جولة بكين هوتونغ الليلية مع عشاء على طراز يونان وركوب القارب

Looking back, there was a fair amount in 4 hours, but it never felt like a checklist. The stop at the hutong lanes had room to breathe instead of becoming another quick photo.

The unglamorous part: pickup, tickets and the order of stops were handled without fuss. That sounds ordinary, but it is exactly what you want on a full sightseeing day. With 4 hours to work with, the balance felt sensible.

One thing I learned: lunch landed later than I expected, so a small snack was useful. I was happier not cutting the time at the hutong lanes.

We booked because arranging Beijing and Lijiang ourselves looked fiddly. We came away remembering the conversations as much as the places.