Review of 1 Day Tour : Great Wall and Ming Tombs by Sandra

I booked the whole day tour to the Great Wall and Ming Tombs, after scouring the internet, comparing tours and prices. As promised, I received the call from our tour guide, Liu (he calls himself Jackson - after Michael Jackson!), the night before and we were collected from our hotel the following morning. There were ten others with us on the tour, from Iran, Malaysia, Canada and the USA. The day was absolutely full! We had about 2.5 hours at the Wall, which was enough time to walk a full circuit. This was spectacular and because we were the 'most mature' couple on the tour, we received many congratulations and much teasing - it was great fun! We visited outlets where there was jade, cloissonne and silk. It was very interesting to see the craftsmen at work and learn about the history of these - and then to have time to browse and purchase, without any pressure! We also visited the Ming tombs, where I was a little disappointed that we couldn't actually go into the tombs, but it was still very interesting and the gardens were lovely. Our guide was truly excellent. Without pushing or hurrying us along, we achieved so much in one day. We were returned to our hotel at 7 pm - which was 12 hours of tour, for 160 RMB, including a really fantastic lunch. Can't recommend this tour enough. I would definitely take it again if I was in Beijing.