Tour guide for Beijing

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Message Submitted by pbenitez on Mon, 12/07/2015 - 17:55
<p>Recommendations, please for a local tour guide for Beijing and the Great Wall.&nbsp; I will be there for a few days in April 2016 and want to hire a local&nbsp; guide or company to arrange airport pick up, transport to hotel, and local tours of Beijing and Great Wall for two people.&nbsp; Thanks!</p><p>Pamela B.</p>

Reply Submitted by Stan on Sun, 12/20/2015 - 09:34

Several years ago, I found myself with a free day in Beijing on my way home from North Korea.  The company arranging my DPRK visit suggested I contact Bespoke Beijing, which arranged customized travel in and around Beijing.  The company evidently is now called Bespoke Travel Company (at www.bespoketravelcompany.com) because it now operates in Shanghai as well as Beijing.I put together a list of what I wanted to see and do and that I thought I could fit into a single day.  I then exchanged emails with a friendly and helpful company rep. who helped me refine my plan.  Once in Beijing, my guide met me in my hotel lobby at precisely the scheduled time and we set off to do everything I'd planned, traveling by subway as well as by taxi.  She spoke excellent English and was very personable.  I could spend as much or as little time at places as suited my interests, I bought her lunch at a non-tourist restaurant, and she agreed to my unexpected request that one of my fellow travelers from North Korea join us for the afternoon.  (I don't recall if and how much he paid her.)When she returned me to my hotel, I was more than satisfied that I'd seen and done as much as possible during that day.  And since I'd been to Bejing several times before, I concentrated on scattered sites, including several of the Olympic venues, that I hadn't seen before.I don't recall what I paid but I do remember thinking it wasn't cheap.  At the end of the day, though, I knew that it was time and money well spent. 

Reply Submitted by Stan on Sun, 12/20/2015 - 09:36

I regret that ITN still has not done anything about the failure of this message board to recognize the existence of paragraphs.

Reply Submitted by ks1963 on Mon, 12/28/2015 - 11:25

I used Travel China Guide for travel in China. (http://www.travelchinaguide.com)  They are a state run travel service.  I joined a small group (12) for a 10 day tour of China.  Tour guides spoke excellent english, and the whole tour was excellent.  I'm sure they could arrange a private tour of Beijing as well as more extensive touring.  As I recall, the price was quite affordable.