What‘s Included

Reviews

• Did not have guided trip, because lost

  Larisa S,

  Mar 30, 2025

  1.00

  That no one in the city speaks any other language than Chinese. We could not get where we have to go and, of course, lost. I had a message: “I am your tour guide and I am on the front of Southgates, where you are now?” Would we know where we are and where you are we would not be lost. When no one understand you and can’t explain anything happen that what happened to us. So we did not have guided trip, just went in and look around without any explanation. Sorry, but for now it’s the worst city, trip, and experience we are had.

• Vivian - Best tour guide, made our tour memorable smooth experience

  Vidya R,

  Mar 28, 2025

  5.00

  I was on my solo trip.Had a great experience with Vivian, our tour guide. Right from our meeting point till the time of our departure, she ensured that every single time of ours is well utilised. We were given ear piece which made our life easier. Vivian took time and efforts to cover most of the buildings. Explained every intrinsic part of history and architecture of the place. Her English was very fine especially for foreigners. She is till date the best guide I have got. I highly recommend her.

• Excellent Tour!

  Adrian R,

  Mar 26, 2025

  5.00

  Lucia was very knowledgeable, professional and easy to work with for the entire experience! I would recommend this tour to others.

• Great historical tour and insight into The Forbidden City

  Clare H,

  Mar 24, 2025

  5.00

  Huang our guide was excellent! His historical knowledge and passion for Chinese history kept our long wait to get into the Forbidden city a well worthwhile wait. He answered all our questions and was wonderful if offering advice on other local attractions and places to eat!

• Wonderful Cultural Experience

  Gary B,

  Mar 24, 2025

  5.00

  This was a small group tour of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. It was a morning tour that extended into the early afternoon. It took a little longer than advertised but most people in the group really appreciated the extra time that Vivian (our tour guide) afforded us to see extra places and learn a lot more about the history of this famous site. The organisational aspects of this tour were impeccable with timely pre-tour communication and efficient information processing at the meeting point. Vivian was very welcoming, introduced group members to each other, and made everyone feel comfortable. Vivian is a Chinese person with a deep knowledge of Chinese history and also fluent in English with very clear diction and pronunciation. We appreciated her 'inside knowledge' which facilitated our entry to the venue and navigation of crowds. Vivian showed a good balance of explaining information in depth and allowing us free time to explore each building and take photographs. We visited on a Sunday, and it was very crowded so I suggest visiting on a weekday if you can. Regardless, with common sense and a good guide, there are strategies for avoiding the large tour groups to some extent. The Forbidden City is an extremely interesting and unique place with a variety of Ming and Qing buildings, gardens, artefacts in situ, and museums. Vivian explained the fascinating narratives around the last emperor and the extravagances of the dowager empress. This is the second time I have visited the Forbidden City and what made it much better the second time round was having a knowledgeable and astute tour guide.