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Original poster

Long layovers on long haul flight

30 replies

ZenNudist · 17/12/2023 08:49

Am I crazy?

Been pricing up 4 people flight Manchester to japan and I am looking at £5.5k to fly out early the day I want to go, from my home town of Manchester, 3 hour stop off in dubai. Gets me there midday. On the way back similar drill but depart midday and arrive early am.

Just found flight going from Heathrow the evening of the day I want to go, flying via Beijing with a shorter flight and similar lay over of 3 hours at Beijing. £3k!

Problem is way back said 22 hour wait at Beijing so I've rejigged the flights so I can stop in Beijing and fly the next day. Is this madness?

I'm very tempted to take the 2 hour journey to see the great Wall but as its a short trip I'm thinking tiannamen Square and forbidden city and eat peking duck.

Anyone been to Beijing or made a long layover into a mini break? I'm apprehensive about it.

For context colleagues are looking at £500-600 ppn not in school holidays so £5.5k for 4 is just extortionate. £3k more like it...

OP posts:
LifeIsALemon · 25/12/2023 08:22

China can be difficult to navigate based on
Recent experience You need to:

Check if you can leave the airport without a visa. The immigration is very strict.

Visas are about £155 and require 2 trips
To an embassy in Manchester London or possibly a third place I'm not sure about.

Before you go make sure you can pay for things. I used:

An E-sim that gave me a set amount of data to use as this was much cheaper than roaming at about £7 for 5GB data. Default is £6 per MB for me.

You will need a VPN as well if You want to access any google services, social media or messaging including what' app, discord, fb messenger etc.

Set up AliPay before you leave. Locals pay
For everything with this. You can also
Use cash but not always. Alipay is Much easier but has to be set up on the UK end.

It's fiddly as you need passport details but you can either link your card directly so each transaction comes from it, OR top it up with cash and then spend from the balance to save transaction fees. Unspent money is returned to you after 30 days.

Finding an English speaking driver will make a huge difference.

Be prepared that the roads are terrifying. Cars come across the zebra crossings in front and behind you while there's a green signal for pedestrians...

It's a beautiful country but not the easiest to navigate.

StillWantingADog · 25/12/2023 08:37

A friend did exactly what you are proposing -22h in Beijing on the way back from Japan. Got the free transit visa, not sure exactly what she did but she enjoyed it

however as a fellow mancunian traipsing to Heathrow would put me off. I’d go via the Middle East personally.

Aprilx · 26/12/2023 11:41

I went to Beijing in 2004 and had no problems navigating without a guide, I had a guide book. My phone at the time was a Motorola flip phone which I probably didn’t use. I paid for things with cash and cards, sounds like I will need to look into that as I am going back in 2024.

I personally would not bother going to Beijing for 22 hours in and especially with it meaning having to transfer via London as well. I’d keep looking for better flights.

RantyAnty · 26/12/2023 18:00

LifeIsALemon · 25/12/2023 08:22

China can be difficult to navigate based on
Recent experience You need to:

Check if you can leave the airport without a visa. The immigration is very strict.

Visas are about £155 and require 2 trips
To an embassy in Manchester London or possibly a third place I'm not sure about.

Before you go make sure you can pay for things. I used:

An E-sim that gave me a set amount of data to use as this was much cheaper than roaming at about £7 for 5GB data. Default is £6 per MB for me.

You will need a VPN as well if You want to access any google services, social media or messaging including what' app, discord, fb messenger etc.

Set up AliPay before you leave. Locals pay
For everything with this. You can also
Use cash but not always. Alipay is Much easier but has to be set up on the UK end.

It's fiddly as you need passport details but you can either link your card directly so each transaction comes from it, OR top it up with cash and then spend from the balance to save transaction fees. Unspent money is returned to you after 30 days.

Finding an English speaking driver will make a huge difference.

Be prepared that the roads are terrifying. Cars come across the zebra crossings in front and behind you while there's a green signal for pedestrians...

It's a beautiful country but not the easiest to navigate.

You don't need to pay for a visa for a short layover.

The free transit visa is all she needs. There's a desk at the bejing airport for this.

DancingMachine · 27/12/2023 14:51

@ZenNudist Are you looking at one of the China airlines? Eastern/southern/shenzen. Im also tracking flight prices to Japan in May around the school hols and looking at around 1k pp from Newcastle or Edinburgh, it wouldwork out cheaper for us to fly from london with one of them airlines but the reveiws are so bad. I cant decide if its worth saving a few hundred £ or not.🤔

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