Beijing vs Shanghai

[PigDogg]

Friend of mine is booking s freqeunt flyer ticket from the USA to Thailand and on the way home was thinking of stopping off in China for a couple of says.

Would u recommend Shanghi or Beijing?

Girls/ladyboys not a consideration as he will have had three months in Thailand.

[ezflip]

My first trip back to LOS in years happened almost the same way that you described.

I have friends in Shanghai but did the brief stop in Beijing as well. A good stop to cross off the list of cities to visit in ones lifetime (unless you have business there). Beijing has less to offer then Shanghai IMHO. Shanghai has more of an international travelers vibe to it. And getting out to the country side is very easy to do from Shanghai.

Montreal to Shanghai then transfer direct to BKK - return was BKK to Beijing, 4 days later Beijing to Shanghai then return to Montreal a week later

I booked a regular flight from Canada to Shanghai return and booked Shanghai to BKK with CTrip.com as I found that they had the cheapest tickets on offer. Got a business class (Shanghai-BKK) for about the price of a regular economy fare through expedia, orbitz and such.

[Steff]

I completely concur with ezflip. Shanghai is a better experience over Beijing. Then again it will depend on what your friend is looking for and interested in.

[thegame925]

IMHO Shanghai beats Beijing anytime for architecture, restaurants, people, etc.

It is a great city to walk around and to see the future now.

[PigDogg]

Thanks forthe input guys. Looks like Shanghi wins.

One more question, going over he may have to stay overnight in one of these places. Is there an airport hotel where the $140 visa fee would be avoided?

Is there any kind of overnight free visa where my buddy could get outside the airport?

[rxpharm]

How long is your friend going to stay in China on the return leg? If he is there for a while, he could check out both Beijing and Shanghai. I would also give the nod to Shanghai, but if he has enough time, why not visit both? Who knows when he might be in that part of the world again?

[ezflip]

If my memory is working properly    he will need a visa to get out of the Shanghai airport to the hotel next door. There are 2 hotels, one cheaper then the other. I've spent 1 night in the expensive one 90$, very nice place.

Besides which, he should spring for the multi exit visa anyways. Just in case he wishes to go someplace else.

[PigDogg]

He is only permitted one stopover of more than 24 hours.

From looking at visa regs, it seems he can "apply" for a multiple entrance but only good for 90 days which may or may not be granted.

But to apply he needs a flight confirmed.

The alternative would be to stay in Shanghi on the way over and in late March jsut go directly home when it is easier to maneuver with flights than between Christmas and New Years.

RX, by visiting both at the end I suppose that would be an open jaw which I supppose is permitted as long as their isn't another stopover of more than 24 hours. Good idea!

[rxpharm]

PD, not necessarily an open jaw - he can buy a cheap domestic return ticket from Shanghai to Beijing, and then carry on when he needs to board for the return portion home from Shanghai.

[Crackerjax]

Well I am weighing in here a bit late and with many votes already having been cast, but I would say that Shanghai is worth a look for a day or two to see shiny new buildings and some restored colonialist bits, but Beijing is where you want to go if you are a tourist interested in getting an understanding of what makes China tick.  

Many who compare Beijing and Shanghai draw parallels between DC and NY. That's a good start - the city of government and politics vs the city of commerce and business - but only on the surface.  In reality Beijing is more like DC, LA, and Detroit combined.  Not only has it been the center of Chinese political life for nearly 1000 years, it is also the unquestioned modern day center for the arts, higher education, music, and film making.  And it has a gritty, down to earth, hip vibe when one starts to poke around in the ancient alleyways and hutongs downtown.

Obviously all those years as the center of power and influence has blessed Beijing with an incredible array of historical sites and architectural treasures far more spectacular than anything you'll ever find in Shanghai.  But beyond that, if your friend enjoys the outdoors - hiking, biking, motorcycling, etc., Beijing's surrounding mountains and countryside blow away the flat expanses of industrial parks and factory complexes that extend 100 miles from Shanghai in every direction.  

And other than the fact that the Shanghai TS's are better than the Beijing TS's (and I purposely use the term TS as opposed to ladyboy when discussing the Chinese variant ), the people in Beijing are infinitely more interesting than their Shanghai counterparts.  

Don't get me wrong, I love Shanghai in small doses, but if your friend is looking for an interesting CHINA TRAVEL experience one has to start in Beijing.