Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
derground or overhead walkways with steps. You will also have to stick to the main roads,
as parked cars and bicycles often occupy the pavements of smaller alleys and lanes, for-
cing others on to the road. Escalators in subways normally only go up, but wheelchair lifts
have been installed in numerous stations (although you may have to send someone down
to find a member of staff to operate them). Getting around temples and big sights such as
the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace can be trying for those in wheelchairs. It is re-
commended that you take a lightweight chair so you can collapse it easily when necessary,
such as to load it into the back of a taxi. Most, but not all, hotels will have lifts, and while
many top-end hotels do have rooms for those with disabilities as well as good wheelchair
access, hotel restaurants may not.
Those with sight, hearing or mobility disabilities must be extremely cautious of the
traffic, which almost never yields to pedestrians.
Visas
Applying for Visas
Apart from citizens of Japan, Singapore and Brunei, all visitors to China require a visa,
which covers the whole of China, although there remain restricted areas that require an
additional permit from the PSB. Permits are also required for travel to Tibet, a region that
the authorities can suddenly bar foreigners from entering.
Your passport must be valid for at least six months after the expiry date of your visa and
you'll need at least one entire blank page in your passport for the visa.
At the time of writing, prices for a single-entry 30-day visa were as follows:
»
£30 for UK citizens
»
US$140 for US citizens
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US$30 for all other nationals
Double-entry visas:
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£45 for UK citizens
»
US$140 for US citizens
»
US$45 for all other nationals
Six-month multiple-entry visas:
