Help Please with Shanghai disembarkation question

[YVRCanuck]

Never worked in PVG, stayed there as tourist & being FT, getting to know & learn and it helps with our "connections" abroad for travel. Very impressed with the city's modernization and transport, it's not perfect - if only America's interstate highways are alike ...

 

This is my other forum - very useful & helpful info, and friendly experts - it's CC's counterpart. Search for details you might need, FAQ's are excellent and feel free to post a questions after you get the basics sorted out (i.e. Uber and taxi, for example)

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/china/1117170-shanghai-ground-transportation-data-thread.html

 

For our stomach, I would advise AGAINST ordinary street food (as I'm sure you've heard & read about it from time-to-time in the news) and it doesn't look right, keep walking & pay a little more for food "inside" at a sit-down place. Not worth the risk when you are on vacation to be smacked with food poisoning or GI viruses (ate at an upscale HKG hotel lunch buffet years ago, guest of local host - and sick as a dog for a week, manage to make it onto my flight home) Bring/buy your own paper napkins ahead of time as tourists in China along with hand sanitizers as water isn't everywhere for hand wash. As for dining recommendations - use TripAdvisor as your guide & check with the folks on FT linked above - there's regular Q&A and discussion on some of the best kept secrets for travelers.

i.e. If you need mobile data use while in CN, details & info - look there & also in the Technology sub-forum.

 

 

 

mking8288, thanks for the "flyertalk" link, it will definitely come in handy with my research. I have made note of your advise on the street food and be cautious as to what street foods that we try.

 

Thanks again to you and everyone else that has posted here, you have all been of great help.

[TravelMore&More]

You won't find street food in Shanghai as it is pretty much banned. Easy to find in Beijing and excellent. Actually safer than eating in a restaurant as they cook it in front of you. Generally BBQed. Beijing specialty would be chuan'r, lamb skewers.

Somebody above says that it is preferable to use Chinese currency. Actually, it is the only currency accepted (except in some tourist-oriented markets where you get a terrible exchange rate).

About buying your train tickets at the station when you depart, you will get tickets but do not expect to leave right away. Trains will likely be all sold out for the following 3 hours or so. Unless you are on a super tight budget, I don't see why one would not buy online in advance.

[YVRCanuck]

Just wanted to thank everyone for all of your comments and suggestions.

 

Because of all the help that I have received here, we have modified our itinerary.

 

We are now going to stay in Shanghai for the day after getting off the cruise ship. I think this will be less stressful than trying to get to the train station right away and not knowing what if any trains would be available. We will then pre-purchase our train tickets at a Shanghai Train Ticket Office. I found a ticket office near our hotel (No. 108, West Nanjing Road, near Xizang Middle Road). It appears we can purchase our round trip tickets to Beijing from there, as long as you present your passport. Looks like they charge a fee of 5 RMB per ticket.

 

This is the link for a list of the Shanghai train ticket offices that I found.

 

Link to Shanghai Train Ticket Offices

 

The only problem that I can foresee now is that we will be traveling from Beijing to Shanghai on Friday, Oct. 2 instead of Sunday, Sep. 30. Which now puts us smack in the middle of the National Holiday.

 

Does anyone have any experience with first class tickets selling out on the trains from advanced purchases?

[Floridiana]

The only problem that I can foresee now is that we will be traveling from Beijing to Shanghai on Friday, Oct. 2 instead of Sunday, Sep. 30. Which now puts us smack in the middle of the National Holiday.

 

Does anyone have any experience with first class tickets selling out on the trains from advanced purchases?

 

According to our guide on the Silk Road, all tickets for all classes including standing only will be sold out. She told us about her harrowing trip home with a standing only ticket.

 

Please buy first class tickets a few months before your trip. I have no experience buying train tickets myself. - How about flying?

[stowaway2k]

A passport is always required for high-speed train tickets.

 

The trains routinely sell-out. Buy your ticket at the earliest possible time.