Tours, sightseeing tours, activities & things to do | Viator.comPrivate Custom Tour: Beijing in One Day
based on 9 reviews of Private Custom Tour: Beijing in One Day
Read what other Viator.com travelers think about the Private Custom Tour: Beijing in One Day. 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.
My wife and I had a wonderful custom made trips for us in Beijing. Our guide was very nice, her English was great and her knowledge of the area was fabulous. When she arrived to pick us up at our hotel she did not know what we had planned. I gave her the places we wanted to see and quickly she devised a plan on how we would fit everything in. She was very empathic to our travel needs. It was the end of a 10 day trip for us and our energy level was not as good as at the beginning. She recognized that and made sure we stayed and did as much as we had energy to do. I loved that about the tour. She took us to lunch in a fantastic restaurant she knew and we really really enjoyed it. I would highly recommend this way to see the city. It was the first time we had a private guide and I would definitely do it again. Thanks for providing us with such and excellent day!
Reviewed by: Barry W, United States of America, November 2009
On this second day in Beijing, I again used another private tour guide different one form that used on day one in order to visit Tianamen Square, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Bell Tower, the Hutongs and several other sites. Being just the two of us, we were able to cover a lot of ground in one day and my guide to be especially knowledgeable and congenial. Since we were essentially in the center part of the city the whole time, we relied on taxis rather than a dedicated drive for transportation. Another benefit with using a private tour guide is that you get to practice your Chinese language skills with them and also have interesting discussions about their culture and current events.
Reviewed by: Randall H, United States of America, July 2009
Our tour guide took excellent care of us. He made sure each member of our group had seen something they were particularly interested in, so it was a customized tour just for us. He was also extremely helpful, translating for us when we were shopping and ordering food in restaurants. I would book this tour again on a return visit.
Reviewed by: Maria L, United States of America, May 2009
This is absolutely the best choice for sightseeing around the central parts of the city - Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple, Confucius Temple, Imperial College, etc. Taxi rides are cheap or you can take the subway for 2RMB. The guide I had spoke pretty good English. You can also ask the guide to recommend restaurants that are more local and authentic than the ones you would normally get when part of a larger tour group.
Reviewed by: Ching-Hwa Y, United States of America, March 2009
Nothing planned specifically. Outstanding, knowledgeable, English-speaking guide suggested traditional teahouse ceremony, silk factory visit and market shopping. Happy with very laid-back experience. No rush, no fuss.
Reviewed by: Robin M, Australia, August 2008
The tour guide was friendly, knowledgeable and with good language skill. We loved the flexibility of the private tour. The cost does not include transportation admission fees etc.
Reviewed by: Jeremy H, United States of America, July 2008
Guide showed up on time at 8:30 am. We told him that we wanted to visit the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall and Forbidden City. He talked to a cab driver and arranged for the taxi to be with us for the entire day for a fixed price. The guide suggested lunch beside a Cloissone factory so he got to somehow squeeze this into the itinerary. The Cloissone place was a pleasant surprise. Guide spoke ok English but could have been better and more in depth regarding the history of China.
Reviewed by: A Y, United States of America, September 2009
Our guide was knowledgeable & charming. Our only unhappiness was with the Viator 800 operator, who told us we could see the Great Wall, Hutong and Forbidden City in one day, which was impossible. So we missed the Great Wall!
Reviewed by: Susan S, United States of America, July 2009
For a more tailored and immersive experience, I would highly recommend doing a custom private tour. You essentially have a tour guide all to yourself for about 8 hours and maybe also a driver as well. I was able to select what I wanted to see and the time frame allotted to different activities. I chose which important sites I wanted to see as I'm really into photographing scenes and people. It's also really somewhat reasonable in price although you do need to factor in an amount for a tip 10 to 20 depending on quality of service since the guide and maybe a driver essentially spent a full day with you. On this first day tour we went to the Mutainyu section of the Great Wall to avoid all the tourists usually at the closer Badaling section as well as the Summer Palace.
Reviewed by: Randall H, United States of America, July 2009
