Travel FAQs

  • Beijing Pollution and Masks

    It is hard to forecast the Air Quality in Beijing too far in advance, you can get a relatively accurate forecast 2-3 days in advance. If the air quality is very bad, it is easy to purchase masks at convenience stores within Beijing

  • Chinese SIM Cards

    It is becoming more difficult for foreigners to buy SIM cards in local shops due to new regulations and policies. Our suggestion is to buy a SIM card in the airport with your passport on-hand as it is the most convenient option.

  • Beijing Dinner Recommendations

    There are many restaurants in Beijing that you can choose from:Famous Peking DuckRecommended restaurant “Dadong”（大董） duck restaurantIf you would like to have Peking duck dinner, then you can eat at “Dadong”（大董） duck restaurant;Branch 1: in NanXinCang Ad:1-2 Nanxincang Guoji Dasha, 22A Dongsishitiao

  • Layover Beijing Tours

    Why is the Transportation from Tianjin Port to Beijing Expensive? It is quite far from the port to Beijing; it is a 180-kilometer (112 mile) trip one way and the driver will need overnight accommodations in Tianjin to pick you up at the Port the next morning.

  • Lunch during Beijing and Xi’an Tours

    Lunch locations are flexible as we do not have a fixed location. Our guide will take you to an authentic local restaurant and help you to order dishes according to your tastes.

  • visit Beijing different sections of the wall depending on your physical level.

    For an easier but still less touristy sections, we suggest the Mutianyu section of the Wall http://staging.catherinelutours.com/itinerary/great-wall-at-the-mutianyu-section/ which is less than a 2-hour ride from the city center.

  • Wheelchair Access on the Great Wall

    Most sections of the Great Wall are not wheelchair accessible. Some sections (including Mutianyu) have cable cars up and down the wall but from the parking lot to the cable car you still need to walk around 10mins, and you can’t ride the wheelchair.

  • Distance from city of Beijing to The Great Wall

    City Center to Mutianyu Wall: 82 kilometers – 1-hour 45mins City Center to Huanghuacheng Wall: 70 kilometers – 1-hour 45mins City Center to Jiankou section wall: 110 kilometers – 2.5 hours City Center to Jingshanling Wall: 150 kilometers – 3 hours

  • Car Seats and Booster Seats for Children

    In China, it’s not compulsory that children need to sit at in baby seats or booster seats in the vehicle If you need one, we can rent one for you. But if you don’t request for this, we won’t provide any. The rental fee for either seat is 50CNY per-day. Please inform us if you need it so we can prepare in advance!

  • How difficult is the hike from Jiankou to Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall?

    The majority of Jiankou hikers are here for the first time, this hike is suitable for all age groups with average fitness. Children under ten to senior citizens, have successfully hiked from Jiankou towards Mutianyu.

  • How to get from the Airport to Beijing Downtown Area?

    If this is your first time in Beijing, you will have no idea on where to head when getting out of the airport. Additionally, you may be tired after a long flight – so a taxi may be the easiest option.

  • When is the best time to visit Beijing?

    It is best to visit Beijing in the Spring and Autumn, as its hot and humid in the summers, and cold and windy during the winter.

  • Chinese Internet

    Wi-Fi access is ubiquitous in China. They are often but not always free, most commonly in cafes and restaurants. Almost all hotels provide Wi-Fi access either free or at a cost, when booking your hotel, you should check the terms of internet access.

  • Chinese Toilets

    Many of China’s major tourist sites have Western toilets and an attendant who practically lives there to keep them clean. But Chinese tourists would prefer the Chinese style toilets so there are more Chinese Squatting Style toilets and one 1 or 2 western ones.

  • Credit Card use and the best place to exchange currencies

    China is a mostly cash-based society, especially in smaller cities and locales further away from large tourist attractions. Credit and Debit cards are rarely accepted, so make sure you carry enough cash.

  • How early do we need to arrive at the airport for international and domestic flights

    How early to we need to arrive at the airport for international and domestic flights? Under regular circumstances we suggest arriving 2-3 hours before an international flight, and 1.5-2 hours before a domestic flight.

  • Does Catherine Lu guide us personally

    Unfortunately, Catherine Lu typically cannot lead tours personally, as she needs to stay in the office and organize the tours to keep everything running smoothly. All the tour guides are trained and picked by Catherine herself, not only for Catherine Lu Tours, but to find the guide that is the best match for your group!

  • Do we have the same guide and driver for the whole trip

    Normally, we will arrange the same tour guide for your stay in one city but if tours are booked last minute or during the popular touring season, we may arrange arrange two different tour guides according to your request.

  • Can we exchange money in the airport

    Yes, there’s a Bank of China in the airport, you can exchange the money there. Please note, there are pickpockets in the airport, please be careful if you want to exchange the money in the airport! The exchange rate at the airport will be slightly lower than that of banks outside of the airport.

  • How much should we gratitude to the driver and guide

    If you are a group for 1-4 ?and are happy with our service you can tip the driver (for tours) 80CNY to 100CNY per day and the guide could be twice as much as the driver; if you are a group of 5- 8 people and you can tip the driver for 100CNY-180CNY per day and the guide can be twice as much as the driver;

  • Hotel Recommendations (Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, Guilin, Yangshuo)

    We have worked with a few hotels in Beijing, Xi’an & Shanghai, they are mostly 4-5-star hotels. If you need our help booking these hotels, we can arrange accommodations for you, we will pay for the hotel reservation in full one week in advance.

  • Is it safe to take taxi in Beijing or other cities

    It’s safe to take the legal taxis in these cities, however there are illegal taxis (known as black cars) that will charge you more money. They will not use a meter and ask high prices for certain distances. Sometimes they even swap your money with fakes in order to extort more cash.

  • Do you have group tours

    Catherine Lu Tours conducts private tours for individuals, families, friend-groups, and organizations. Your tours are always customized to fit your needs, and as a result we do not book multiple unrelated groups together. However, Catherine Lu Tours also works with other tour organizations for group tours, but itineraries for these tours are fixed.

  • Do you have the English Speaking driver for airport pick up service

    Catherine Lu Tours doesn’t have English speaking driver in our company. Our driver speaks Mandarin with very limited English like “hello” “goodbye”. We will forward the detailed information to the driver in advance including your flight information

  • How to meet the driver at the railway station in Beijing, Xi’an & Shanghai

    While as there are two exits (each train will come out two different gates one is in an odd number and one is in an even number) at the railway station and the driver can’t get to the platform to pick your guys up and we suggest our driver can wait for you at the fixed arrival gate

  • Do We need a Chinese Visa?

    If you stay in China for more than 72 hours, you should apply a visa to enter China, we can provide an invitation letter for your visa application, so please let us know everyone’s full name, birth date, passport expiration dates, travel dates, and destinations within China.

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