Boutique Tour: 2-Day Beijing Sightseeing Custom-Made Combo

Dana, our tour guide, was phenomenal! We learned so much about the culture and history. Our driver was excellent as well. Can’t say enough good things about this tour! Very informative, knowledgeable, and friendly.

Beijing is an enormous and perhaps overwhelming and sprawling metropolis. For 5 first rime visitors we could mot have been in better hands than with Angie! Angie met us in the hotel lobby and her warmth and charm were obvious She chatted with us as colleagues or friends then and through out our 2 full day private tour and was thus able to modify and tailor or experience to make it not only individualized but perfect. Her English was fantastic as was her practical as well as historical knowledge of Beijing, China and the entire region. She also has a great sense of humor! Our exploration of The Great Wall was unforgettable including an exhilarating toboggan down the mountain. Our visits to the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Tien'amin Square, Great Hall etc were all fantastic made even more so by Angie's insight and knowledge. As important as the historical sights, was her adjusting the tour and making suggestions to enhance our experience. When Angie heard we had made reservations in search of the "best" Peking duck, she instantly took us to a local place that blew us away. Same with shopping. We all spoke about things we wanted to consider purchasing and Angie whisked us off to out of the way shops and markets that rocked our world. Custom tours are usually package tours for private groups that give the appearance of being personalized. Angie truly made our 2 days in Beijing amazing and frankly, perfect! I cannot recommend Angie and Viator enough, and this is from someone who has traveled extensively throughout the world for more than 45 years!

Our two-day tour of Beijing was fantastic. Our guide, Angie, picked us up at our hotel promptly at 7:15 a.m. We discussed what our interests are and she helped us plan our itinerary. Our first tour was the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. During the drive Angie provided us with the beautiful history of Beijing pointing out landmarks along the way. She and the driver, Mr. Li, got us in well before the crowds came. It was a peaceful climb with her giving us the history of the wall and answering our questions. She encouraged us to explore the towers linking the wall on our own. There were portions where we were completely alone to admire the original and rebuilt sections. Upon our descent, the throngs of visitors were arriving. We decided to take the taboggon down and it was super fun! Angie met us at the bottom and we were off to our next adventure. For lunch Angie offered to take us to an authentic dim sum restaurant unknown to most tourists and frequented by the locals. We were a little intimidated by the enormous menu, but she helped us select some tasty dishes and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. In the afternoon we toured the Lama Temple. Angie explained the Buddhist practices we saw the locals observing and the significance of the statues and paintings along the way. We next drove to a hutoung. Angie had a rickshaw and separate guide setup and ready to whisk us off as soon as we arrived. The guide rode his bike next to the rickshaw and gave us a history of the area and the people who live there. We stopped at a typical home and were able to see how the people live. What a treat! We wrapped up the day with a tour of the Drum Tower. Angie timed our arrival perfectly to see the 4:30 drum ceremony. It was quite a performance and worth the climb of what felt like a zillion steps of stairs at the end of a busy day. While driving back to our hotel, Angie gave us several suggestions for dinner within walking distance of our hotel. The second day of our tour began with a pickup at our hotel at 8 am. We drove the short distance to Tian’an Men Square and the Forbidden City. Angie again gave us the fascinating history of the dynasties, the buildings and what the different paintings and symbols meant. The best part was that she was able to maneuver us away from the crowds and explain all the little details along the way. For lunch she took us to another restaurant frequented by the locals with a different type of food from Western China. The first day was a southern cuisine. Another delicious meal and experience. Our next stop was to see the Pandas at the Beijing Zoo, an experience I loved. Angie got us tickets and maneuvered us around the crowds. We were there just long enough to enjoy ourselves with plenty of time left to go to the Summer Palace where we learned about the beautiful place where the empress had her 60th birthday party. We took a scenic walk down the longest and most beautiful corridor and a small boat across the lake where our driver was waiting to pick us up and take us to see the Birds Nest and Water Cube where the 2008 Summer Olympics were held. My husband is an architect so this was a must see for him. Angie also suggested other places to visit of architectural interest. We finished the day up with a trip to the Pearl Market. Well worth the trip! Angie really wanted us to experience and feel comfortable using the subway. We took it from the Pearl Market to a stop close to our hotel. She showed us how to purchase the tickets and which stop to get off at. During our walk back to the hotel, she pointed out local shops and a beautiful mall. She helped us plan our next day on our own and even texted me our itinerary with explicit directions. We were truly amazed by how much we were able to see in two days. We would have never even gotten to half of the places Angie took us to. Her expertise navigating inside and outside the city and planning the sequence of our destinations is what made it possible. She also arranged our 4:30 am pickup to the airport with Mr. Li. They make a great team! Angie was a delight to spend our time in Beijing with. We can't thank her enough for making our time in Beijing so memorable. We hope to return again someday and see even more of this beautiful city with the best tour guide, Angie! Sent from my iPad