Which part of China gd plc to visit

[jtan4]

Hubby and I are thinking of going to China for a short trip without the kids in Feb/Mar. Want somewhere which is scenic so that I can make full use of my camera. Was thinking of perhaps Shanghai and then move out to another part of China, alternatively Beijing. It will be a F&E trip, so will need advice on how to move out of the city area without joining any tours.

Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks
Chrs
Jinny

 

[wind30]

just came back from beijing. One thing you should know about beijing is the AIR SUCKS. If you are thinking of shooting scenary, it is very tough. Streetlife is quite interesting.

But I don't really like beijing as a city. Too dirty and a LOT of people spit like nobody's business. Did not really enjoy the trip.

 

[xray]

just came back from beijing. One thing you should know about beijing is the AIR SUCKS. If you are thinking of shooting scenary, it is very tough. Streetlife is quite interesting.

But I don't really like beijing as a city. Too dirty and a LOT of people spit like nobody's business. Did not really enjoy the trip.

If you would like a hassle free F&E, sticking to the cities would be much safer. You can join a tour for visits to more scenic places like Jiuzhaigou. If you're looking at Shanghai, Hangzhou is nearby and provides ample scenic spots with the comfort of being near an urban area.

China is a little too big to recommend which place. What would be recommendable is to first look at photo books on China + travel guides, then ask about a specific place.

 

[jcryan55]

If u r thinking of Shanghai, I would strongly suggest you take a few days to go to Suzhou or Hangzhou. Very scenic areas and expenses are much cheaper than Shanghai. Lotsa photo opportunities. I can give you the lobangs for the local drivers, hotels etc.

You can see some of the places I have been during my 3 days trip in Nov 06.
They can be found at my online gallery at www.flickr.com/photos/jeffreyyap

 

[jtan4]

If u r thinking of Shanghai, I would strongly suggest you take a few days to go to Suzhou or Hangzhou. Very scenic areas and expenses are much cheaper than Shanghai. Lotsa photo opportunities. I can give you the lobangs for the local drivers, hotels etc.

You can see some of the places I have been during my 3 days trip in Nov 06.
They can be found at my online gallery at www.flickr.com/photos/jeffreyyap

Thanks jcryan.. Your photos are lovely. Is it very far to go to Suzhou or Hangzhou from Shanghai? And is it easy to get around these places? I cannot go for long trips becos got 2 kids at home who may get too cranky missing their daddy & mummy, so was thinking of only 5 days. Is this more than enough for Shanghai, Suzhou and HAngzhou?

Thanks again.
Chrs
Jinny

 

[jcryan55]

I only use 2 days to do the Suzhou...but I think 5 days is good for a relaxed time in Suzhu and will be able to cover the place properly.

U can PM me yr contacts and I will call you to give you all the lobangs and contact numbers for drivers, hotels and stuff.

 

[Nightstar]

Hi, I think Shanghai is good (I personally like walking down the old streets of Puxi to shoot pictures). I have not been to Suzhou, but it's less than 1 hour by train and it's very easy to take a train to Suzhou. Been to Hangzhou and really like Xi Hu (West Lake). Note that Hangzhou and Suzhou are in 2 opposite directions from Shanghai and Hangzhou is slightly further from Shanghai (about 1.5 hours) whereas Suzhou is nearer. Most people I know prefer Hangzhou to Suzhou but it's up to one's personal preference.

Beijing is about < 2 hours away from Shanghai by flight...but to save time and money, you can consider Shanghai > Hangzhou > Suzhou > Shanghai n you can fly direct from Shanghai back to SG.