There are some great open jaw flights with Air China, and I’ve put together a great trip that allows you to see Hong Kong and China. The journey starts in Stockholm where you will fly to Hong Kong (short change in Beijing) and then return Hong Kong to Beijing, where you don’t need a Visa for 72 hours, this allows you a few days in Beijing before your flight back to London. Included in this price is a one way journey from London to Stockholm, however you have the ideal chance to do this trip a few days before and have a couple of nights in Stockholm - see the Stockholm yacht deal for some inspiration.
Example below:
13th March
Fly from UK to Stockholm, then on to Hong Kong, arriving in Hong Kong on 14th March. 6 Nights in the No1 Tripadvisor rated Yesinn - Causeway Bay which is in a great location in Hong Kong. You are in a private room for 2 with private bathroom. There are plenty of accommodation choices, cheaper and more expensive so you can adjust accordingly.
20th March-23rd March
Fly with Air China from Hong Kong to Beijing for 3 Nights in Beijing at the No20 Tripadvisor rated Michael’s House. In Beijing it is so easy to get about using the metro system, and again, lots of hotel choices. If you want longer in China, you can adjust flights accordingly but remember a visa! I did this in Manchester and the process is easy enough, but they scrutinized our itinerary and travel plans. If you want any specific advice, I can try and help as I was there for 3 weeks in February for Chinese New Year (bonkers)!
Breakdown:
London – Stockholm Arlanda £98/£49pp @ Norwegian Air
Long Haul Flights £208.55pp/£417.10 @ Edreams
6 Nights in Hong Kong £297 @ booking.com (4% TCB)
3 Nights in Beijing £123.75 @ Agoda (6% TCB)
Total £935.85/£467.92pp
I’ve not included transfers for either Hong Kong or Beijing, the public transport system in Beijing is amazing and taxis cheap. I can’t comment for Hong Kong, but again, public transport should be easy and cheap enough to get you from the airport.
This is my deal and itinerary and not to be copied by any thieving pirates looking to replicate similar deals... you had your chance and lost me!
Top comments
Weapon
21 Oct 154#26
This is a pic I took from the view at night at Victoria Peak (apologies for poor quality phone camera):
Stunning views, the pictures really don't do it justice.
cornishscouse to mittromney
21 Oct 153#13
What!!!. Youre the first person ive ever heard say that. I know loads if people who've been to Hong Kong and they all said its an amazing fantastic place to visit. Its one of my top 10 places to go.
All comments (59)
rachelandgromit
21 Oct 15#1
rachelandgromit
21 Oct 151#2
kaylerattigan to rachelandgromit
21 Oct 15#15
Struggling to get this deal. what website did you do it on
Pluun to rachelandgromit
21 Oct 15#28
They don'r believe in straight lines then? :neutral_face:
Sid Harper
21 Oct 15#3
can't comment on the deal as horses for courses but airport express train is cheap and quick in HK, to both Kowloon (mainland) and the island
rachelandgromit to Sid Harper
21 Oct 15#4
Thanks for this info, much appreciated.
doublekite1 to Sid Harper
21 Oct 15#17
For Causeway Bay the CityFlyer express double deck coaches to and from the airport are a bargain and get closer to the hotels than the train.
joyf4536 to Sid Harper
21 Oct 15#21
Buy a Octopus Card (like Oyster in London) in airport and BUS to Kowloon MUCH cheaper. Goes right down Nathan road. (Past Chung King!!!)
chineseJohn to Sid Harper
22 Oct 15#43
nah the bus cheaper
endothecat
21 Oct 15#5
And metered taxis are extremely cheap. Think 5 times cheaper than London.
Cipango
21 Oct 15#6
Excellent deal! As Hostels go Yesinn is very nice in HK and location is great. You're putting this open jaw flight to great use, good work!
mittromney
21 Oct 15#7
HK is boring.
rachelandgromit to mittromney
21 Oct 151#8
I can't say, I've never been but would like to. You could always use the train to explore.
There is plenty of open jaw options for a little more.
cornishscouse to mittromney
21 Oct 153#13
What!!!. Youre the first person ive ever heard say that. I know loads if people who've been to Hong Kong and they all said its an amazing fantastic place to visit. Its one of my top 10 places to go.
dtovey89 to mittromney
21 Oct 15#33
Not a chance.
So much to do and see. The food is unbelievably good and almost everyone speaks English as a second language.
It really is where the East meets the West.
There is a major difference between Hong Kongers and the mainland Chinese. Manners being a big difference. Watch the mainlanders on the MTR with their illegal bulk buying and you'll see what I mean.
bhunterno1
21 Oct 15#9
Thanks
jemilyboo
21 Oct 15#10
Beware edreams have hidden charges which you only become aware of when they charge your card
rachelandgromit to jemilyboo
21 Oct 15#12
I've used them in the past and it's been OK, but I think Opodo were the next cheapest about £222 or £249 with Air China direct.
ferrarian
21 Oct 15#11
Hot for HK. But BJ is a dodgy place.
rachelandgromit to ferrarian
21 Oct 152#14
Well I can honestly say in February me and a female friend traveled round China for 3 weeks and both commented that we felt the safest we have every done in any place we have visited. Infact, as our flight were open jaw we returned to Copenhagen and I felt more unsafe in Copenhagen than I did in China. The only irritation was that people kept taking photos of us and it got annoying!
Candystore to ferrarian
21 Oct 15#19
Is there any city in the world that doesn't have dodgy parts?
Lilyl to ferrarian
21 Oct 151#24
doggy. Do you even have a passport love?
sparklehedgehog to ferrarian
22 Oct 15#42
Not if you wanna get an unexpected handful!
mattmerch
21 Oct 15#16
agreed spent a week in beijing very safe place
no scams apart from unmetered taxis
went to a great restaurant and they refused to take a tip
rachelandgromit
21 Oct 15#18
If you are struggling with the flights on Kayak do a multi-flight search:
Stockholm - Hong Kong
Hong Kong - Beijing
Beijing - London
You should get it then. Various dates work through until end March.
rachelandgromit
21 Oct 15#20
Siji Minfu do amazing crispy duck, a must eat IMO. We used taxis to and from the airport, all metered and no problem. The only time we got a little ripped off was in Xi'an where the 'metered' taxi was rigged and it worked out about £5 more than the going rate and we did make it clear we knew what the price should be..... needless to say we used the bus after that which was cheaper and easier.
We had some memorable and funny moments, one was in a small hutong take-away where it was like charades with about 40 Chinese people as we clucked like chickens and pointed to pictures.
bailey87
21 Oct 151#22
Is the panda priced in?
pbyron1
21 Oct 15#23
Don't forget to wear your Dalai Lama T-shirts. The Chinese will love it.
Weapon
21 Oct 15#25
Is this actually that good of a price? I paid roughly £750 (albeit after £40 cashback) to go to HK from Manchester for 10 days at the end of June this year. No faffing around going to different places like this post, just the usual stopover at Dubai. Maybe I just unintentionally got a good deal for my holiday, idk?
Anyway... it was a great place to visit but for me, I think it would be better to fit 5 days or so to HK into a longer journey traveling around that part of the world. The flights were very tiring so if you're like me and unable to sleep on planes, I would pass, especially with this being such a short trip.
Definitely somewhere to tick off your bucket list though. Haven't been to mainland China so I can't comment on that but as somebody on the first page said about Beijing, I felt safer over there than anywhere else that I've visited. Even walking back to the hotel early hours after a few beers, the place was still very lively and full of people, didn't see any trouble at all.
Weapon
21 Oct 154#26
This is a pic I took from the view at night at Victoria Peak (apologies for poor quality phone camera):
Stunning views, the pictures really don't do it justice.
rachelandgromit
21 Oct 15#27
You can adjust the flights to spend longer or shorter in Hong Kong/China. I wouldn't say the flights are that much faffing about, it's only the UK-Stockholm leg that is any extra really. I guess it depends on whether you see stopping in Stockholm as a bonus or chore.
When I went I did Lapland>Stockholm>China>Copenhagen in February. The flights were a similar price with SAS but I was happy to visit Stockholm and Copenhagen as I'd never been to them. The flights in this deal work out at £208.55 plus £50 to get from UK to Stockholm (less if you have say SAS Eurobonus/Avios to spend).
patrick_000
21 Oct 15#29
I loved visiting both Beijing and Hong Kong. sounds like a good value holiday .. Both cities are easy to navigate with underground rail signs in English. HK island has plenty of U.K. chains like Pizza express if you're home sick, though the Chinese restaurants in Kowloon (10 min/20p ferry ride) are much better and far cheaper. I'm going back to HK in January on the way to New Zealand.
Does this holiday include visas for Beijing as that can be expensive if you're there for longer than a transit visa allows?
rachelandgromit to patrick_000
21 Oct 15#32
No, visa not included, you need to do this in person/post - in person is Cheaper. The office is near to the train station in Chinatown area, as I recall I think it was about £60, but don't quote me. The first time we had to take passport photos, the completed form, passports, along with our itinerary and all copies of hotel bookings/flights and then we picked up our passports a week later.
rachelandgromit
21 Oct 15#30
Haha, it's amazing to see, this was the original unrestored wall, not the touristy place. We went to different parts of the wall on two different occasions, the first time it was snowing, that was beautiful. Both times we saw no other people, eerie quiet...
webbber
21 Oct 15#31
I've just booked Bangkok/Beijing as I've already been to Hong Kong. Thanks for this great deal.
CDR
22 Oct 15#34
Its 1am and i'm tired.. but have you missed out the cost of flight from Hong Kong to Beijing?
Edit, Just seen in your example picture that its incorporated into the cost of the flights.
I can't get close to £208 return for flight from Stockholm to Beijing, Beijing to HK, HK to Beijing and then back to Heathrow. The flight from Stockholm to Beijing is £180 one-way,
Are you the new sunshine Stacey :confused: ?
You might even be her :disappointed:
rachelandgromit
22 Oct 15#45
Who?
SLIM_JIM
22 Oct 15#46
:man:
rachelandgromit
22 Oct 15#47
No Stacey has her own blog now she no longer works for Holiday Pirates and I don't think she posts here.
Sid Harper
22 Oct 15#48
Er, what's the "nah" about. If you want a bus, you get a bus. I wasn't posting about a bus. As I say, the train is cheap and quick. I didn't say it was the cheapest way.
mobilez
23 Oct 151#49
China visa Info
Up to 72 hours in Beijing - no visa required for most passports
Details, and a list of accepted passport countries is on Beijing aiport's website HERE
The 72 hour visa exemption is also available in Shanghai and Guangzhou - details HERE
More than 72 hours in China, you need to apply for a visa
- the cheapest single entry visa is £96 (or £120 if applying by post)
- list of fees and a breakdown of the inflated charges click HERE
The official UK website for visas for China is www.visaforchina.org
- there are visa offices in Manchester, London and Edinburgh (or apply by post)
Hong Kong Airport Transfers
The train station is in the airport - a few minutes walk from arrivals
The trains are fast, clean, reliable and easy to access with luggage
Example one way fares on the "Airport Express":
[10% off if you buy a return]
Hong Kong Island - HK$100 (£8.40)
Kowloon - HK$90 (£7.50)
Official site HERE
Similar journey from the airport in a taxi:
Hong Kong Island - HK$300-350 (£25-30)
Kowloon Bay - HK$230-260 (£19-22)
Taxi fares in Hong Kong are metered. Urban taxi rates for short journeys are:
First 2km - HK$22 (£1.85), then HK$8 per km (£0.67)
(equivalent to £1.85 for the first 1.25 miles and then £1.07 per mile)
jemilyboo
23 Oct 15#50
They charged me an extra £30 for airline tickets which was added only when they charged my card. There was no indication of it before. Have a look at reviews online, they do it a lot.
buglawton
24 Oct 15#51
The linked to info about the 72 hour stay in Beijing is vague. What does 'Beijing' mean, where are the city limits? Must you travel around with organised tour, can you stay in non-airport hotels? (All Beijing hotels will ask to see your visa..)
Yes... you get a "Temporary Entry Permit" in your passport - equivalent to a visa for hotel purposes
rachelandgromit
24 Oct 15#54
Before booking this deal do check the visa information on the links above with your flight routing. Post on TripAdvisor or make further enquiries with the embassy regarding the 72 hour rule to ensure you don't have problems when you get to Beijing.
buglawton
26 Oct 15#55
The Tripadvisor link above gives good info. It seems that you'll need to stay in Beijing in a standard hotel that will validate the 72 hour visa usage. This might rule out staying with friends/relatives or using Airbnb.
jumpinoffthbed
10 Nov 15#56
could have sworn I paid about 50 quid for an express 30 day visa in Calcutta this year?
mobilez
10 Nov 152#57
Visa applications, like so many things, seem to be excessively expensive in the UK :disappointed::disappointed::disappointed:
It's often cheaper (and sometimes quicker) to apply for a visa from outside the UK
Examples for a single trip Chinese visa for a UK citizen...
1) apply in UK: visa £30 plus an application fee of £66 (standard) or £78 (express) - cheapest option £96
2) apply in Turkey: visa £20 plus an application fee of £30 (standard) or £46 (express) - cheapest option £50
3) apply in Netherlands: visa £24 plus an application fee of £39 (standard) or £53 (express) - cheapest option £63
4) apply in India: visa £27 plus an application fee of £11 (standard) or £12.50 (express) - cheapest option £38
5) apply in Hong Kong: visa £31 plus an application fee of nothing (standard) or £26 ("rush") - cheapest option £31
There are official Chinese visa application service centres in:
United Kingdom - Manchester, London, Edinburgh
Australia - Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth
Belgium - Brussels
Canada - Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa
Denmark - Copenhagen
France - Paris, Marseille
Germany - Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich
India - New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata
Indonesia - Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan
Italy - Rome, Milan
Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur, Kuching
Netherlands - The Hague
Singapore
South Africa - Johannesberg
South Korea - Seoul, Busan, Gwangju
Spain - Madrid
Sweden - Gothenberg, Stockholm
Thailand - Bangkok
Turkey - Istanbul
imnicebuttdim
10 Nov 15#58
Wait till mid January for a Cathay sale like last year, can get a direct flight from man or Lhr to hug for just over 300 none of this messing about going via somewhere else
Pluun
11 Nov 15#59
I didn't get where I am today by going somewhere else. :man:
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
Example below:
13th March
Fly from UK to Stockholm, then on to Hong Kong, arriving in Hong Kong on 14th March. 6 Nights in the No1 Tripadvisor rated Yesinn - Causeway Bay which is in a great location in Hong Kong. You are in a private room for 2 with private bathroom. There are plenty of accommodation choices, cheaper and more expensive so you can adjust accordingly.
20th March-23rd March
Fly with Air China from Hong Kong to Beijing for 3 Nights in Beijing at the No20 Tripadvisor rated Michael’s House. In Beijing it is so easy to get about using the metro system, and again, lots of hotel choices. If you want longer in China, you can adjust flights accordingly but remember a visa! I did this in Manchester and the process is easy enough, but they scrutinized our itinerary and travel plans. If you want any specific advice, I can try and help as I was there for 3 weeks in February for Chinese New Year (bonkers)!
Breakdown:
London – Stockholm Arlanda £98/£49pp @ Norwegian Air
Long Haul Flights £208.55pp/£417.10 @ Edreams
6 Nights in Hong Kong £297 @ booking.com (4% TCB)
3 Nights in Beijing £123.75 @ Agoda (6% TCB)
Total £935.85/£467.92pp
I’ve not included transfers for either Hong Kong or Beijing, the public transport system in Beijing is amazing and taxis cheap. I can’t comment for Hong Kong, but again, public transport should be easy and cheap enough to get you from the airport.
This is my deal and itinerary and not to be copied by any thieving pirates looking to replicate similar deals... you had your chance and lost me!
Top comments
Stunning views, the pictures really don't do it justice.
All comments (59)
There is plenty of open jaw options for a little more.
So much to do and see. The food is unbelievably good and almost everyone speaks English as a second language.
It really is where the East meets the West.
There is a major difference between Hong Kongers and the mainland Chinese. Manners being a big difference. Watch the mainlanders on the MTR with their illegal bulk buying and you'll see what I mean.
no scams apart from unmetered taxis
went to a great restaurant and they refused to take a tip
Stockholm - Hong Kong
Hong Kong - Beijing
Beijing - London
You should get it then. Various dates work through until end March.
We had some memorable and funny moments, one was in a small hutong take-away where it was like charades with about 40 Chinese people as we clucked like chickens and pointed to pictures.
Anyway... it was a great place to visit but for me, I think it would be better to fit 5 days or so to HK into a longer journey traveling around that part of the world. The flights were very tiring so if you're like me and unable to sleep on planes, I would pass, especially with this being such a short trip.
Definitely somewhere to tick off your bucket list though. Haven't been to mainland China so I can't comment on that but as somebody on the first page said about Beijing, I felt safer over there than anywhere else that I've visited. Even walking back to the hotel early hours after a few beers, the place was still very lively and full of people, didn't see any trouble at all.
Stunning views, the pictures really don't do it justice.
When I went I did Lapland>Stockholm>China>Copenhagen in February. The flights were a similar price with SAS but I was happy to visit Stockholm and Copenhagen as I'd never been to them. The flights in this deal work out at £208.55 plus £50 to get from UK to Stockholm (less if you have say SAS Eurobonus/Avios to spend).
Does this holiday include visas for Beijing as that can be expensive if you're there for longer than a transit visa allows?
Edit, Just seen in your example picture that its incorporated into the cost of the flights.
I can't get close to £208 return for flight from Stockholm to Beijing, Beijing to HK, HK to Beijing and then back to Heathrow. The flight from Stockholm to Beijing is £180 one-way,
£248 is the best it found:
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/manchester-fukuoka-japan-285-crystal-travel-2266378
You might even be her :disappointed:
Up to 72 hours in Beijing - no visa required for most passports
Details, and a list of accepted passport countries is on Beijing aiport's website HERE
The 72 hour visa exemption is also available in Shanghai and Guangzhou - details HERE
More than 72 hours in China, you need to apply for a visa
- the cheapest single entry visa is £96 (or £120 if applying by post)
- list of fees and a breakdown of the inflated charges click HERE
The official UK website for visas for China is www.visaforchina.org
- there are visa offices in Manchester, London and Edinburgh (or apply by post)
Hong Kong Airport Transfers
The train station is in the airport - a few minutes walk from arrivals
The trains are fast, clean, reliable and easy to access with luggage
Example one way fares on the "Airport Express":
[10% off if you buy a return]
Hong Kong Island - HK$100 (£8.40)
Kowloon - HK$90 (£7.50)
Official site HERE
Similar journey from the airport in a taxi:
Hong Kong Island - HK$300-350 (£25-30)
Kowloon Bay - HK$230-260 (£19-22)
Taxi fares in Hong Kong are metered. Urban taxi rates for short journeys are:
First 2km - HK$22 (£1.85), then HK$8 per km (£0.67)
(equivalent to £1.85 for the first 1.25 miles and then £1.07 per mile)
As always double check info.
You may travel as you please
Yes... you get a "Temporary Entry Permit" in your passport - equivalent to a visa for hotel purposes
It's often cheaper (and sometimes quicker) to apply for a visa from outside the UK
Examples for a single trip Chinese visa for a UK citizen...
1) apply in UK: visa £30 plus an application fee of £66 (standard) or £78 (express)
- cheapest option £96
2) apply in Turkey: visa £20 plus an application fee of £30 (standard) or £46 (express)
- cheapest option £50
3) apply in Netherlands: visa £24 plus an application fee of £39 (standard) or £53 (express)
- cheapest option £63
4) apply in India: visa £27 plus an application fee of £11 (standard) or £12.50 (express)
- cheapest option £38
5) apply in Hong Kong: visa £31 plus an application fee of nothing (standard) or £26 ("rush")
- cheapest option £31
Official links:
Applications from Hong Kong - www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/zgqz/bgfwxx/
Applications from another country - www.visaforchina.org
There are official Chinese visa application service centres in:
United Kingdom - Manchester, London, Edinburgh
Australia - Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth
Belgium - Brussels
Canada - Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa
Denmark - Copenhagen
France - Paris, Marseille
Germany - Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich
India - New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata
Indonesia - Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan
Italy - Rome, Milan
Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur, Kuching
Netherlands - The Hague
Singapore
South Africa - Johannesberg
South Korea - Seoul, Busan, Gwangju
Spain - Madrid
Sweden - Gothenberg, Stockholm
Thailand - Bangkok
Turkey - Istanbul