Travel tips in China

LivyJo

So I'm headed to China in 1.5 weeks, and it was a last minute trip (just found out i was going last week) so I dont feel like I can do all the research on my own. So I am just wondering, has anyone ever been before? Any off-the-beaten-path must see/do's?

I am going to be in Beijing for 5 days, Xi'an for 2, and Shanghai for 3. We will be doing the touristy thing, and seeing all the temples/sites that are a must, but any secret spots? What about food? I'm terribly intimidated by Chinese characters and I hear most menu's are not in english. :laugh: :blushing:

Would love any advice!

hoamai

Hi: I have worked in China. If you are going with a tour, they will most likely take care of where you eat and what you eat - there are a lot of street food vendors. The food can be good but you should be careful of just in terms of getting sick, and many many small restaurants. Small restaurants often just serve one or two special items, e.g., noodle soups (which are very yummy). There are also some very large restaurants which serve everything under the sun - they can be quite overwhelming. If you are in Beijing you really have to find some Peking Duck - but I can't tell you the specific restaurants where I have had it.
The food tends to be high in sodium and sometimes there are a lot of fried items which taste good but are heavy.
Have fun - Chao

LivyJo

We are on a tour, however only 2 of the nights the dinner is taken care of, the other nights we are on our own. Luckily breakfasts and most lunches I wont have to think about. We get the Peking Duck the first night there Very excited to try it. I'm not concerned about calories or anything while I am there, we will be walking a ton and it will probably be the only time i'm ever in China...I dont want to have to think about counting cals, just having fun and enjoying the culture! Maybe the menus will have pictures, that would be helpful...lol.