China

The People’s Republic of China is a land of stunning diversity, in terms of its cuisine, countryside and people. The vast nation is usually accessed by tourists from one of the major cities such as the capital Beijing or Hong Kong, the economic powerhouse of the country.

Visiting China with a Rental Car

China is not just large in terms of the amount of land that it takes up, it is also the most populous nation in the world. However, discovering it for yourself is probably best achieved by hiring a car from your chosen airport terminal, although booking in advance on Rent.it is highly recommended to avoid the queues. The country’s road network is relatively easy to navigate and the motorways have improved very much in recent decades. China’s much-vaunted economic success has led to a huge amount of building works in the large cities and this has often gone hand in hand with large infrastructure projects, like road building. However, the country still has all of the charm that the Orient can offer - with plenty of old to go with the new. One of the main attractions that visitors head to is the so-called Forbidden City in Beijing. Easily driven to from one of the city’s air hubs, it was once the imperial palace of both the Ming and Qing dynasties. Further to the north and west of the country, the Great Wall of China is another historic monument that is visited by millions each year. Located near to Xi’an in the Shaanxi Province is the famous terracotta army who stand guard over the mausoleum of China’s first ever emperor. Along with these historical places, many visitors also like to explore the world-renowned rivers of China. For example, the Yellow River, or Huang He, is Asia’s third longest river and passes through no less than nine separate provinces and landscapes on its way to the sea. Much of its course can be followed by the roads which lay near to it, often criss-crossing it. Because China is so large, it is not easy to plan a road trip without having to factor in multiple stops along the way. Nevertheless, tourists flying into Beijing usually head south first of all, heading to the city of Jinan which is not too far away. From here, continue on the southern routes to the former capital Nanjing which is full of history. It is then just a couple of hundred miles to Shanghai, one of China’s most famous coastal cities.