shanghai tours

Will be in Shanghai for a 10 days. Is it possible to book tours upon arrival @hotel? Or does it have to be book in advance. Arrival/ departure city is Shanghai....


...I don't see the point of a tour in Shanghai but that's up to you. No need to book in advance. Your hotel concierge will be happy to take your $$$.

...thanks for your response. sounds like I can get around Shanghai like NYC. Don't speak or read chinese, will that be a problem?

...Not much of a problem. Subway goes just about everywhere and is really cheap. Taxis are also very cheap and available kind of like NYC. When you check into your hotel take a bunch of hotel business cards so you can show the taxi drivers where you are staying. Have the hotel staff write down your destinations in Chinese for the taxi drivers. Check out the must see sights in Shanghai on the right side of this page. Also read the scams section.

...No need to prebook tpurs .Just come and then you can decide on what you like as you have enough time and options.Remember that Shanghai apart from a commercial city it is also a tourist city so there are many options to pick from.

If you like what you see then you can decide to DIY or book a local tour or some customised tours like the Shanghai sideways,a walking tour by yourself or a biking tour or something else.

...We did one tour out of Shanghai (to water town etc) and found that because of heavy traffic due to fog on the freeway, we spent most of the day in the mini bus. I would try to get around on your own. We took the fast train for our next trip out of town.


..No need to any mandarin in Shanghai for a tourist. If you use public transportation you will find that the subway is fully bilingual with announcements in english. A no-brainer.


...Should not be much of problem. Yes, the subway system is bilingual (and clean, much better than NYC's).
However, I don't think the bus system is bilingual (I tried once a few years back) and >99% of taxi drivers don’t understand English.

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Visa Required Or Not

I shall be travelling to Shanghai in March on a cruise liner. The ship arrives at 7 am in the morning and leaves at 6 pm in the afternoon. I don't intend to go onshore as I am not interested in the place. In doing so I imagine that I would not be required to have a visa just for being on a vessel which is in the port of Shanghai. However, I read somewhere on the Web (can't remember where) that even if one stays on board the vessel he or she still needs a visa. I am aware of some visa free concession for people going through Shanghai on transit but this only applies to travel BY AIR at 2 designated airports. I would not assume this applies to travellers on a vessel. I don't want to go through the process of applying for a visa to "enter" a place which I don't intend to visit in the first place. Would appreciate advice from anyone who has had similar experience or are aware of what really needs to be done.

ans.
For sure you do not qualify for the transit rules. What happens if you stay on board is something you should check with the cruise company.


ans
Hi, J-P, Many thanks for responding. Just to keep the topic going for the interest of all. In fact I phoned up the cruise company and I was told I would not need a visa in this case. Not that I don't trust the company. I was not assured, given the lack of 'official' indications. By 'interest of all' I mean the thousand plus fellow passengers on that cruise who I understand must have gone to the hassle of applying for a visa (and paid a fee, of course) when in fact a visa might not have been required in the first place. What a waste of time and money that could be!

ans.
What kind of "official" indication are you looking for? Isn't the cruise company an "official" source? Maybe you should check with the Chinese consulate near you. For sure you won't get any official source here on TA.

ans

Well, if you planned on going ashore you definitely need a visa. But as you dont, here lies the grey area.

I'd ask for a response from the cruise company in writing, as when you get on board you surrender your passports, and you may find trouble at that point if they dont see a Chinese visa in it.

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Shanghai is still imposing its 'lights off' at night due to the power crisis?

Qua:
I am thinking of visiting Shanghai in late Oct. I was wondering if Shanghai is still imposing its 'lights off' at night due to the power crisis? Will they have the lights on in late oct?
I hope to see the night lights especially that of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower!!
Looking forward to any responses.

Ans:
shanghai's lights off at night is mostly imposed during summer, so to save electricity used for other things (ie. ac, etc) ... i dont know about october, maybe they'll turn back the light when the weather's not hot anymore, :)


Ans:

Have just returned from SHanghai.
The lights are on for about 3 hours every evening.




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