China Travel Review: Harbin, Great Wall, Beijing, Forbidden City, Olympic City, Hutong Tour, Tea Tasting

This trip was for my boyfriend to come visit me in China, as I am working here temporarily. We spent 3 days in Harbin, then 4 days in Beijing. 

We, not the travel company, chose the cities we wanted to visit. However, once we conveyed to the travel agent what we had in mind, they did a great job of fitting in everything we wanted within our budget. Our travel agent was extremely responsive and accommodating. 

While in Harbin, we went to see the Ice and Snow World (ice and snow sculptures) - which despite the freezing weather, was well worth it. The tour guide in Harbin was fantastic. Her English wasn't perfect, but understandable; her energy was fantastic and she was extremely accommodating. When we asked to make a last minute change, it wasn't a problem. In fact, in the itinerary, we had allowed ourselves a free day to adjust to the jet late. However, we ended up wanted to check out the local area. With one phone call, she got us last minute tickets to 3 amusement/sculpture parks, and provided us with a camera charger we had forgotten. 

Beijing was always a lovely trip. We spent a day seeing the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and a Hutong Tour. When we finished the day earlier than expected, our tour guide offered to take us to a tea tasting, which I loved. We also spent an entire day at the Great Wall and saw the Olympic City. Our tour guide, spoke excellent English. However, his attitude was not as energetic. The car that picked us up from the airport was too small for our suitcases, and when we discussed options for our free time, it seemed that he was imposing his ideas on us, instead of listening to what we wanted to do. My least favorite moment was when he told us to tip. This may be a cultural difference, since you are not suppose to tip in China. However, someone should inform travel guides in China that it is rude and uncomfortable to explicitly ask for a tip.