Hi, I'm going to Beijing in the start of June for a couple of weeks. I'm thinking og taking a trip to a another city for some days (4.June-8-June), and was wondering which cities would be nice to visit. I'm thinking about going to Tokyo or Seoul. Any other suggestions in places nearby thats pretty cheap?

Also, I have to get a visa, and therefore I think I need to send a copy of the planetickets along with the application.

You don't need to send a copy of your plane tickets with your visa application. I didn't, applying for a China visa from the USA.

I'm from Norway, and I think i need to. Norway-China got a pretty bad relationship because of the peace price unfortunately.

Xian? Shanghai? Chengdu? South China Karst? Etc. etc. China is so much more than Beijing.

Tokyo is not cheap - the yen has reached new highs against the Euro and Dollar, so moving right along... If you need to go out of China, maybe Bangkok? If you prefer smaller scenic areas, Luang Prabang in Laos? Cambodia and the amazing ruins at Angkor / Siem Reap?

The problem with going somewhere else in China, is that I need an invitation letter from wherever I'm staying. So that will probably be even more trouble then getting a double entry visa. Been to bangkok and Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia etc. before.

Since I'm going for such a short time, the prices for airplane tickets are more important then the price level in the country. So therefore I think Japan probably will be cheaper then Laos/Vietnam. Also I don't want a too long flight, because of the short time. How is Tokyo compared to Seoul? Tokyo is further and more expensive, but I think Tokyo sounds more interesting then Seoul.

When it comes to Chinese visas, never, never, never assume that your situation applies to everybody everywhere. USA citizens applying in the USA get a special deal.

Yes on bad relationship. Also yes you need a visa, but for more than a transit through Beijing, nearly everybody else does also.

Two strategies:
1) Stay in China. Plane tickets are your initial inbound and final outbound. Just make booking for the entire time in Beijing, then after getting visa, cancel the days you don't need. Then you can make alternate bookings for other cities in advance, or wait until you come to China. Once you get into China, nobody checks your itinerary against your visa application documents. Not even the Norwegians.

2) Sandwich a round-trip to elsewhere like you are proposing. A more expensive strategy, regardless of where you go. For a short trip, Korea is probably OK and you can find enough to do. Certainly it will take less time (1.5 hour flight vs 3.5 hour to Tokyo). You could also look into flying back to Qingdao as your re-entry point and checking that out for a day or so then bullet training back to Beijing. Korea also has Jeju Island, if you are needing a break from big city. Tokyo will be hatefully expensive to get there/back and to exist. Another option is Hong Kong, which is great for a 3-4 day break.

I'd recommend strategy #1.

Why not open jaw the ticket? Fly into Beijing, stay in China most of the time, and then at the end go from Beijing to Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong etc (whatever you are looking for), and fly back from that city (which would be outside of China) to Norway.

Just a N.B. Some members have AMP/RBPd for this thread to move to the China Forum, but the OP's expressed intent has been to fly to Beijing and then out of Beijing to a non-China destination. If the OP changes mind about where to go and prefers all-China, the OP can use the AMP/RBP and ask for this thread to be moved. For now, it iwll remain in the Asia Forum; thanks, all, for your concern and AMPs for best member service and Forum efficiency. We appreciate your efforts!

JDiver, Senior Moderator

Iirc, Shanghai allows passengers to enter without a visa, if they have an international connection departing in less than 48 hours. Not PEK, only Shanghai. The OP should be sure given the passport issue.

Nonsense. Keep your visa application as simple as possible (e.g. Beijing). Once you have your visa in hand, you can go wherever your heart desires within China and make as many entries/exits as your visa permits.

I agree with Jie Jie. Obviously, you should check with the consulate, but in all my travel around China, which includes by private car and taxi, I never showed anything other than my passport before boarding planes or trains (and never for cars or taxis). China really encourages tourism and I'd be shocked if they issued you a visa to go to Beijing and then put limits on you're going anywhere else.

China is, bar none, the most amazing country I've ever visited -- I could probably spend the rest of my life exploring it and would still cover only a small fraction of the remarkably varied and interesting places to go and things to see. I'd definitely recommend spending your entire trip in China, if you can. If you do, the folks in this forum can provide a whole range of suggestions for where to go.

Intl connection/transit is allowed for up to 24 hours at ALL Chinese airports for nearly ALL nationalities. SHA/PVG regulations allow SOME nationalities transit privileges for up to 48 hours. (Norwegians are still included on this list of the extra privileged.) This is laid out in detail on the FAQ Please Read First Sticky at the top of the China Forum, first post which is about Visas and Transit Without Visa privileges.

I do think the open-jaws ticket is a valid and cost-effective strategy, assuming the OP has not already purchased a round-trip to/from China, and also wants to see a different place.

Thanks for all the answers!

First off, I've already ordered the trip to Beijing, so I'll need to go from and back to Beijing.

My plans are kinda fixed before and after this week with friends and family. So its only for Monday-Friday I want something else to do. I've sent an email to the embassy, and I will find out about the visa soon. From what you guys are writing it seems like I'm worrying to much though. I will get an invitation letter for Beijing from my sister (who is working there as an english teacher), so that wont be a problem.

About where I'm going. Inside China, I don't think Shanghai etc. seems that intresting, so if I'm going to stay inside China I want to more to see the villages and farmers etc. outside of the cities. But I speek no mandarin, and I'm guessing they speak no English. So since I'm travelling by myself this week, it seems to me it might get a bit troublesome. Anybody got any experience on that? I'll check the China forum for more info about other places to visit. Hong Kong also might be a good suggestion, I'll check it out!

I found plain tickets + reasonable hotel for around 7-800 dollars in both Tokyo and Seoul. And I'm guessing it's pretty expensive for food and drinks as well. It might be a bit too expensive for me, but I'm not sure yet. Any idea how much I will have to use on food and drinks for the trip? I'm not a splurger, but I would like to eat something else then just rice and noodles.

Another idea I thought of, was going to North Korea on an organized trip from Beijing. That would be really interesting, but I guess will need a visa then. Any experience in a trip like that?

I appreciate all the answers I get!

(btw. got no time to read through this, so my english might be really bad)

If you've only 5 days in China, then spend them all in Beijing. That's barely enough time to cover the major sites of that amazing city.

Take a day trip into Tianjin if you want to see a different city. The train ride is so fast that it probably outpaces most cab rides to sites in Beijing.