Can anyone recommend a two day tour of Beijing

Hi there

We are looking for a reputable tour company for a two day tour of Bejing (with a 2 year old). One that includes good English speaking guides and NO compulsory shopping stop offs, just the major sites, Great Wall, Tienamin Sq, Summer Palace etc.

Any recommendations would be appreciated!

Thanks

B

Can anyone recommend a two day tour of Beijing

I don%26#39;t think that any tour will do that for you. You would likely have to hire a guide with car and arrange your itinerary with him/her.

Can anyone recommend a two day tour of Beijing

Unfortunately the shopping stops are hard to avoid. GrayLine is at least honest and lists the jade factory as part of the tour:

www.graylinebeijing.com/DayTours/Index.aspx

I have even heard stories of people hiring private guides and being taken to these places so be careful of that.

Just my two cents, you may not need a 2-day tour because you can visit the Forbidden City, T. Square and the Summer Palace on your own. Your hotel can help you with a taxi to and from these places and you do the rest with a map and a guidebook. However, it%26#39;s a LOT of walking and you might want to break it up over two days.

For the Great Wall, there are several sections you can visit. We did Badaling and it wasn%26#39;t as bad or crowded as people have said, but there are other options. You might want a single-day tour for this, so that your transportation is in a comfortable bus with A/C. But, again, you run into the shopping stop problem. My advice is to do an internet search for day tours of Beijing and then question the company about the shopping stop duration, etc. If the stop is less than one hour, you could use that time to have a snack with your child, take a short rest, etc.

Many people on this forum have advice about hiring private cars that will take you to the Great Wall. Good luck!

Hi Philolly,

My sister and I recently used Konglin in Beijing and he was fabulous, well priced, nice car and excellent english.

He took us to the GW at Mutianyu, lunch in Beijing (which was excellent), Lama Temple and the Hutongs. He also wanted to take us to the Silk market but my sister had a sore back. Which he helped us out with a doctor and even contacted me again to see if she was ok.

I even got photo%26#39;s at the GW with no people in them!

The advantage of a private car is you can do toilet stops whenever you like and don%26#39;t have to line up with 40 other people at restaurants and attractions.

I travelled last year to Thailand when my daughter was 2 and even though you can%26#39;t use a pram everywhere I would suggest you take a lightweight stroller and a kiddy backpack for the GW if you have one.

Konglin can be contacted at: konglin316@hotmail.com

Have fun we loved Beijing!

I agree with the others you should definitely get a private guide which will give you all the flexibility you will need with a child. I used Alvin who was fantastic and his email is alvinbenton@hotmail.com, there are also many others recommended in this forum. He will discuss with you by email what you want to see and work it out with you. He organised a car and driver to take us to great wall (he came also) and he simply asked if we wanted to look at the factories or not. We found it handy to have the guide even in Beijing as it made it quicker to get around and you didnt have to figure things out for yourself. They are not expensive (and cheaper than tours) and are yours for the whole time you need them.

Two Brits who would not hestitate to recommend a good guide (very good english, and personable)togther with good driver in a modern a/c car. Will plan according to your wants. She was very upfront about places/ shops especially that were a ripoff/ tourist trap and steered us well clear. The language issue is the biggest problem so independant guide is extremely useful (especially with a young one).

Qing Ye%26#39;s contact: Chineseqing_2008@hotmail.com

http://chineseqing2008.spaces.live.com

We conversed for a longtime on the run up to our visit and arranged to meet, very prompt and informative.

Word of advise, lots of steps (not pram friendly), main supermarkets in city centre good for supplies for the little ones, (nappys/ foods etc)