sandiej

You need to pick and choose where you need a guide. The first time we travelled to Beijing we used Pacific Delight(PD). It was a small group tour and it was a good package. When we returned two years later (2009) we wanted to organize our itinerary and PD only had a fixed package. We used Chinahighlights.com the second time and organized the package the way wanted to travel. We did not use a guide or CH in Shanghai. We stayed at a B&B that arranged for our transfer from Shanghai airport. We flew to Xi'an and we picked the time of the flight. We used CH for a package in Xi'an. It was too difficult and not worth the effort to find a separate tour guide, transport to the terracotta soliders, and find a hotel.

In Beijing, since we were there before we only used CH for airport transfers. One of our travel mates had not been to Beijing and purchased a package for Beijing sighting. The package was with only 4 other people on a mini van. It is difficult again to go to the great wall, summer place without transport and a guide. You can spend your time making all the arrangements or purchase a package just for Beijing.

One other note, PD's lunches were in the foreign tourist lunch halls, while CH's lunches were in local restuarants where you are the only foreigners and the guide helps select lunch from the menu.

We are in our 50's our friend is in his late 20's.