chengdu or xian

After 4-5 nights in Beijing, we%26#39;re planning on one trip out of town. Which would you recommend- Chengdu or Xian?

Thanks

chengdu or xian

Sorry, your question is too vague and open-ended to answer reasonably.

What are your sightseeing interests/preferences?

How long do you have for this leg of your trip?

chengdu or xian

i suggest you try Xi%26#39;an

and noramlly 3 places are quite necessary for foreigh tourists y\to visit

1) Beijing

the capitial of China

2) Shang Hai

the economical captical of China

3)Xi%26#39;an

the ancient captial of China ( there are 13 dynasties establish the captital there)

if you like, also can try Chen du

the food there is cheap but more delicous

ellyse. I think we might have two days after our time in Beijing. Actually we%26#39;re open to anything close by- or at least comfortably accessible. I don%26#39;t really fancy an over-night train trip. How are the trains in China by the way.

Don%26#39;t know if this is any more specific, but one is feeling vague because one is completely new to China!

Thanks

Any suggestions wil be welcome!

I find the trains an excellent way to travel around China. In fact my 1st choice for inter-destination transport, especially overnight sleepers.

If you%26#39;re not keen to take overnight trains then I suppose you%26#39;ll have to fly.

Are you interested in history? If so, go to Xi%26#39;an.

If you%26#39;re not, Chengdu%26#39;s main draws are perhaps the pandas and its spicy food. And maybe Leshan Buddha for a daytrip.

Thanks ellyse. I am also inclined towards Xian. Can you book tickets in advance on the Internet and print them out?

If you book e-tickets, I assume you%26#39;re talking about flights. You won%26#39;t need to print those out, just show up with your passport -- after you%26#39;ve paid for the tickets of course.

Seriously though, Beijing -- Xi%26#39;an (in both directions) is very easily and comfortably (as well as relatively cheaply) done by overnight soft sleeper train.

Take a look at www.seat61.com/China.htm#Beijing%20-%20Xian

and you will see the Z train which has private two-person compartments, at a premium cost of course. These trains however can be considered very reasonable as you save hotel charges for the two nights you are travelling. And air travel in China is like everywhere, arrive 90 minutes in advance, subject yourself to delays for weather or mechanical problems, take taxi at arrival from way-out airport to downtown. This eats up easily an entire day segment, all morning or all afternoon, and hence you waste one day of your short trip.

The only problem is getting tickets. They must be purchased in advance. Your hotel might be the best contact point to get them. You might also ask them to buy them in advance, before your arrival, and charge them to your credit card. Expect an international charge card fee in addition to a small customary service charge.

Thankyou, both of you. By e-tickets, I meant the ones for the train. Thanks again

Sorry, you must%26#39;ve been misled or confused. No e-tickets for any of the trains in China.

Not misled ellyse. Actually in India you can book your rail tickets over the Internet so I just presumed...!!

Thanks