I'm not sure about Guangzhou-Hong Kong ticket refund policy....but it's only RMB 165.
#50
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 353
Are the delays that severe? The flight Guilin to Shenzen would be 8:10-9:10am or something. My flight out of hong kong would be 6:45pm. Is there a risk here where I should just buy the flight back to hong kong the day before and spend the night there, which seems to be the only other viable option given that trains are starting to sell out.
Don´t worry about that.
3 weeks ago I was in Guilin and just wanted to leave for Huangyao (an ordinary 2 hours drive by bus).
Finally I needed 5 hours due to the bad weather condition.
The city was totally flooded and the streets out of town nearly impossible to pass.
As the airport is a little bit outside I would go to the airport early in time if the weather is really bad.
That´s why I told you to check the weather forecast.
But don´t worry about that you must have really bad luck to have this weather again in july.
And in case you have any problems to get air or train tickets, there are still overnight busses from Guilin or Yangshuo to Shenzhen (about 10h drive).
#51
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
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Based on my schedule are there any attractions that I would need to book a reservation for or buy tickets early to? First time in China and just trying to figure out what type of reservations I need to make. Bought all domestic plane tickets, all hotels reserved, haven't bought train tickets yet since there are plenty of seats available for trains I am looking at (should I buy them in advance or just get them there? If I buy them there I can't use a credit card correct? Would the train tickets be cheaper or same price [minus the service charge]?
Also, are there any shows I should see. I have read about chinese opera etc. I'm wondering if there is some show or event that should not be missed.
Also, are there any shows I should see. I have read about chinese opera etc. I'm wondering if there is some show or event that should not be missed.
#52
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,009
Based on my schedule are there any attractions that I would need to book a reservation for or buy tickets early to? First time in China and just trying to figure out what type of reservations I need to make. Bought all domestic plane tickets, all hotels reserved, haven't bought train tickets yet since there are plenty of seats available for trains I am looking at (should I buy them in advance or just get them there? If I buy them there I can't use a credit card correct? Would the train tickets be cheaper or same price [minus the service charge]?
Also, are there any shows I should see. I have read about chinese opera etc. I'm wondering if there is some show or event that should not be missed.
Also, are there any shows I should see. I have read about chinese opera etc. I'm wondering if there is some show or event that should not be missed.
As for shows, the touristy stuff (e.g acrobatics, opera) rarely sells out. You can check out city weekend, time out, beijinger, etc for other events (which usually don't sell out either).
For trains, you probably can wait until you're in China for most of them, but ctrip isn't a bad option for high demand trains, and they accept credit cards.
#53
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 353
haven't bought train tickets yet since there are plenty of seats available for trains I am looking at (should I buy them in advance or just get them there? If I buy them there I can't use a credit card correct? Would the train tickets be cheaper or same price [minus the service charge]?
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/
You can pay with paypal.
If you buy at the train station you can´t use your foreign credit card and you have to pay cash.
If you buy tickets at a ticket office outside of the train station, there´s a 5Yuan fee.
#54
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Southeast USA
Programs: various
Posts: 6,710
In general, you don't need to buy sightseeing-type tickets in advance. However, there are some sights in China that have recently instituted capacity controls, real-name ticketing, and facility for online booking in advance. On your itinerary, the Forbidden City in Beijing is one of these. Unfortunately the website is Chinese language only: http://gugong.228.com.cn/
It will still be possible to buy a ticket as a walkup if they are still available for that day, but you must now take your passport along and expect the queueing to take longer since information must be entered into the computers for each walk-up patron. You might try to contact your Beijing hotel concierge and see if they can make the advance ticket purchase for you (they will need your passport info) and add it to your room bill.
The Capital Museum prefers advance reservation, tickets are free, and their website allows for English-language booking:
http://www.capitalmuseum.org.cn/en/02.htm
The National Museum requires a passport but ticketing is free and on a walkup basis. Can't think of any other tourist attraction on your itinerary or in other cities that require advance booking or passport/ID. For shows, if you know the date you want to go, most can be booked ahead either through your concierge or online either from the venue or through third party agents. A lot of the long-running shows won't sell out.
It will still be possible to buy a ticket as a walkup if they are still available for that day, but you must now take your passport along and expect the queueing to take longer since information must be entered into the computers for each walk-up patron. You might try to contact your Beijing hotel concierge and see if they can make the advance ticket purchase for you (they will need your passport info) and add it to your room bill.
The Capital Museum prefers advance reservation, tickets are free, and their website allows for English-language booking:
http://www.capitalmuseum.org.cn/en/02.htm
The National Museum requires a passport but ticketing is free and on a walkup basis. Can't think of any other tourist attraction on your itinerary or in other cities that require advance booking or passport/ID. For shows, if you know the date you want to go, most can be booked ahead either through your concierge or online either from the venue or through third party agents. A lot of the long-running shows won't sell out.
#55
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
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What sort of transportation travel passes should I be on the lookout for and where can I pick them up? For example, I have been reading about the octopus card for Hong Kong and it fits exactly in with my needs for getting to and from the airport and mass transit. Is there something I should be on the lookout for in Shanghai (2 nights/three days) or probably more importantly Beijing (4 nights/five days)? As a point of reference I will be flying into Shanghai and leaving it via train to Beijing. In Beijing I will arrive & depart via train so will have no need to go to the airport there.
#56
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 353
In Beijing you can get the Beijing Transportion Smart Card
It´s available at the subway ticket offices.
The card is for free but you have to pay a deposit of 20Yuan.
You can use the card in the subway, for the bus, at some supermarkets and at long distance bus lines.
For the city bus you´ll get a 50% discount using the card (don´t know how many times you´ll use the bus).
For the subway you´ll get a 20% discount for expense between 100-150 kuai and a 50% discount for expense between 150 and 400 kuai.
But I don´t know if you really will have a expense of over 100 kuai in 4/5 days ( although the prices went up from 2 kuai for every ride to 3-6 kuai last year).
It´s available at the subway ticket offices.
The card is for free but you have to pay a deposit of 20Yuan.
You can use the card in the subway, for the bus, at some supermarkets and at long distance bus lines.
For the city bus you´ll get a 50% discount using the card (don´t know how many times you´ll use the bus).
For the subway you´ll get a 20% discount for expense between 100-150 kuai and a 50% discount for expense between 150 and 400 kuai.
But I don´t know if you really will have a expense of over 100 kuai in 4/5 days ( although the prices went up from 2 kuai for every ride to 3-6 kuai last year).
#57
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
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I need to buy some train tickets. I know I can't use credit card at station. Is the cheapest way to pay with credit card the websites like ctrip etc? How much am I saving by paying in cash? Just the commission?
#58
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Join Date: Jun 2013
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So China southern airlines has decided to move my flight from Guilin to shenzen to 7/10 when it was originally scheduled for 7/9. This is a problem since my flight to my is early evening on 7/9. The only viable option I am seeing at this point is flying dragon air to Hong Kong from Guilin midday on 7/8. It sucks and I will have to cancel and rebook hotels but that seems like the best bet? Train and bus to Hong Kong seems like it will take several hours and God forbid it delays me from making it to airport in time. This way if I get there 7/8 I can just chill and leisurely head to airport next day. Thoughts?
#59
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,009
So China southern airlines has decided to move my flight from Guilin to shenzen to 7/10 when it was originally scheduled for 7/9. This is a problem since my flight to my is early evening on 7/9. The only viable option I am seeing at this point is flying dragon air to Hong Kong from Guilin midday on 7/8. It sucks and I will have to cancel and rebook hotels but that seems like the best bet? Train and bus to Hong Kong seems like it will take several hours and God forbid it delays me from making it to airport in time. This way if I get there 7/8 I can just chill and leisurely head to airport next day. Thoughts?