Mini Group Tour to Mutianyu Great Wall with Lunch and Entrance Ticket

Informative and well planned tour. The palace was crowded but she did a good job of helping us skip lines and tour efficiently.

After booking the 8.00 am tour before we left Australia for Beijing, the first issue we encountered without any consultation, the tour company notified us we were on the 7.00 am tour, not the 8.00 am as we booked this was going to be difficult for us that is why we booked the advertised 8.00 am tour, but with some rearranging we could get to the pick up area on time. Printed our tickets, tour was then confirmation via e mail. Day of the tour very early start took the train to designated pick up, waiting waiting waiting. A NO SHOW BY THIS TOUR COMPANY, we called and were advised they had cancelled the tour, we told they had refunded our money. At the time of booking we gave all information required, they had previously made contact by e mail but NO e mail was ever received about cancellation. They had our hotel details as well as personal contact details, my guess was they didn't have a full tour so just forget it, you don't matter. Returning to the hotel to check e mail to us personally or to the hotel, none received, was the money refunded, NO, but 3 days later it appeared, after we contacted them. Just as well we had some time in Beijing to rebook through the hotel at a tour company that was more trustworthy we got to the Great Wall, but we could have booked Lilys tour on our last day in Beijing and would have missed my main reason for visiting Beijing. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY OR YOU MIGHT SPEND 2 HOURS WAITING FOR THEM NOT TO SHOW UP. The other problem with this company is you cannot make contact with them via return e mail they contact you but you cannot return e mail.

I cant speak highly enough of Jenny and Lilys tours. A must book activity. Some quick tips for visitors: - Bring Water and Toilet Paper - The chair lift and toboggan is amazing. On to the review. We confirmed our booking the day before and were told wed be picked up in our hotel lobby at 8am. Our guide and driver, Jenny, arrived right on time in an immaculately kept, modern and spacious, 8 seat minivan. Very bubbly and bright, Jenny spoke perfect English and immediately made us felt safe and welcome. Once in the car, Jenny explained the tour to us and our route. We took about 1.5 hours to get to the Great Wall. Along the way Jenny was excellent in sharing her knowledge of the Great Wall and was able to answer all of our questions too and others about Beijing and China. We drove along the highway and then through some smaller towns and orchards to the Mu Tian Yu visitor centre. Jenny was very helpful again with pointing out western toilets n.b. theres no toilet paper so bring your own and with helping us get our tickets for the shuttle bus 15 and tickets for the ski lift and toboggan 120. We then had a quick walk through the tourist market, where Jenny helped us find a special item. We then hopped on the shuttle bus to the base of the Great Wall. A journey of only 5 minutes but saves walking uphill for 45mins and lets you save much needed energy to enjoy the wall itself. At the Great Wall base Jenny was again very helpful explaining the ski lift and toboggan and the various towers along this section of the Great Wall. We then took the ski lift up to tower 6, followed by Jenny, and began climbing the Great Wall. Jenny stayed with us for the first few towers explaining the construction and history and providing anecdotal insight into life on the wall. Jenny also took photos for us and offered to send them to us via WeChat. At tower 3 Jenny then gave us time to ourselves to continue exploring up to tower 1. The views and construction of this part of the wall is incredible. After we spent our time here we went back to tower 6 and rode the toboggan down which took about 7 minutes. There is a photo station at the bottom of the slide so you dont need to worry about selfies. Its only 30 per photo as well and comes in a nice booklet, so great value! At base of the Great Wall we met up with our guide again and then headed back to the Mu Tian Yu visitor centre where we had a quick toilet break and jumped back in the car and headed off to a great local restaurant about 5 minutes away for lunch. Jenny ordered for us and chose a delicious banquet of foods including chicken, noodles, Beijing vegetables, rice and dumplings. There was so much food we couldnt finish it and it tasted very good. After lunch we then got back in the car and made our way back to our hotel in Beijing. Final words. Book this tour! Dont bother searching for others I spent days doing that! Go with this one and trust me, you wont be disappointed. Also make sure you leave them a review to help them out. Big big thank you to Jenny and Lilys tours for making this the highlight of our China trip and an incredible way to spend a birthday.