Great Wall visit question

We want to visit the Great Wall during a Beijing visit. Is the best way
to go to get a taxi? If so, are there taxis readily available on the
way back? If we take a tourist (not group tour) bus, are there multiple
buses which you can take back, or is there only one bus back which you
have to take?

Depends what you want to see, if you want to go to Badaling and see an
heavily restored section of the wall with lots of tourist, you can take an
public/tourist bus.

If you want to do a hike on the wall and see the wall unrestored you can go
to Jinshaling and walk to Simatai (10 km), most hostels/guesthouses offer
this kind of trek and in my oppinion this more the 'real' wall experience.


Hopjesvla

wrote in message
oups.com...
We want to visit the Great Wall during a Beijing visit. Is the best way
to go to get a taxi? If so, are there taxis readily available on the
way back? If we take a tourist (not group tour) bus, are there multiple
buses which you can take back, or is there only one bus back which you
have to take?

On Oct 4, 11:25 pm, "
wrote:
We want to visit the Great Wall during a Beijing visit. Is the best way
to go to get a taxi? If so, are there taxis readily available on the
way back? If we take a tourist (not group tour) bus, are there multiple
buses which you can take back, or is there only one bus back which you
have to take?

You hire a taxi for the trip, not oneway.

We stayed at the Beijing Hyatt last spring -- the concierge arranged a
private tour to the Great Wall at Mutianyu (highly recommended). We
had a minivan (for four of us), with a driver and an English-speaking
guide. Our guide was wonderful, and shared lots of interesting info
with us during the entire day trip, which also included the Ming Tombs.
I imagine that most hotels in Beijing can make similar arrangements.


wrote:
We want to visit the Great Wall during a Beijing visit. Is the best way
to go to get a taxi? If so, are there taxis readily available on the
way back? If we take a tourist (not group tour) bus, are there multiple
buses which you can take back, or is there only one bus back which you
have to take?

"michaelw" wrote in message
oups.com...
We stayed at the Beijing Hyatt last spring -- the concierge arranged a
private tour to the Great Wall at Mutianyu (highly recommended). We
had a minivan (for four of us), with a driver and an English-speaking
guide. Our guide was wonderful, and shared lots of interesting info
with us during the entire day trip, which also included the Ming Tombs.
I imagine that most hotels in Beijing can make similar arrangements.


My hotel had a standard tour that they ran every day which picked
up at two other hotels. I guess thatmost do something similar.

It was 33 Euro pp including entrance fees and a nothing special lunch.
This is about twice what it will cost you to organise for yourself by bus
but almost certainly much less than a taxi hire for one person.

We too had a van trip and there were 7 of us in total. The guide was
good but were were taken to a couple of factory shops, though there
was no pressure to buy and most didn't (I wasn't even in a position
to buy, as I had left all but a small amount of money back in the room
safe).

The guide didn't expect a tip

I thought it fair value, by trying to save 15 dollars you could end up
getting lost and missing, what for most people, is a once in a lifetime
opportunity.

tim