Review of 3 Days Beijing Classic Tour by Jamie

I elected this tour as I came during "Golden Week" which is the National Day holiday at the start of October for China. I was assigned 3 different tour guides for each day, but all 3 were very informative. They had very good communication with each other and kept me informed as to what time I needed to meet the guide in the morning. They were almost always on time, too! Tony, my tour guide on the first day, called just to inform me that he would be two minutes late due to the incredibly busy traffic. Overall, the tours were very impressive and they gave me a good opportunity to see the wonderful sights of Beijing. The tour has been updated so you no longer have to pay extra during the Hutong section of the trip; they just ask for tips at the end of the ride so be prepared to have about 20 RMB with you. 10 RMB is a recommended good tip and you will be asked to tip the local guide as well as your rickshaw driver. There are unscheduled shopping trips. Some of these included a pearl factory, a silk shop, a tea shop, and a trip to visit a Chinese doctor. You can buy small items if you are looking for souvenirs for friends and such, and it is possible for you to bargain just a bit. Remember, a lot of times the first price that is offered is not the final price that the Chinese would like you to pay. It's just the highest that they want you to pay. So try your hand at bargaining, although at some of the more upscale places (like the silk factory) you can't bargain too much. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking to see the sights of Beijing. I would not recommend going during a peak holiday time, so make sure you check to see when the holidays are in China!