China Travelers Recommend

Travelers visiting Hong Kong for even as long as a month can easily pack their days full and still not see everything the city has to offer. However, try to clear a day in your schedule to pop on the ferry and head over to Macau for a day of sightseeing. A day trip to Macau is the best way to see both of these very unique spots in Asia. Macau, along with Hong Kong, is one of the two Special Administrative Regions of the People’s Republic of China. Macau is often considered the Las Vegas of the Orient with its numerous casinos, many of them identical to those found in the America’s “Sin City.” Interestingly Macau is the oldest European settlement in Asia and has a number of historic sights to visit aside from its glamorous and glitzy casino side. The former Portuguese colony is only an hour away on the Jetfoil or catamaran, making a Hong Kong to Macau day trip one of the most popular ways to explore Macau.

The Great Wall, a Wonder of the World and one of China’s most recognizable landmarks, deserves a place on any itinerary to Beijing. With several sections located just outside of the city, you’ll have your pick of experiences depending on what you want out of the visit. A majority of tourists to the Great Wall see the section known as Badaling Pass. Located about an hour from Beijing, this portion of the wall features a cable car to ferry guests to the top of a flat stretch of the wall spanning out in either direction. While it’s the most crowded portion of the wall, it’s also one of the most convenient and accessible. If you don’t mind doing a little climbing, Juyongguan is actually the closest portion of the wall to Beijing -- only 37 miles (60 kilometers) -- but it doesn’t have a single flat stretch in sight, and the steps are very steep and uneven.

What better way to see Shanghai’s ever-changing commercial region by looking out from the Oriental TV Tower? The outstanding panoramic view will help you appreciate the thriving metropolis that Shanghai is, as well as give you a great view of the banks of the Huangpu River. This tour continues with a cruise down the Huang River to see the cultural district, taking in buildings in Gothic, Baroque and Romanesque styles, also taking in the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, with its exciting vision for the future of the city. The final stop is Nanjing Road, a pedestrianized street that is full of locals, business people and tourists. Before Shanghai’s explosion, the surrounding area was peaceful port town. You can reconnect with these roots by taking a day trip to the water villages of Suzhou and Zhouzhuang. Suzhou was one of the few places in China to escape the ravages of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution and the Net Master Garden.

After spending a night in a city of 11 million people you’re probably going to want to find some peace and quiet. At the same time, you just arrived in Chengdu so you won’t want to travel too far to get away. At 35 miles outside of the city center, the forested wilderness of Mt. Qingcheng is just the right distance for planning your escape. The preferred trekking destination of choice for local Chengdu residents, the summit of the most sacred mountain in Taosim is reachable via a 4 hour climb past ancient temples and lonely caves. You’ll want to be up early in order to reach the Giant Panda Breeding Center, easily Chengdu’s most famous attraction, for the 9am feeding time—the best chance you’re going to have of seeing active giant pandas. After learning about the curious mating techniques of captive giant pandas, take a taxi back into town for a gander at the famously strange sculpture at Qingyang Palace.

The art of the traditional Chinese garden was popular among wealthy Chinese during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and nowhere is the classic beauty of these gardens more evident than in Suzhou, a city located 50 miles (81 kilometers) northwest of Shanghai. Once the private retreats of families living in Suzhou, the gardens that survived the cities whirlwind modernization -- several of them making up a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Classical Gardens of Suzhou -- are now the city’s primary tourist attractions. While the city’s earliest gardens date back to the sixth century BC, their popularity reached its peak between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, when some 200 private gardens dotted the city. If your time in Suzhou is limited, try not to miss the Fisherman’s Net Garden, Lion Grove Garden, Humble Administrator’s Garden and Lingering Garden. Each garden charges a separate entrance fee, and many offer free tours, though often only in Mandarin.

Beijing is a wonderful mixture of the ancient and the modern, the past and the present. If you only have one day, do the essentials. Tiananmen Square dates from 1417 and has witnessed some of the most pivotal moments in China’s history, including the 1989 protests. It’s also the site of Mao’s Mausoleum, a place of pilgrimage for Chinese tourists. The queue for entry looks lengthy, but moves fast and entry is free. Nearby the Forbidden City has over 1,800,000 sq km of gardens, palaces and halls of relics dating back to 1407. Home to 24 emperors over five centuries, the Forbidden City opened to the public in 1924. Then see the other side of Beijing, the hutong, narrow, winding residential streets full of real life and communal-style living. Getting lost in the labyrinth is half the fun. No visit to Beijing is complete without seeing The Great Wall of China. An impressive 6,300 km of engineering miracle, it was built to protect China from the rampaging Mongols.