We had a 12 hour layover in Beijing (PEK) travelling from LHR to MEL with Air China. Scouring the Beijing Forum I was able to put together bits and pieces but thought an actual review from start to finish would be helpful. Before travel, I downloaded the Alipay app and registered my UK debit card to it. From reading the forum, there was no guarantee that this would work - but in my case it did - flawlessly. Also in advance, I ordered an esim from Maya.net for use in both China and Australia - and for my wife's phone the best deal was with BNE Sim for just China. Upon arrival, we made our way towards the immigration area but walked on by these about 50m and then turned left and back on ourselves to the 24hr visa desk. A quick form filling on a perforated card we handed over passports and cards at this counter. Within minutes we both had an adhesive visa sticker attached to our passports and the completed card returned. From there we returned to the main immigration desks and went through. A quick shuttle train got us to the main airport T2 arrivals hall. There from zone B to just past zone C we found the left luggage office where we deposited our carry on for the grand price of 30 Yuan (£3ish). This was my first test of the Alipay app. One of the payment options is to choose the 2nd button 'Pay & Receive' which generates a QR Code on your phone screen which the vendor then scans to take payment. Next use of Alipay was at the subway station automated ticket machine. After choosing to see the screen in English, you choose your destination station on the touch screen and then the number of tickets you require - for 2 persons on the airport express it came to 25 Yuan each (£2.75). This time I used the first button on the Alipay app 'Scan' which allowed me to scan their QR code on the ticket machine screen. The subway journey took around 25 mins to the end of the line. We came out of the subway at Exit A onto a busy square with lots of shops and restaurants to peruse. A good way to kill a couple of hours instead of sitting at the airport. After a few hours we returned to the airport for our bag and rechecked in for our onward flight. Hope this helps and allays any fears for future fellow travellers.

We had a truly wonderful night trip to Beijing, our driver was very kind and experienced, he was very flexible, we could also add some extra program to the original itinerary. He also had umbrellas in the car which was very thoughtful as it was raining, and he offered us water and some fruits too. We will definitely choose this operator next time for a layover trip!

What a day visiting the Great Wall and Forbidden City, such a fantastic way of filling time during a layover. Having never been to China before, we were a bit worried about how things would work but immediately upon booking Jack made contact with us by WhatsApp and answered all of our (sometimes stupid) questions. Our driver, Guo, was friendly and could not have done enough for us. He was totally reliable and was able to cater our transfers to exactly what we wanted. His spoken English was okay but whenever we got stuck there was a translator app that could fill in the gaps.

Good private tour. Our tour guide Darwin was a nice guy. He spoke enough English for us to understand what we needed to. He had spare jackets for us to wear, came up on the wall to take photos for us at the start, and made sure we were back in time to get our transfer flight. We had 9h from landing to take-off, and it was fine. Thanks Darwin!

Fantastic experience, Jack was great! We sailed smoothly through the TWOV process to get out for a few hours while in transit. Jack was in contact from the moment we landed and sent a photo to show us where he was waiting just beyond the gates. Jack had coats, water and fruit for us and we needed the coats in the icy temperatures. Jack was a fantastic host, very knowledgeable and efficient. I had given him our passport details the day before so we managed to skip through the queues for Tiananmen Square (although we did have to show our passports multiple times). On Jacks recommendation we went from Tiananmen Square to Qianmen walking Street, it was an excellent tip, so much to see, smell and taste! Final stop was the Birds Nest Stadium and the Olympic village, it was great to see it up close, but so cold we headed back to the car! We were all delighted by our experience, this was our first trip to Beijing and Jack made sure it was one to remember!

We booked this tour for long layover in Beijing (15 hours) and it was so amazing. Our driver Jack picked up us at the airport at the time we agreed, took us to Mutianyu and to Forbidden City and he surprised us with really nice gift. He was very helpful all the time (help us with buying tickets, show best places..). The whole tour was very comfortable, so we didn’t have to worry about anything. We can recommend it!! :)

Nice driver, very helpful! Had a long layover and went to the Wall with ease. Recommended using for a long layover!

Absolutely loved my tour with Mr.Guo during my long overnight layover in Beijing! Not only was he wanting for me and super easy to find but also had fresh mineral water and yummy, juicy little oranges waiting for me in the car! Then expertly and professionally brought me to the Olympic Park, Tianmen square, shopping center and all areas described. Mr. Guo went above and beyond making sure I got the perfect pictures to show everyone back home, knowing just the right spot to have me stand to capture the best views! Highly recommend and will be mentioning to all my family and friends who find themselves visiting Beijing! I give Mr. Guo my 100% approval! Thank you for a lovely escape from the long layover at the airport! Will try to do another tour whenever I find myself in Beijing again!

We landed at Beijing international airport at 11. Perfect pick up by Jim The trip to the wall was fast and easy, we got water and bananas. At the wall Jim organized a cheaper ticket for the cable car and Tobaggan (180RMB) We were walking about 3-4 hours there and Jim told us a few background information. He even drove us back into Beijing city center to DaDong Roast duck. All in all a super day with a great and funny driver/guide. Highly recommend

Melody guided my visit to the Great Wall. Her knowledge and recommendations were very helpful. Melody is also quite funny and very fun to tour with. I would use Melody for all my future travel to Beijing.

Our driver was wonderful with providing us a tour at the Great Wall. He went above and beyond to make our experience the very best! Thank you for the drive and the tour

We meet him in front of silk market, we were 12 person and he was really nice as kindly with us. Me, my boyfriend and our friends are really happy to meet him. We went to Mutianyu, Forbitten City and thank to him we have also see the Kung fu show. We really think he is the best !

I have personally used Jack's service twice to go to the wall. I have also recommended him to any of my friends who are visiting Beijing and looking to visit the wall. He is friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. His English is great and he always manages to take you to a section of the wall that isn't too busy. Pick up service available from your hotel which is an added bonus. Overall if you are looking for an easy and affordable way to see one of the world's greatestt attractions, this service is for you.

Good view and interesting time then spend time with funny people , i hope travel to alot of places , enjoy with girlfriends in China

Mr/Jack is awesome person,the car is very good ,the service is top, price is too cheap. Go with him for enjoy.