The Ideal Itinerary For A 2-week Trip To China

There are many reasons for visiting China and many styles of travel so this hub does not really intend to suggest that any one itinerary will fit all needs. Instead, this hub aims to discuss some ideas related to trip planning and to put these into practice with a couple of itineraries such that you have a firm basis on which to build your own trip plans.

You may also find the following hubs useful:

• Planning a trip to China;
  
• Key Destinations For China Holidays; and
  
• Lesser-known Destinations For China Holidays
  

Your itinerary needs to take account of your preferred style of travel.

For a start, if you are not limited by budget you will be able to include more arranged services including flights and private vehicles and therefore be able to make better use of your time. At the other end of the scale, you would have to allow some time for chores such as buying tickets to the next destination. In some cases, overnight trains are more efficient as flights are not always scheduled at convenient times.

Budget will also affect your choice of accommodation and therefore the amount of travel required to visit sites within any one chosen destination. There are sometimes cheaper options in the city centre but often the best prices are to be found further out.

Budget is not the only factor relevant here. Your style might be biased towards fewer destinations but in more depth.

No itinerary can be ideal without taking your interests into consideration. China does have a wealth of historical sites and these top the lists for most visitors but you may well have different ideas.

If you do have a special interest then it is well worth doing your research, or getting in touch with some knowledgeable in-country.

During 2002, as the Yangtse Three Gorges Dam Project neared completion, a Yangtse Cruise was considered an essential element of any tour in China. "See the Three Gorges before they disappear forever".

That event has passed and Yangtse Cruises are still popular. If anything, the completion of the dam now means that schedules are more reliable and therefore including a cruise is less problematic.

The big question is whether a Yangtse Cruise is appropriate for a 2-week itinerary.

If you have never done a river cruise before and really want to then a Yangtse Cruise will not disappoint. However, given that even a downriver cruise requires 3 nights, and the additional travel getting to Chongqing and away from Yichang, for many people a Yangtse Cruise in a short trip is not an efficient use of time or budget.

It is all too easy when putting a China itinerary together to think only of the big sites in the big cities. To see only these would give a very distorted impression of the country. To achieve some sort of balance it is well worth trying to include at least one scenic spot (a mountain or lake) and perhaps a rural destination; Yangshuo is very popular for this reason.

It is also important to allow balance in terms of organised activities and free time in which you might be able to rest and relax, or perhaps take advantage of some local opportunity. Who knows what might be on offer, but it would be a pity to spend all your time sightseeing with no chance of any interaction.

This itinerary takes in the major cities of China in a logical route to the west of centre (where the centre is not traversable north-south).

The first three cities offer a wealth of sites, both major and minor. The stop at Yangshuo (using Guilin for transport) allows a countryside experience before a finish at one of the major transport hubs in the south.

The route could easily be reversed if you have a reason to travel in that direction (perhaps a Trans-Mongolian train trip afterwards) but works best as shown with Yangshuo and its relaxed feel later in the trip.

Whether you continue on to Hong Kong will depend upon your interests, budget and time available as well as your flight options

This second itinerary re-emphasizes the point that there is not just one ideal.

This trip takes in only the northern half of China and yet is still easily filled with interesting destinations. This trip is more city based but could easily include a mountain excursion (E.g. Hua Shan near Xi'an) or a rural visit (perhaps from Luoyang or Hangzhou).

The big advantage of travel on this eastern route is that most of these cities are connected by high-speed rail making the travel faster and more comfortable.

Obviosuly a hub like this cannot cover every issue but hopefully you will have read enough above to understand the major choices facing you when it comes to planning your own 2-week itinerary in China. With a framework in place you can add as much detail as you feel appropriate.

Have a great trip.