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| *Travel Tips>>>General - Asia Pacific Travel Tips |
Do you recommend renting a car for a vacation for transportation in these cities: Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo? |
Travel Info I am traveling to these cities in July, and am going to be spending a week in each city. What would be the plus or minus of renting a car for transportation in these cities? I know there is public transportation avalilable in each, but, in any place, would it be easier to drive around rather than take cabs/trains? For example: I would say in New York City, it would be more of a hassle than a convenience to have a car. In Los Angeles, it might be more convenient to have a car rather than relying on cabs. How do these cities sum up? Any ideas from people that have lived / live there or have ever visited? Travel Tips I have visited all three and I would not recommend driving in any of them. Tokyo is a *very* confusing city to drive in if you are not familiar with it and the subway is pretty extensive and efficient. The streets are not always well marked and the numbers aren't always consecutive. Much of the city is not set up in a grid. * Note: If you take a cab in Tokyo, most have a lever that the driver uses to open and close the back door for you. DO NOT close these doors manually!! It can screw up the mechanism and that does not please the driver. In Shanghai, and China in general, traffic follows very different rules than in the U.S. Expect pedestrians to stand between the lanes of traffic waiting to cross the street. I had no problem walking or taking the subway most of the time, or just grabbing a cab. This is probably the easiest of the three in which to drive. Hong Kong is a relatively small land area, but consists of several islands and is a bit of a pain to drive in. This was definitely the easiest of the three to get around in with public transportation, be it the Star Ferry, subway, or buses. Don't expect cabbies to speak English. Those that do will often have signs in the window of their cabs. All three cities also have a different alphabet (or alphabets) than the West, so if you are unfamiliar with Kanji/Hiragana/Katakana and the relevant road signs, you can be in trouble. They drive on the left in Japan . . . and possibly in China as well . . . I forget. Others not a good plan they drive on the other side of the road. if you dont where you are going it will be hard.. enjoy your trip let a pro drive. The answer is NO, NO & NO.........they are all too much like NYC. If you're staying at half decent hotels in each city, the concierge will be able to assist you, perhaps even line you up with an English speaking driver & car for the day. Otherwise, public transportation is okay but subways are crowded. Hong Kong is especially easy to get about in, Tokyo has Right hand drive and is just horrendous, Shanghai will be easiest to find a car/driver should you be lucky enough to get to a first class hotel. I would not recommend renting a car for Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Right-hand drive is very confusing. The street signs are not in English. Lucky you if you know how to read Japanese/Chinese. The streets are very busy . Parking can be expensive and can be a big problem where to park. For your convenience and stress-free vacation, just ride the public transport or hire a car with driver. I've been to China, and it's very easy to learn the train system. And taxis are all around and very cheap. In Hong Kong, you can just walk around town :) No, no and no. I've been to all three. Driving would be a nightmare. Use public transportation or a taxi. Taxi's are so easy and cheap to use. Let someone that lives there and knows the way to safely take you to where you want to go. Good Luck. Cheers |
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