I am trying to plan a round trip from Baltimore Maryland USA to Hangzhou China next summer.

Air Canada has some inexpensive flights from BWI Airport (Maryland) to the Shanghai China (PVG) airport. Each one way trip has one stop, in Toronto Canada. The time required for each one-way trip is just under 18 hours and the round trip price is $1812.

I would need to take a train from Shanghai to Hangzhou. There are dozens of trains each day and it appears that the cost of a one-way train ticket is $16-US. I would be met at the Hangzhou train station by my Chinese friend.

Is this a reasonable itinerary? What is the distance between the Shanghai (Pu Dong) airport and the train station? Is it reasonable for an American who speaks no Chinese to make this trip? Is there anyone here on RFM who is familiar with the ground transportation in China? Thanks in advance!

You will probably never feel so alien and helpless as when you step on the train (which I think you can catch right in the airport).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/2013 07:09PM by Stray Mutt.

Sometimes cheaper flights mean more stops - the "milk run".

You might want to get your destinations in China written out so you can show people.

A smart phone will help a lot. Make sure your roaming charges won't ruin your day when you get the bill. Ensure you can use your phone in China. Google maps will show you where you are by GPS, and where you need to go. In fact you can plan a route now in Shanghai and you'll see exactly how far the train station is. Being Shanghai, there would have to be train stations at the terminal.

If you use cabs, make sure they're metered, and make sure the driver turns it on.

If you haven't already, check out tripadvisor.com. I've found it to be a very valuable resource in traveling somewhere unknown - especially the forums.

Half way through you'll be fighting the urge to kill yourself. Unless you have some excellent drugs to knock you out.

From the east coast of the US, it's pretty much the same distance whether you fly east or west. So you could look for flights that break the trip into more equal parts. When I went to China, I went from Charlotte to Frankfurt to Beijing. Having about a 2-hour layover in Frankfurt let me get off my tired butt, walk around, have a meal and then stretch out on the lounge chairs they have there.

The other people in my company went the other way around, from Charlotte to Seattle to Beijing. Air Canada might have a similar flight that goes through Vancouver.

I know the flights from Europe are scheduled so you arrive in China in the morning. When going to a new place, I prefer to get there in daylight instead of the dark. It's less confusing. So if you take the Pacific route, you might want to check the arrival time before booking.

I highly suggest an inflatable seat cushion of some kind. Noise-canceling headphones or ear plugs are good to have. Have a change of underwear and your toiletries in your carry-on so you can freshen up and feel semi-human before you land.

I lived in Shanghai for two years. Do you know what train you're trying to take to Hangzhou and where it leaves from? PVG is Pudong airport, and the trains from there I believe are metro trains into the city and the maglev which is just local.

The locals speak little English, and respond best to things written in Chinese.

I will have my Chinese host write some notes in Chinese language on one side and English on the other side. The GPS and prepaid cell phone are things I will work out. The arrival time in Shanghai is 3:00 p.m. so that gives me time to travel by train to Hangzhou before nightfall. This will be my first trip to Asia, so it should be an adventure.

I will look at a "fly east to Europe" route and see what that has to offer. The Air Canada route appears to have the shortest overall travel time, but the Toronto to Shanghai leg is almost 14 hours long. I am sure that the novelty of that flight would cease a long time before the flight is over. If I want to pay $7000 for the round trip I can fly First Class. I wonder if that would be worth the money?

Also, look into china eastern. I have flown them several times. Stewardesses generally speak some English but not always the best. If you fly a china airline remember to ask them at the ticketing counter for the seat you want. They will not assign it. The nice thing is that the Chinese generally don't ask for a seat and so you can often get the one you want.

Don't fly first class fly business. It is usually quite comfortable and you probably won't be sleeping anyway :-)

Nice thing about the airports in China is that a lot of them follow the same layout as Pudong but smaller. It is a nice airport but have never taken a train out of it. If you want an adventure take a sleeper ;-) No, don't unless you are with someone who speaks mandarin! lol. Although, if you get a chance it is a wonderful experience.

Their high speed trains are generally quite comfortable but the times I have ridden on them they were not able to keep the "high" speed up on all of the track. That might have improved but be prepared for that.

I should add the Chinese people are really wonderful but be aware of what they call american politeness. They think our politeness can be un-genuine(which it can be) and tend to look suspiciously on it. If a Chinese person is talking to you then they like you or are interested in what you have to say or ... lol are getting paid to. Shanghai is a beautiful, vast city I hope you get a chance to explore it!

Good luck, I hope you have a wonderful trip! Can't wait till I can go back, so many places I would like to explore.

P.S. Want to second the "get it writen out in Mandarin" If you don't speak Chinese this can be a real challenge. They, will lend you their cell phone if yours doesn't work so that is good :-) I use Etisalat and Du for my international travels. Both are middle east companies (UAE) but they have wonderful pay as you go plans that are remarkably cheap and work everywhere. You have to have an unlocked phone for it to work ... don't understand why the US is so backwards when it comes to cell phone service .. :-/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2013 12:10AM by golumn.