If you fancy a taste of China and Hong Kong this is a great trip that allows 4 nights in HK and 7 nights in China. This is a nice number of nights although I spent 3 weeks in China and it wasn't enough!! You could easily extend time in each place. You could reduce cost staying in hostels but I've picked ones that are good location wise and I've personally stayed in the Beijing hotel.
On 13th April you'll fly from London to Hong Kong, arriving in Hong Kong on 14th April. You will spend 4 nights in Hong Kong. There is an Abu dance of cheap hotels and hostels in Hong Kong. In the end I picked the Iclub Fortress Hill as it has good reviews and the price is pretty damn good for the hotel. It's also easy to access public transport and seems a good choice.
On 18th April you will fly to Beijing where you will spend 7 nights in this amazing city. I've picked a hotel I've personally stayed in called Michael's House. if you want 5* luxury this isn't for you but I'd you want to be in the middle of the city yet an an authentic place away from the crowds this is it. It's a lovely little place and I preferred it over the 5* hotel we stayed in one night! China is full of surprises, the metro system is far easier than London in my opinion, and cleaner and so easy to use. You can also head to places like Xi'an in around 2 hours on the amazingly fast 200mph bullet trains. Depending on your interests you could also head to Pingyao which is an amazing 'ancient city' and Datong to see the Hanging Monastry, Mount Heng and the budda caves. All are easily done using public transport and overnight trains. It goes without saying a trip to the Great Wall is a must and I can recommend a great company that focuses on hikes to lesser well known areas. There is a great website called China DIY that can help with booking trains in advance if needed. They were able to secure me trains in the Chinese New Year rush and I'd highly recommend them. Happy to give more tips re China if anyone needs them. After 7 nights in Beijing you'll fly direct back to London.
Details:
Flight from London to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Beijing and Beijing back to London @ Travel Up £385
5 nights in Hong Kong at the 4* Iclub Fortress Hill @ Ebookers use code HOTELDEAL
7 nights in Beijing at Michaels House @ Venere use 10% code which can be found on HUKD voucher section AFFQ1F145
Total price per person £656.83
If anyone is interested I did find some good open jaw options too with Cathay Pacific and British Airways for about £360 but you would need to get a one way flight to Dublin.
Thanks for the info.
Since HK returned to PROC in 1997,it would come as no surprise to see PROC having a stake in the company.
The company was founded by the Swire family who went to HK during colonial times.:smiley:
clostridium_botulinum
11 Feb 161#43
Cathay Pacific is owned by:
41.97% - Swire Pacific, a Hong Kong company controlled by John Swire & Sons of the UK;
29.99% - Air China, the flag carrier of the PRC and controlled by the state;
2.98% - CITIC Pacific, a de facto investment arm of the PRC government;
25.05% - public shareholders.
Additionally, Cathay Pacific has a 20.13% interest in Air China.
clostridium_botulinum
11 Feb 161#42
No, you can't.
philmount
10 Feb 16#37
currently in hong Kong. this is not much of a deal. air China is bad. really bad but Hong Kong is great
johnsmith1997 to philmount
10 Feb 16#41
Loads of fisticuffs on Air China apparently.
Source: Youtube. :smile:
Cathay Pacific obviously much better as is British/HK owned.:smiley:
slipstream222
10 Feb 16#40
Those prices are using a broker to submit the application you can do it direct
hot_top
10 Feb 16#39
The China Visa is £151 including fees for 2 years, there are no cheaper options available.
Ireallyhavenoname
10 Feb 16#38
brilliant! thanks :-)
Ireallyhavenoname
10 Feb 16#36
Thanks, much appreciated. I will try that
newbie11
10 Feb 16#35
how does this work - sorry don't understand - do you download an app to find this deal
Ireallyhavenoname
10 Feb 16#33
Did you book the flights open JAW?, as I can't see a deal on the site? multitrip. LDN to HK then HK to Beijing then Beijing to London
I am planing to go to china and would like to stop off in HK but when I try the travel up site, I get quoted £600 for one way.
I am really keen to do this - so I would appreciate some help.
rachelandgromit to Ireallyhavenoname
10 Feb 16#34
Multi-stop
Leg one London to Hong Kong
Leg two Hong Kong to Beijing
Leg three Beijing to London
All legs with Air China
Failing that on leg one substitute London departure for Dublin and you should get fares between £360-£380 with BA and Cathay Pacific but you'll need a one way fare to Dublin (can also return back to London or Manchester).
Just plugged dates into Kayak on multi stop and worked fine.
mattmerch
10 Feb 16#30
Took off from Australia. Landed in China. (from reddit)
paid £100 for my visa last july
splender to mattmerch
10 Feb 16#32
Thanks to China, they now manufacture a lot of things other countries could not, would not make hence produce less pollution at the consumer end e.g. the biggest Apple contributes very little pollution in USA. In the case of Australia they are a main contributor to methane green house gas and they make no computers.
splender
10 Feb 161#31
It is for future reference when you stay 3 or 6 days in the named cities. ( I put in here in response to the general comment that visa is very expensive for some, where the Chinese Embassies have outsourced admin work to a company and the company has expensive office space in the capital with high overhead costs. The Embassy still gets its £60, for example, but another similar amount for outsourcing company/agent. Hence why the total amount of double of what is normally expected.)
rachelandgromit
9 Feb 16#1
johnsmith1997 to rachelandgromit
10 Feb 161#29
The app is showing Peking.
Peking got changed to Beijing long time ago!! :smile:
wiggywig
9 Feb 1615#10
rachelandgromit to wiggywig
9 Feb 161#12
That was the first one I saw that I think he did wasn't it, made me laugh more than the others.... It really is a great wall though, nothing like the M6
Would have been better as 6 nights in Hong Kong and 5 nights in Beijing.
andy5and
10 Feb 16#25
Cracking deal .
Can't go though don't fancy jail for using my e-cig.
clostridium_botulinum
10 Feb 16#24
It's possible to apply for a next-day tourist visa whilst in Hong Kong, costs around £80 for British Citizens or around £66 if you have an Irish passport. You'll have to apply through an agency which provides a visa processing service, the most popular one being China Travel Service which has branches dotted around the city.
The downside of applying for a visa whilst in Hong Kong is that, China being China, government policy can (and does) change without notice and you run the risk of having your application rejected.
splender
10 Feb 16#22
Probably you went to the consulate direct which is still £60 but for Londoners it is not possible to go to Embassy direct, so one pays the embassy £60 and then another £66 for the outsourced company (visa centre) https://www.visaforchina.org/LON_EN/upload/Attach/mrbj/289577.pdf
utdmorgan
9 Feb 16#21
Like others I'd say 7 days in Beijing is probably too long, do 3 and travel. We did 17 days all in 2014. Into Beijing, luoyang, xi'an, Chengdu, guilin, Yangzhou, and on to HK.
We had no pollution issues in most places. Luoyang was bad the morning we left, and xi'an was terrible when we drove near the power plant. This was August 2014.
Xi'an is more like 6 hours though I think. 2 to luoyang and another 4 to xi'an. It's over 700 miles, so doesn't take 2h.
Did hit some bad rain tho at times.
rachelandgromit
9 Feb 16#20
I know! I double checked my passport and I did mine in person at Manchester and it was just over £60 - that wasn't even a year ago....
Absolutely, that's what we did - Beijing first, Xi'an, Pingyao and Datong and returning to Beijing then a couple of nights overnight in Gubeko and Jinshaling area od the wall (I know that's the wrong spelling)!
You can adjust the trip and fiddle with flights and it's easy to extend it.
Weapon
9 Feb 161#11
Went to Hong Kong in June/July of last year, absolutely no sign of any pollution issues, I thought that was just mainland China.
A great part of the world that I would love to see more of, I don't think the time spent over there in this journey is worth it for the flying time, it would be well worth extending to 2 weeks as a minimum imo. You can get most of the main things done in HK in 5 days I'd say.
rachelandgromit to Weapon
9 Feb 16#14
I'd extend time in China too and head out of Beijing. I'd love to return and do Sichaun, Chengdu and Zhanjiajie.
kiwiflash
9 Feb 16#13
I lived in Beijing for 2 years, when the sky was clear it was amazing but the pollution was present (visible) a lot of the time and was the main reason for leaving.
I saying that I would still recommend it as a great tourist destination, 7 days in China doesn't feel enough though, too long for just Beijing but a bit rushed if you were to travel outside of it (overnight train to Ping Yao and then another to Xian is a great trip).
Hong Kong is great but 3 days was perfect for me, even made a half day trip to Macau. I would move 2 days to China if possible and see more there.
Also, if you want to visit the great wall avoid Badaling, it's the closest part to Beijing so gets the most crowded by far. I went to Mutianyu a few times which is a bit further out but if you got there early-ish (9-10am) then there weren't many people (at least it was like that a few years ago).
doublekite1
9 Feb 16#9
Hong Kong not usually a problem unless you stay in the city area....you need to go out to the islands and New Territories. Beijing is a different kettle of fish of course.
rachelandgromit
9 Feb 16#8
My friend went in December when they were on red warnings and her pictures were completely obscured by the amount of smog so I guess it's just luck.....
heada
9 Feb 16#7
It was hot, humid and muggy when I went - so I suppose that partially explains the pollution problems when I was there. The people I met were very nice and the culture/history fascinating - but i just couldnt wait to get away from there due to the climatic conditions. I Just wanted to warn people who might suffer worse than I in those conditions.
rachelandgromit
9 Feb 162#6
In three weeks we never had any problems and my partner is a bad asthmatic! It was February though and we had snow at one point and I don't know if the general dry but cold weather we had helped. China is an amazing country although I did struggle with food but once I'd got someone to write the word tofu I was fine.
heada
9 Feb 162#5
If you fancy a taste of China and Hong Kong
By that I presume they mean literally. Ive been to both of these places and the air pollution, even on a 'good' day is horrific. Dont even consider it if you have respiratory problems. I dont, but after 5 days I was desperate to get out of there.
snow18
9 Feb 16#2
Could you mention which carrier flies to Hong Kong from UK, and the one from HK to Beijing in your deal?
My partner always wanted to visit Beijing. If we could get time off together, we might be tempted to go.
Reooow to snow18
9 Feb 162#3
Don't forget the Chinese visa's into your costings
rachelandgromit to snow18
9 Feb 16#4
Sorry it's Air China for all flights. There are some open jaw BA or Cathay Pacific options for similar price but you need a one way flight to Dublin adding on. Air China is fine I flew with them this year just make sure you take your own in flight entertainment as theirs is rubbish!
Visas needed for China which you can do by post or in person. Mine was done in person at Manchester (nr train station) And it was £60.
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Opening post
On 13th April you'll fly from London to Hong Kong, arriving in Hong Kong on 14th April. You will spend 4 nights in Hong Kong. There is an Abu dance of cheap hotels and hostels in Hong Kong. In the end I picked the Iclub Fortress Hill as it has good reviews and the price is pretty damn good for the hotel. It's also easy to access public transport and seems a good choice.
On 18th April you will fly to Beijing where you will spend 7 nights in this amazing city. I've picked a hotel I've personally stayed in called Michael's House. if you want 5* luxury this isn't for you but I'd you want to be in the middle of the city yet an an authentic place away from the crowds this is it. It's a lovely little place and I preferred it over the 5* hotel we stayed in one night! China is full of surprises, the metro system is far easier than London in my opinion, and cleaner and so easy to use. You can also head to places like Xi'an in around 2 hours on the amazingly fast 200mph bullet trains. Depending on your interests you could also head to Pingyao which is an amazing 'ancient city' and Datong to see the Hanging Monastry, Mount Heng and the budda caves. All are easily done using public transport and overnight trains. It goes without saying a trip to the Great Wall is a must and I can recommend a great company that focuses on hikes to lesser well known areas. There is a great website called China DIY that can help with booking trains in advance if needed. They were able to secure me trains in the Chinese New Year rush and I'd highly recommend them. Happy to give more tips re China if anyone needs them. After 7 nights in Beijing you'll fly direct back to London.
Details:
Flight from London to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Beijing and Beijing back to London @ Travel Up £385
5 nights in Hong Kong at the 4* Iclub Fortress Hill @ Ebookers use code HOTELDEAL
7 nights in Beijing at Michaels House @ Venere use 10% code which can be found on HUKD voucher section AFFQ1F145
Total price per person £656.83
If anyone is interested I did find some good open jaw options too with Cathay Pacific and British Airways for about £360 but you would need to get a one way flight to Dublin.
Top comments
Latest comments (45)
Wow those have shot up
Since HK returned to PROC in 1997,it would come as no surprise to see PROC having a stake in the company.
The company was founded by the Swire family who went to HK during colonial times.:smiley:
41.97% - Swire Pacific, a Hong Kong company controlled by John Swire & Sons of the UK;
29.99% - Air China, the flag carrier of the PRC and controlled by the state;
2.98% - CITIC Pacific, a de facto investment arm of the PRC government;
25.05% - public shareholders.
Additionally, Cathay Pacific has a 20.13% interest in Air China.
Source: Youtube. :smile:
Cathay Pacific obviously much better as is British/HK owned.:smiley:
I am planing to go to china and would like to stop off in HK but when I try the travel up site, I get quoted £600 for one way.
I am really keen to do this - so I would appreciate some help.
Leg one London to Hong Kong
Leg two Hong Kong to Beijing
Leg three Beijing to London
All legs with Air China
Failing that on leg one substitute London departure for Dublin and you should get fares between £360-£380 with BA and Cathay Pacific but you'll need a one way fare to Dublin (can also return back to London or Manchester).
Just plugged dates into Kayak on multi stop and worked fine.
paid £100 for my visa last july
Peking got changed to Beijing long time ago!! :smile:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/free-72hour/
Can't go though don't fancy jail for using my e-cig.
The downside of applying for a visa whilst in Hong Kong is that, China being China, government policy can (and does) change without notice and you run the risk of having your application rejected.
We had no pollution issues in most places. Luoyang was bad the morning we left, and xi'an was terrible when we drove near the power plant. This was August 2014.
Xi'an is more like 6 hours though I think. 2 to luoyang and another 4 to xi'an. It's over 700 miles, so doesn't take 2h.
Did hit some bad rain tho at times.
You can adjust the trip and fiddle with flights and it's easy to extend it.
A great part of the world that I would love to see more of, I don't think the time spent over there in this journey is worth it for the flying time, it would be well worth extending to 2 weeks as a minimum imo. You can get most of the main things done in HK in 5 days I'd say.
I saying that I would still recommend it as a great tourist destination, 7 days in China doesn't feel enough though, too long for just Beijing but a bit rushed if you were to travel outside of it (overnight train to Ping Yao and then another to Xian is a great trip).
Hong Kong is great but 3 days was perfect for me, even made a half day trip to Macau. I would move 2 days to China if possible and see more there.
Also, if you want to visit the great wall avoid Badaling, it's the closest part to Beijing so gets the most crowded by far. I went to Mutianyu a few times which is a bit further out but if you got there early-ish (9-10am) then there weren't many people (at least it was like that a few years ago).
By that I presume they mean literally. Ive been to both of these places and the air pollution, even on a 'good' day is horrific. Dont even consider it if you have respiratory problems. I dont, but after 5 days I was desperate to get out of there.
My partner always wanted to visit Beijing. If we could get time off together, we might be tempted to go.
Visas needed for China which you can do by post or in person. Mine was done in person at Manchester (nr train station) And it was £60.