Beijing Airport Layover Great Wall Tour

My son and I booked a trip to Japan with a layover in Beijing last spring. We had a 21 hour layover which had us landing a 6 pm in Beijing and leaving the next day at 3 pm. First thing I did was to talk to the airline about a hotel for the night. If you have a long enough layover some airlines will provide a transit hotel at no charge. That gave us a place to stay for the night. 

I booked the Airport Layover Tour with Tony as we had enough time to see The Great Wall before our flight. Tony was right on time (8 am) and drove to The Great Wall.  Along the way we talked about the area and history as well as how the area had transformed lately. At The Great Wall Tony got us on the cable car and rode with us to the wall. Tony also walked with us for a way explaining the history and the view of the valley below. He then let us go ahead on our own and waited there for us to get back. We then took the cable car back down and Tony drove us to the airport. One thing I didn't expect was when we got to the airport Tony didn't just drop us off. He went inside with us and made sure we knew which gate to go to. This was going well above and beyond our expectations. I would highly recommend using Tony next time you are in Beijing.

Kevin Messing Around at the Top

That's Tony in the Middle

If you want to book the tour I would contact Tony directly at beijingairporttransportation@hotmail.com .

My tips for the layover tour:

1. If you have an overnight layover, talk to the airline about a transit hotel.
2. In Beijing you can get a free 72 hour transit visa. Otherwise you can spend over $400.
3. Ask which is the correct line to get the 72 hour visa. It will save you a lot of time.
4. Give yourself at least 5 hours to tour The Great Wall.
5. Book with Tony.

Pops' Travel Guide, Tokyo Flight Tip

I just booked a flight to Tokyo from San Francisco for my son and I and wanted to share a tip.

This will be the first trip to Japan for both my son and I. Also, my son has never been to mainland China.

In booking the trip, I found a flight with a 23 hour layover in Beijing on the way there and a 21 hour layover in Beijing on the way home. Both flights arrive in Beijing around 6 pm. Because of the long layover the airline will provide a hotel for both nights. Also, because of the long layover we can get a free 24 hour transit visa in China.

What this does for us is we get a free nights stay in Beijing on both flights, We get a free visa for China. The flights will be broken up with the stay in Beijing. It will also give us a day to get acclimated to the time zone and it gives my son an opportunity to explore China which he may not have again.

Arriving at 6 pm we plan to have dinner and get a good nights sleep. We have most of the day to see Beijing (Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, etc) and get back to the airport for our short flight to Tokyo. On the way home we will do the same except we will go to the Great Wall which is about an hour outside of Beijing.

We could have booked a direct flight but now we get to see a little extra.

So, when traveling a long layover can be a good thing. Take advantage of it and see something you may never have a chance to see in the future.

Pops' China Travel Guide, Pudong Shangri-La

Shangri-La is in center

When I travel I usually look at a hotel as a place to get dressed in the morning and sleep at night. It's not often when a hotel stands out and I am fine with a normal hotel.

On this trip I stayed at the Pudong Shangri-La Hotel in Shanghai. The hotel is located across the river from The Bund in Pudong and actually right across the street from the river and next door to the Super Brand Mall. It is in a convenient location close to eating, shopping and also in the heart of the business district. The Shangri-La caters to business travelers and spares no expense. The service was impeccable from the greeting in the lobby to check-in and check-out. In the lobby you are greeted as you enter the door, at the elevators there is someone to help you and if you have a puzzled look on your face there will be someone there asking if they can help. At check-in someone brought up a large pot of hot tea. Everyday in the room I had fresh fruit and cookies. The rooms are large with both a tub and separate shower. The China Daily was delivered to my room.

River Tower Lounge

The layout of the hotel has two towers, the Grand Tower and the River Tower with a lobby for each tower and in between are lounges and shops. I stayed in the River Tower. For amenities I took advantage of the fitness center and pool, the Jade Bar, the Yi Cafe and the shops. There were other restaurants in the hotel but I didn't have a chance to try them. Maybe next time.

The fitness center equipment rivaled what you would find in the best workout clubs and the pool was a nice lap pool. The Jade Bar is on the top,36th floor, of the Grand Tower. I got to know the bar manager who happened to be from Malaysia and we had stories to share about Malaysia. I also met Jackie who was one of the servers. You get a great view of the area from up there and every night they had some kind of special. The Yi Cafe is buffet style and you need a map to get around. For both dinner or breakfast they have stations with most every type of food. I saw western, Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, Thai, Sushi, juice bars, pastry, fruit and cheese, and the list goes on. I would definitely recommend trying it out even if you are not staying there. There are two lounges, each close to each lobby. They offer a great place to relax. The lounge by the River Tower has high tea in the afternoon and faces the river. Early on in my stay I was sitting in the lobby waiting for someone and I heard music that I thought was piped in. I looked over and there was someone playing the harp.Other days they had piano and violins. The shops included a gift shop, clothing store and a cigar shop. On the second floor I saw a tailor for hand made suits.

Yi Cafe

Jade Bar

Within a block of the hotel are two shopping malls and a number of restaurants from all over the world. Across the street is a promenade that follows the river. Attractions like the Jin Mao Tower, Pearl Tower and aquarium are all within walking distance.

I'll take the time to write about a hotel if it is memorable. This was one of the best experiences I have had with a hotel. If you are going to Shanghai for business or pleasure and want to be pampered then the Shangri-La is the place for you.