Benny's travel plans, Shanghai to Chengdu to Beijing - suggestions?

[amandagmu]

ah, thanks Skylee - ctrip.com. Easy to use for booking hotels and they text you the reservation info. Lots of options in most areas.

[irishpolyglot]

Thanks a million for all the replies everyone!

I'll see about skipping Jinan. I've gotten some invitations to visit people on the coast so could take that route to Beijing instead, as it's not a major diversion and I believe there are fast trains.

Since a few agree that Zhengzhou is not worth the trip, is there an alternative route I should consider between Xi'an and the coast? For such a long stretch I may consider flying to save time if I have to (although only after making it to Chengdu by land).

I can confirm from trying with a few hotels recommended by locals that several do prefer only Chinese guests, but luckily there are plenty of alternatives.

Since there are regular trains from Shanghai to Nanjing, I'll just buy that on arrival. But in most other cases I'll book a few days in advance. I will plan to not be travelling at the end of the month, as I know there is a holiday, so I'll arrive somewhere a few days in advance.

Will ask for tips on Thorntree too, as they've been a huge help in the past. Thanks!

[imron]

I'm sure there are worthwhile places along that route to visit, but one possibility might be to fly from Xi'an to Qingdao, and then travel back out via Qufu (Confucius' home town) and Tai Shan (if you're not all mountained out).