Ming Tombs (Ming Shisan Ling)
- Admission:Free
Ming Tombs (Ming Shisan Ling) Reviews
We've found 88 Ming Tombs (Ming Shisan Ling) reviews from Viator.com travelers and members: what they loved, what they liked and what they think could be improved. It's all here to help you make the most of your next trip.
Driver and guide were fine.The guide was more concern about traffic volume and his ability to get us to a jade factory and a tea house to be subjected to a sales pitch. Very disappointed by the size of crowds but I don't beleive that was in tour operators control.
My wife and I found this full day tour to be very enjoyable, made all the better by our tour guide, Michael, who willingly shared his knowledge but left us to do our 'own thing' at the Great Wall. Surprisingly, and without consultation with us, we were taken to the Juyongguan Pass section of the Great Wall. The justification given was that it would be less crowded than Badaling Section we had booked to see ( and we accepted this as reasonable).
Excellent trip! There were only 4 of is in this tour but it was still as good. The tour guide was very well versed in the history of the places and provided excellent info. Everything went smoothly. It's a must do for all tourist.
Guide was so great and talkative. Love it.
Not sure which part of the wall we visited, but it was spectacular!
Our guide Cherry was brilliant. This part of the Wall was very busy. We have previously visited the Mutianyu section which was quieter. This section was also very steep in parts-but still worth visiting. Ming Tombs were interesting. The history of the tombs alone is worth travelling out there.The tour included a visit to a Cloisonne factory although we werent going to visit this but go to a Jade factory instead but luckily we were the only 2 on this tour so we did both. We did have to mention that the Cloisonne factory was part of the tour.Can recommend the Cloisonne giftware. It is beautifully made vibrant colours but expensive. Also the Jade is spectacular and also expensive. Bought Cloisonne because we felt better able to pack in our suitcase and not break. Had lunch included at the Jade factory - don't bother - it was terrible. Watermelon was the only edible dish on offer. But don't let that minor detail discourage this tour.
the great wall was amazing and it was made so easy picked up and returned to the hotel the whole tour highly recommended thankyou again we love viator and will continue to use viator
Good tour. Guide spoke descent English and was informative. Professional and entertaining.
Excellent tour. With foreign tourists down over 80% since 2008, this tour through Viator was like a private tour for 6 + driver + English speaking guide. Guide was very informative and knowledgeable. With just 6 of us in the tour, we could ask a lot of questions to learn more of the city and culture. Lunch was excellent with lots to eat.
Great personalized service by Jackie Lee. Wonderful side trips.
As usual, fantastic tour with energetic and bright tour guide...i've done Viator tours of all types in Paris, Normandy, Milan, Rome/Vatican City and Berlin and have never been disappointed! The ONLY criticism in the tours in China is when your are taken on side visitsto so called "silk and jade factories", where you are basically turned over to high-pressure sales folks. The real tours are absolutely worth it...you just have to grin and bear the other part.
Good experience very friendly guide
The tour guide was knowledgable, passionate and responsive to the needs of our small group. He gave us a choice of wall section to walk with recommendations which worked well. Excellent day trip despite the cold.
The best tour I did during my stay. Very informative tour guide (Lee). 1 1/2 hours to go up and down the Great Wall is a bit short and you have to rush to make it to the top. My tour partner only made it half way. Very early return to the hotel, so 2 to 2 1/2 hours would be possible.
Private tour is exactly what this is. We were contacted the night before by our guide, Leo, who made arrangements to meet us at our hotel. He was waiting for my wife, son and myself in the lobby the next morning. He lead us to our van, which we had to ourselves the entire day. We left at 9 am and got to The Wall at Juyongguan at 1030 am. The guide bought tickets and lead us to the starting point. We had two hours to explore. The weather was excellent and we hiked to the top and then back down. Had plenty of time to enjoy ourselves. The guide met us at a prearranged spot and we went to lunch at a Jade Factory. Lunch was outstanding and consisted of Kung Pao Chicken, Peppered Beef, a Pork dish, sweet peas, soup and rice. We bought some jade items, this was a no pressure place and a nice atmosphere. We then spent the afternoon at the Ming Tombs. Our guide explained to us the history behind the Ming Dynasty and was very knowledgeable on the subject. We stopped by a Silk Factory, there was a little more pressure there, but it was still a comfortable shopping experience. My wife bought a nice jacket for roughly $88. The guide then took us back to our hotel, ending a very pleasant tour experience. If you book this tour, you won't be disappointed.
I had booked a group tour, but as it turned out I was the only tour customer of the day so got a privately guided session, with one tour guide and a driver getting me around the different tour stops. I am sure others would appreciate a private tour more than I did, but I missed the opportunity to interact with other tourists and it was awkward to go around on my own at the different sites (I could have done that on my own without booking a tour) - hence I was disappointing that the group tour was not a group tour in the end. The tour guide was however very nice and offered some valuable insights into the different stops before we arrived at them.
Most stops were very interesting and valuable to see, especially the Ming emperor tombs and the Great Wall of Badaling. The factory stops were however too commercial, real tourist traps, so those I would have gladly skipped.
The Badaling Wall section was probably the most interesting piece and the main reason I booked the tour. Since I went in November it was pretty cold, so anyone going off season like I did should make sure to wear warm clothes. It was also a very busy and touristy section of the wall, so it is very busy there with lots of crowds climbing the different sections, so I would imagine that in season it would be even more crowded hence I recommend that if at all possibly you pick another section further away from Beijing to find more room to climb and see things without the stress of the crowds pushing behind or in front of you.
