Bejiing-Advice

bigfoot125

I notice you can fly next march with KLM for around £475, is it cheap to stay there after and is it expensive to eat there, what is the weather like that time of year.
any help appreciated

thanks

malkie76

That's a pretty good fare!
March will still be cold, but unlikely to be snowing or be too wet.
It's extremely cheap to eat there, so I assume cheapish accomodation can be found. I went in March of this year and stayed with friends, hence I don't know the price of accomodation, but expedia etc will.

ChocolateQueen

£475.00 is a very good price with KLM - we went last Christmas with them and they were excellent. Accomodation is very easy to find in Beijiing. We managed to find a hotel just yards from 'The Forbidden City' for only £50.00 per night and then we were upgraded to a suite. Eating out is also cheap with plenty of choice. The weather at Christmas/New Year was very cold - we had to wear several layers so it could only get warmer by March. You could check this years temps by going on wunderground for March 2010.

getmore4less

Don't forget the Chinese Visa will cost £83pp.

cro-magnon

Where do you get the £83 figure from? The Edinburgh consulate site lists a single entry tourist visa as £30.

lowbrim

China very cheap for everything including accomodation and eating out but beware of so called students selling paintings and loads of fake watches etc. Stick to registered taxi's they are actually cheaper than the illegal ones. Enjoy one of the most friendly cities I have been too.

hethmar

I went in May time 10 years ago and got a sun tan

Dont know if its changed a lot since then, but I remember wishing Id taken sunglasses because of the amount of sand and dust blowing down the streets - made my eyes very sore.

Yes, students with their paintings, beggars with their eyes sewn up and the number of Chairman Mao's little red book for sale (all genuine pmsl) drive you bananas. At least you can go and sit in McDonalds if you long for home

Be aware that very very few people will speak English, so get someone to write down the name of your hotel in chinese and carry it with you. The problem I had was that people dont like to say they dont know the way somewhere and you end up being sent all over the place or dragged back to their home where they just happen to have a lot of paintings for sale.

But some lovely places to go and see. Do go to Chinese Opera, worth while just for the experience Also theatre trips are good value.

Voyager2002

A lot of people have learned English in the last ten years! However, things like the transport system are still confusing, and the traffic jams are just ridiculous. So while it would be a fairly cheap holiday, and a very interesting one, don't expect to feel comfortable.

bigfoot125

can one do this independently for around 7 days and maybe go to Shanghai at the same time
the way i look at it its now or never!!!

hethmar

I still dont think you will find many ordinary Chinese speaking English in the city and certainly not out in the country - they dont have free evening classes there, thats for sure!. So do get that hotel addy written for you!

Its a city of huge differences, shopping malls with the likes of armani and - when I was there - open sewage in the back streets.

bigfoot - why not? I did, as a single middle aged lady! Actually, my son travelled all over China a few years ago with a couple of friends and I remember they stayed in a lovely Youth Hostel in Shanghai - an old colonial hotel, very cheap! He emailed me from there with photos and it looked great.

http://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/Shanghai?source=googleadwordsuk&gclid=CLPa4d2xl6UCFSr-2AodyyLJGg

ChocolateQueen

It is possible to travel around independently - hotels can help you book tickets for trains etc. We travelled from Beijiing to Shanghai on the overnight train in a sleeping car - very comfortable. The underground in Bejiing is easy to use and very cheap. Slightly more expensive in Shanghai depending on which zones you travel between.
A truly exciting country !!