Travel advice for Beijing.

[markymark]

Hello Brothers,
I am planning my trip to China and was thinking of landing in Beijing and then later travel onto Guangzhou. As yet I have not got much information about Beijing that has enabled me to make a firm decision. All I want to do is avoid getting ripped off especially in travelling from the airport.
My questions are ...
1. Which area or district is the best choice to stay for sight seeing and shopping?
2. What hotels do you recommend?
3. What is the best way to get from the airport and into Beijing?
4. If I use a taxi what scams are there?
5. Is there a regulated taxi rank which ensures the use of the meter?
6. How much is the going rate for taxi fare?
7. Is it better to fly or get a train to Guangzhou?

Any advice appreciated
Thanking you in advance.
Mark

[Willy The Londoner]

I think that may be a long journey from Beijing to Guangzhou.

Why not fly into Hong Kong.   I know that Qatar flys from Heathrow to Guangzhou via Doha and Hong Kong.  By all means look up Qatar airlines webpage but do not buy tickets direct - they are expensive - go to one the agents.  When I return to the UK I always use Sea Breeze Holidays 0208 997 9993, agent named Abdul, to book my flights back back to Hong Kong and once coming back I had to go Guangzhou,  Hong Kong, Doha, Heathrow so I know that Qatar does that trip.  The cost to Heathrow return via Guangzhou was only £325.oo via Sea Breeze Holidays.

Willy

[MLM]

Sorry I just can't resist,
Taking a train from the UK to Guangzhou could be a little wet don't you think :icon_cheesygrin:






like I said, sorry just couldn't resist

[Chinese Knot]

Hello Mark

I read your post here , I am familiar with Beijing and other cities in China , hope I can give you some suggestions

1, if you mean Beijing , Wangfujiu and Xiushui street is a better choice , (Shangxiajiu and Beijing road is a good choice in Guangzhou ) but that depends on what kind of things you want to buy , because there are many  places you can buy sepcial things in Beijing , if you can tell me more clear about your favorite things , I will tell you more later .

2,As you know , the traffic in Beijing is usually busy , I suggest you to find the hotel which is not far from the airport and the downtown ,it must be convenient for you to see the scene and buy the things you like .  so you can tell me when will you come , I will try my best to help you find the one you like .

3/4/5/6 three ways : Taxi, light train and bus .  This depends on where you want to live , and the light train usually needs half hour into downtown . If there is no busy traffic , Taxi and bus usually needs less than one hour.  Yes, please don't worry about the taxi ,they all have standard calculagraph. The price is usually about 120-140 RMB (downtown, the nearer ,the cheaper )

7/ I am not sure when will you come to China , if you come to China during Chinese National Day (October 1st-8th ) , you would better take a flight , because I am afraid you can not buy the train ticket at that time .


Anyway , Mark , hope my answer can help you .  If you needs more help , I would love to do my best to help you . Good Luck !:heart:

[Willy The Londoner]

Sorry I just can't resist,
Taking a train from the UK to Guangzhou could be a little wet don't you think :icon_cheesygrin:

like I said, sorry just couldn't resist

Its no problem Michael.  Not until the cooks open the window to catch the dinner.  Always fish on the menu when i use that route.

Willy

[JimB]

First off make sure you get a regular licensed taxi, they are easy to spot.  The are totally like a regular taxi. DO NOT let a person tell you he can get you wherever by private car.  he is the one that can rip you off, they are at least twice the price of a regular cab.  The three times I have come in, twice I took a taxi, usually ran me about 50 rmb to the forbidden city area.  Not a lot of taxi drivers speak English, so bring the name of your hotel in Chinese.  For touring around, I would suggest a guide.  They are not expensive, I have a friend here in Beijing that does that and I am sure others here know people.Should run you between 100 to 175 rmb ($15 to $25)per day plus expenses. Taxi's are cheap and plentiful.  I have run across a couple here that do not like foreigners, once stopped and see me that just take off.  So I usually let my wife flag them down.  They have a red light behind the rear view mirror when they are available. They start about 68 cents  for the first couple of miles.  The most I have ever paid here was 57 RMB, that was from one end of town to the other.  Usually runs between 10 to 30 rmb. or.68 cents to about $2.00.  

If you are going to change money here, make sure you get as new as you can, no marks, no dirt nothing or they will not take it..  Bank of China is giving 6.8 right now.   Other banks are giving less.  They turn all of their foreign currency over to Bank of China so they have to make a buck here and there.  Check your exchange rate before coming.  There are ATM's all over the place.  But it depends on your bank whether you are charged a fee or not.

Chinese National Day, according to my wife, is sort of a reunion day so most people are traveling home that is why the trains are booked.  I would also book my flight as soon as you can.  

I have an apt here now, but I stayed at a couple of nice places.  Days Inn of the Forbidden city is good, has clean rooms and is walking distance to the Forbidden City and Tiannemon Square.  They also have a good tour bus that runs to Mings tomb, Great Wall and the Jade factory.  Hotel usually runs about $60 a night.  I am sure you could find cheaper.  It all depends on your taste.  Make sure you take the directions to it with you in Chinese because most taxi's do not know where it is at.  

Getting to Guangzhou, I havent a clue.  Others here would be better to give you info on that.

Hope that helps.

[brett]

Pah, don't travel round China during mid-autumn week. My lady couldn't get train to Guangzhou, they were all fully booked. Flights might be easier to get hold of though. Guangzhou is a real pain to get to directly from the UK, Beijing is much easier. Sure you can go from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, but that is also a pain.

I'd guess any hotel you see on Expedia is going to be half decent. Also check on tripadvisor.com.

There are lots of internal flights in china. If you're in the UK try the travel agents in UK's china town. I'm going to pop down there at the weekend, as trying to arrange my travel plans with my lady is like building the great wall out of jello.

[Willy The Londoner]

Whenever I travel around China I have always used chinahotels.org  they have a good listing for every city. You can decide which currency you want your quote in.  You can choose the type of room.  You do not pay any money until you arrive at hotel.  They keep you informed of the progress and can also confirm booking by text to your cellphone.

They also give you a booking form that you can hand to taxi drivers so they know exactly where to take you.

And you can always contact them if you have any problem with the hotel.  

Willy

[heckerd]

National holiday and mid-autumn festival during the first week of October so every hotels will be double in price and ticket be it train or plane will be sold out unless you buy in advance. You didn't state when you are going to beijing. For hotels I suggest hit hotel. Close to metro and the forbidden city.

http://www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-3641-novotel-beijing-xin-qiao/index.shtml

I would fly down to guangzhou and book my tickets with www.ctrip.com or www.elong.com since they are the cheapest beside going to a travel agency.

[brett]

Actually I've found hotels are OK during mid-Autumn (or certainly the hotels that Westerners usually stay in).

Flights might be OK as well. The problem is border crossings and train/bus services. My lady couldn't get a train ticket to Guangzhou at all, but I could find a flight and hotel, no problem.

[JimB]

For you and anyone else traveling to Beijing during this time, make sure you have your passport with you at all times and a copy of it in your room.  I have not been carrying it around with me.  The security guards here in the complex know me as i have talked to them almost on a daily basis.  Today they asked me for it.  I asked why, they said orders as they need to check every foreigner they see.  Fortunately since I knew them and had been nice to them, they let me go back to the apt. to get mine.  I would strongly suggest you carry yours at all times.  they said anyone caught without one will automatically be sent to the local police station. I imagine it will be the same in the whole country, but especially in Beijing. I was asked twice more.

[brett]

Hmm, I spent 4 weeks in Japan and not a single law enforcement official said a thing to me. I am fairly inconspicuous though, which is fine by me as I've been able to get some wonderous travel photos.

It is a good idea to always carry your passport when overseas, and keep a photocopy of it in your room.

[ahkiwi]

It is a good idea to always carry your passport when overseas, and keep a photocopy of it in your room.

The other way around Shirley ... errr ... surely?

[Paul Todd]

It costs 1 yuan to ride the bus in Beijing for a single fare and all the interesting smells come free!:dodgy:

[David5o]

AL,

Correct, if your on a trip, ...if your on an extended trip for arguments sake, get the copy notarised, costs just a few RMB only. Keep your passport in the hotel safe. Residents get a card that they must carry around at all times. ...Make a copy of that too!!

Brett, you may of been in Japan for a month, could even have been 2 months, but when asked for your passport, your in shit street if you haven't got it, or a copy on your person....  More so in China, the police have a tendency not to muck around too much over there!! So you'll be dragged down to the Nick and waste hours. It'll all be OK in the end, but you would have wasted hours and you ''Will'' be on there computer system!!  Oh, and you will be conspicuous, ...maybe not so much in Shanghai, but everywhere else you'll stick out like the proverbial ''Sore Thumb''

David.....