Tour / Tour guide recommendations in Beijing
 

I will be traveling to Beijing for a couple of days in Early September I will be arriving to Beijing in the morning of a Saturday (7am) and leaving late evening Sunday. Since it’s a limited time to explore the city, I was wondering if you have any recommendations for tour guides that are fluid in English, during those two days. Broadly, what I would like to do is:

Sept. 6: Visit and hike on the Great Wall. Will need car service. Meet up at hotel at 10am and drop off at around 6pm. I would love to make a day out of this, see as much of the “rural” areas surrounding Beijing and maybe even get some lunch there. Then explore and hike as much of The Wall as possible without any rush (it would be a plus if it’s in a not-so-crowded area), just taking in the landscape, atmosphere, etc.

Sept. 7: Tour Beijing. No car service; Would love to walk around/take public transportation. Meet up at hotel at 8 - 8.30am and back there at 3pm (check out at 4pm). I’’d love to see as much as possible without being too rushed definitely want to go to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven but other than that, I am open to anything the guide suggests.

Does this sound plausible? Am I missing a must-see? I would really appreciate any recommendations!

Also, on Sat. night I think it'd be fun to get a drink or something like that in town. Any gay bars you would recommend?


Thanks a lot!!!

I would recommend checking out Simon at http://simon-service.com/.

He comes highly recommended by other members... and we are going to use him in November.

Thanks a lot! I´ll take a look.... if I end up using him, I'll report back!

Your in BJ on a busy holiday weekend, Sept. 8th is the actual holiday.

For the GW, check out Beijing Hikers. They go to much more interesting spots than the usual suspects, and the have hikes on most weekend days.

Hi, if language is a barrier, then you should surely consider getting a tour guide.

Why not look at http://www.tourhq.com/china/beijing-tours-guide where there is a large list of guides in Beijing. You could write to the guides directly to make your travel arrangements.

Cheers

I am going to have a 1-day layover in Beijing - is there enough time to check out both the Great Wall and the Forbidden City?

Not comfortably.

I would recommend a trip a hutong, probably Nanluoguxiang is the best bet! http://backpackerlee.wordpress.com/2...5/hutong-life/ It's very touristy nowadays, but if you've got little time available in the city, then its probably the easiest to get to, as it has its own Subway station now. Just cross the road, and you are there (but be warned, this road is very busy!).

I would also recommend the Lama Temple, the Fragrant Hills, Hou Hai, and maybe even Happy Valley Beijing - for a bit of fun ;)

Beiluoguxiang is considerably less touristy, but you can the whole extended area on foot pretty easily.

I usually pass on Houhai these days except for that famous street with all the shops because it is way too touristy for my tastes, and Beihai is so much more pleasant if you're into lakes.

For the Fragrant Hills, timing is everything IMO because they aren't so magestic when the park is packed solid with people. (You kind of expect this in Tiananmen.)

I'm neutral on the Lama Temple, but I suppose it is worth a quick visit if you're in the area. I've never been to the Beijing Happy Valley though some friends of mine like it a fair amount.

Nanluoguxiang has gone downhill over the years and is considered as yesterday's story by locals. All the good bars, restaurants and shops have moved away in recent years due to the outrageous increase in rent. Now it is all about shops selling snacks and souvenirs. Nothing that you can't find elsewhere.
Hutongs are everywhere, just take a random walk through any of them.
Having said that, nothing wrong with a first timer with only a day to spare to walk through Nanluoguxiang. I just don't bring my friends there when they are visiting.
Here is an interesting read: http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/featur...n-hutongs.html

Good info, thanks