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I am travelling to Shanghai and Hong Kong in July and for accommodation looking for private rooms, not dorms.

Is it realistic to travel "freestyle" and book hostels when we get there or a day in advance online (when we know what train we're taking, etc.) or do Shanghai/HK hostels sell out in July?

update:
We booked our first hostel in advance, the rest of them while travelling, a few days in advance when we knew when we would arrive. We didn't have any trouble, though for Hong Kong, I wouldn't wait 'till the last minute.

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  • I was traveling Shanghai last summer and we had no issues finding a a good hotel while we did not book them in advance. It kind of depends on how many people you are. If you are fine with 1 room you shouldn't have an issue finding a hotel. Most of them have a few unused rooms. – RononDex Jul 1 '15 at 13:23
  • Shouldn't be a problem, just watch for any major events in cities where you're visiting. Depending on the size of a place even a small event can book out hotels or put up prices significantly. – SpaceDog Jul 2 '15 at 5:21
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You should not have an issue finding a good hotel in Shanghai or Hong Kong. There are plenty of them in both cities and they are well advertised, especially to tourists.

For you it would come down to prices. With early planning, you can easily find very good hotels for a fair price. Both of these two cities are very expensive but if you dont mind the pricing, go ahead and book whenever you arrive there.

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    For future reference: we booked our first hostel in advance, the rest of them while travelling, a few days in advance when we knew when we would arrive. We didn't have any trouble, though for Hong Kong, I wouldn't wait 'till the last minute. – Christof Jul 25 '15 at 11:06
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China and Hong Kong offer so many hostels so I am sure that you will not have trouble finding the hostel. But if it is your first time in China, you should book a room a few days in advance because it's easier for you to visit a strange city for the first time if you have some plan of where to go.

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    Thanks, but this is a kind of generic response for any city. It's not my first trip to a foreign city. But in some cities, like New York, it's no uncommon for hostels to sell out (even though they offer many hostels and hotels) and it's a good idea to book in advance. In others, I haven't had any problems. – Christof Jul 2 '15 at 6:22
  • Don't you need to have accommodation planned when you apply for your chinese visa? – zeocrash Jul 2 '15 at 11:47
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At this season where it's not anymore vacation mode in the Western hemisphere where most visitors come from, I think it would be just alright to not book in advance : not much demand now.

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  • Hi. This question was regarding July and was already marked as answered. – Christof Aug 7 '15 at 7:45

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