I was in Beijing 3-4 years ago, my experience was that navigating alone would have been intimidating for me. I am a low-moderate adventurous traveller (e.g. Often use public transport when travelling but never drive). Even navigating the airport was confusing. We went to some restaurants and walked around the major streets without issue, ordering sometimes involved pointing at pictures on the menu. There are quite a few scammers that hang out near the forbidden city, I would not pick up a pedicab or any other tour without prebooking through a reputable website. We were approached by several scammers while out walking. On the other hand we wandered through some of the hutongs near the forbidden city without tour guide and felt very safe.

http://www.china-mike.com/china-travel-tips/avoiding-scams/

Driving would be 100% out of the question.

We also used Catherine Lu tours and were very satisfied with that service. Professional and responsive.

update: our tour guide recommended a little restaurant near our hotel. A couple members of our group went there and they asked if the fish was fresh, maybe through some sign language. End result was a live fish in a net being paraded through the dining room, yes the fish was fresh. Went to the same restaurant a couple nights later and some very gangstery looking guy took to my husband, they had very few words in common but it was a funny interaction.

I haven't been to Beijing in a long time. It was 2006, and I took a cheap tour because while I'm perfectly happy on my own where I can read the language, I felt a bit nervous about managing in Mandarin.

Our stupid tour consisted of being dragged to The Jade Factory! The Silk Factory! The Cloisonné Factory! etc, etc, with periodic breaks to be trotted hard and fast through the Summer Palace or whatever. "But…aren't we going to see the Well of the Pearl Concubine?" "Isn't that Prince Gong's house? We're not going in there?" The guide really hated me, I think, after the second or third stop.

But once he realized that he wasn't going to make any money on me, he was totally happy to let me go off by myself, and I loved those days so much. I just got a card from the hotel with the address so I knew I could get back and set off on foot all day long. I really regret that I don't speak Mandarin because everyone wanted to talk to me all the time, and navigating around Beijing is super-easy since the street signs are mostly bi-lingual.

I had so much fun wandering around the hutongs, one day with a big standard poodle complete with pink nail polish and bows as my guide, and the markets, and when I stopped to rest behind the Palace of the Workers a very, very old lady came and started telling me a long dramatic tale, I think about seeing the Kuomintang take the Forbidden City. Another day I went to the Temple of Heaven, which was closed at the time for renovations, so I was practically the only westerner there that day, because only the park was open. It was so interesting wandering around watching everyone practicing musical instruments, singing, dancing, and playing terrifyingly complex games with rings and balls, which they often invited me to join. (No fear!)

The time on my own was by far the best part of the trip, but then I've always been interested in Chinese history, so I knew what I wanted to see.

I realized that the group thing had been a mistake, although I guess it was worth it because the price was less than just the airfare would have been if I'd booked it myself. But if you know where you're going, Beijing is definitely doable on your own. I can't say about other areas outside the city.

Crl - we too became a family in China - 21 and 17 years ago❤️ We are investigating heritage tours back to China. They will take you back to your orphanage city as well as visiting other areas of China as well. Many adoption agencies offer these tours, but they fill up quickly.

Thank you all!

I really appreciate the personal experiences and the guide recommendations. So much detail and so much good information!

I have emailed our adoption agency and they responded asking me to call; I just haven't found time to make that call yet. So they may have some resources for us.

anniesjacuzzi ❤️

DD#1 went to China last summer with her school choir. The director is a native from there. After two weeks,the choir left and she was alone for three days in Beijing, as she waited for a friend who teaches there, to be free. She had no trouble finding people who spoke English. The hotel and museums were easy for her to manage. Maybe at 22 you're young and dumb enough to be so adventurous?? I was a very worried mom--and all my more well traveled co-workers kept telling me in a big city there will be no troubles finding English speakers. They were correct as it turned out.

My oldest travels to China for work. It amazes me how she gets around. This includes all types of travel to get to all her meetings.

But again, as Arcy stated, she's young. At a certain point, I would rather have a guide.

He/she will navigate you through and you won't have the "worry" factor. And you will see and understand more with a guide.

I find that even the simple things, like hiking through a rain forest is just more interesting with a guide.

I feel like China is coming here to So. CA. We have so many new people, shops, places to eat. Whole communities growing very fast. My new neighbors are Chinese. I'd like to see China one day.

I will say, like eld, I have grown to enjoy touring with a private guide. If you get a good tour you can request no shopping and the guides not only impart a lot of history and context but also are used to sharing a little bit of detail about their personal lives. Just for example, our guide in China and his wife had just had a child themselves and were very worried about the air pollution and quality of life in Beijing. He was a second child under the one child policy and his parents had to pay an enormous fine. We asked what would happen if his parents couldn't pay the fine and he said, "at that time they would knock down your house and throw you in jail. It was very serious." Edited to add: he also was in favor of maintaining the one child policy as he thinks China is too crowded.

There were other things he was less able to be honest about, for example, there are undercover police all over Tienanmen square listening in on the tour groups to make sure they aren't being told anything unsavory. Our guide told us (in front of the police officers) that they were just aspiring tour guides hoping to practice their English. However I can't blame him for such a culture clash as we were clueless enough to ask about them right in front of them (we also had an odd person following us on a tour in Ho Chi Minh city -- she could not have looked less like a police officer, more like a party girl, but I think she probably was).

He was a fount of information about ancient and recent Chinese history, we would never have learned so much without him. They also have certain restaurants they will take you to but honestly, it was pretty great food, pre-arranged or not.

We had one meal/shopping stop near the great wall and other than that, no shopping.

I've not had issues getting around Beijing and Shanghai without a local (we have offices) or a tour guide. Jump in a taxi (or Didi) and have a map with both Chinese characters and English. Keep the card from the hotel that says "take me back here". Point to where you want to go and voila. Have also taken the private tours where you end up in the silk factory -- but it wasn't too bad. I might take a private tour to the Great Wall or in a major site, but to get around day to day it was not a problem. And what's more, compared to other countries, it's pretty safe.

I have been told Wuhan is a bit more difficult. I might arrange for a guide/self guide tour there and in the smaller coastal village.