Beijing Travel Tips
Beijing Travel Tips, Beijing tourist attractions and tourist traps written by real travelers and Beijing eTours.
8. I am a single traveller in Beijing for one week, any safety in Beijing?
If friendly young Chinese people approach you on the street for tea or art, just say "no". This is a common problem in Beijing: the old teahouse and art student scams designed to extract money from unsuspecting tourists. Never accept rides from taxis that don't have a working meter. Just get out and find another one. Don't go hiking far alone on remote sections of the Great Wall. There are no dangerous areas of downtown Beijing that you need to be concerned with as a foreigner. Petty theft is always a problem in the vicinity of China's train and bus stations.
Please be careful of the following:
-Stay away from local quarreling
-Keep away from drunk locals.
-Put your belongings close and under your eyes.
-Question what people will tell you.
-Keep every taxi reciept or goods'reciept. Never follow any "black taxi driver" who approaches you (especially at airports).
-Always make sure the taxi driver turns on the meter.
-Never agree to a fixed price before you get in a taxi and start to go.
-Never give money to beggars, who are very often controlled by some kind of organzation
-Never pay for bus tickets till the bus is driving on the road and you are in it.
All these are just warnings. Each country has its problems. China is comparatively safer than many places in the world. just be confident about these things.
By the way, if you bring your mobile phone to China and you are from Aus, or the UK, or most of Europe, then you have the same cell phone system with China. Once you are in Beijing, buy a chinese sim card for around 50-100RMB. The phones use a pre-paid system and you will find it helpful.
9. Must see places in beijing?
- Forbidden City
- Tiananmen Square
- Great Wall (Badaling, Juyonguan, Mutianyu,Jinshanling, or Simatai)
- Summer Palace
- Hutong tour
- Qianhai/Houhai area
- Temple of Heaven
- Yonghegong Lamasery
- Panjiayuan market (early weekend morning)
- Wangfujing street
- Wangfujing night food market
- Peking duck meal
- Chinese acrobat performance
- Chinese opera performance
More about Top 10 Must See Places in Beijing.
10. Is it better for us to travel independantly or go with an organized tour in China?
If you want to be adventurous, you don't need a tour for help, as you know tons of travellers visit indepedently a great number of places in China every year without any knowledge of Chinese. If you have no time for searching for the travel information and don't want to be intrepid for your trip, taking a group tour is a good way!
11. Is it easy to find a taxi on the tourist sites in Beijing?
It is very easy to find taxis next to touristic attractions in Beijing. The taxi fleet has recently been upgraded, and taxi drivers have to learn some english (though it might still be a bit difficult to communicate with some of them). When you take a taxi, don't forget to ask for the receipt (Fapiao in chinese): it could be usefull if you forget something in the cab ( a telephone number is written on the taxi driver's license in the taxi). Make sure they are metered. Last, but not least important is to make sure the taxi's plaque starts with "B", otherwise, it is a black taxi!
12. How to recognize a legal taxi in Beijing? Any advice on illegal tour bus?
1) The taxi plaque number starts with the number "B"
2) The taxi should be equippped with the light on the top and meter measuring.
3) It's better to take a taxi on the road instead of a taxi waiting somewhere. The empty taxi must show a red light in the front window. Watch out! Don't come aboard the black "illegal tour bus": In Beijing, there are also some black illegal tour buses sending tourists to the Great Wall. You will have a terrible trip once you get on it. To promote their illegal tours, these sales people always deliver a small card to passing-by travelers wanting to go to Great Wall tour by standing on the some public places like the street, Tian'anmen Square, or the entrance of Forbidden City. Very often they use their "unbelievable low price" to attract those "blind" tourists. But once you come aboard their buses for the Great Wall, they have to make you pay additional fees again and again. Sometimes even the Great Wall is not real Badaling section!! We remind you not to take their card if you happen to meet them. Actually it's very easy to recognize an illegal tour bus in Beijing. A legal tour bus plaque starts with "B", if not, you possiblely get on a "black tour bus".
13. How to recognize a licensed and legal tour guide?
A licensed and legal tour guide should have two things - IC card and formal reception plan from the travel agency for which she or he works.
A formal reception plan is actually a travel plan or tour confirmation between a travel agency and the tourists.
14. How to recognize a freelance tour guide?
A freelance tour guide is a tour guide who doesn't only work for her or his registered travel agency. They jump from one travel agency to another. They are not tied to only one travel agency, something like a guerrilla! A freelance tour guide is a licensed and legal tour guide. So they also have two things: tour guide IC card and travel plan from a travel agency.
15. How to recognize a self-employed tour guide ( illegal tour guides )?
If a licensed tour guide directly organize a tour and also conduct the tour, she or he is a self-employed tour guide. A self-employed guide is also a licensed and registered tour guide. But they don't work for their registered tour operators or tour guide management companies. They work for themselves covertly and contact the potential clients by using some low-cost sales channels like web forums, phone calls, direct encounter at some scenic areas. Some self-employed tour guides even make a simple travel website and contact the internet travellers directly! We kindly suggest you avoid using a self-employed tour guide. It is not safe to put yourself in the hand of a single self-employed tour and travel guide. Booking a tour through a self-employed tour guide is illegal!
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