Kunming or Shanghai?

tsang

Hi

I am planning to visit China sometime later this year with friends and am in a dilemma about whether to focus on Kunming and see places around it or focus on Shanghai and visit surrounding places. The reason for focusing on either of these is that there is a flight from Kolkata which goes to Shanghai via Kumning. So it's easy to hop off at either of the places without taking other flights. The leaves available will also not be too long.

Our initial plan was to base out of Shanghai and go to Hanzhou, Putuoshan and some other places. But some of us are now thinking that maybe Kunming has some interesting places to visit too. Since none of us have traveled to China we are not sure. We are all nature lovers so places having a lot of natural beauty are first priorities.

So, requesting all you experienced travelers out there to give us some advice and help us decide. Maybe we can work out some sort of plan which will not be too hectic or too expensive.

Thanks a lot in advance.

unclelach

In autumn 2005 I took an organised 26 day tour of China that included Shanghai(plus two cities nearby) and also Kunming.

We flew in and out of Kunming on domestic flights so I can't say much about traversing Yunnan. Kunming's surroundings though, as seen from a bus, have great natural beauty. The area is mountainous with lakes and is a centre for horticulture, particularly flower growing. There is also an area of very unusual rock formations reachable by road.

Shanghai is located in flat river delta country but there may be some interest in the rivers and canals and maybe the coast close by. Unfortunately very heavy road traffic makes bus trips in and out of Shanghai slow and tedious. Perhaps the trains are a better choice. Some destinations may be reached by ferry but I haven't used the boats. I thought Shanghai a most stimulating place to visit because of its energy and architecture. Would love to return there.

Boston123

It depends on how much time and money you have to spend. If these are no constraints then clearly you can do both. But given a choice, and if you are going to China for the first time, I would suggest Shanghai..It is a very dynamic, vibrant city, and you can take short day trips to very interesting places. For instance, Suzhou is less than 2 hrs away, and has lot's of natural sites..plus the first silkworms were farmed to produce silk, in Suzhou. Shanghai also has many historical sites, including a large section where Jews arrived (and settled )from Europe, during WW 2, before moving on to other parts of the world.

Hal

My step-daughter has lived in China for the past two years. She says Kunming and area is much more interesting than Shanghai. And cheaper.

tsang

Time is about ten days including flight times(from Kolkata, India) and money is limited (It always is ). But I am happy you recommended Shanghai because that is where I personally would prefer to go. There are I think, some very beautiful places like Hanzhou and Putuoshan quite close to Shanghai.

tsang

That's great. I am sure my friends who prefer Kunming would love to hear that.

plizzaaa

Dear tsang,

I have been to Kunming and Shanghai (years ago), but with tour groups (Kunming twice and Shanghai once).

Both destinations and their surrounding areas have a lot to offer. It depends what your interests are and what you want to see.

If natural beauty is your first priority, choose Yunnan.

Shanghai has a population of 16 million, and Kunming has about 5 million.

My general impression is that Shanghai is a lot more expensive. Dorms in hostels start at around US$8. In Kunming, it starts at around US$3. Food and drinks is also more expensive in Shanghai and area.

In Yunnan, there are about 26 minorities groups living there. If you choose Kunming/Dali/Lijiang, you will see and meet some of the minorities. There is also natural beauty in the mountains. However, the altitude in Kunming is 2000 meters and in Lijiang around 2500 meters and this may pose a problem for some. Tiger Leaping Gorge is also a famous trek (which I have not done).

I read in another forum that there is a lot of construction in Shanghai right now, in preparation for the 2010 Expo. So, it is dusty there.

Be aware that admission fees in China is usually very high. Bring your student card if you have one, as there are discounts at some sites.

Be aware of scams. In another forum, I read that young adults, claiming to be university students who want to practice their English, invite tourists to have tea at a tea house. At the end of the long conversation, the bill will be really high (e.g. each share come up to be US$40). However, the students also pay the same amount, which the tourists will feel embarrassed not to pay. Afterwards, the tourists realized they have been scammed. Tea at a tea house in China should be no more than US$3 each. In Chengdu, we paid RMB5 (about 80 cents).

In Shanghai, be aware that the prices of drinks in some bars are very high.

If you have not set your travel dates, make sure you avoid the Oct 1 to Oct 10 holidays. The Chinese will go on vacation in this period. Prices of hotels and guesthouses will be at least double, if not more. Transportation will also be more difficult and sometimes more expensive too.

After reading some blogs of travelers, I have copied two itineraries for your reference. See blog below.

http://pggoplizzaaa.blogspot.com/

Have fun on your trip.

tsang

Hi

Thanks a lot for such a detailed reply. My dates are not yet fixed but they are after the 17th probably. So, by then I hope people will go back to work. And thanks for the itineraries that you have suggested. We are interested in goin to some off beat places too and one of my friends speaks Chinese fluently so we'll be heavily dependant on him for moving around. I am afraid I have left my student days far behind along with the student I card.

Thanks again!

plizzaaa

Dear tsang,

If you have not booked your flight, you may wish to consider low cost airlines. You will need to compare the total cost, as overnight stopovers may be needed.

You can fly:
Air Asia:
Trichy-Kuala Lumpur, then to:
Shenzhen, Guilin, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Guangzhou,
Hong Kong, Macau, Haikou

Air India Express + Air Asia
Chennai-Kuala Lumpur, then to the destinations in China listed above

Tiger Airways:
Chennai/Bangalore-Singapore, then to:
Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Haikou

Air India Express + Air Asia
Kolkata-Bangkok, then to:
Shenzhen

Air India Express + Tigerairways
Kolkata-Singapore, then to:
Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Haikou

Air Asia and Tiger Airways sometimes have promotions of free flights or very low cost flights (e.g. US$2 + taxes).

Also, China domestic flights are cheap.
The best place to check is www.qunar.com, but you will need your friend who knows Chinese to do so.
Often, you can get flights for 70% to 80% off the regular price.

After you booked your flight, please kindly let me know which airline you have chosen. My destination after India is China and would be interested to know the cost of the flight. Thanks.

Have a good trip.

tsang

I have not yet booked flights but have found out about fares. From Kolkata there is China Eastern via Kunming and Thai Airways via Bangkok. The flights are not too long and none of them have overnight stopovers as far I know. Air India also operates bit I am not sure about the route.

Fares vary from one travel agent to another so i have not yet finalised my ticket. I’ll let you know the fare once I book my ticket. My destination will either be Kunming or Shanghai because I don't want to fly too much. Thanks for your suggestions. From which part of India will you go to China?

plizzaaa

Dear tsang,

Please send me an email to discuss further on this topic (as neither of us have Private Message function).

pliz@write2us.com

tsang

I will as soon as i book my tickets.