Travelling during golden week.

[flray]

Hello all,

 

   I am planning on travelling to Guangzhou, Hong Kong and possibly other areas in Guangdong and Vietnam between October 1 and 16th. I have been to Northeast  and Taibei  on other trips. I can't wait to see and hear the Cantonese culture of this part of China. Will Guangzhou be better with regards to crowds and reservations? I have heard that Shenzhen is much less crowded during holidays as workers go home is it the same with Guangzhou? Will it be so crowded that I should go to Vietnam for a week?

 

  Is there some really special things I shouldn't miss in this area? My visit to Hong Kong might be very short but that life.

 

Thanks ahead of time,

            Ray

 

[889]

My suggestion during GW is to stay in big cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen and hold off on tourist spots like the big parks and "ancient" towns. Avoid Yangshuo and Guilin!

 

Remember that city hotels count a lot on business travel, which falls over GW.

[abcdefg]

13 hours ago, flray said:

Will it be so crowded that I should go to Vietnam for a week?

 

Chinese on holiday go to Vietnam and Thailand in large numbers. Tourist destinations in neighboring countries become quite crowded. 

 

Agree with the advice @889 gave you, above. 

 

If you are interested in Guangdong Cuisine 粤菜, make a side trip to Shunde 顺德 in Foshan 佛山，about one highway hour away from Guangzhou.

 

Look into Shantou 汕头 and Chaoshan 潮汕 -- this is a rich and different culture from that of Guangzhou. NE part of the province.

 

As to Hong Kong, they might still be experiencing riots during your target time. Keep an eye on the news. 

 

Suggest you just stay in Guangdong Province. No need to go to HK or VN. Plenty to keep you busy for a couple weeks. 

[艾墨本]

25 minutes ago, abcdefg said:

As to Hong Kong, they might still be experiencing riots during your target time. Keep an eye on the news

 Don't go to HK unless you don't plan on coming back to the mainland. Chinese/tourists/etc. that have been to HK recently when they come back to mainland are being questioned or having technology confiscated.

[889]

Some hotels in Hong Kong are heavily discounting rates, and Mainlanders will probably avoid the city, so this may in fact be a good opportunity for a stay in Hong Kong. Myself, I wouldn't let scattered unrest deter me.

 

As to not returning to the Mainland afterwards, that's scaremongering. Reports I've seen indicate that young HK people are sometimes targeted, their phones in particular being searched. Haven't come across reports of Western tourists being hit. Besides, the daily flow across the HK/Mainland border is enormous.

 

Better advice is don't wear black and stay clear of demonstrations.

[vellocet]

I just crossed over from HK to mainland a few days ago, it was fine.  No questioning or technology confiscation.