Hello All,
I have just booked a flight arriving in Hong Kong on 4th June and leaving Beijing on 4th July. I've just been checking out the prices in HK for trains to other destinations and they seem to be around $100 which seems rather pricey. Anyway I was hoping to see perhaps two more cities on top of Beijing and Hong Kong and some good scenery. Would a trip to Tibet be unrealistic in this time frame and on a budget totally £500?
I would appreciate any advice on this and suggested destinations.
Many thanks
jayman2606
1
ellyse
Train prices from Hong Kong to where? Prices depend on the distance covered as well as what kind of seat/sleeper you're choosing. If you're looking on online agency websites, those are usually out-of-whack as they add a considerable amount for their own service charges.
500 GBP = 7627 RMB. Taking journey length 30 days, that's about 250 RMB/day, quite doable for a backpacker budget.
If you have a month, you could do much more than just 2 cities plus Beijing and Hong Kong. A trip to Tibet might not be unrealistic, but you'll have to live on very little for the rest of the days. It's difficult to recommend destinations when you're not giving enough information about your sightseeing interests and preferences (other than "some good scenery").
Cheers!
2
qingdaoguide
A Trip to Tibet is certainly reasonable and highly recommended. You should allow at least 7 to 8 days for your round Trip. The trip takes 48 hours, leaving Beijing every night at 21:30 and arriving in Lhasa at 20:58 two days later. Hard seat tickets (for migrant workers and desperate backpackers who enjoy suffering) cost only 389 RMB ($49), hard sleepers go for 813 RMB ($101), and soft sleepers are 1,262 RMB ($157). Passengers are able to buy tickets 10 days ahead of travel.
3
jayman2606
Ellyse what I meant by "some other good scenery"-which is not a very helpful description of mine was I am trying to be realistic about things and I know its a massive country and its my first true travel experience so I don't want to be too ambitious. I've heard it can be difficult travelling around and a very different culture (Im from Britain) so I don't want to overwhelm myself but at the same time I'm quite hardy!
If I went to Tibet it would probably be from a city such as Xi'an or Guiyang as Beijing is my final destination. OK I might go to about four cities but I would like to see some smaller towns and villages.
4
qingdaoguide
If you go to China there are two things that are a "Must See." They are "The Great Wall" and "The Roof of the World." I'm ashamed to say that I have lived and worked in China now for 3 years and have never been to Tibet. Tibet has recently become easily accessible by train and soon will be over run with tourists. Go and experience the local culture before it becomes polluted by tourism. I should have gone to Tibet three years ago! You can make your way to Tibet from southern China (Kunming or Chungdu) and take the train back to Beijing. Good luck on your travels.
5
truckstophero
HK. Have a good few days there since it is utterly amazing.
HK-> Guangzhou. Just transit and get a night bus to Quilin. Stay in Yungshou a few days exploring the Li River and surrounding mountains, beautiful.
Quilin-> Xi'an. See the terracotta army
Xi'an-> Taishan. Climb the spectacular 6000+steps to the temple and see Confucious' homeplace.
Taishan-> Beijing. Spend some wonderful days in this amazing city.
If you have more time squeeze in some other stuff.
Pro tip
Lonely Planet
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