Beijing and Shanghai for 11 days

[dilphinus]

based on photo from klook since there are hardly any photos in this travel forum. i like what i saw with opportunity to hike simatai again. well maybe there are better ones but for now this good enough
https://s.klook.com/c/lwNMA6_Lyr

i haven't been to China for very long time, no intention to visit yet.

This is an aerial photo. You won't be able to see anything like this unless you are elevated aka in a helicopter.

Manage your expectations. What you will see is a 'river' and some bridges, and some old buildings. Nothing much actually. And having to pay for it?

Just go to Suzhou. At least you don't have to pay an entrance fee to enter the water town.

 

[rrr2015]

This is an aerial photo. You won't be able to see anything like this unless you are elevated aka in a helicopter.

Manage your expectations. What you will see is a 'river' and some bridges, and some old buildings. Nothing much actually. And having to pay for it?

Just go to Suzhou. At least you don't have to pay an entrance fee to enter the water town.

thanks but not considering gubei just for water town also for simatai. i read there are hillside viewpoints or even going up great wall for paranomic view of village.

seems like not good day for photography. perhaps better for night & sunrise, so need to stay at least night there.

if just for town waterway, would have picked Hoi An, Vietnam.

 

[LWZ]

Have you visited Marco Polo Bridge? I suggest dropping the Summer Palace in Beijing if you are going to Chengde. How about the Ming Tombs?

Marco Polo Bridge is temporarily closed. The nearby Wanping Fortress is also mostly undergoing refurbishment.

 

[rrr2015]

Marco Polo Bridge is temporarily closed. The nearby Wanping Fortress is also mostly undergoing refurbishment.

pls try gubei / simatai

 

[106gunner]

Just came back from Beijing and Shanghai

Didn't really do a lot of site visits as we aren't really into historical stuff

And if you take those out of the itinerary, there's not a lot much left to do hahah

Word of advice - don't bother going to the Beijing Zoo, it's very poorly maintained and hardly anything to see

Getting around was very easy with Amap - we navigated their MRT with no issues

Oh, don't rely on Google reviews - many of the places aren't updated and have closed down

Going Beijing go zoo?! LOL, How can you missed out forbidden city, Tiananmen Square & The Great Wall

 

[jywy2005]

Gubei water town was developed by a conglomerate to exploit its proximity to Simatai old town. You need to go through the town in order to visit the Great Wall.

We went to visit Great Wall recently at night, too hot to go in the daytime.

Not an authentic old town and things are expensive inside.

There is a direct express bus service from dongzhimen (where we stayed) that brings you there. 2h by bus $48yuan.

Can stay one night there. Hotels minimum around $500 yuan.

 

[beanstalk6]

Marco Polo Bridge is temporarily closed. The nearby Wanping Fortress is also mostly undergoing refurbishment.

If you have exhausted the historical sights you want to see in Beijing, look up Datong or Shanhaiguan.

 

[carey]

Going Beijing go zoo?! LOL, How can you missed out forbidden city, Tiananmen Square & The Great Wall

We did go to those

I am just warning folks NOT to bother with Beijing Zoo - thought we can go watch pandas without having to go to Chengdu but big mistake hahah

 

[beanstalk6]

based on photo from klook since there are hardly any photos in this travel forum. i like what i saw with opportunity to hike simatai again. well maybe there are better ones but for now this good enough
https://s.klook.com/c/lwNMA6_Lyr

i haven't been to China for very long time, no intention to visit yet.

i know it's not authentic town cuz when i first went simatai, there was nothing there just a row of food vendors

The images in the Klook link scream "manufactured ancient town". I visited Simatai in 2008. Amazing how the town has "expanded".

 

[rrr2015]

The images in the Klook link scream "manufactured ancient town". I visited Simatai in 2008. Amazing how the town has "expanded".

at least there's a place for me to overnight now. I'm fine so long it blends well with surrounding.

 

[jywy2005]

at least there's a place for me to overnight now. I'm fine so long it blends well with surrounding.

We stayed 2 nights at Gubei water town. There is a drone show at 8.40 pm and another illumination cum musical fountain show at 9.10 pm. Spectacular.

We booked our hotel at the tourist arrival hall on the spot. They gave us 2 discounted daytime tickets to Simatai which we didn’t use.

The town is kind of deserted on weekdays. Advisable not to go on weekends as the cheaper hotels are usually fully booked.

 

[rrr2015]

We stayed 2 nights at Gubei water town. There is a drone show at 8.40 pm and another illumination cum musical fountain show at 9.10 pm. Spectacular.

We booked our hotel at the tourist arrival hall on the spot. They gave us 2 discounted daytime tickets to Simatai which we didn’t use.

The town is kind of deserted on weekdays. Advisable not to go on weekends as the cheaper hotels are usually fully booked.

can go up simatai in evening (sunset) or early mornings (sunrise)?

 

[jywy2005]

Iirc the night time cable car ride operates from 6-10.30 pm. In summer the sky doesn’t get dark till around 8 pm. If you go there too late, it’s a little dark to climb the steps from the cable car station to the Great Wall. But good to see sun set there and old town lighted up at night.

If you go in the daytime, think they open at 8 or 9 am , can take the ride up, walk up the steps to the Great Wall and navigate a particular section of the Great Wall till you reach the cable car station, instead of climbing down the stairs.

My knees are still painful after the climb up and down the steps… No joke. Better go when you are still young. Bring a hiking stick if necessary. My daughter tried walking a short distance before turning back. she said the steps are not paved and certain parts are very steep.

 

[rrr2015]

Iirc the night time cable car ride operates from 6-10.30 pm. In summer the sky doesn’t get dark till around 8 pm. If you go there too late, it’s a little dark to climb the steps from the cable car station to the Great Wall. But good to see sun set there and old town lighted up at night.

If you go in the daytime, think they open at 8 or 9 am , can take the ride up, walk up the steps to the Great Wall and navigate a particular section of the Great Wall till you reach the cable car station, instead of climbing down the stairs.

My knees are still painful after the climb up and down the steps… No joke. Better go when you are still young. Bring a hiking stick if necessary

iirc the steps were narrow maybe ancient folks have smaller feet or maybe due becuz it's on the ridge? coming down probably more challenging.

and thought cable cars goes all the way to one of watch tower, so there's still a stretch of stairs to climb

 

[jywy2005]

iirc the steps were narrow maybe ancient folks have smaller feet? coming down probably more challenging.

thought cable cars goes all the way to one of watch tower?

Nope. The cable car ride ends at the foot of a hill where the Great Wall is located. You still need to climb up around 80 steps to reach the Great Wall itself.

 

[elvintay07]

Try the mu tian yu Great Wall. Very nice.

 

[jywy2005]

Please book the admission tickets on WeChat official sites for Summer palace and Forbidden city at least one day in advance. Think can get on Klook or Trip.com There are two time slots (am or pm) to choose from.

Btw, Beijing subway accepts visa/mastercard for rides. Just use Applepay or GooglePay. No need to download their 乘车码。 Also bring your passport wherever you go. We were stopped by the police for identity checks a few times.

When we left Beijing 2 weeks ago, it was scorching hot, highest 37 degrees.

 

[s-ghost]

if beijing alone how many days is enough?

 

[beanstalk6]

if beijing alone how many days is enough?

What's your interest when it comes to Beijing?

 

[s-ghost]

What's your interest when it comes to Beijing?

not sure, but since it's first time, a bit of everything i guess, plus food