If you intend to travel to China without taking a tour, you have to do your homework. Tam is great at this. Last November we were able to find some tickets from San Jose, California to Beijing, China for a little over $300, round trip, coach, of course. That is so inexpensive, we just had to go.
The Visa
We’ve been to China before, but only as a stop for a few days on the way to somewhere else. We used China’s “72- hour (3days) visa free transit policy.” So we did not need to get a visa. But, for this new trip, we needed a regular tourist visa. We decided on the 10 year visa, because we will probably make other trips to China within the next 10 years. We saw two ways to get the visa. First, fill out the paperwork you find on line, (hopefully filled out correctly, otherwise you may be sent away to try again), print it, and drive it to the Chinese consulate (closest for us is San Francisco). Don’t forget your passport, they will keep it while they process your visa. You must also have 1 passport style photo. Then, take everything and travel to a Chinese consulate. Try and find a parking place, then stand in line outside to get a number, wait your turn and then submit your request. If you did everything correctly, you will return to the consulate in a few weeks. Again find a parking place, stand in line to get a number, wait your turn, and pick up your passport with your newly authorized visa inside.
Does that sound complicated? There is another way! You can hire an agent to do most of the work for you. We used Free China Visa in San Francisco. Please note that their service is not free as their name implies.They did have good reviews on yelp and I must say we were very happy with them. Free China Visa services Northern California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. Here is their website: https://www.freechinavisa.org/
Their web page is very helpful with giving you tips on how to fill out the visa application. When we completed the application, we paid Fedex $11.00 to send our paperwork, photos, and passports to Free China Visa in San Francisco. Free China Visa charges a $30.00 service fee for each visa and $25.00 for return shipping.
Visa $140.00 x 2 = $280.00
Service fee $30.00 x 2 = $60.00
Shipping $11.00
Return shipping $25.00
Total $376.00 for our 2 visas
The whole process with shipping them our applications and receiving our visas took about 2 weeks.
*** Please note the required size of the photo with your visa application. You may need to trim your passport photo.
Where to stay in China
We decided to try Airbnb. I know, we are behind the times, we haven’t stayed in an Airbnb yet. We made the reservation. Then, Tam found out that when staying in China, you must register with the local police department. At the time, Airbnb said nothing about this on their website. We emailed, and asked our host about the requirement. He said, “no problem, I’ll give you directions to the police station”. Can you imagine, first trying to find the police station, then explaining in English what you needed to do. It sounded like a nightmare to us, and how long would it take, an hour, half a day? After long discussions with Airbnb, they reluctantly refunded our money. We decided to make our reservations at hotels. The hotels register with the police for you.
Train tickets
You can buy your train tickets online, The Man in Seat 61 www.seat61.com is a great resource for traveling the world with train information. He does an excellent job with China. One company he recommends is China DIY Travel. Their web page www.china-diy-travel.com is very user friendly. They have many videos showing the different types of trains and their class of seats, and class of sleepers available. They also have a video on how to go pick up your ticket at the train station. I sent China DIY Travel my request for tickets and they were very fast with their replies. I ordered 3 sets of tickets and they responded and asked if I wanted to make 2 or 3 payments for the tickets. I chose the 2 payments. If you decide on using China DIY Travel, be sure and check out www.seat61.com , because it will give you a promo code to save money on the commission.
China DIY Travel will contact you 30 days before your scheduled train trip. They will say that they have “successfully booked your tickets” and that you need to make payment on paypal for the tickets. After they receive the payment they send you the e-ticket and how to read the paper ticket you will receive at the train station.
Cost of train tickets per person
Beijing to Pingyao 2nd class seats $42.46 + $5.00 commission
Pingyao to Xian 2nd class seats $29.99 + $5.00 commission
Xi’an to Beijing Deluxe Sleeper $ 126.70 + $5.00 commission
Total for both of us $428.30
Hotels
The price is per night for 2 people
1st night Beijing Tianyou Hotel (close to train station) $104.00 per night
2nd-3rd night City Wall Courtyard , Pingyao $55.83 per night
4th night Xi’an Hantang House, Xian $23.00 per night
5th night Train
6th-7th Shichahai Shadow Art Performance Hotel Beijing $114.00 per night
Total for Hotels $489.66