Ming Tombs (Ming Shisan Ling)

If you got to Beijing, you can not go there without visiting the Great Wall. The tour was good in the fact you were picked up from the hotel and taken in a car to the wall. I was on my own and the tour was with 3 other travellers which was nice.

But one thing that disappointed me and the rest of the group was the tour originally was to vist the wall for just a hour and half! The trip is billed as 8 hours yet a hour and half t the wall. We felt this wasn't enough time and did mange to have longer but it was frustrating as the tour was going to spend a hour at a jade factory which to be honest was not the reason I wanted to go on the tour.

The tour guide was very nice but I did struggle with his English at times and he could flap at times which made it a bit stressful. I would say def book this trip but negotiate before hand how long you spend at the wall.

Doing what: Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs Day Tour from Beijing

A great experience which made the most out of my short free time in Beijing. The wall at Badaling was just amazing, along with the Great tombs. Our Guide Cerry was very friendly, helpful and shared her great knowledge of the history of the area. we where a small group so it felt like a personal experience. Also enjoyed the Tea Sampling at Dr Tea. i would recommend this trip to anyone looking for a sample of the fantastic history that Beijing has to offer.

Doing what: Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs Day Tour from Beijing

The wall truly is a great place to see, they say there are five workers buried in the wall per meter of the wall and I can see why it is so, going up steep and hard going down steep and scarry. Would have liked to have more time at the wall and the Tombs and less stops at Tourist shopping stores allong the way.

Doing what: Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs Day Tour from Beijing

Cynthia was a great tour guide!
Very knowlegable about the sites we visited. Will recommend to others.

Doing what: Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs Day Tour from Beijing

Good way to see the main attractions of Beijing. Negative: some visits are not listed in the itinerary and are oriented to make the tourist buy souvenirs.

Doing what: Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs Day Tour from Beijing

The tour picked us up at our hotel exactly on time. We thought we would be on a bus full of people, but we were in a van and it was just the two of us, the driver and the guide. He offered to take us to a different part of the wall because the Badaling section is the busiest. He took us to the "quieter" Juyong Pass, but there was still a ton of people there. It took 1.5 hours to get from our hotel near the Forbidden City to the Wall. The guide told us a bit about the wall and took some photos of us before letting us go off on our own for 1.5 hours. From there we drove to the Ming Tombs. We were brought to the largest of the tombs and spent about an hour there. Afterwards, we were taken to the Jade Market. We were shown how the jade is mined and sculpted and then we were led into a giant store. Showing us how it was made was a great way to get us to buy something. At the Jade Factory, we had our lunch: a pre-set Chinese meal. After the Jade Factory, we were taken to Dr. Tea where we we took part in a "tea ceremony" and were shown how to properly drink tea. Again, we were introduced to how tea is made and the different kinds with the intent to sell us tea (which we bought). At that point, we returned to the hotel. The tour was from 7:30 am to about 1:30 pm and we were thoroughly tired by the end. The guide didn't do a lot of talking (he was sick), but he was very nice and informative. It was nice to have our own guide so we could go at our own pace. You spend a lot of time driving on this tour (you drive past the Olympic Park). It was worth it though.

Doing what: Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs Day Tour from Beijing

I was allowed only an hour to explore the wall at Badaling and it soon became clear why. Over the 2 days I was taken to a pearl factory, a jade factory, a silk factory, a tea ceremony, a herbalist centre and a foot massage centre. I was furious to have the time curtailed actually seeing the sights I had wanted to see and instead was pressurised to buy something at each of the factories. When I made it clear I wasn't interested in buying anything - I had only just arrived in China - I was told by the guide I had for the two days 'Cynthia' that as they were not paid very well I was expected to buy something at each place so they could earn commission. I then asked to be taken back to my hotel but was refused and she was insistent on taking me to the foot massage which was "free". Again there I was asked to buy goods and they wanted me to see the 'doctor', so I could be told that I needed various herbal potions. I was very disappointed at the way I was treated and just viewed as an ATM. I think you should change the local operator to one that really wants to show China to visitors.

Doing what: Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs Day Tour from Beijing

This wall is really something to see. Make sure you go to Mutianyu as it is not so touristy or crowded as other parts. We went up by chairlift and down by toboggan. Hardly any other people where we were. Our guide Jackie Li was fantastic. Do the private tour it is definitely worth it.

Doing what: Private Tour: Ming Tombs and Great Wall at Mutianyu from Beijing

Enjoyed the Tour we had lot's of fun - this part of the wall is a tough climb tho! Afterwards we went to the Ming Tombs and caught the re-enactment show there which was great. Our guide Cherry was informative and fun :)

Doing what: Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs Day Tour from Beijing

Had a excellent day

Doing what: Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs Day Tour from Beijing

This tour was quite excellent - our tour guide was fantastic and took great care of us, the restaurant for lunch was quite good, and all in all a very enjoyable experience.

Doing what: Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs Day Tour from Beijing

Tour was good.

Doing what: Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs Day Tour from Beijing

Michael was very good. Weather gorgeous. Great Wall worth it all. I could pass up on the jade factory and spend more time climbing the wall. Recommend!

Doing what: Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs Day Tour from Beijing

Excellent day, due to a cancellation. We were the only two on the tour and got to have a little more control over which areas we spent more time.

Recommend this one :o)

Doing what: Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs Day Tour from Beijing

Incredible. Snow was falling and it was magical.

Doing what: Private Tour: Great Wall of China at Juyongguan and Ming Tombs from Beijing