We visited 3 major cities in China; Beijing, Xi'An & Shanghai.
Beijing
- We started with a direct flight to Beijing and we were picked up from the airport and brought to our hotel Beijing Novotel Peace Hotel. The next morning we started our tour of Tiananmen Square and then the Forbidden City where the feudal emperor worked and lived around 600 years ago. Then we drive to Hutong to learn about the daily life of the common people.
- Next day we drove two hours to visit the magnificent Great Wall (Mutianyu section) where we got a cable car up to the wall and a slide down! It really is amazing, the views and how it was constructed.
- The Great Wall was something we were fascinated about so we visited a different part of the wall at Juyongguan. There is a steep but enjoyable climb to the highest point so needless to say we headed upwards all while tracking on my Strava. In the afternoon we visited the Summer Palace and took a boat ride around it.
- On the way home we were able to take a pit stop to see the 'Birds Nest' stadium that held the 2008 Olympics.
- We went to a famous Duck Restaurant where we got to order a whole duck and the chef comes out to your table to cut it.
Xi'An
- We took a high speed train from Beijing to Xi'An which took five and a half hours. We then got settle into our new hotel Grand Noble Hotel Xian. It has an unbelievable buffet dinner in the evening I would recommend!
- We drove to the Terracotta Warriors outside Xi'An, which is a legendary army, buried underground over 2,200 years. There is more then 3 sites of where these armies are buried and you can go underneath to visit them. We went at an extremely busy time and it was packed full of tourists. Still all the same, it was great to see it.
- We got a calligraphy lesson and got to write our names and bought a poster with our wedding date on it.
- The next day we headed to the ancient City Walls of Xi'An and we took a tandem bike ride around the top of the wall. Followed after we visited the Great Mosque, Muslim community and the Forest of Stone Steles Museum.
Shanghai
- We flew from Xi'An to Shanghai the next day and stayed in SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund. It has a great little rooftop restaurant and you get a fantastic view of the high rises of the city.
- We took a tour of the sea front to see all the buildings and sky rises of the city. Then we got a tour of Shanghai Tower- the tallest building in China and second tallest to Burj Kalifa in Dubai. The tour reminded me so much of the Burj Kalifa in how it is presented. But amazing views from the top anyway. In the evening we strolled through Yuyan Market which is a bustling bazaar in old town Shanghai. We also took a trip through Yu Garden and the French quarters which reminded me of Dumbo in New York City.
- We strolled about at night time and found that groups of people come to open areas to dance every type of dance you can think of. Shuffling seemed very popular and the older generations danced waltzes. It was a really cool experience!
We had a great time visiting China. You need a tourist visa before you leave which we obtained from the embassy in Ireland. It is a rigorous process so you need to be careful when applying, having photocopies of everything and passport photos. The online website to apply is also tedious and complicated. Just be careful in your application.
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