Beijing – Xi’an – Luoyang – Zhangjiajie – Shanghai – Beijing
We hired Asian Roads to organize our trip to China from February 14 to 26, 2024.
This was a family trip. With our two sons, aged 17 and 10, we joined our eldest daughter, 19, who was in China for a year for her higher education.
Our advisor, Serge, was able to answer all our questions about this trip. After an initial proposal from Asian Roads, all our requests were taken into account, as well as our constraints. This allowed us to plan a family trip that suited our schedule and preferences.
So we visited BEIJING (The Temple of Heaven, The Forbidden City, The Great Wall of China, The Ming Tombs, The Summer Palace, Tian’Anmen Square, The Confucius Temple), XI’An (The Terracotta Army, The City Walls with the Lunar New Year lanterns (Year of the Dragon), The Wild Goose Pagoda, The LONGMEN Grottoes), ZHANGJIAJIE (The Natural Park and Tianmen Mountain) and Shanghai (Yu Garden, The Bund, Nanjing Road, The Tianzifang district). For some sites, it was our advisor Serge who booked the entrance tickets for us, which was very convenient. In ZHANGJIAJIE, we had a very very good guide. We are delighted with the choice of this guide. We were also able to discover many other places at our convenience and according to our desires.
In each city, we had a French-speaking correspondent whom we could contact via WeChat if necessary. They were all very responsive and friendly. We are very satisfied.
The journey from one city to the other went smoothly (thanks in part to our daughter’s familiarity with Chinese transportation). We traveled by train, and a taxi driver was waiting for us at the station to drop us off at the hotel. We encountered no difficulties with the arrangements. However, night trains are rather sparse, and the hygiene of the berths and bathrooms sometimes leaves something to be desired. But for those on a budget, it’s perfectly acceptable.
We were always very well taken care of. The hotels were of good quality and corresponded to what Serge had suggested.
Regarding payments, we used Alipay with our European bank card. We had no problems paying for small, everyday items like transportation and restaurants. However, Alipay charged transaction fees for amounts over a certain amount (around €80 or €90).
And for larger amounts (from around 150 euros), our payment was refused. One time, the merchant had a bank terminal that accepted international VISA bank cards, but it still didn’t work. We had to withdraw money, which we deposited into our daughter’s Chinese bank account, which credited our Alipay. For the other store that also had an international VISA bank terminal, our payment was accepted with our bank card. We also made a few payments with WeChat Pay, in which we had registered our French bank card, and it worked fine.
Regarding subway and bus tickets, we had no problems with Alipay. We found it very convenient.
Finally, we were amazed by all the sites Serge suggested for our trip. Despite the cold and sometimes rain, we discovered the richness of Chinese culture and iconic sites. We arrived at a time when the Chinese were on vacation. It was particularly busy, so if you don’t like crowds, avoid traveling during this time.
In China, we encountered very few English speakers. This is an important factor when traveling in this country. Our communication was made easier by our daughter, who speaks a little Chinese (not yet fluently, but enough to make herself understood).
One small note, however: an online roadbook with various links accessible online and by day would be very useful. Perhaps this will be implemented soon.
We are very satisfied with the trip that Serge offered us, and will not hesitate to use Asian Roads again for a future trip to China or Asia.
Muriel and Laurent OGER from Nantes (FRANCE)