Beijing tours -- worth it?
 

I have received a quote of fours days with a private guide for $510 for 2 people on three days and four people one day. One of those days include Tianenaman Square and the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven. Our hotel is right next to Tianenman Square. Do we need a separate guide for that? do the hotels have guides to recommend to show us that area? Are there separate guides once we enter the Forbidden City or would the private guide we hire do the actual guiding? Is it far to the Temple of Heaven from there and can that all be done in the same afternoon?

Thanks.

You will be better off with a good guidebook and taxis (or the metro).

Wow - that is a complete rip-off price. Be aware that the "information" given to you by Chinese guides has little basis in reality. The guides' education about their historic sites comes from government propaganda.

You don't need a guide for any of this - as thursdays says, you are better off with a good guidebook.

IMO, no -- go on your own. It is easy to do so with a good guidebook -- as already indicated, you'll get more accurate information by reading than by working with a guide. And at least when I was there, there was a decent audio-guide to the Forbidden City.

If your hotel is right at Tianenman Square, you can probably walk to many of these sites. If not, the metro is very easy to use, quite affordable, and perhaps even faster given the amount of surface traffic.

You can visit Tianenman Square on a day that includes the Forbidden City or a day that includes the Temple of Heaven. Whether you can do all three in one day depends on your preferred pace of travel. FWIW, I spent about 7 hours at the Forbidden City and about 5 hours at the Temple of Heaven. I suspect that's at the higher end of visits, but I don't know for sure.

There are tons of guides right outside the Forbidden City who will approach you. I do not have any experience with them, but if yuo feel the need, you can avail yourself.

I advise against using a local guide for the reasons already listed. Really, just go on your own, whether with printed info or an audio guide or both -- or, for that matter, go with neither, just your eyes! A guide will add to your cost, and might be a source of misinformation. JMO.

I have just left Beijing and managed to do all of the above independently at our own pace and for a much lower price. We've taken a few tour guides around China and real historical knowledge seems limited/scripted and left feeling the money for the guide would have been better spent on a book!

Tian'anman is opposite the forbidden city, (60 Yuan entrance) once inside you can take an audio guide for 40 Yuan or maybe better still a detailed history book.

The forbidden city is pretty large so whilst I guess you could do both in a day it depends on how much info you like to consume and how much you can take in one day.

Please be really careful in and around these areas there are lots of scammers and I advise you read up on the "tea house and drink" scams which is rife in the area. Basically if anyone asks if you'd like to join them in a Tea House or Bar so they can practice there English, refuse unless they are paying or you are happy to pick up a 700+ Yuan bill. I guess like all capital cities you need to have your whits about you.

The metro is really easy to use and costs 3 Yuan per single trip.

If you haven't booked accommodation I can recommend staying in one of the Hutongs, there are many amazing bars and restaurants in this part of the city, great metro links and easy access to other sites such as Lama Temple.