Asia - Tour in Beijing : travel agency recommandation ?

Hi,

I will be spending some time in Beijing at the beginning of January. I'd like to do some sightseeing (I'll travel alone), and I was looking for suggestion about a travel agent there.

Googling a little, I found this one :

http://www.beijinghighlights.com/seatincoach/sic.htm
http://www.beijinghighlights.com/privatetours/tailormadetours.htm



that seems to be officially-approved (like some other I found, with pretty similar offers). Are all tours officially supervised so I can expect the same thing everywhere ? Is the price range correct ? Will I get a better deal if I simply go to the hotel and ask the concierge to negociate something?

personally, i suggest you ditch the tour guide idea and go solo (you'd probably want to invest in a lonely planet). alternatively, you could simply hire someone to take you around (lots would do that for free anyway just to practice their english). post an ad on thatsbeijing and/or chinadaily and i guarantee you'll get scores of replies.

why i think group tours are terrible:

1) it's impossible to go anywhere and not be treated like a tourist --> you never see places the way they actually are
2) 9 times out of 10, i find that travel books convey more/better info about location x than the typical party-sanctioned tour guide with broken english
3) on group tours, you're stuck with the group; if you don't think the temple of heaven warrents 4 hours, you're out of luck
4) lots of time in gift shops (so your guide can get his kickbacks)
5) overpriced food that you might not care for

obviously, you should take my comments with a grain of salt because -in spite of their accuracy- i think my personality just isn't geared towards that style of travel in general. that said, you should know what you're getting into and that there are other options available. (i would encourage you to rent a bike and explore some hutongs, but not in january.)

Hi Moondog,

I'm heading to Beijing in Dec.. anything offbeat you suggest I do? Or good restaurants (doesn't have to be fancy.. street food is OK) It's my first time in Beijing, I'm bringing an LP to help guide me around

My Mandarin is "ok", so I'm sure I can figure stuff out, but I'd appreciate any recommendations on stuff to do, places to eat. I was thinking about renting a bike in Dec to tour the Hutongs, but I'm guessing its too cold?

Thanks..

Hi Moondog,

I'm heading to Beijing in Dec.. anything offbeat you suggest I do? Or good restaurants (doesn't have to be fancy.. street food is OK) It's my first time in Beijing, I'm bringing an LP to help guide me around

My Mandarin is "ok", so I'm sure I can figure stuff out, but I'd appreciate any recommendations on stuff to do, places to eat. I was thinking about renting a bike in Dec to tour the Hutongs, but I'm guessing its too cold?

Thanks..

i just reviewed some past threads on beijing and find the following is among the most thorough:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=312120&highlight=beijing

i can offer more specific advice if you provide a little more info (how long you're going to stay, which hotel, your interests, etc.)

i'm actually currently in the process of lobbying my company to place me at a client site in beijing for the next year and might get to start as early as next week (if all goes well). in any case, assuming my plan works out, i'd be happy to show fters around or at least point them in the right direction, schedule permitting.