My family are I are thinking of going to Beijing next year. It would actually be part of a longer trip to Japan so we won't be able to stay all that long. Right now, we're thinking of four days in Beijing then off to Japan.

Is it better to book those one-day trips to the Great Wall, Ming Tombs, etc., when we get there or do it on-line through one of many vendors? Any suggestions?

Granted, it will be a quick trip but it's either spend this amount of time or kiss it off and just stay in Japan an extra four days. My kids can't get gobs of time off from their jobs; hence, a two week trip is about all they can afford in time.

Thanks.

Is it better to book those one-day trips to the Great Wall, Ming Tombs, etc., when we get there or do it on-line through one of many vendors? Any suggestions?



wait till you get here and pm me in advance of your trip if you want me to help arrange a driver.

Thanks, moondog!

You'll be there next year, right? :)

And when you say hire a driver, does that mean, I'll just tell you how many people and where we want to go and you'll take it from there?

I booked my trip to Si Ma Tai through the hotel (St. Regis) and they actually use GrayLine tours to do it. I would say just wait until you get there and book then, because you will likely end up paying far more ahead of time.

MoonDog is such a good resource to have too!

I need a driver who speaks english to take me around Beijing for 2 days in mid August....Any suggestions?

I need a driver who speaks english to take me around Beijing for 2 days in mid August....Any suggestions?

hire a driver that doesn't speak english and carry: 1) a map; 2) a cell phone; 3) numbers of people you can call to interpret on the fly

(i've been collecting driver business cards in beijing and shanghai for the past 5 years and have only run into a handful that speak passable english.

hire a driver that doesn't speak english and carry: 1) a map; 2) a cell phone; 3) numbers of people you can call to interpret on the fly

(i've been collecting driver business cards in beijing and shanghai for the past 5 years and have only run into a handful that speak passable english.

The reason that I want an english speaking guide is so he can be a tour guide as well.If I'm gonna be using him for 2 days i'd like him to be able to tell me a little about the places I'm gonna see. He doesnt have to be an expert, but just a local with a little bit of knowledge.Do you have any contact information?

Do you have any contact information?

unfortunately, i don't have any english speaking drivers in my current beijing file. i imagine that such drivers exist, but they get snatched up by places like the st. regis as soon as they come on the market (though i've never met a st. regis driver that spoke english either).

plus, it's worth pointing out that very few drivers will be excited to tackle the wall or the summer palace with you. if you want a tour guide, either buy a book or hang around starbucks for 20 minutes.

in any case, feel free to email me if you'd like to try out a driver that speaks less than 20 words of english (i know of more than 10 right now that are nice guys).

The reason that I want an english speaking guide is so he can be a tour guide as well.If I'm gonna be using him for 2 days i'd like him to be able to tell me a little about the places I'm gonna see. He doesnt have to be an expert, but just a local with a little bit of knowledge.Do you have any contact information?

Alternative suggestion - if you go to Forbidden City, main entrance, there are many students who are multi-lingual and act as tour guides for that site. Some specialize in chinese speaking tours, others English, spanish, german, blah blah blah.

You can try to see if they are familiar with other sites and see if they will be your tour guide for the 2 days. Probably not going to be cheap as usually they get RMB$250-300 for 3-4 hrs at Forbidden city - which means if you take them, might be 500-600? a day plus driver (which I'm sure they can help find for you).

Probably not going to be cheap as usually they get RMB$250-300 for 3-4 hrs at Forbidden city - which means if you take them, might be 500-600? a day plus driver (which I'm sure they can help find for you).


The reason I suggested Starbucks was because the rates on offer tend to be considerably lower (often free, in fact). Of course quality comes into play as well, but this is harder to gague and I am not sure there is a correlation between cost and quality. Slightly off-topic, I've never encountered a single tour guide in Beijing that could measure up to a quick read of "In Search of Modern China" or the like; the good western books provide a lot of perspective that is severely lacking in country.

The reason I suggested Starbucks was because the rates on offer tend to be considerably lower (often free, in fact). Of course quality comes into play as well, but this is harder to gague and I am not sure there is a correlation between cost and quality. Slightly off-topic, I've never encountered a single tour guide in Beijing that could measure up to a quick read of "In Search of Modern China" or the like; the good western books provide a lot of perspective that is severely lacking in country.

First, I will also defer to moondog; he is the resident expert :)

My suggestion was merely an 'alternative' - we used a student at forbidden city (mandarin speaking tour) and my sense is she was quite versed in the history, sights, etc.

Safe journey!

Some recommendation:

Personally I do not think you need a driver fluent in English to show you around.
When you land at the airport, just pickup a map from the tourist info place
(its about 8 rmb)

its easy and cheap to get around using taxi. Just make sure they use the
meter.

for the great wall trip, you can hire someone from the Forbidden city area.

In past (march 2006) I've negotiated the round trip rate (including ming tombs &
the great Wall (at badaling) for about 350rmb (6 people) including tolls.

First, I will also defer to moondog; he is the resident expert :)

My suggestion was merely an 'alternative' - we used a student at forbidden city (mandarin speaking tour) and my sense is she was quite versed in the history, sights, etc.

Safe journey!


Its always good to talk to these students and get some insight, but
be aware.. there are some scam artists there too.

Just dont go out to shop or eat with them.

Some of the people I've spoken to.. were very nice and gave me a lot
of useful information about Beijing. I never had any issue with them, but there
are some other threads with the scams.

Some of the people I've spoken to.. were very nice and gave me a lot
of useful information about Beijing. I never had any issue with them, but there
are some other threads with the scams.

I gather you're referring to the "tea ceremony" thread. I had never heard about that scam until reading that thread, but during course of the past few months, have run into 3 different people that had all been had. And, just like the OP of that thread, all were picked up in the Tiananmen Wangfujing vacinity, taken for tea, and none felt like they had actually been scammed.

I meant to post back because I was amazed at how close their details conformed with those presented in the other thread, but never got around to it. Be careful, guys!

I gather you're referring to the "tea ceremony" thread. I had never heard about that scam until reading that thread, but during course of the past few months, have run into 3 different people that had all been had. And, just like the OP of that thread, all were picked up in the Tiananmen Wangfujing vacinity, taken for tea, and none felt like they had actually been scammed.

I meant to post back because I was amazed at how close their details conformed with those presented in the other thread, but never got around to it. Be careful, guys!

Yeap! thats exactly what I was talking about. while I was there, But I never
had any issue.
I had a great time and found people to be very friendly and helpful.

hire a driver that doesn't speak english and carry: 1) a map; 2) a cell phone; 3) numbers of people you can call to interpret on the fly

(i've been collecting driver business cards in beijing and shanghai for the past 5 years and have only run into a handful that speak passable english.
How can I rent a cell phone? I've got plenty of Mandarin speaking friends, but when I am out and about in PEK, they will be sleeping in NYC.

How can I rent a cell phone? I've got plenty of Mandarin speaking friends, but when I am out and about in PEK, they will be sleeping in NYC.

keep your hotel's number handy (if someone there can speak english)

you can get a GSM pre-paid SIM at the airport.. or almost anywhere in town.

How can I rent a cell phone? I've got plenty of Mandarin speaking friends, but when I am out and about in PEK, they will be sleeping in NYC.

imo you should buy a gsm cell phone if you see yourself doing any more international travel in the future (china is a good --though not incredible-- place to buy a phone). then, you will need to get a sim card (plenty of threads on this); i recommend china mobile; pretty much any place except for airport and the store in your hotel should give you a fair price.

Earlier I said Airport.. only because its convenient. Its always cheaper intown...
like Moondog has suggested.

Some recommendation:

In past (march 2006) I've negotiated the round trip rate (including ming tombs &
the great Wall (at badaling) for about 350rmb (6 people) including tolls.

That is a deal! Something to consider.

That is a deal! Something to consider.

Just keep in mind, they will try to take you to places.. (shops, jade factory
restaurants etc) where they can get comission off of your purchase/spending.

Try to avoid these places if you can... and just pay them a little
more if they cooperate well.

same thing if you hire guides at some of the tourist destinations.

They'll ask for 200-400RMB, but you can get them for almost 1/10th.

Best guides would be the students (or people claiming to be students)
at tienamen square. Just talk to them and they will give you a lot of
information for free :D just dont fall for the scams.