Backyard Adventure: Beijing’s Best Local Tour Guides and Agencies

Why would you want to leave China (or Beijing for that matter) when there are so many incredible things to discover right here in your backyard? We’ve rounded up some of our favorite and best-rated local tour companies and guides that are just itching to take you on an adventure. These tours are great to do with friends, family, or in some cases can even be a way to meet new people.

B-Electric

B-Electric leads fun and educational tours around Beijing by electric bike, focusing on three distinct areas of the city: old Beijing, modern Beijing, and the hutongs. Both founders are educators, and their passion for learning and the city they have made home is reflected in their wonderful tours.

Languages offered: English
Price range: RMB 400 per person. Private tours upon request.
Contact: WeChat ID: BElectric / Email: info@belectricbeijing.com / WhatsApp: 185-0108-5414

The Hutong

The Hutong is both a Beijing-based cultural exchange center with a beautiful Hutong Courtyard base, and a leading provider of education programs across China. They offer a range of cooking classes, week-long cycling trips, summer camp experiences for kids, and more.

With plenty of experience working with educators and running trips in Beijing, the Northern Hills, and across greater China, The Hutong provides safe, reliable, and fun experiences.

Languages offered: English, Mandarin, and Spanish.
Price range: from RMB 300 per person for a cooking class, from RMB 4,000 for a week-long trip.
Contact: WeChat ID: TheHutong / Email: education@thehutong.com / www.thehutong.com / Ph: 159-0104-6127

Beijing Hikers

Beijing Hikers leads single and multi-day hiking and camping trips in the Beijing area (including the wild Great Wall far from tourists), and around China, making it easy for you to get away and reconnect with nature in the many incredible areas nearby. Just show up with your hiking gear and they’ll take care of everything else. All hikes are rated by difficulty, so it’s easy to pick one that suits your needs. 

Languages offered: English and Mandarin.
Price range: From RMB 350 per adult, from RMB 180 for kids under 12, lower for younger kids on the Kid’s Club hikes.
Contact: www.beijinghikers.com

Beijing Postcards

Beijing Postcards uses Beijing's cityscape to explore Chinese thought and ideas. All of their tours and events are themed and the goal is to take you off the beaten path, in every sense, and ultimately view and engage with Beijing in new ways.

Language offered: English and Mandarin.
Price range: 300 RMB per adult, 150 RMB per child 16 and under.
Contact: WeChat ID: beijingpostcards / Email: info@beijing-postcards.com / www.beijing-postcards.com / Ph: 130-1107-8680

Newman Tours

Newman Tours leads informative and entertaining tours around China, with more than thirty different themes and routes under their belt in Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi’an. Their tours cover a range of unique angles like ghosts, warlords, religion, and visits to specific sites, as well as day-trips to surrounding areas.

The tours bring Chinese history to life with interactive elements like chopstick pickpocketing demonstrations and money burning, as well as iPads that reinforce illustrative elements.

Newman Tours also offers self-guided tours, which can be downloaded from the Apple and Android app stores for RMB 45. What's more, throughout the end of the year, all money made from downloads will be donated to Heart to Heart, an organization that provides corrective surgery for children with congenital heart disease across China.

Languages offered: English, French, German, and Mandarin.
Price range: From RMB 190 per person a public tour, from RMB 330 per person for a private tour.
Contact: WeChat: 159-0191-8346 / Email: info@newmantours.com / www.newmantours.com

Beijing By Foot

Beijing by Foot leads small group historical walking tours and educational programs exploring the heritage of Beijing. Proprietor Jeremiah Jenne uses archives, libraries, and extensive on-site research to bring alive compelling stories from China’s past, visiting both the famous sites and lesser-traveled byways.

Jenne strives to tell stories that will appeal to the intellectually curious, no matter their age. He can also tailor private walks and workshops to you or your group's interests.

Languages offered: English.
Price range: From RMB 260 per person. From RMB 1,500 for private tours of up to five guests.
Contact: www.beijingbyfoot.com

Bespoke Travel Company

As the name suggests, Bespoke Travel Company eschews the usual package tours for customized creative, immersive, and educational experiences for all ages, both in Beijing and further afield in China. Known for their unusual twists on the standard tour, it’s Bespoke who brought us the Beijing TimeChase in vintage sidecars and the Midnight in Peking Walking tour.

Languages offered: English, Mandarin, Spanish, and French.
Price range: From RMB 150 for a self-guided scavenger hunt, from RMB 50,000 for a full seven-ten day tour including top hotels, customized itinerary, tour guides, experts, special experiences, etc.
Contact: WeChat ID: bespoketravelcompany / www.bespoketravelcompany.com / Ph: 151-0167-9082

UnTour Food Tours

UnTour’s small, passionate team of food lovers take guests off the beaten path to eat shoulder-to-shoulder with locals. Offering tours in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Hong Kong they discover China’s delicious food, explore authentic neighborhoods, and learn the fascinating stories that makeup 5,000 years of culinary history.

Languages offered: English and German.
Price range: From RMB 465 per adult, RMB 340 per child 6-12. From RMB 2,785 for private tours for up to six guests.
Contact: WeChat ID: UnTour / untourfoodtours.com / Ph: 150-0021-5113

Lost Plate Food Tours

Lost Plate’s food tours get you away from the tourists, to eat where the locals eat. In their breakfast, night-time, and restaurant tours, they take small groups to family-run shops where you can enjoy authentic and delicious food and drinks. As well as Beijing, they offer tours in Chengdu, Shanghai, and Xi’an; Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in Cambodia; and Portland, Oregon in the US.

Languages offered: English and Mandarin.
Price range: From RMB 350 per adult, from RMB 180 for children 4-15 years old. Kids get a further 20 percent off by mentioning beijingkids during booking. Valid until Aug 31, 2020, and cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or discount.
Contact: WeChat ID: lostplate / www.lostplate.com / Ph: 156-9210-9030

WildChina Travel

WildChina is a private travel agency that offers sustainable adventures for leisure, education, and corporate clients. They work with the local communities to have a lasting positive impact, lowering their footprint and increasing socioeconomic opportunities wherever possible while offering guests A-Z planning and support.

Languages offered: English, Mandarin, and Spanish.
Price range: From RMB 1,500 per person per day for fully customized journeys.
Contact: Email: info@wildchina.com / www.wildchina.com / Ph: 6465-6602

READ: Beijing's Green Hotels Are as Comfy as They Are Eco-Friendly

This article originally appeared in our sister magazine, beijingkids. 

Images courtesy of the tours