opinions on optional tours

Full Day Forbidden City and Summer Palace Plus Lunch.

Start your day with a visit to the famous Tiananmen Square. You then enter the Forbidden City, an architectural masterpiece and home to the National Palace Museum. After an included lunch, venture outside the city to see the Summer Palace, summer resort of the Empress Dowager. ($55, lunch included.)

Full Day Great Wall and Ming Tombs Plus Lunch.

Embark on an exhilarating full day excursion. First travel to the legendary Great Wall which extends over 3,700 miles and is the only man-made structure visible from the moon. There is time to mount the ramparts of this ancient wonder before proceeding to the Ming Tombs, burial site of the Ming Dynasty royalty. ($55, lunch included.)

Full Day Hutong (Old Beijing) %26amp; Temple of Heaven Plus Lunch.

Enjoy an unforgettable look at behind-the-scenes of Hutong, the old city of Beijing. You%26#39;ll ride on a traditional 3-wheel cycle through the labyrinth comprising this district. Walk along ancient alleyways and see where ordinary citizens live side by side with gracious old estates once owned by Beijing%26#39;s old aristocracy. After an included lunch, proceed to the Temple of Heaven, a masterpiece of architectural harmony and precision. ($55, lunch included.)

Evening Opera Performance and Peking Duck Dinner.

Enjoy an elaborate Chinese Dinner Banquet featuring the famous ';Peking Duck'; and attend a performance of the renowned Peking Opera. ($38, dinner included.)

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Full Day Shanghai City Tour Plus Lunch.

Visit some of Shanghai%26#39;s famous attractions including the Jade Buddha Temple, the fragrant Yu Garden and the Children%26#39;s Palace where Shanghai%26#39;s brightest and most talented youngsters are taught. Then, proceed to the fascinating Shanghai Museum, containing some of Asia%26#39;s best art exhibits. Conclude the tour with a visit to the colorful Bund, Shanghai%26#39;s famous waterfront. ($35, lunch included.)

Full Day Suzhou Excursion Plus Lunch.

On this most memorable excursion, embark on a scenic ride to the charming, canal laced Suzhou often called ';Paradise on Earth.'; Here you embark on a short cruise on the ancient ';Grand Canal.'; After lunch visit two of Suzhou%26#39;s most famous gardens as well as other city highlights, before returning to Shanghai late this afternoon. ($60, lunch included.)

Shanghai Acrobats Performance Plus Dinner.

Delight in a breathtaking performance of the renowned Shanghai Acrobats. Chinese dinner will be included in tonight%26#39;s activities. ($25, dinner included.)

are any of these trips a good value? thanks

opinions on optional tours

Most of this you can easily do on your own for a little less money, but if you prefer to have things organized I suppose these would be fine.

The Shanghai Acrobats seems reasonable enough.

The experience of having the duck banquet (along with the Peking Opera performance) might be better than going on your own, since much Chinese food is really meant to be shared at a large table. The value will depend on the quality of the meal.

The Suzhou excursion would be worthwhile since that would be more trouble to do on your own (though there are better places to go than Suzhou).

The Great Wall at Badaling is not the best part of the wall to visit. The Ming tombs aren%26#39;t that great. You could hire your own car for about the same price.

Most of the other things would be easy to do on your own.

opinions on optional tours

The lunch at the Summer Palace is banquet style and it was terrible. I do not recommend that food at all - even if it is IMPERIAL cuisine. Ask for the tour without the lunch and go somewhere else or take a snack with you. Plan to have a decent dinner somewhere else instead.

Go to the Mutianyu section of the wall instead of Badaling, if you want a more peaceful experience.

Personally you don%26#39;t need to do all of these tours in an organised fashion

T square and the forbidden city you can do on your own. Just get to T square and the Forbidden city is opposite. Get a taxi home. There is English signage in the Forbidden city plus an audio guide in English, if you wish.

You can definitley go the the Temple of Heaven on your own by taxi.

Try to avoid too many of these lunches. They will all be virually the same sort of food.

Side trips - yes indeed book a tour

Around the city - go by taxi and return to your hotel by taxi, choose your own food independently.

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