I and my colleague were in Beijing for a affair journey endure month, it was the aboriginal allotment I was in the city, we had to attend a 3-day commerce show, a seminar organised by a control agency, and weekend 4 customers, the plan is bona fide tight. I had deliberate a 7 lifetime stay, and I hoped to compass some sightseeing after biz in the carry on two days.
After I booked the flights and hotel, I started to arrangement my ground transportation; I was thinking to rent a vehivle and guide around, on the other hand this did not turn elsewhere to be so easily done in China.
First I searched for Beijing department of greater international machine rental companies, I front tried on the website of Hertz, to my surprise, the largest motorcar rental firm did not propoundment any van rental overhaul in China. Then I tried SIXT, the car rental gathering I recurrently used in Europe, again I was disappointed, SIXT has apart 3 pickup locations in Beijing, and onliest one representation to offer, the cost is too authentic high, and I can not pick up and send the car at airport.
Then I specious some searches on Google for the resident companies, with the keywords "Beijing car rental", unfortunately most of the results returned are Western companies who cook not manage in China at all.
Just before I was approximately to deed up, I ran into the website of a Beijing partnership that offers driver and limousine services, it does not let you rent the car and impel for yourself, it isolated provides car with a driver, you remuneration the rent for the car and driver as one package. This seemed great for me, so I checked gone the price, the value was good, in Western countries limousine supply is normally yet exceeding expensive than car rental, however in China there is no still difference, I guess it's considering of the low wage, then I talked to their online assistance guy and imaginary reservation online.
This limousine servicing turned absent to be perfect, we used 2 airport transfers and 6 days of rental, the car example we selected was a Buick mini-van, it was mere spacy and had a flying roof, we could pack all our baggage including some samples for the demonstrate easily even had sufficiently margin to stretch legs, the complete reward for all these rental and services were individual USD 940.
After chatting with someone in the limousine corporation we realized why limousine work can be the first-rate election for ground transportation for non-native travelers:
First, for some policy reason, the international car rental companies are not able to hit lenghty rental function in Chinese cities yet;
Second, it is inordinately challenging for a foreigner to coerce in Beijing roads, the roads are always congested, some drivers are lush provided not loopy (as we hog witnessed), and cars for rent determine not annex GSP action in English;
Third, going all over by taxi is not evident for a foreigner too, as bare uncommon taxi drivers can distinguish English;
Fourth nevertheless extremely importantly, limousine utility is cheap in China, so why bother to ride yourself while a licensed can complete it for you?
For all these reasons I'd propose foreign dodge travellers to call limousine advantage in Beijing, or car rental with driver ---- I'm not persuaded how to phone it as the cars are usually not stretch limo on the contrary usual sedans---- it is fast, efficient, and affordable, there is a tiny worth to wages comparing with taxi, but it buys a piece of generation and quiet of mind.