Great Wall of China

[Mamgu]

In October we are visiting Xingang on Holland America's Volendam for an overnighter. We would like to visit the Great Wall - has anyone any idea how to get there without taking an excursion organised by the ship? Thanks.:D

[greatam]

In October we are visiting Xingang on Holland America's Volendam for an overnighter. We would like to visit the Great Wall - has anyone any idea how to get there without taking an excursion organised by the ship? Thanks.:D

 

I use China Highlights for various things in China-tours, translation services, pick up services at hotels (I travel frequently to Asia for business). They have always given me excellent service. I use the Guillin office. They are affiliated with CITS (which is the Chinese government tourist service).

 

ALL tour agencies (TA's) are SUPPOSED to be affiliated with CITS. HOWEVER, in the internet age, tour agencies are popping up all over China. They are not approved by the government and could be shut down on a whim. Quite a few reports of people booking tours/travel during the Olympics and NOT getting what they paid for. They were either put on another companies' tour or stiffed altogether.

 

Watch what you do in Asia-lots of scammers out there. While they may not be true take the money and run scammers, they often have NO idea what they are doing (this is especially true in Vietnam and Cambodia). So they book a tour and THEN realize they didn't charge enough, they have no access to a venue (water puppet show in Hanoi is a big one on this), they booked a "backpacker" type trip and you wanted a private tour. Just some of the things that happen in an area that is just coming into its own and is trying to balance communism with capitalism. While Asia is truly fascinating, you really do need to be careful who you book tours with.

 

http://www.chinahighlights.com/

[Denverite]

Totally agree with greatam. We used China Highlights for our recent 3-1/2 days in Beijing and their service was outstanding. Michael Hu was our contact person and he was great to work with. He is with their office in Guillin. Since you are overnighting at the port, you should have no problem having enough time to go to the Great Wall. You might want to consider spending the night in Bejing as the drive time is 2.5 to 3 hours each way, especially if your ship doesn't leave until later on the second day.

[sailing4fun]

There are many spots to go to on the Wall. Try to get your guide to take you to a place where the buses from the boat do not go. It's nice to have the wall almost all to yourself rather that having to share with a bus load of other people. We took a taxi to the wall. He did have a little difficulty getting on the right road to return to the ship...but we eventually made it.

 

This was also one of the days that I needed a mask because of the pollution around the cities.

[Rickey 88]

There are many spots to go to on the Wall. Try to get your guide to take you to a place where the buses from the boat do not go. It's nice to have the wall almost all to yourself rather that having to share with a bus load of other people. We took a taxi to the wall. He did have a little difficulty getting on the right road to return to the ship...but we eventually made it.

 

Outside of Beijing, there are two sites that you can visit to see and walk on the Great Wall.

 

Most tours go to the Badaling section which is the closest to Beijing and thus, the most "touristy". You will be besieged with vendors, and the wall itself will probably be quite crowded.

 

A more picturesque spot is Mutianyu, a bit further from the city but much less crowded. Your driver will be able to get closer, you will still have to walk through a vendor section, but they are not as aggressive as at Badaling. After buying your tickets, a cable car will carry you to the wall and you can enjoy views not as crowded.

 

All the tour guides used by CTS will be familiar with both.....:)

[amusea]

On the 64 day cruise of the Amsterdam in 2007 we formed a cruise critic group of about 13 folks and used Beijing Service. Since the ship docked for two days we stayed overnight in Beijing. The service of the agency was excellent. We had a minibus with guide and driver for the two days. They suggested the Prime Hotel but the group chose the Regent hotel which was wonderful. We really customized our itinerary and Beijing Service was able to accommodate all our requests. We also went to a less crowded section of the Wall but the group decided to skip the Ming Tombs which get very mixed reviews. All in all it was a memorable two days and I'll be going back next Spring. October is a great time to visit China since the weather isn't too hot or cold. We had extraordinary weather in Beijing - clear blue sky and sunny. I'm not holding my breath for similar weather next March but I can't wait to return. This time we are flying around southeast Asia to give us more time to see everything. I think you will love it.