Top ten reasons to visit China

Locals in China are extremely friendly and willing to help in most situations. There can often be a significant language barrier, however this can be easily overcome with a smile and hand gestures. On all of our travels – we have agreed that Chinese people have been the most welcoming and warm.

The food in China is unbelievably cheap, very tasty and service at most restaurants is fantastic. All up – we spent three weeks in China and did not have one bad meal.

The great wall...What more can you say? This place is a must see and is absolutely breath taking.

The metro/rail system within China is comprehensive and excellent value for money. We have ridden trains from the lowest class 'hard seat' to the highest 'soft sleeper' and found most trains to be well organised and on time.

The weather in Beijing in February ranges from a chilly -5 to +6 degrees Celsius, however is still a great time to visit with reduced tourists and the possibility of seeing snow capped tourist attractions like the Great Wall. Shanghai experiences warmer weather than Beijing with temperatures in February likely to average +15C during the day.

Surprisingly we found China to be full of parks and greens spaces lined with trees and flowers. This makes for lovely relaxing walks and for great people watching.

If you weren’t a tea lover before you visit China, you will be when you leave. The colder months of the year make for great tea drinking with the range and quality available in China second to none around the world.

Xian and the Terracotta Warriors. This city and its well known tourist attraction are full of history, culture and evident hard work. Everywhere you look in Xian, there is something new and interesting and the locals here are some of the friendliest we met in China. The Terracotta Warriors were are definitely worth the trip to Xian.

While most cities you visit are incredibly modern, there are many excellent museums and historical sites to visit in China with fascinating history spanning tens of thousands of years. Within each city in China there are various influences present, for example in the Muslim quarter in Xian there is a strong Islamic influence in the architecture and food that has been carried over from central Asia, while in Shanghai there is an interesting French influence throughout.

Throughout the whole of China – we regularly spotted groups of people out dancing, doing Tai Chi, singing or playing instruments, for themselves, not for money. There was one time in particular in Hangzhou, a big group of elderly people gathered around in a circle and many began waltzing in pairs to the music being played. It was a lovely moment and I will remember it forever. This street atmosphere and liveliness is something you do not see in Australia and it was one of my favourite things about China.

Travellers Tips! Three Week Itinerary in China

Beijing, Datong, Pingyao, Xian, Shanghai, Hangzhou

Below is our itinerary for the three weeks we had in China.   Further down the page you can see more information on train travel within China, eating out in China, travelling by metro, and some info on getting to and from main sights and prices etc...

Day 1: Depart Adelaide Depart Adelaide to Kuala Lumpur, Depart Kuala Lumpur to Beijing – Air Asia and Malaysia Airlines

Day 2: Beijing Tianamen Square, Forbidden City, Wanfujing Street, Wanfujing street food market

Day 3: Beijing Great Wall Day Trip – book while in Beijing *We paid 300 Yuan for 4 people + 45 Yuan ($9) for the entrance fee and 80 Yuan ($16) for the cable car ride up and toboggan ride down

Day 4: Beijing Beijing Railway Station to pick up train tickets and Silk Road Markets

Day 5: Beijing Hutong Nanluoguxiang and Houhai Lake

Day 6: Datong Depart Beijing North Station (Beijing Bei) to Datong for 45 Yuan ($9 AUD) per person

Day 7: Datong Hanging monastery, Yungnan Grottos - 120 Yuan ($24AUD) per person)

Depart Datong for overnight train to Pingyao - 220 Yuan ($42 AUD) per person, booked through www.china-diy-travel.com while in Australia. *Ticket booked from station JinNinJan station however boarded at Datong station

Day 8: Pingyao Early arrival, short walk through the old city

Day 9: Pingyao 20 minute buggy ride through the old city - 50 Yuan for four people ($10AUD), more walking through the old city

Day 10: Pingyao walk outside of the old city

Depart Pingyao for overnight train to Xian - 240 Yuan ($48 AUD) per person booked through www.china-diy-travel.com while in Australia. *Ticket booked from Taiyuan station however boarded at Pingyao station.

Day 11: Xian Early arrival, short walk through the city and then visit to the muslim quarter – Huimin Street for dinner at the street food markets

Day 12: Xian Took bus 26 to visit large wild goose pagoda and Shanxxi museum

Day 13: Xian Took Bus 5(306) - 7 Yuan per person ($1.40AUD) to the terracotta warriors - 120 Yuan per person ($24AUD *Get off at last stop on the bus.

Day 14: Xian Lazy day

Depart Xian for overnight train to Shanghai - 501 Yuan ($102 AUD) per person, booked through www.china-diy-travel.com while in Australia.

Day 15: Shanghai Early arrival, Walk to the Bund, Tianzifang markets, SML Building for shopping/food court

Day 16: Shanghai Nanjing Street, TaoBao Fake Markets

Day 17: Shanghai Pick up train tickets, walk to the bund, French Concession, Celebration Anniversary dinner

Day 18: Shanghai Din Tai Fung in the Shanghai World Financial Centre, Shopping on Nanjing East Street

Day 19: Hangzhou Depart Shanghai for train to Hangzhou - 30 Yuan per person ($6AUD) including a 5 Yuan service fee for the booking, walk through old city

Day 20: Hangzhou West Lake

Day 21: Hangzhou Depart Hangzhou

Train travel within China

Booking train tickets is easy and can be done at the Beijing train station, and any other train stations within China.

We used www.china-diy-travel.com while in Australia to book our sleeper trains as these were quickly selling out due to the holiday period. This was an extremely easy and safe process completed via email and using paypal for payment. There is a $10AUD surcharge per ticket. All we had to do was take the print out and confirmation numbers for each ticket and our passports to the train station (can be done at any train station within China, however we went to Beijing Railway Station to pick them up) and you get given the tickets then and there.

Keep in mind – although you may be departing from Pingyao to Xian for example, as you may not be able to get sleeper berths from Pingyao – you can arrange to book the ticket from Taiyuan – a nearby train station where sleeper berths can be booked from. As long as the tickets are booked and picked up before the departure time of the original train station (Taiyuan in this case) your seat will be reserved.

If visiting Beijing Railway Station to pick up or book tickets, it can be reached via the metro. Once at the Railway Station, head to the far right of the building to the ticket office. Once inside, there are several English speaking booths that will allow you to book your tickets, just check the boards for which booth is available.

We were able to successfully book a one way trip from Beijing North Station (Beijing Bei) to Datong for 45 Yuan ($9 AUD). Due to the holiday period the only seats available were “hard seats” which are the equivalent to second class seats on European trains. These were still fairly comfortable and the train was laid out in tables of four or six. Luggage racks are above head and there is also space beneath the seats too. Sellers come through often, selling drinks, ready meals, pot noodles, sausages, chicken feet and snacks. *This particular train route had amazing views of the great wall on the way through, however was extremely slow and busy – a bus may be a better option, however slightly more expensive*

We also purchased overnight trains from Datong to Pingyao - 220 Yuan ($42 AUD) per person (ticket booked from station JinNinJan), Pingyao to Xian - 240 Yuan ($48 AUD) per person (ticket booked from station Taiyuan) and Xian to Shanghai - 501 Yuan ($102 AUD) per person.

The sleepers we had were four berth as we were travelling with two other people, they were clean and compact. Beds were quite firm – which is the norm in China and pillows and a quilt are provided. Our carriage had both a western toilet and a squat toilet – both of which were extremely dirty and not flushed – therefore near to overflowing... Block your nose and do what you have to do and get out as quick as you can.

The stops are not announced all the time, so if you are unsure as to when your stop is approaching, either check the times of the train on: www.chinahighlights.com or www.chinatravelguide.com (also an app for this website which is handy) or ask someone sitting near you or a ticket inspector – show them your train ticket and they will be more than willing to help!

Eating out in China

Just because somewhere doesn't have any English menu or decals on the restaurant door/window – don't be scared to try! These places are usually the best, and in most cases, actually have English descriptions in their menu anyway!

Forget the stereotypical cat/dog on the menus – we only saw this once and it was cat ears – this may or may not have a dodgy translation! We have heard this type of food is more of a specialty and you must be in the know to actually go and find these types of restaurants. Yes you have the typical fried insects etc... but these seem to be more for the tourists. Many of the meals are similar as to what you would get back in Australia in a good Chinese restaurant, there is a lot of tofu, chicken, lamb and pork available. There is a lot more offal offered in restaurants than we have in Australia, and many dishes include chilli.

People in China are some of the most friendliest people we have met on all of our travels. Particularly in restaurants, staff go out of their way to make sure you are comfortable, even with the difficult language barrier. If you can try and make a bit of an effort with some chinese words/phrases – they will appreciate this and try their best with english.

Meals in China are extremely cheap and very satisfying. Dumplings, noodles, soups, stir fried dishes and rice are very common throughout the country and are very tasty.

Travelling by Metro

Travelling by Metro (particularly in Beijing) is extremely cheap and straight forward. All stations are well located and you are never too far from a metro stop wherever you are. In Beijing, all journeys are capped at 2 Yuan (0.40AUD) so this makes for a very affordable way to explore the city. Other cities are also reasonably priced, but prices will differ depending on where you are getting off. There is often great restaurants and shops around the metro stations, and in some cases – even built into it.

Tianamen Square/Forbidden City

Tianamen square and the forbidden palace can be done in the one day – they are literally across the road from each other and can be easily reached by metro – get off at Tianamen East or West stations.

Start your day in Tianamen square and enter via side entrances as there are smaller queues there. Dont visit on Mondays – as the forbidden palace and other museums located in Tianamen square are closed.

The Great Wall

There are several places near Beijing where you can view and climb the Great Wall of China. The most popular with tourists (mostly chinese tourists) is the section at Badaling. This is around 1 hours drive from Beijing city centre. We chose to visit the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, as we were informed that this had slighly less tourists and also provided a cable car to reach the top of the wall and toboggan ride back down which was great fun.

Hiring a driver for a day works out to be cost effective, especially if in a group of 3 or 4. For us, this was able to be arranged for 300 Yuan ($60AUD) including an english speaking guide and all toll fee's included. Note that this did not include the entrance fee, cable car and toboggan ride at the Great Wall, this was an additional 45 Yuan ($9AUD) and 80 Yuan ($16AUD) per person. We were approached at the Forbidden City by someone, and bargained them down for this price.

All of these tours come with included stop overs at government run tourist shops/attractions. On our particular tour, we visited a vase making factory, silk factory, tea house and the Olympic medical association. While at these attractions, we had a free tea ceremony and foot massage which were lovely. While not mandatory to purchase any of the products or services, staff at these places put the hard sell on you, and are visibly disappointed when you do not purchase anything.

All up – it was a very enjoyable day. We would have been more than happy to skip the tourist shops/attractions, but they were good to experience. The Great Wall is absolutely breath taking and something everyone visiting Beijing needs to do.

Terracotta Warriors

Instead of paying 400 Yuan or more for a private car through your hotel or flight agency, get the 5(306) bus to the terracotta warriors.

We found this to be a much cheaper way to get to the terractotta warriors as it was only 7 Yuan per person per way ($1.40AUD) and also stops by the morsuleum and hot springs.

The bus can be found on the Eastern side of the train station (when facing the train station – on your right there are many buses – you cannot miss them). Once one bus is full, the next becomes available so you aren’t waiting long.

The bus was pleasant and only took around 60 minutes. The guide only spoke in Chinese, however we were only stopping at the Terracotta warriors which was the last stop – so did not require any earlier stops.

We followed the crowds past the numerous shops and restaurants and purchased our tickets which were 120 Yuan per person ($24AUD).

Our overall opinion on our three weeks in China

We absolutely loved China and were sad to leave. We would recommend only 1-2 days in Pingyao and adding an extra week into the itinerary to visit Chengdu (Sichuan Region) and a boat cruise down the Yangtze River.

Prague; flavourful and unpasteurised - just like the beer!

Five days in Prague

When we first emerged from the Staroměstská metro station in Prague's old town, we were marveled by the stunning buildings that just seemed to go on forever and ever.  We had never seen so much detail, art and history in one compact location.  Below are some pictures of the beautiful buildings and other beautiful things we loved in Prague and took photos of - the photo's just don't seem to give the city the justice it deserves, however you can get a feel for the character and the grand nature of Prague. (unfortunately we don't know the names or importance of all of these buildings and just got a bit snap happy however have named what we know)

A panoramic view of the old town square (Staroměstské náměstí)

A panoramic view of Vltava River

 The Powder Tower

 'The pregnant, naked lady'

 A rug in the middle of a road...

 Wenceslas Square

 The entrance to the Charles Bridge

 The inside of the entrance toCharles Bridge

 On the Charles Bridge

 Monument on the Charles Bridge

 The view over the Vltava River

 The Vltava River

 The Astronomical Clock

 The view up to St Vitus Cathedral from Staroměstská metro station

The Church of the Virgin Mary before Tyn

While in Prague, we visited Divoka Sarka park which was on the outskirts of the city but was well worth the trip there.  We walked for a few hours through the beautifully lush park and we even spotted a wild deer! 

 The Reservoir of Divoka Sarka

 A wild deer

We took a trip to Prague's Castle (Prazsky Hrad) and found the St Vitus Cathedral in particular to be absolutely stunning both inside and out.  We watched the changing of the guards and admired the grounds of the castle.

Prague's Castle (Prazsky Hrad) and the Vltava River

 The Obelisk

 The entrance to the castle grounds

 A guard at the entrance to the castle grounds

 The front entrance to the St Vitus Cathedral

 The side entrance of the St Vitus Cathedral

 The interior of the St Vitus Cathedral

Inside the Cathedral

 Inside the Cathedral

 The changing of the guards

 One of the band members

The full band playing while the guards change

Pivo!  Beer is absolutely everywhere in Prague and is cheaper than water.  The quality of the beer is very high and the best thing about it - a lot of it comes unfiltered and unpasteurised.  Only one of us was a beer drinker unfortunately - however they made up for the non beer drinker...  They serve the beer here with more head than usual, which we have been told protects the beer and results in a more flavourful taste.

 A Porter beer

 A Pilsener Urkuell (unpasteurised)

 A Pilsener Pernstejn

 Budvar beer - straight from the tank (unpasteurised)

 The makings of a Budvar Beer

 Budvar Beer Tanks

A typical bar at a beer hall

The food in Prague was rich, hearty and heavy.  We enjoyed the dishes we tried and found all to be of great value.  If you like Pork - Prague is the place for you! (We have listed the restaurant names after the dish in case you need recommendations!)

 Pork Knuckle (U Parlamentu)

 Sides with the pork knuckle - potatoes, bread dumplings and sauerkraut (U Parlamentu)

 Pork knuckle with root vegetables and potato gnocchi (U Kroka)

 Pork ribs with a chilli glaze and garlic and chilli dips (U Kroka)

 What we read as pork crackling on the menu... Pork Lard with small pork cracking pieces, served with diced onions, mustard and bread (Pardubicka Pivnice U Jary)

 Fried Camembert with diced onions and mustard (Pardubicka Pivnice U Jary)

 Sirloin steak with pepper sauce and cabbage (Pardubicka Pivnice U Jary)

 Pork steak with bacon, mushrooms and cabbage (Pardubicka Pivnice U Jary)

 Whipped Beer Cheese with raw garlic and fried toast (you rub the raw garlic on the toast and then spread the cheese on top - very tasty!) (U Medvidku)

 Tasting plate - Pork kneck, roast pork leg, pork sausage, potato dumplings and bread dumplings (U Medvidku)

Beef goulash with bread dumplings and potato dumplings (U Medvidku)

Prior to arriving in Prague, we both had the preconception that this city would be swarming with drunken stag and hen parties from the UK, full of tourist traps and tacky sights.  We were so happy to find out that we were completely and utterly wrong - Prague is an amazing place and although the tourist numbers are incredible in some locations, it is still one of the prettiest and most fun cities we have visited and we would love to visit again.