Driver in Beijing: prices?
 

Hi,
going to Beijing soon. I've seen many posts recommending drivers. Any ideas of prices?

Regards,

500 --700 yuan per day.

try : [email protected].


Clarence guo

Does this driver speak english?

A possible consideration - cabs in Beijing are plentiful, inexpensive and efficient, and we never found language to be a problem as long as we could point to our destination on a city map or show the driver its name in Chinese characters.

Much of the pleasure we found in Beijing was in just walking around, especially the Back Lakes area north of the Palace Museum. A dedicated driver would have been more of a nuisance than a convenience.

If your time in Beijing will be very limited, though, a driver might work better for you. And cabs aren't really a solution to a a Great Wall outing.

I was in Beijing in November '07 and arranged in advance for an English speaking driver to see the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven & 2008 Olympic sites. I like the driver/guide arrangement to maximize free days.
I agreed to an itinerary, price, set a
date & time to meet at my hotel.
Unfortunately, when the date arrived - the driver did not! And I could not locate his mobile phone number in my notes. After waiting an hour (and only this day to see these sights), I jumped in a cab with the locations written in Mandarin (provided by my hotel) & the taxi "solution" worked out beautifully. (There are audio guides available at these sites.) Best estimate for cost(sorry for poor recollection) of the taxi approx. 300 yuan.
So be sure to have the guide's mobile number handy - or a plan B!
Hope this rather long story is helpful to you.
Enjoy your trip!

Yes,he speaks English.

Hi m_bran/. 2 years ago we had the same problem in Beijing. We had their contact details and call them but they were not answering. Fortunately, we had another name down and managed to get this person. Mind you, his 'english' was awful.
Does anybody have another recommendation for driver? And if possible, cheaper rates/ 500 min sems like a lot.

Regards,

Any recent recommendations for drivers?

I hired one when I was there for an outing to the Great Wall a few years ago, but it didn't turn out too well.

(English skills not essential.)

Thanks!

Simply use taxis: far cheaper than using the tourist targeting scallywags such as the one recommended earlier in this thread. See m_bran's posting above (although no-shows are rare--there's lots of money at stake--substitutions are not). And see this link for a description of how one reader tackled it following advice from here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...-beginners.cfm

Scroll down to OP's entry for March 15.

The original advice given (followed to the letter) was (following a discussion of all sorts of public transport options):

Or stop taxis on the street a day or two before you want to travel, hand them a piece of paper with your requirements which have been written by your hotel receptionist (pick-up time, date, and location; destination; total travel time [half day enough]). About ¥350 for Mutianyu including waiting time and return. More for Badaling because the highway tolls and parking charges are higher.

Peter N-H

Thanks. I'll check that thread. I used the "wing-it" method a few years ago like you said when I hired a driver who had taken me somewhere else within the city.

But that wasn't really so nice, so I'm wary of repeating the same experience. I'd rather pay more to ensure a smooth experience, especially if the driver has been collectively vetted in some fashion.