Don't Get Ripped Off on Great Wall Tours
Written: Oct 01 '99
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: It's a great wall
Cons: beware of rip-offs
|
|
|
| Quintessence's Full Review: The Great Wall |
Your hotel will want to take you on an air-conditioned bus trip to the Great Wall. Unless you are really short on time or are really fearful about being on your own in China, don't take the hotel tour. Like all tourist companies aimed at foreigners, they will overcharge you, take you to the least "real" and most commercialized area, and probably bring you to an overpriced, not-very-good restaurant on the way. They might even make you stop at a pearl or jade factory to shop. Of course, the bus driver or the company is getting a commission to take you there.
So how should you go? A tour bus aimed at Chinese tourists will be cheap and an enlightening cultural experience, although it will also be dangerous -- extra seats in the aisles, crazy driving -- and might also stop at pearl and jade factories. Another drawback of this is that you won't understand anything that the guide is saying. There's a train or public buses. But another good way is to get together with three other people and hire a taxi for half a day, or the whole day. English-speaking hotel staff may be able to help you arrange this, and an honest hotel worker should help you avoid getting overcharged. Most cab drivers will work for you a whole day for $100 or less. Half a day, $50.
Don't go to Badaling. That's where the hotel buses go, and it's
1) crowded
2) completely reconstructed
3) I think it even has a McDonald's
Ask the driver to take you to Simatai or Jinshanling. Or, if you're in contact with locals, ask them for recommendations. When I lived in Beijing, I had friends who knew of a beautiful spot where we paid no admission, just parked in a field and walked right up to the wall and climbed on. There were goat herders and local children, but no one tried to sell us anything. The location of that spot? It's a secret, sorry. But it's a long wall--there are lots of good spots. Just be very careful when climbing on crumbling sections -- on steep parts, kicking loose rocks can be very dangerous to people walking behind you.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
Quintessence
|
|
Location: San Francisco, California
Reviews written: 35
Trusted by: 20 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.