21 May 2019
I had pre-planned a trip with a 16hr layover through Beijing with an idea to tour around, but not realizing that I could see the Great Wall! A friend of mine recommended that I use Catherine Lu Tours - as she used them for a similar tour experience, and I'm glad that I did! Despite a hiccup on my end with scheduling my tour on the wrong day, the company was able to accommodate my faux pas last minute and get a tour set up the same day that I flew in! Airport pickup is directly available for an additional price (about $30USD) since the airport is far from the City Center with traffic.
I was picked up by a great driver who found me looking lost in the airport arrivals area. He had sodas and water available in the back seat for tourists! You are in Beijing, so expect traffic going into the city. I went on a Tuesday, and after picking up my awesome guide, Alice, at a local hotel, we drove over to Tiananmen Square. I was told that it was not busy - and if it wasn't- I definitely didn't want to see it on a crazy weekend day! I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people visiting, but felt safe and protected by Alice who guided us away from long queues. For planning, do consider that the Mao Mausoleum and Forbidden City are closed on weekends.
Our tour of the Square and Forbidden City took about 2.5 hours. Alice was an absolute wealth of information. She also took photos for me at each site, as I was alone. Following our city tour, we drove out to a village on the way out towards the Great Wall and had a lovely, authentic Chinese lunch at a local restaurant which was delicious! We continued our journey up to the Great Wall, and knowing that the Mutianyu portion is far less crowded than the Batallion portion - I was still shocked that there were so few visitors! It really is spectacular and something that you should give yourself an opportunity to see in your lifetime!
Also, at both the Forbidden City and Great Wall, there are opportunities for souvenir shopping abundant.
Overall, I highly recommend this tour, and Alice who was informative and wonderful!