HEY CHINA
Q. I am visiting Beijing, China, for business and have a few extra days to explore the city. What sites should I see and do you have any tips on how best to visit the Great Wall? - Lerato
A. As South African visitors to China continue to increase, this is a question I hear quite often - and as someone who did not make the best use of his time in Beijing in February, I hope to ensure you have a more fruitful time there than I did.
Beijing is tricky to explore because of its size and language barrier. Your best option is to take an organised tour with a group.
You will be surprised at how much ground such tours cover, visiting the must-see attractions such as Tiananmen Square, the Great Hall of the People, chairman Mao's monument, the Forbidden City and, finally, the beautiful Temple of Heaven, is worth travelling a long way to see.
The Great Wall is very accessible from Beijing but bear in mind that the closer you are to the city, the bigger the crowds.
According to chinahighlights.com, the Badaling section is the closest to the city (about 90 minutes) and the least physically demanding to walk on. By comparison, the Jiankou section (2½ hours) is considered "wild" and recommended only for strong hikers.
EURO TRAINS
Q. Two of us will be travelling independently in Europe. We do not want to fly or hire a car. Can you still buy rail passes for Europe? - DF Thompson
A. As a bona fide trainspotter, I can only commend your wish to travel Europe by rail. It can get complicated, however. Each country has its own rail operator, with different fare structures. You can get cheap fares but these are usually only available from each rail operator's website.
Point-to-point single tickets will usually be cheaper than the same fare on a Eurail pass - and if you know all your travel dates, it will be cheaper to buy your train tickets in advance.If you want to be fully flexible and travel as the mood strikes, a Eurail pass is the way to go.
Much depends on how old you are: if you're under 28, the Eurail Pass is highly competitive (around €600 for a one-month, second-class pass).
However, if you're older than 28, you're looking at around €900 for a one-month, first-class pass. There is no second-class option for over-28s.
In short, it's complicated. But it will be cheaper than car hire and - as trains travel to the heart of all European cities - it's much less hassle than flying.
See seat61.com for passes and fares.
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