Your questions

My husband and I are going to Beijing for four days at the beginning of July. Is it better to organise day tours from here or wait until we arrive? And what would be good to see in the short time we have?

- J. Hamilton, Narrabeen.

Answer

For a short visit, I would recommend booking tours before you go, so you don't waste valuable time hunting around when you get there. A good resource is Viator (viator.com), an Australian company that specialises in day tours around the world and guarantees the lowest prices for the tours it sells.

Qantas Holidays also sells a range of day tours in Beijing pick up the China brochure from a travel agent or download it at qantas.com.au/holidays.

A great alternative to group tours is personal guiding from Our Explorer (ourexplorer.com). Go to the website and you can choose from a range of private guides, who are available from about $75 a day. This will usually work out cheaper than group tours and you can either direct them according to your interests or just let them show you the city through their eyes.

In terms of what to see, I would dedicate one day to a day tour to the Great Wall of China and one day to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. There are several tours that combine the Summer Palace or Lama Temple with the Panda Garden at the zoo, or you might want to see the Olympic venues.

Leave yourself a day to wander, try the cuisine, explore the Underground City and perhaps take in one of Beijing's acrobatic shows.

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