Covering Wuhan and Nanjing by train from shanghai.advice would be appreciated

[Frapunchino]

Hola everyone,

i'll arrive in early july for a 16 days trip to Shanghai. but finally i dont wanna stick to there. Im planing about stayin 2days there, then train to Nanjing, one night there and train to Wuhan for 8days there and then the rest back in shanghai. any particular piece of advice i should have before doing such a trip ? if you could help me with the following interogations I have :

would you advice, stopping at nanjing on the way to Wuhan or when going back ?

my main aims are practicing chinese and shopping for cheap clothing,jeans,shoes and bracelets, necklaces etc..

which of the three is cheapest/nicest for that ? and for cost of living ?

-one big question, is the metro[no metro in my country] or shopping areas closed on sunday in china ?

- is it true that train tickets can only be bought two in advance and you cant buy em online ? i'll buy my train ticket to wuhan as soon as i'll be in shanghai..but do i run the risk of it being sold out on such a small notice ? btw is there are trustworthy website where i can get the ticket prices ?

for only shopping and visiting the Massacre Museam, do you think 2days/1 night in Nanjing enough ?

read that I should get myself vaccinated and its very hot in July, but I personally come from a tropical island, where its always hot and humid..some guidance ?

is there enough shopping areas to visit in Wuhan to use up 8days ? or its too much ?

last..anyone ever booked Ibis hotel in Wuhan ? ...as a budget-hotel stayer living mostly on street food, do you think i can make it in Wuhan with 200yuan per day ?

thanks for having read through. anxious to hear about your replies.

[Guest realmayo]

Why choose Wuhan? Because it's cheaper to buy clothes there than in Shanghai? That might be true, I'm not sure.

Wuhan is a big, busy city: dirtier and noiser and more difficult than lots of other places in China (e.g. Shanghai). It can be lots of fun, but can also be hard work. And you might find that after two days you are bored. So if you decide to go there, have some other plans ready in case you decide to leave Wuhan early. One good thing with the city is that it is very convenient for taking the train. There are three train stations in the city: Wuhan, Wuchang and Hankou train stations. If you want to save money on accomodation there's at least one youth hostel which was okay a few years ago (might be different now): http://www.hostelwor...tel/Wuhan/15473

[Frapunchino]

thanks a thousand times for the hotel recommendation, it looks decent and affordable, definitely gonna select it if its also near the malls

good question ! I found 2 whole weeks in shanghai too long and expensive and as i was going to nanjing for the museaum anyway, y not go to another place ? wuxi was not recommended 4 shopping n chongqing was too far away. i saw that wuhan had a shopping street as long as nanjing lu.i didnt want to see only the varnished touristic showcase china but i still wanted to have the BIG city feel since im from a small island. and here its neiither as clean as europe you know..so i dont mind dirty streets, if its what you mean by dirtly

but im starting to view things from that perspective too, i have to prepare plans in case i dont like it.. but i dont quite understand what you mean by " more difficult" i can feel your hovering skepticism for wuhan but i cant really "put a finger on it"/ understand it well..can u be a little more explicit please ?

[Pengyou]

Some miscellaneous comments to your miscellaneous questions

i'll arrive in early july for a 16 days trip to Shanghai. but finally i dont wanna stick to there. Im planing about stayin 2days there, then train to Nanjing, one night there

and train to Wuhan for 8days

8 days in Wuhan???? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz I second the question of "why Wuhan"? Wuhan is very hot in July and August - one of the 4 furnaces in China - and the pollution in the summer can be really toxic.

my main aims are practicing chinese and shopping for cheap clothing,jeans,shoes and bracelets, necklaces etc.. - what do you mean by "cheap"? Low price and low quality? or low price and high quality? When you leave Shanghai you will most likely find it difficult to find good quality at a low price, unless you are in an area where the clothing is made. Also, you need to consider sizing. Chinese clothing uses a variety of sizing standards, and sometimes 2 of the same kinds of shirt bearing the same mfg label and same size will actually be slightly different. Also, you can buy two of the same brand/style of jeans and find that one pair has fallen apart after a few washings and the other is still good. If you are taller, wider or in any ways different in proportion than the Chinese, clothing may be difficult to find outside of the big cities, and in the big cities even outside of the more expensive stores. Once you buy your mega supply of clothing do you plan on toting it around China?

which of the three is cheapest/nicest for that ? and for cost of living ? Blue Mountain Hostel in SH is 60-70 rmb per night for a dorm.

-one big question, is the metro[no metro in my country] or shopping areas closed on sunday in china ? Most services in China are open Sundays with the exception of banks and government offices. In Shanghai, some of the banks are even open on Sundays.

- is it true that train tickets can only be bought two in advance and you cant buy em online ? i'll buy my train ticket to wuhan as soon as i'll be in shanghai..but do i run the risk of it being sold out on such a small notice ? btw is there are trustworthy website where i can get the ticket prices ? You can buy train tickets online now, and, I think at least 5 days ahead of time, if not more.

for only shopping and visiting the Massacre Museam, do you think 2days/1 night in Nanjing enough ? I did the Nanjing Massacre Museum, the city wall and the Sun Yat Sun memorial in one day...but you need to start early. There is - or was - a good night market in Nanjing that you should check out, maybe other things.

read that I should get myself vaccinated and its very hot in July, but I personally come from a tropical island, where its always hot and humid..some guidance ?

is there enough shopping areas to visit in Wuhan to use up 8days ? or its too much ?

last..anyone ever booked Ibis hotel in Wuhan ? ...as a budget-hotel stayer living mostly on street food, do you think i can make it in Wuhan with 200yuan per day ? not sure ...it depends on what you want to do besides eat and sleep.

A suggestion for you...when i started studying Chinese I found that long train rides were very helpful, especially traveling hard sleep. Most of the people I met - and still meet - have never talked to a westerner before so they will be more than willing to chat with you.

You say that Chongqing is too far for you...maybe one idea you should consider is flying into Shanghai, spend a couple of days, then fly to a place in the west of China, for example, Chongqing. Then you spend a couple of days in that place, then take the train to a place east of that. If you search you may find an overnight train so you don't loose any of your day tourist time. Another option would be to travel to Guangzhou from Shanghai and then work your way back. A substantial part of the garment industry is in Guangdong province.

I will go out on a limb here and say that 8 days in Wuhan is going to leave you bored silly.

[Guest realmayo]

Wuhan is definitely an excellent choice for the NON- varnished touristic showcase China. I lived there for a while and really liked it. But I can't think of much for a visitor to do for more than a couple of days. Plus, if big-city China turns out to be a bit overwhelming, there's no escape like there is in a more Western-ized or touristy city. But like I say, if it's a taste of that kind of place that you want, Wuhan will deliver.

You know about the weather in July, often 40 degrees and very humid. Shopping is something I have no idea about. The expensive clothes shops are more expensive than in Europe. But obviously there are cheaper places too -- compared to Shanghai, I don't know if there's a big difference.

If you've got time on your hands then it's very convenient to get to Wuhan from Nanjing/Shangai and is definitely somewhere a bit different. And if you find that two or three days is enough, you could consider maybe visiting Suzhou -- it's on the same train line back to Shanghai.

[abcdefg]

Suggest you look more closely at Nanjing. I found it much more interesting than Wuhan, and would spend more time there than in Wuhan. Must confess that I was more interested in seeing sights that pertained to Chinese history and culture than in shopping for cheap clothes and accessories, so our priorities might not be the same. You can practice your Chinese anywhere you go.

As to budget, you can get by on 200 RMB a day in Shanghai, Nanjing, and Wuhan if you stay in hostel dorm rooms, eat street food, and use the city bus or metro instead of taxis. It won't be easy, however, since these are all large cities and more costly than rural areas. Also that 200 figure you mentioned won't include your clothing purchases.

The main challenge I foresee will be paying the admission fees to attractions. If you have a student card, that will help some. For what it's worth, the Nanjing Massacre Memorial is free and very worth while. It's a two minute walk from a metro stop, which makes it quite accessible.

Also give some thought to stopping by Hangzhou. Read up on it and see if it appeals. It could fit into your itinerary without much difficulty. Very pretty place.

2 Days -- Shanghai

3 Days -- Nanjing

2 Days -- Wuhan

3 Days -- Hangzhou

Then back to Shanghai. With a route plan like this, if you find a place you really like, you can add an extra day. When you allow time for intercity travel, especially by train, your 16 days will be pretty much used up.

[Frapunchino]

@pengyou,

if im gonna buy cheap stuff, i accept that the quality wont be there. the brand names[ or their not-much-less expensive knock-off] is not what im looking for, you know the underground s&t museam in shanghai ? im looking for this kind of places. or where the laobaixing shops. i just want wide choice, orange jeans, yellow jeans, green jeans etc..same for shoes.in my country you dont have much choice,most jeans are blue but around 60yuan. and for other colors, its more expensive.

and about the website where you can buy train tickets, can you please give me the link ?

about clothing size, no worries im ethnically indian, we are also smaller than the average westerner

ok so much people telling me that wuhan wont worth 8 days..im pretty deterred now. i'll guess i'm gonna choose chongqing then.stopping 2 days in nanjing, 2 days in wuhan, then 6 in chongqing and then high speed train back to shanghai. is that a correct option ?

or guangzhou ? on wikitravel they say that from Wuhan, the traint o guangzhou takes only 3 hours, which is very nice then...so guangzhou or chongqing better for low price quality clothing ?

or rather just spend 2 days in wuhan, 2 days in nanjing and get back to shanghai. its true that i dont have to rush so much and complete so much cities on my first trip, im sure its not the last time i'll go to china.

@abcedfg,

is Hangzhou nice for shopping? not aiming to hurt anyone's feeling, but im not very much interesting into nature sceneries and 2000yo historical constructions. i want to see concrete and lots of people.

thanks everyone for helping, my mind is still quite muddled up but i still have some time.

[abcdefg]

...is Hangzhou nice for shopping?

Sorry, I know next to nothing about shopping for inexpensive women's clothing and accessories anywhere in China. Hangzhou is famous for its silk.

Here's a good link to train schedules: http://www.cnvol.com/

Here's a site with prices: http://www.chinatrainguide.com/

I've never bought train tickets via the internet, so cannot advise on how to do that.

[Ruben von Zwack]

"not aiming to hurt anyone's feeling, but im not very much interesting into nature sceneries and 2000yo historical constructions. i want to see concrete and lots of people."

LOL!!! Your home must be soooo idyllic!

I know this is the Chinese forum and not the Thai forum, so everyone please forgive me - but if you love (inexpensive) cute fashion, and If you got the time and the money, have you ever considered dropping by in Bangkok? I once did the math and found out that if I went there for a week, and bought more clothes, make-up and hair care than a sane person can do (just so you know, I'm a girl too, despite my nickname ) , I would still be cheaper than if I bought the stuff where I live, in Germany.

But maybe my suggestion is stupid. I have never been to China before, so I have no idea how prices in the major cities in China and Thailand compare.

[guahuzi]

1. you can book the hotel and train ticket at this site www.ctrip.com.

the official site to buy train ticket is www.12306.cn, but this site don't support english

2. In fact suzhou city (nearby nanjing and shanghai) is very beautiful, and some great park located in suzhou .

3. If u want to go to wuhan , I suggest you visit these cities: nanjing wuhan guangzhou/shenzhen hongkong

you may take the high speed train from wuhan to guangzhou or shenzhen .

dongmen in shenzhen is a great market to buy clothes (very chip).

4.If you want get the cheapest clothes ,go to "humen"(虎门） city , some high speed train passes humen and wuhan. you may go home from guangzhou or hongkong.

[abcdefg]

This morning I asked a young woman friend where she would shop for such items in Kunming. She said if she had a lot of time, she would go to the wholesale clothing market at Luo Si Wan, in the southern suburbs. 螺蛳湾 (more formal name = 螺蛳湾国际商贸城, approximate address 昆明市彩云北路）

She said if she didn't have enough time for that, she would go to some of the trendy stores in the university district where penurious students shop. She also mentioned the second hand markets in the north of the city if funds were really low.

I think every city on your tentative list is bound to have places like this. The trick will be finding someone local to that city who can clue you in. You will also not find any English spoken at such venues.

[Frapunchino]

@abcdefg, wow thanks for having given yourself that pain. i'm definitely following that pattern. one question, do people accept to engage into conversations with you on trains ? the chinese expat working in textile factories in my country just plain ignore me when i try to speak to em at the stores or down the street.

are train tickets more expensive on weekends ? and more crowded, getting out of shanghai to nanjing, i can either go a sunday or a monday. which you think is better ?

@ruben von zwack, yeah its really beautiful here, look up "landmarks mauritius: in google images. i always thought about Bangkok for shopping, heard its the best spot in the world. but my main aim is learning chinese...the shopping is kinda an additiion + of being in china [ at least i hope]

i learned that all the low-end clothes in my country come from guangzhou and mumbai. with so many mauritian having already been there, i dont want too.about chongqing, i really wanna go to be able to say that i've did all the 3 furnances of china in JULY !

i was about to do : 3nights shaghai--train--4nights chongqing--train--2night wuhan--train 2nights nanjing--4days in shanghai , then back home [ ive subtracted 1day for travelling time]

but first , to my surprise http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai%E2%80%93Wuhan%E2%80%93Chengdu_High-Speed_Railway there is still no high-speed train between two such megacities! the delivery of this line is for end of 2013. 15hrs in a train can be nice if you have a lot of time...

and besides, as a backpacker, you have to learn and understand the metro lines you will use in each city,learn about directions, the location of every thing you wanna see etc.. and 3 cities is quite a lot to learn.i prefer to spend the time left before i go to ameliorate my chinese.

thus im gonna do :

3 nites shanghai-- 5 hours train--4nights wuhan--train-3nights nanjing--train--finally 4nights shanghai, then going back. the total count is 14nigts instead of 16 but im gonna leave out those 2 days to allow for spontaneity, the unknown and adventure..who knows maybe i'll be told that the chongqing high-speed train is ready from wuhan...

or do you have another proposition for me to spend those 2 days ?

[abcdefg]

are train tickets more expensive on weekends ? and more crowded, getting out of shanghai to nanjing, i can either go a sunday or a monday. which you think is better ?

Ticket price is the same every day of the week. A little more crowded on weekends. Locals are usually friendly and talkative on trains when they see a foreigner, though you may have to initiate the contact because they are shy.

Keep in mind that if you are planning to visit the Nanjing Massacre Memorial, it is closed on Monday.

[abcdefg]

The high speed train from Wuhan to Chongqing is still not operational, so it does take about 15 hours.

Agree with your thinking about not going too many different places. Good idea to give yourself time to find your way around in a new city.

[Frapunchino]

first time travelling error ! the return date is the 27th, i thought i would leave shanghai on the 27th,but its on the 26th, arrival in my country is on the 27th...anyway change of date would could too much.

im almost completely set. 3days in shanghai, train afternoon to Wuhan,5days wuhan,early morning train to Nanjing, 3 days in Nanjing. then back to shangahi as from the 23th until departure

ive already looked up the web for the shopping areas/places i want to visit, like koreatown,the massacre memorial...etc...btw thanks a lot for having let me know that the museaum is closed on monday, a very precious info, i'll organize myself subsequently.

im a bit afraid that i wont have time to cover everythign i would like to in shanghai but i remain confident in my ability to do things quickly and rely heavily on the city's developped metro and my prior studying of it to reduce time spent travelling between places on my do-to do -see list.

any additional comments is most welcomed.

[abcdefg]

One thing to be cautious about in planning China train travel is to chose the best station at each city. Shanghai and Wuhan have several train stations and even Nanjing has two.

This is a useful site for learning more about China train travel in general:

http://www.seat61.com/China.htm

And this site explains the different types of trains: (Different types of trains go at different speeds.)

http://www.travelchi...rains/types.htm

Hope it all works out well and you have a good trip.