When time is of the essence in China - the benefit of Private Tours

We basically had 2 full days to see everything we wanted to see in Beijing, and one full day to see all of Xi'an. It is not enough, however, we did manage to squeeze in a lot. While there are plenty of small tours, we decided to pay a little more (and it really wasn't much more to be honest) for just the two of us, so we didn't lose time waiting for others, more time than we needed at sites, any time 'shopping' or for other peoples toilet breaks.



We used Tours by Jessie for Beijing, and we sent our list of where we wanted to go in a day (Panda House, Summer Palace, Lamma Temple and Temple of Heaven - we also managed a drive by and photo stop of the Olympic site and a great lunch in a 'suburban'  restaurant - didn't seem to have hoards of tourists). It was perfect.

Beijing is big and we covered a lot of ground. We apparently had a good run with the traffic (the guide kept apologising for the bad traffic but as a Sydneysider, it didn't really seem very different to home). This was not their standard tour, so don't be scared to see if you can tailor it exactly to what you need. You also avoid queues and can move around the crowds.

Note you can go shopping after dinner or while bar hopping in Beijing, so you'll still get plenty of souvenirs and groovy clothes even if you don't spend an hour at a shopping centre market.






In Xi'an we booked a set tour privately through China Travel Guide  and we moved at a quicker pace than the guide was used to, so much so that he was worried we weren't happy. We pointed out we had places to see after the tour too, so we were on a mission. For the record, we spent two hours (not three) looking at the Warriors, and took a squillion photos so I don't really understand what people do for the extra hour. We had lunch in a restaurant too, but because there were only 2 of us, maybe we ate quicker than most? Instead of the allotted four hours, we spent just under three. There were lots of groups sitting and having rests so maybe we were just quicker and fitter? As I mentioned before, we averaged 11 - 14kms a day walking, even on tours. The historical sites are big. So get fit before you go. The day we did on our own in Beijing, we walked 18 kms - and that was still getting taxis everywhere.





We visited the Small Wild Goose Pagoda (and visited the outside of the big one that night for the fountain show and lights) and the walked the City Walls and then said our farewells to the Guide at Muslim Street (having seen the Bell tower and Drum tower as we passed), where we proceeded to shop and eat dinner and visit the ancient (yet functioning) Great Mosque.

With both tours, we got great insight into both historical China and modern day China, and for me this was a real highlight. It's a fascinating contrast, the regal courts and the modern day fun loving people with very cheeky senses of humour. We felt by the end of the week we had an insight into the religions, the art and the modern day culture as well as having seen amazing historical building and structures. We covered the ancient Emperors as well as religions, art, Chinese cinema, literature, modern seniors lifestyle and what people like about the share bikes. So much more than just the usual tours.

The benefit of private tours is you can set your pace, set your itinerary and not waste a minute.  Ideally both Beijing and Xi'an need more time. 2 full days is not enough for Beijing and a full day in Xi'an means you miss a lot. However, with the private tour, you can really squeeze a lot in, and not waste a minute!

Practicalities:
China Travel Guide https://www.travelchinaguide.com/
Tours By Jessie http://toursbyjessie.com/
Contact by email and work out what works for you. They also offer multiple day tours as well. Please note this is not promotion, it's just who we used picked at random off the Tripadvisor reviews. We were so happy with both guides. They were fabulous days out.

 

Further Reading:
Unexpected Beijing
Exploring the Great Wall - Dhawa Jinshanling
Food Streets and Xi'an at night

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