Fodor's Essential China

by Fodor's Travel Publications

Overview

Ready to experience China? The experts at Fodor’s are here to help. Fodor’s Essential China travel guide is packed with customizable itineraries with top recommendations, detailed maps of China, and exclusive tips from locals. Whether you want to climb the Great Wall, explore the Forbidden City, or discover the Terracotta Warriors, this up-to-date guidebook will help you plan it all out.

This new edition has been FULLY-REDESIGNED with a new layout and beautiful images for more intuitive travel planning!

Fodor’s Essential China includes:

• AN ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE GUIDE that visually captures the top highlights of China.

• SPECTACULAR COLOR PHOTOS AND FEATURES throughout, including special features on Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Chinese food, the Terracotta Warriors, and Chinese tea.

• INSPIRATIONAL “BEST OF” LISTS identify the best things to see, do, eat, drink, and more.

• MULTIPLE ITINERARIES for various trip lengths help you maximize your time.

• MORE THAN 60 DETAILED MAPS help you plot your itinerary and navigate confidently.

• BRAND NEW HOTEL AND RESTAURANT REVIEWS in major cities like Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xian and Kunming offer options for every taste.

• TRIP PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS: guides to getting around, saving money and time, beating the crowds; basic Chinese language phrases; and a calendar of events.

• LOCAL INSIDER ADVICE tells you where to find under-the-radar gems, along with the best tours.

• HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL OVERVIEWS add perspective and enrich your travels.

• COVERS: Lantau island and Victoria Peak in Hong Kong, The Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City in Beijing, Shanghai Disneyland in Pudong, the Terracotta Warriors in Xian, Chengdu, Sichuan and the Panda Breeding Research Center, Yangtze river cruises, Chongqing and more.

ABOUT FODOR'S AUTHORS: Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor’s has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years.

Planning on visiting Southeast Asia? Check out Fodor’s Thailand: with Cambodia & Laos, and Fodor’s Vietnam.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781640971295
Publisher:	Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	04/16/2019
Series:	Fodor's Travel Guides Series
Pages:	544
Sales rank:	451,767
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel advice for every stage of a traveler's trip. We hire local writers who know their destinations better than anyone else, allowing us to provide the best travel recommendations for all tastes and budget in over 7,500 worldwide destinations. Our books make it possible for every trip to be a trip of a lifetime.

Table of Contents

1 Experience China 6

Ultimate Experiences 8

What's Where 18

10 Things to Eat & Drink in China 20

10 Things to Buy in China 22

8 Natural Wonders of China 24

10 Best UNESCO Sites of China 26

China Best Bets 28

China Today 30

What to Read and Watch Before Your Trip 32

People of China 34

2 Travel Smart China 43

10 Things to Know Before You Visit China 44

Getting Here and Around 46

Before You Go 48

What 10 Pack for China 49

Essentials 50

Great Itineraries 52-56

On The Calendar 60

Contacts 62

3 Beijing 63

Welcome to Beijing 64

Planning 68

Dongcheng District 71

Xicheng District 93

Chaoyang District 104

Haidian District 120

Side Trips from Beijing 125

4 Beijing To Shanghai 143

Welcome to Beijing to Shanghai 144

Planning 147

Chengde 150

Beidaihe 155

Shanhaiguan 157

Ji'nan 160

Side Trip to Lingyan Temple 163

Side Trip to Mount Tai 164

Side Trip to Qufu 165

Qingdao 166

Nanjing 174

Yangzhou 184

Suzhau 189

Side Trips from Suzhou: Water Villages 196

Huangshan 198

Tunxi 203

Side Trip to Shexian County 205

Side Trip to Yixian County 206

5 Shanghai 207

Welcome to Shanghai 208

Planning 210

Old City 218

Xintiandi and City Center 221

The Bund and Nanjing Dong Lu 230

Former French Concession 239

Jing'an and Changning 248

Pudong 254

Hongkou and Putuo 262

Xujiahui, Hongqiao, and Gubei 265

6 Eastern China 269

Welcome to Eastern China 270

Planning 272

Hangzhou 275

Shaoxing 286

Ningbo 290

Xiamen 294

7 Hong Kong 309

Welcome to Hong Kong 310

Planning 312

Hong Kong Island 316

Kowloon 344

Lantau Island 357

The New Territories 358

Side Trip to Macau 362

8 The Southwest 379

Welcome to The Southwest 380

Planning 383

Guilin 384

Heping District 392

Yangshuo 393

Nanning 398

Guiyang 400

Kaili 410

Kunming 413

Stone Forest (Shilin) 420

Dali 420

Lijiang 427

Tiger Leaping Gorge 431

Xishuangbanna Region 432

9 Sichuan And Chongqing 437

Welcome to Sichuan and Chongqing 438

Planning 441

Chengdu 442

Emeishan 451

Leshan 453

Songpan 455

Chongqing 456

The Three Gorges 469

10 Xi'an And The Silk Road 473

Welcome to Xi'an and the Silk Road 474

Planning 477

Xi'an 480

Lanzhou 499

Dunhuang 502

Xining 506

Ürümqi 512

Turpan 517

Kashgar 521

Index 529

About Our Writers 543

Maps

Dongcheng District 74-75

Xicheng District 95

Chaoyang District 106-107

Haidian District 121

Side Trips from Beijing 138-139

Hebei 149

Chengde 153

Shandong 159

Qingdao 168

Jiangsu 173

Nanjing 176

Suzhou 188

Anhui 198

Old City 219

Xintiandi and City Center 224

The Bund and Nanjing Dong Lu 232

Former French Concession 240

Jing'an and Changning 249

Pudong 256

Hongkou and Putuo 261

Xujiahui, Hongqiao and Gubei 266

Zhejiang 275

Hangzhau 278

Fujian 294

Xiamen 296

The Age of Empires 35

Forbidden City 76

Great Wall 128

Spirituality in China 298

For All the Tea in China 401

A Culinary Tour of China 459

Terracotta Warriors 488

Gulangyu 307

Northern Hong Kong Island 318-319

Kowloon 347

Lantau, Southside, and New Territories 360

Macau 367

Guangxi 385

Guilin 387

Yangshuo 394

Nanning 399

Guizhou 408

Yunnan 412

Kunming 414

Dali 422

Lijiang 426

Sichuan and Chongqing 443

Chengdu 446

Chongqing 457

Three Gorges 470-471

Shaanxi 480

Xi'an 486

Gansu 498

Dunhuang 503

Qinghai 507

Xingjiang 511

Ürümqi 513

Kashgar 522

Editorial Reviews

Fodor’s is pitched a few notches higher….aimed at a fairly discerning traveler with an appetite for background and the occasional surprise.” – New York Times

“The Fodor’s guides are notable for their ratings of sights, restaurants, shops, accommodations and attractions.” – Chicago Tribune

“In terms of comprehensiveness of coverage, the very accessible format, and the enthusiastic tone, this series remains one of the best on the market.” – Booklist

“Fodor’s super-informative guidebooks are known for accuracy and attention to detail.” – Sacramento Bee

“Fodor’s can help you plan the perfect adventure.” – Arizona Republic

From the Publisher