Revised Itinerary - 20 Nights

After much research, advice and soul searching in having to leave certain areas out, here is my final itinerary V3.0!

Any thoughts, or suggestions are most welcome. I have an idea of what I would like to see in most of the places listed, however have not decided on what order. Most likely I will have interchangable day plans which can be arranged according to weather and conditions.

I am still a little concerned about buying train tickets only 2-4 days before travel... Ideally would be looking to book either Soft Sleeper or the Deluxe 2 berth cabins. Will I have time to book these or am I better off going through an agent?

Shanghai 鈥?3 Nights

Arrive from UK

+ Suzhou, Tongli and Hangzhou

Overnight Sleeper to Beijing

Beijing 鈥?4 Nights

+ Chengde

Overnight Sleepter to Xi鈥檃n

Xi鈥檃n 鈥?2 Nights

Flight to Chengdu

Chengdu 鈥?3 Nights

+ Leshan

Flight to Guilin

Guilin 鈥?2 Nights in Yangshuo

+ Longsheng

Overnight Sleeper to Shenzhen

Hong Kong 鈥?3 Nights

Flight to UK

Thanks again to those who have helped me in getting this far!

Remember, I cannot spend more than 20 nights, so if anything is to be added, I will have to remove time from elsewhere.

Revised Itinerary - 20 Nights

A lot of moving around.

Revised Itinerary - 20 Nights

I know what you mean, there%26#39;s just so much I want to see!

I am torn with going with the above, or skipping out Chengdu and Leshan, and instead having an extra night in Beijing, Xi%26#39;an and Yansghuo.

This is quite similar to a number of tours i have seen, so it is possible, just as you say a lot of moving around which is quite daunting. If only I had an extra week or two...

Do you think there will be any problem in booking the train tickets only 2-3 days before departure?

You have enough time in Beijing and Xi%26#39;an, could use more in Beijing and Yangshuo. How about coming back some other time for more remote areas. This is a big countries. Remember, each time you travel you nearly lose that day.

Your itinerary is as large as mine. :)

I%26#39;m still considering an agent since rearranging things if something goes wrong would be time-consuming.

I%26#39;m a seasoned business traveler but I depend a lot on a travel agency when I have to make adjustments. Since this trip is a gift for my wife, I%26#39;m still weighing whether going it alone is better than hiring an agent to arrange transportation and tours.