Help with car + driver hire in Beijing
 

Hi
I'm off the PEK next week (3/5 BA029 if anyone on this one) to beat the pre-olympic rush and I'm after a little help.

I have found what seems to be a good van rental + driver at www.tour-beijing.com/car_rental for $130 from 8 hours to take us round beijing/great etc.

If any of you can help or point me in the right direction of something better that would be great

We have one chinese speaking young lady with us so laungage is no barrier at the moment

How many in your group and what sites are you wanting to see? I organised something through local friend a couple of weeks ago. It was out to Simitai and back, then a drive around the Olympic sites. There were three adults and one child. The driver didn't speak english, but he was very good spirited and communicating was half the fun. The day cost ~800RMB. It seems that something similar from the linked website would cost around 1500-1600 RMB.

If you're just going around the major sites in Beijing proper: Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven. Taxi, Taxi, Taxi. Much cheaper.

Hi Michswiss
There's 4 in our group and we're doing the usual great wall etc., there is a museum we want to do that about 30 miles north of Beijing so a driver and a minivan for a day would be really great. We're based just by Beijing Train Station/ metro station so we are within walking distance of most of the popular stuff etc.
So any help would be good...

thanks again
Andy B

I know you must have studied the website, and maybe you've already negotiated, but the $130USD / car selection combo you mentioned is for a "Full day Beijing", not GW. It will be a big day trip. I hadn't expected to spend a lot of time at the GW, but it ended up being a great 3-4 hour walk up and down some great stuff with a packed lunch break. Good experience, but we avoided the tourist areas in lieu of the slightly longer drive. It started around 8am and finished close to 7pm.

Btw, I can't imagine anything in Beijing being walking distance with the exception of some of the hotels close to the centre. It's one of those large, flat cities where everything is just spread out. Fwiw, I've been there eight or nine times over the last eight months on business and will be there again in a little over a week.

Edit to add, $130 isn't a huge amount and if it's simple and organised then all the better. Some days are just better to have in place than to have to work at them. One last word though: don't plan to the minute or half hour. Traffic can be a bear.

Please continue to follow in the FT China Forum.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

I've had two regular drivers for many years. Car is rmb600 per day, van is rmb800 per day. Neither speak English.

With US$1 now worth only RMB7, paying $130 for a van is pretty reasonable, especially if the driver speaks English.

Taxis are cheaper but then you need to deal with language, where to go, which is the most efficient routes, etc. I would suggest you stick with your original plans and enjoy your visit :)

This is a guy I had great success with a couple of years ago. Not sure what his rates are now but he's a terrific guide who speaks good English and has a separate driver. We had a brand new Buick van.....yes BUICK! His name is Eric and his website is www.aebeijingtour.com. email address is:
[email protected]

It's worth an email to check him out.

Call my driver and tell him you are a friend of the boss and he will hook you up:

13901281235

(He doesn't have a van, but drivers are in a tight circle.... you need to speak Chinese.)