7-Day Beijing Family Trip for Three Generations, Relaxed and Easy

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I'm a tourist from Taiwan who loves to travel. I've been to Beijing three times, so let me tell you about my experiences. I hope this helps you.

The first time was with my family. A mutual acquaintance recommended a tour group that departed from Taiwan. It was indeed very cheap, but once we got to Beijing, the itinerary was too rushed and tiring. What's worse, we missed most of the main attractions and were taken to several shopping stops. I felt like we were resold to a Beijing travel agency, and the quality was completely unassured. It just wasn't fun. Even though it was a recommendation from an acquaintance, I still don't recommend booking a tour group locally.

The second time was with a few classmates, and we planned it ourselves. We had to arrange hotels, tickets, itineraries, and transportation in advance. It took a lot of time and money, and we were easily scammed. We couldn't even get tickets for the Forbidden City, so we just wandered around the area. Plus, Forbidden City tickets require reservations, and there's no guarantee you'll get one. There were endless queues and navigating, which was very troublesome and wasted a lot of time and money. If you plan to go on your own, make sure to prepare everything in advance, otherwise it will be very inconvenient.

The third time was this year, and it was the most satisfying and most economical trip. We booked our flights ourselves and contacted a highly-rated local agent named Yao Yao, who specializes in independent travel. She arranged our entire 5-day itinerary, so we didn't have to worry about a thing. It was also very cost-effective. It only cost 1880 RMB per person (about $250 USD) for 5 days, including 4 nights in a luxury hotel, and the hotels were all near the Third Ring Road – you know what I mean! (Yao Yao thoughtfully arranged a hotel near the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square for us, with a view from the window. I checked 4-star hotels within 10 km of Tiananmen Square, and they start at 500 RMB per night. Booking accommodation ourselves would have been too expensive.) It also included all tickets for attractions like the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Yuanmingyuan, and the Summer Palace, as well as all transportation, meals, and insurance. Plus, Yao Yao provided 24-hour concierge service, which was incredibly thoughtful. I highly recommend her! (The entire trip had no hidden fees, no tricks, and no shopping. We had a fantastic time.)