Beijing Mutianyu Great Wall and Palace Museum (Forbidden City) Day Tour

I am not satisfied with today's arrangements. Firstly, I paid extra for the tour, expecting hotel pick-up arranged by the travel agency to save time. Instead, it was a waste of time. I had to board the bus at around 6:00 AM, arriving early at other participants' meeting points, only to have half an hour of free time. But there was nothing to do on a Sunday morning. We just waited for others who arrived independently to start, wasting time that could have been used for sightseeing. In addition, the Great Wall tour time in the morning was too short, only one and a half hours (including the cable car ride back and forth). There was simply not enough time to appreciate the beauty of the Great Wall. There was also no time to sit down for lunch in the afternoon. I could only buy takeout and eat it hurriedly and hastily in a Didi arranged by the tour guide Michael on the way to the Forbidden City. It was very embarrassing, especially for families with elderly members; it was really rushed and not ideal. Furthermore, due to traffic congestion on the way from the Great Wall to the Forbidden City, we were delayed by a full hour. The tour guide Bob led the tour members who had already arrived to set off first, and we could only go from the original meeting point at Donghua Gate to the Meridian Gate to catch up with the group on our own. Fortunately, the tour guide Bob provided instructions and quick responses along the way, otherwise it would have been very difficult to support the elderly in the crowded Forbidden City. Both tour guides were dedicated and responsible, but the travel agency's overall itinerary arrangement for the day was not ideal.

Our flower guide was incredibly thoughtful, anticipating that we might not have time for a meal after descending from the Great Wall and pre-ordering our food.

The tour guide's professional and detailed explanations were excellent, I will join again next time.�

The guides (Flower and Bob) are great, but I think a day is too short for both these spectacular relics. We had only 50min to spend at the Great Wall and had to rush to eat lunch (not included) and travel back to Beijing Forbidden City. Even if one has only a short stay in Beijing, I would highly recommend you do a 1 day tour of Great Wall and Forbidden City each, this will allow you to appreciate the splendour of these architectural wonders. Bob was very accommodating to slow down his commencement of Forbidden City tour to wait for us. He was already inside the main square of Forbidden City by the time we got there from MuTianYu.

Booked for August 8th with pickup between 6:30 AM and 7:30 AM… at 8:30 AM no one showed up at our hotel!!!! No one answered the phone despite dozens of calls!!! No email!!!! No message the day before! We lost a day and couldn't find tickets for the Forbidden City anymore. THIS IS WORTH REPORTING! SHAMEFUL! We await a refund! Do not book! Book with other platforms and don't trust the reviews.