PVG or HKG?
 

If you had a chance to go to China for about five days and could only pick one city in China to visit, would you pick PVG or HKG? I have never been to China before. I like colonial architecture and big cities. I like to shop but only up to a point. I am not looking for any great culinary experiences.

I am interested in PVG because of the Bund (colonial architecture) and it is a big city.

I am interested in HKG because of the proximity to Macao (day trip to a former Portuguese colony) and the beautiful views I have seen in films. I think that HKG may be more expensive than PVG, though.

But I only have time for one of them. Which would you pick and why? Thanks.

If you want to see more than just a mass of highrises I would suggest
Beijing. HK and Shanghai are nice but kind of like Manhatten on steroids.

colonial is a different term in shanghai and in macao

the portugese stuff is hundreds of years old, very "artsy"

but macao itself is still a wide open city- gambling, hookers, and oh- did i mention the hookers?? it is a totally different feel than HK or Shanghai or beijing

Shanghai also offers the French Concession, colonial residences, since the Bund doesn't really appeal to me- its a lot of '30's heavy office buildings like what you would have seen in Frankfurt

(but do go to the roof of the Peace hotel!!)

i love Shanghai for its 2050 feel- the antithesis of colonial- like the maglev

if this is a first trip- sure HK is an expensive city- but you can eat a bowl of noodles anywhere- and get around by tram

i think wherever you go it will be great- even just walking the back alleys

Maybe you could fly into PVG and then head towards Suzhou, Hanghzou and Nanjing & the water towns in the area. Shanghai is more enjoyable for dining and entertainment than sightseeing, at least in my uneducated opinion.

A recent Saturday with a local friend visiting gardens and taking a gondola ride in Suzhou with an eel lunch in between was far more relaxing than anything I've done in Shanghai.

Yeah, if you're only able to visit one city for five days, AND it's your first trip - choose PEK.

I would also Beijing would be the best choice. There is so much to see there, and so much history. Some of the options are- the forbidden city, great wall, temple of heaven, summer palace, etc... This is all traditional Chinese architecture though and not so much in the way of colonial style. I have heard that Macau is quite interesting (particularly for its colonial style) but never been there. HK is a busy modern city, but does have some nice places to visit. The harbor is nice and there are definately some great things to do if you choose that option. Shanghai in my experience is pretty much a big modern city. It has changed a lot over the years. There are still some sections that have been preserved but I would not recommend Shanghai as ones only point of contact in China. I would put Beijing first and HK second.

well ok then, if you don't have an overwhelming interest or specialty in colonial architectecture, then Beijing will keep you busy and happy with all the "Chinese" opportunities

do some research before you go on all the food choices- there are locals from all over China and you can eat a different province's food at each meal- a culinary tour in one city

Have you included the trans-pacific flight times into these 5 days? If not, then maybe you can visit both cities in one trip. It's very doable: Day 1, fly from MKE to PVG, arrive at night, Day 2, Shanghai, Day 3, Shanghai, Day 4, fly to HKG in the morning, Day 5, Hong Kong, Day 6, Hong Kong/Macau, Day 7, fly back from HKG to MKE. Just remember: pack light & drink lots of Red Bull :D

Interesting idea; I had not thought of that. The only problem is that a ticket on NW costs more if you fly into one city and fly out of another.

Yes, the price will be higher, but not by much, a friend of mine did it last year & it costed extra $100. However, you do need to buy a one way ticket form pvg to hkg, which costs around $200, or you can fly from pvg to shenzhen (szx) for $120, and take a 2 hrs bus ride from there to hkg.

i probably wouldn't do the shenzhen shuffle for an $80 savings, but tix are often much cheaper than $120. also, even though getting from shenzhen to hk is annoying, if you only do it once, it's not that bad. there are lots of threads about this option if you are interested.

regarding open jaws, most of the airlines i fly (ua, nw, ac, nh, oz) do not charge much of a premium, if any..... and, even if they did, saving a travel day in china (i.e. not having to get on an airplane) is worth a lot more than the $100 price difference you referenced.