China General Sightseeing / Drivers

[mummynew]

I read some asking for driver recommendations for china trips.

Basically I always use 飞猪旅游 to get whatever short trips that i want in china. Eg, now I am in chengdu and want to go see panda and to visit 青城山. Then i go 飞猪to check then booked one with many positve reviews (always read reviews and best is can have a few hundred and a 5/5 vendor). For chengdu, the price is about RMB450 for 10 hours driver. Can book small group or big group trips (but sporeans usually small groups or 包车）。

Highly competitive and so mainly the best can survive in china 卷卷卷 market. Many mainland chinese also using this site to make booking.



*can book and usually can cancel within 24 hours without charge.

**the 飞猪 app:

 

[beanstalk6]

I think Flying Pig is great. Used their services before, for train tickets and hotels.

 

[mummynew]

I think Flying Pig is great. Used their services before, for train tickets and hotels.

Their drivers. tour groups, and tour guides all good if one knows how to read thru reviews and book accordingly.

for those who are into more serious / professional guides for historical sites, the best I have tried so far is 大咖说。Super responsible guides that could feel they want to feed you with as much knowledge as possible (and most time they over shoot their timing and so if in tight schedule, cannot book them).

*大咖说 only recommended to those who are more powerful in mandarin coz they usually speak quite swiftly but in perfect mandarin with no 'funny' accent. If want only watered down cover thats more for 打卡 purposes = dont choose them. These people speak like 'history teachers' with amazing memory and passion.

 

[krazyhippo]

I read some asking for driver recommendations for china trips.

Basically I always use 飞猪旅游 to get whatever short trips that i want in china. Eg, now I am in chengdu and want to go see panda and to visit 青城山. Then i go 飞猪to check then booked one with many positve reviews (always read reviews and best is can have a few hundred and a 5/5 vendor). For chengdu, the price is about RMB450 for 10 hours driver. Can book small group or big group trips (but sporeans usually small groups or 包车）。

Highly competitive and so mainly the best can survive in china 卷卷卷 market. Many mainland chinese also using this site to make booking.



*can book and usually can cancel within 24 hours without charge.

**the 飞猪 app:

What kind of car for RMB450? Is there a android app ?

 

[mummynew]

What kind of car for RMB450? Is there a android app ?

Price /car model will depend on:

1. on how many pax

2. the distance (how many hours)

3. the place (is the place difficult to access)

4. whether driver needs to stay overnight

etc.

Eg:



Can enquire directly with the vendor to ask about car model etc.

The above eg show:



This kind of at least 100 reviews and close to 5/5 rating is generally safe. Those with very few reviews and rating below 4.5 not advisable. Always read reviews. There will be different vendors offering same service and so comb for one that is suitable.

fliggy's app looks like this.



So far, my communications with all vendors have been quite responsive and cordial. Most booking can be cancelled 24 hours before event and the refunds are smooth in my experience (stimes I booked hotels with it when it has Buy-1-Free-1 hotel promotion that I paid then cancelled and got refunded smoothly). Read terms and conditions carefully, esp for hotels coz some hotels only valid for China citizens.

*small hiccups are a necessary learning experience for foreigners in China. Eg, some tours that one wants to book with vendors do not accept foreigners' booking as local IC is needed (for entrance tickets booking) that they don't know how to 'overcome' booking via passports. Situations have improved a lot with many knowing what to do with passports though some still don't know how.

**other than payment apps (that will have those mini apps of didi etc), if one has the below China apps, one would be able to roam china confidently even when alone:

1. Fliggy if need to book local tours (hotels most time I still book via trip.com).

2. dianping when want to comb for good makan / massage / beers / whatever

3. baidu or other china map (I depending on this to walk to places)

 

[krazyhippo]

Cannot find the app in both iOS and android

 

[mummynew]

Cannot find the app in both iOS and android

That's strange coz both my xiaomi and apple also have:

 

[krazyhippo]

That's strange coz both my xiaomi and apple also have:

found on iOS app store .

 

[elvintay07]

if I want a driver at Jiuzhaigou, just find 1 there for him to pick me up at railway then tour and then eventually drop me at the railway station?

 

[elvintay07]

Strange I tried the app. Cannot contact the driver one lei. So need to book the package first then wait for driver to contact us?

 

[mummynew]

Strange I tried the app. Cannot contact the driver one lei. So need to book the package first then wait for driver to contact us?

Driver arrangements got different kinds and so you pick what you need (you trek on own or you need a guide to trek together with you, etc).

Communication with the vendor is via the chat in the app. Ask questions there. Usually before the day of meeting, a driver will be assigned and contact you to reconfirm the time etc (each vendor will have their own fleet of drivers).

A typical one-day chengdu-jzg-chengdu trip looks like this (that I can't cope but many others can). So to have a feel:



*how many of you travelling? If you are alone then will be easier as can change plan as and when you want.

**not sure how experience / gutsy you are. My overall suggestion maybe for you:

1. arrive chengdu and stay 2 nights in the city - go out jalan jalan to have a feel of the 地形 (after my few nights in chengdu = I am quite confident to navigate there as I find the place is safe and people generally nice).

2. 3rd day either early morning train to jgz or can choose late morning (I chose late morning coz I don't like to wake up so early if possible). Just pack enough for jzg trip and leave you main luggage in the hotel (I always do this).

3. arrive jgz to pick up by your driver if you are not confident to take the bus (actually not difficult to bus to tourist centre).

4. check into you jzg hotel then stay for 2 / 3 nights

5. return to chengdu (choose whichever hotel (near 峨眉、乐山 whatever) you want but last night ideally be at the first hotel if possible to slowly repack luggage).

*You are only limited by your own stamina (for me, I am really a 'pte ltd'). So just plan to bite whatever you can chew (if can't chew after planning, just change plan).

**my recent chengdu trip: I didi to 青城山 stay a night - next morning 8 am start trek - checked out then didi to 都江堰 and stayed a night (toured around 都江堰 leisurely) - checked out then didi to a hotel near 熊猫基地 for next morning 7 am entry to the Panda park - checked out and then go back to chengdu.

 

[elvintay07]

I can’t find the chat function. I click on旅游，then包车游 then 按时包车. No chat function

 

[mummynew]

I can’t find the chat function. I click on旅游，then包车游 then 按时包车. No chat function

you check whether you can see 咨询 at the bottom left corner:




*ytd I helped you to ask questions with a random vendor. Their chat quiet efficient:




*search should be 成都包车 、 九寨沟包车、成都一日游、成都周边游. Look at the offers and reviews - pick a vendor - chat with the vendor. (think you can't find the chat function coz you yet to nail down the item/package/vendor that you want).

**slowly learn how to use 飞猪. It can be very useful esp for those who want to cover many spots within limited time.

 

[rrr2015]

Cannot find the app in both iOS and android

android can try getapps if using xiaomi or download & install as 3rd party app. these china apps usually not available on play store. they are usually for local use, so global need to trials & errors or u lucky have someone walkthru with u step by step

 

[elvintay07]

This app 飞猪旅游 is useless for foreigner. I tried to book jiuzhaigou tickets etc and keep giving error because they only take in China passport. WTF!

 

[lazy999]

This app 飞猪旅游 is useless for foreigner. I tried to book jiuzhaigou tickets etc and keep giving error because they only take in China passport. WTF!

How you book the jiuzhaigou tickets in the end? Via 3rd party?

I planning to visit jiuzhaigou on my own too.

 

[elvintay07]

How you book the jiuzhaigou tickets in the end? Via 3rd party?

I planning to visit jiuzhaigou on my own too.

I haven’t book. Maybe use trip.com. This lousy China app won’t work

 

[mummynew]

This app 飞猪旅游 is useless for foreigner. I tried to book jiuzhaigou tickets etc and keep giving error because they only take in China passport. WTF!

wanna enjoy China at leisure, need to slowly learn to adapt to their systems etc.

If impatient then maybe better follow tour group to arrange everything.

i booked countless times no issues at all (if got problems, I will open a thread to share with others?). Even my girl knows how to use 飞猪.

 

[mummynew]

I cancelled the above 华山 booking one day prior to the trip coz caught a flu. Refunded within 1 min.


*was very cold on that day that I couldnt go pharmacy to buy med and ordered via app. I have nothing bad to say about China travelling except praises.

 

[elvintay07]

wanna enjoy China at leisure, need to slowly learn to adapt to their systems etc.

If impatient then maybe better follow tour group to arrange everything.

i booked countless times no issues at all (if got problems, I will open a thread to share with others?). Even my girl knows how to use 飞猪.

I tried to book the jiuzhaigou performance then went into a page where I need to key my name and passport number and it just doesn’t work. It went well until it came to the passport page.