The private drive trip from Beijing to Gubei Water Town was such an easy and comfortable excursion, and well worth it. Our driver Joe (晴阔天空) was friendly and knowledgeable, and offered everything we needed for a comfortable journey. He provided us with water and snacks, and had phone charging and wifi available in his van. He took care of the entrance tickets for Gubei Water Town and the cablecar access to the Simatai Great Wall. He sent a QR code to my phone and we simply showed that at each entrance. The great thing about booking this trip is that the order of itinerary is really up to you. It's a 2-hour drive from Beijing, same on the return. When our driver sent us through the entrance gate, he simply asked us to tell him what time we wanted to leave at the end of the night, and even this was flexible, as we could text him. We arrived at the Water Town around 5pm, and headed to the cable car entry. Note that the cable car does not run to the Wall for the evening session until 6pm, but the queue begins to form around 5:30pm. We spent approximately an hour up on the wall, and then returned by cable car to the town. We then spent an enjoyable 1-2 hours walking through the town which is picturesque at every turn, and were treated to a drone show as well as views of the illuminated Great Wall. Found a spot for a very tasty meal, and returned to the van when we were ready, which was around 9pm. It was enough time, but we could have easily enjoyed another hour to walk around the town because it is so lovely. Most tours for this itinerary include an overnight stay. I can see why it would be lovely to stay in the water town for the night, but if you don't have the time, this tour is really all you need. Don't be daunted by not having a guide--our driver took care of everything we needed and made our trip a pleasure!

Our driver and guide Mr Li Quingshan collect us in his extremely comfortable vehicle where he had drinks and snacks waiting for us. He was very knowledgeable and helpful. The trip itself is definitely worth the 2-2.5 hour drive to see the picturesque water town and watching the sun set on the Simatai Great Wall is a memory I will never forget. Lots of 'wow' moments. Absolutely stunning. The photos don't do it justice. A 5 star trip all round. Thank you Mr Li.

Alice was a great guide, spoke very clearly and gave very honest recommendations! We did the Ming’s tomb and Great Wall of China tour and would rate her 10/10 for her services!

This trip couldn’t be any better. We were picked up exactly on time by the lovely Mr Xia. He kindly waited a few minutes for us too, no stress. He was very informative and relaxed, and made us feel comfortable from the beginning: driving was perfect, he gave us water and fresh fruit, neck pillows in case we wanted to sleep, and let me connect my music and charge my phone. Dreamy! So we arrived super prepared for the wall. He simply gives you a QR code that gets you into the water town, which you walk through to access the cable car that takes you to the wall. The QR code gets you the cable car ride there and back too. All included, stress free, and if you need photos taken of you and your crew, Mr Xia will help with that too! You’ll get his phone number and you can text him when you’re ready to meet again for the comfy drive home. We stayed in Beijing Wangfujing region, and it took exactly 2 hrs to get to Simatai, bit quicker on the way back. We took 1 hour hiking on the wall and 3 hours strolling around the town, seeing the light show and music, shopping and eating. The food was good too! And the views, well my photos don’t capture the beauty of being there. Get ready for the best trip of your life. Thanks Mr Xia and Qing who helped us arrange this trip! 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Transfer very comfortable and in time! SUN ZHISHENG is amazing! Smooth and safe drive Gave us some water from the beginning, he helped us with the ticket and suggested the right way to get to the great wall. Suggested us where to have something to eat and drink after the trekking. Gave us time for toilet and smoke break. Really suggest this company and this guy!!!! FIRST CLASS SERVICE!!!

We had a great tour to the Great Wall of China, Mutianyu section) Edward was an amazing teller, his introduction to the tour started with how Beijing became a capital, then on to the Great Wall as well as answered all our questions be it on the history of China or modern Chinese lifestyle) Edward, we want to thank you for such an amazing day, Your are a very attentive guide! And our thanks to Mr.Zhang, amazing driver! To the future travellers, if you choose Edward you will not regret it!

Excellent trip, I highly recommend. My driver, Gao Dapeng, was professional and very friendly and helpful. I had an excellent time.

This section of the wall is beautiful and deserted, our driver Su Debin recommended that we walk from the east tower to the main entrance. In hot weather this is enough and the east tower has the best view. Su Debin was very friendly and organized, he drove safely.

Everything was just great! The driver was friendly and caring, he even helped us a lot with getting tickets. The trip was well organized and comfortable. We would definitly recommend this private transfer. The driver let us take all the time we needed to enjoy the sceneries.

We decided to drive to Jinshanling and had a great day. Our driver Yu Yongtai picked us up directly from the hotel and drove us to the ticket counter. We were able to communicate very well with his translation app. He was very helpful and polite. He had enough water for us with him for the journey and the way to the wall and the air conditioning made the journey very pleasant. We got a few tips from Yu Yongtai and then hiked up the wall. The view was breathtaking. The section of the wall was not crowded at all and we hiked for three hours on the restored and unrestored parts of the wall. Afterwards, Yu Yongtai drove us back to our hotel. It was a trip that we can only recommend!

Huang was a fantastic guide, very attentive to detail and very kind, thank you for a beautiful and eventful day on the Great Wall!!

My friends and I booked this trip to Jinshanling with Zhang Bo and we had an excellent experience. Mr. Zhang met us at our hotel in central Beijing with a placard that read our names. We then drove just over two hours to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall. Having been to another section of the Great Wall before, I am very impressed with Jinshanling. The views are fantastic and there were only a small number of other hikers. We decided to hike from Mid-Gate to East Gate and met Mr. Zhang up the road. I suggest others take note that certain sections of the wall are quite steep and strenuous. In addition, I feel the price is reasonable given the driving distance and wait time - we departed from our hotel at 8:00 AM and returned at 4:30 PM (giving us about three hours on the wall). Overall, this was a five-star experience. As a last note, I advise any foreigners leaving Beijing to Jinshanling/Simatai to bring their passport. Since the wall is outside of Beijing in Hebei province, you pass through a police checkpoint as you return to Beijing. This is easygoing, but you must produce your passport.

William Kuang was the best guide we could have asked for, me made sure we had a great time while hiking and also took some stunning pictures of us. Really recommend doing the tour with him. It was my birthday and it was 100% worth the visit.

Xia Qing Gang was an amazing driver. He was on time, respectful, and brought great snacks! The views were amazing. Would recommend going in the morning.

Had an amazing time today with this activity! We went together with 6 friends and had Mr Tian (田伟) as private driver. He was very friendly and accommodating. He helped us buy the tickets, dropped/picked all of us at our different hotel locations and even offered us some water and Coca Cola in his car. The place itself is also stunning ! A must visit if you’re around. We highly recommend to have Mr Tian as driver if you’re planning to go.