China Tours Reviews

China Tours was awesome from start to finish! They are very responsive, always answered my emails promptly and were very efficient! We were met just as promised in both cities. Stayed at the Novotel Peace in Beijing and the Grand Mercure Renmin Square in Xi'an, both hotels were in great locations, amazing breakfasts with western and eastern options. Our host in Beijing, Shirley, was very informative, friendly and fun! She helped us with the language and we got to eat in a local restaurant that wasn't touristy, she translated it all for us! What I also loved was that she would tell us about the sights we were seeing, then give us free time to walk around at our pace-just waited for us and we left when we were ready. We wanted to stop for a beer or something and no problem-they go at the pace you want! Much better than a group tour where you are stuck doing what the group wants! She also walked us into the train station in Beijing which is huge and SO crazy, we would have been lost! Took us right to where we would board the train which was a huge help! Sally in Xi'an was also a great tour guide...so sweet and helpful! One thing I REALLY wanted to spend time seeing was the Terra Cotta Army and she never rushed us or made us feel like we had a schedule to keep to! She also helped with the language and found fun places for us to eat... I can't stress enough how wonderful this company is...traveling to China can be challenging due to the language barrier, they make it easy, relaxing and a real joy! I would use them again most definitely!

allisonb350

amazing time. tour guides great. would definitely recommend. easy to work with company. did a great job of followup with my questions.

harold s

A day tour to tinamean square , forbidden city and the majestic wall was truly a wonderful experience . Kevin was an exceptional tour guide knowledgeable about sites as well as local history past and present. He was considerate to all 7 of us and showed us the best photo opportunities as well as acting as our photographer. He conducted the tour with charm, good humor and sprinkled us with some of his very own special Buddha wisdom . At the end he presented us with our names written in Chinese characters . I would rate this tour and particularly Kevin as one of the best run and managed in my many years of travel. Cost effective too. Thank you Kevin for a memorable trip. Anne and Dave Ireland

loganmurrayam

We booked our trip to China based on the Tripadvisor review through chinatours.com. 2 weeks of tour in China were managed very well.The hotels were of Accor groups and we had good English speaking guides with very good knowledge of the Chinese history and Chinese culture in every location .They also helped us to check in at the airport and to order food at the restaurants. They made our trip very relaxing n easy. Would like to thank Dora from Chinatours.com who helped us with the tour schedule in a short span of time. We started our trip from Shanghai with John ( our guide). Due to Typhoon, our flight to Zhangjajie got cancelled. At 7pm, we asked him to leave for the day as we had to book a hotel for the night .But he insisted that he would stay back n drop us to the hotel. Though John's duty was over after dropping us at the airport, he stayed with us till the time . He went out of his way to help us and to make us feel comfortable. Thank you John, we would definately like to meet you again In Beijing , Collin took us around, very knowledgeable and speaks well. We had mouth watering food coz he took us to very good restaurants to eat. Thank you. Would also like to thank Zoe from Xian and Aaron from Zhangjajie who equally contributed to make our trip the most memorable one. It was worth booking a trip through chinatours.com

Sonamruben

Firstly, our trip was fantastic. Our Review: The lead-up for us going on holidays, when booking, was excellent. Our guides were great; very knowledgeable, helpful, & patient, & went out of their way to provide extras, e.g. shows, lunches, dinners, pedicures, that weren’t on the tour itinerary. They also provided us with a good history lesson about China. Our drivers were also very good. Beijing: Our guide was Suzy & the places that we visited were brilliant: • Tiananmen Square & through the Forbidden City. • Temple of Heaven (added lunch). • The sensational Mutianyu area of the Great Wall with chairlift, & toboggan (added lunch). • The Confucius Temple & Imperial College museum were terrific. • Wudaoying Hutong was great. • The Summer Palace was massive & very impressive. • Birds Nest & Water Cube (2008 Summer Olympics). • Sanuanli market. Our guide, Suzy, added great extras: • Show, ‘Golden Mask Dynasty’, at Beijing OCT Theatre. • The Circus World of Beijing ChaoYang Theatre for the Acrobatic show. • Shopping centre. The bullet train from Beijing to Xi’an was great. Xi’an: Our guide was Sally & the places that we visited were great: • The Terracotta Warriors & Horses are something to see. • The Xi’an City Wall is in fantastic condition. • We went to the Muslim Street: o Great Mosque; o Bazaar. • Bell Tower & Drum Tower Square (added lunch). • Shaanxi History Museum. • Big Wild Goose Pagoda. • Small Goose Pagoda. Our guide, Sally, added great extras: • Dumpling Dinner & Tang Dynasty Show. • Reflexologist & a massage (followed by lunch). The flight from Xi’an to Shanghai was excellent. Shanghai: Our guides were Hugo, & Jacky, & the places that we visited were terrific: • The Bund. • Shanghai History Museum. • Yuyuan Gardens. • Nanjing Road. • Shanghai Bazaar. • French Concession. • Xin Tian Di (New Spot). • Drove to Suzhou: o Master of the Nets garden. • Tong Li water town (Shanghai Venice): o Walked around the canals.

Christopher A

We have just completed an exciting 2 week adventure in China which started in Beijing and ended in Shanghai. Our very first guide was Andy. He did the Beijing portion of our adventure. He was foremost a consummate professional and really set the tone for our trip. He was friendly, respectful, punctual and very knowledgeable about everything in Beijing, Chinese culture, history and philosophy, etc.He paid attention to all details and went out of his way to make sure we were getting the most of our trip. For example, our daughter who is an engineer wanted to see the CCTV Headquarters building,aka, Pair of Pants. He made sure we did. Our children needed Chinese cell phone chips. He made a phone call and next day we had them. My wife is blind and he understood that she also needed to touch objects when possible to get the most of experience. Andy was patient and allowed time and went out of his way for that to happen. We even stopped at a local Chinese restaurant he recommended where we enjoyed a delicious lunch. We cannot not say enough about Andy. We will always remember our first trip to China with great fondness thanks in large part to Andy. We wish him and his family happiness, prosperity and good fortune.

Francisco C

China Tours arranges a wonderful 21 day tour of China for our family, We visited Beijing, Datong, PingYao,Xian, Lhasa (Tibet), Chengdu and Shanghia with a 3 day Yantze River Cruise for a little relaxation. Ms. Martha was very helpful with arranging all of the details. Every accomodation (hotels and transportation) was excellent ready for us. We chose the 4-star option and can't imagine needing a higher level of service. Every guide (a different guide in each city) was friendly, knowledgable and always on time. We did not have to wait a single minute for a guide throughout the entire trip. The guides were also helpful in providing dining options and more importantly, assured that we seamlessly passed through security at train stations and airports. The experiences (Great Wall, Hanging Temple, Terra Cotta Warriors, Yunggang Grotto to name a few) were everything we expected. Be ready for lots of walking ! We would certainly recommend China Tours to anyone.

Laura G

This was the trip of a lifetime, from the accommodations, to the sights, the travel, the food and most of all the people. They were so welcoming and friendly. This is one that moved to the TOP of my travel experiences!!! 5 Star for sure!!

aubreyH3

Excellent trip with an extraordinary company! 100% sure that we will back to China with China Tours again!

norahi2019

I am a travel agent and I booked my clients ( 2 families including 4 adults and 5 teenagers) for a customized 7-day private tour of Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. China Tours was wonderful to work with in the planning stages. When my clients returned, they had extremely glowing reports about their experience. The tour guides were wonderful, knowledgeable, helpful, and timely. I would recommend using China Tours for any tour in China from a small itinerary to a very extensive one.

Chaveman

Just visiting (and climbing 5 Towers of) the Great Wall of China would've made this trip unbelievable but throw in Terracotta Warriors, Baby Pandas, Ancient Temples & The Bund & it was MAGNIFICENT!!  My only gripe was that the food on the Cruise Boat was really quite poor.  All the Guides were fantastic giving their own little pieces of knowledge across, Rosie in Chengdu was particularly good.  So enthusiastic & lovely.  The hotels were wonderful!  Got upgraded twice to suites 🙂 I would highly recommend using this company as it's got very VERY high standards.

EmmaH73

10-days Beijing-Xi'an-Gulin-Shanghai: Every promise ChinaTours made they kept! They met me at airport at 1am with a smile and private comfortable car. They promised a tour group with no more than 12-people. Our tour group had a total of 7-people (perfect size) and the van was roomy, comfortable and climate controlled. The tour guide in Beijing was named King Kong and he was incredible. He was very knowledgable about "all things Beijing, Great Wall, Tiannamen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, etc" he also suggested GREAT authentic Chinese lunch venues for the group. The train from Beijing to Xi'an was a 4.5 hour smooth comfortable bullet train. Our next guide, Helen was right there (smile on her face) on schedule, waiting at the train station with a roomy, comfortable,climate controlled van (plenty of room for 7-people). The terracotta warriors were amazing and Helen knew how to get us in the "side door" rather than wait in a long line. She also recommended great lunch venues. The flight from Xi'an to Guilin was perfect and the Longji terraced rice paddies were unbelievable. Finally, John (another gem) was our tour guide in Shanghai. He personally put me on the bullet train from Shanghai to Beijing. I choose 4-star hotels and all hotels that China Tours used were "Accor" hotels (very comfortable, clean and perfectly located. I will return to China in 2020 and plan to use ChinaTours again!!

Ruth G

I had a wonderful time touring around the best known attractions in Beijing and Xi'an with China Tours. The company arranged great hotels, train tickets, and tickets to attractions to avoid delays waiting in lines. Guides are professional and always trying to make everything possible to pleased the tourists. This is my first time booking a tour, but I'm very pleased with their service. I would book other tours with them when back to China.

aventurera_alegre

The first comment I would like to make is regarding the misnomer that our travel party was a group of "customers" or were treated as "customers." Our group consisted of an Aussie, a Kiwi-born Aussie, two generations of family from the Chinese enclave on Mauritius, an Indian Ocean island off the coast of Africa, a Hong Kong Mom, three young adult ABCs (American-Born Chinese) and a Sicilian-Cuban American Dad. From the moment we set foot on Chinese soil, we were greeted warmly by China Tours and were treated to kind hospitality by all. Our Guide in Beijing, Michael, has a knack and a talent for bringing "strangers" together and weaving them into a tapestry and creating the fabric of a strong family group. He accomplishes this through our communal meals and through our shared experiences together. We were then whisked off by bullet train to Xi'an, where we warmly greeted at Xi-an Station by Helen. In the days to follow, her knowledge of Chinese history and culture mesmerized us all. We were so impressed by her brilliance, her intelligence, and her grace and charm. We then proceeded on to the natural beauty of Zhangjiajie National Park, where "Super" Sarah guided us for the next two days. She hikes like the best, a truly seasoned veteran. Yet, she delicately held on to each one of us as we braved Heaven's Gate and Tianjin Mountain in the fog and during a brief rain storm. Our trip was capped off by a whirlwind tour of Shanghai with Karl the "Chinese Swede" as the leader of our pack. What a journey these ten days were. Thank you, China Tours for the memories, for the professionalism, and for the love and care shown to all of us.

Socalfloridian

China tours was a great tour group to visit China with. Our tour guides were very friendly and knowledgable. I enjoyed visiting the Great Wall, Terracotta warriors and Forbidden city. Peking Duck was a food highlight. I would highly recommend this tour group

Jane M

We had two amazing tour guides. First Nancy showed us around Beijing which was amazing. Then Ms Gao showed us around Xi’an. They made the trip.

In Beijing Nancy was able to show us everything we wanted to see and more. She made sure we were able to get into the right places and stand in the spots to take great photos. Our time was free in the evening so she would research great places to eat. We were able to have some great local food. In Xi’an Ms Gao was also amazing. She took us to see everything in Xi’an. So much history! She has so much passion for Chinese culture it made the three day tour amazing. She made sure we were able to really feel the history. My friends birthday was during our time there. She was able to have a cake delivered to the restaurant we were eating at. It meant a lot to us. One last note. Martha at the office made sure everything was coordinated properly. We had no issues. It was a high culture low stress trip. The best kind. Such amazing people. We will be back and definitely will book through China Tours!

Marcela P

We had the best tour guide and driver in Beijing. Nancy made sure we saw everything that we planned to see. She was extremely knowledgeable. Nancy made sure we were comfortable and gave us great recommendations for our dinners. If your able to request Nancy she did an amazing job showing us Beijing!

Alice T

I did a a lot of research into a tour company to prepare for a first trip to China with my brother and father. Eventually, I decided on China Tours, and I am very glad I did. From the initial planning phase, the company was very responsive with emails and questions. Martha worked with my father to work out a trip during our time frame and to accommodate a side trip to Jinhua. Our guides were great (more on that below) and our accomodations were altogether terrific as well. In an nutshell, our trip was amazing. While we signed up for a small group tour, it ended up just being the 3 of us on our trip so we thoroughly enjoyed our private tour. Since you spend so much time with them and almost become dependent on them, tours are largely made up by the tour guides, and I was so impressed by the ones we had during our stay. We were met promptly at every airport and train station by our guide who got us to our van and driver. The guides checked us in at every hotel, walked us as far as they could into every train station or airport, helped us find and order the local food at the best places to eat, and all around assisted us in every way they could to make our trip as easy and pleasant as possible. Each guide was so knowledgeable about the city we were in and made the history and culture of each locale come alive. Thank you especially to Nancy in Beijing, Helen in Xi'an, and Rainbow in Hangzhou. Nancy was just what we needed upon arriving - kind, poised, relaxed, and very knowledgeable. Every day, Nancy led us with grace and kindness and really made our stay in Beijing special. In Hangzhou, Rainbow was a dynamo. Her ever-present smile and bubbly personality made our stay in this beautiful city that much more enjoyable. We made such a connection with them that we told them we hoped to see them again down the road in the future, either in China or when they visit the U.S.! Thank you to all our guides, we will miss you, you were so great! All in all, I would absolutely recommend China Tours to anyone looking to visit China. We were wowed by the grandeur, history, and immensity of this nation and are so grateful to China Tours in making our trip of a lifetime a reality.

edwardg007

The historical relics were amazing, the small group we had got on well and the guide Linda was outstanding.

Kee Wan L

A private tour from 9th June 2019 to 16th June2019, we went to Kunming,Dali,Lijiang,Shangrila and back to Kunming. Had a wonderful and enjoyable trip.The tour was very impressive and we have good caring drivers and experienced, knowledgeable tour guides to bring us around. Finally we have got the China Tours through the website and they are #1 tour agent! keep it up! stanley and jessie. (singapore)

luigk88

My wife and I just completed the 15 Days China Highlights with Yangtze and Pandas organized by China Tours. We selected the private tour in order to have a little bit more flexibility on our schedule. It was an absolutely amazing trip in which we were able to experience a very comprehensive cross section of China, including visiting some of the main cities, some smaller towns and villages, as well as some of the wonderful beauties of this land. We also had an opportunity to get immersed into the extremely rich Chinese culture and history. It was a tremendous experience to be able to see and learn so much about Chinese civilization and its people. In general, we found the guides to be very professional, courteous, and knowledgeable. The accommodations were quite satisfactory. The itinerary and schedule were packed with activities and we think we would have liked to spend a little more time exploring some of the large cities on our own. My wife and I have done a good deal of traveling and we think that this China Tour is one of the most beautiful and memorable trips that we have completed so far.

Charles W

We have just had an amazing & very positive experience with China Tours.It was a Trip of a Lifetime! From the initial contact nearly 2 years ago and throughout the planning process they were very helpful and quick to respond to my emails. I regularly changed or added visits etc and Martha our Representative was permanently helpful, informative and understanding during the process. The Tour itself involved several flights, bullet train journeys, a Cruise on the Yangtze and an overnight sleeper train. We met different guides at each destination so all the arrangements worked perfectly. We were accompanied to the hotel check in desks, and even on and off the boat for the river cruise (including porters organised by the guide) and to the security gates at the airports/train stations. All the guides spoke very clearly and had a comprehensive knowledge of the English language. Their knowledge & passion of the places we visited was exceptional. A great tour made all the better by the guides.I would thoroughly recommend China Tours for any trip but especially a bespoke trip of your own making with their help.

Andrew T

We had a very positive experience with China Tours. From the initial contact and throughout the planning process they were very helpful and quick to respond to my emails even booking a restaurant for us in Shanghai.

The tour itself involved several flights and bullet train journeys and meeting different guides at each destination; all the arrangements worked perfectly. We were accompanied to the hotel check in desks and even on and off the boat for the river cruise (including porters organised by the guide) and to the security gates at the airports/train stations. All the guides spoke very clearly and had a comprehensive knowledge of the English language and of the places we visited. A great tour made all the better by the guides.

Richard-Mel2017

Xian was our second stop after Beijing. I am a Chinese native but my husband is American and this was his first time to China. Hence we booked a tour as it seemed a great compromise in terms of language and convenience. At first I was quite apprehensive but China Tours delivers on every aspect, truly they do. We were never confused, never ever lost, told when to be back at what time, had plenty of free time after 4:30 pm to do our own activities. We had a lot of fun. In Xian, our tour guide was Helen and she has so much charisma. It was just a pleasure listening to her talk and seeing her appreciation for Chinese culture, which even for me, who has been to Xian before, was refreshing and new. Helen gave us the option to go to dinner with her and the group or do our own activities. She is very flexible, kind and considerate, not to mention funny. I would certainly use them again. You don't lose the Chinese flavor of things but you also maintain a western level of professionalism.

kittymao825

We were a group of three (71f, 75f and 73m) who took the small group tour with ChinaTours.com in May 2019. In short, the tour was well worth the price with one caveat. Here is what we liked:

1. COMMUNICATION - China tours communicated reasonably well through the pre-planning by email with very complete information and a good response to questions. During the trip there was a need to contact ChinaTours and the response was good.

2. SMALL GROUP - The group started out with 7 amiable members and half-way though reduced to 5 as two members went to other sites. We had a guide and driver at each city.

3. GUIDES - All guides were efficient, friendly and competent. English was understandable at all times. Three guides stood out: Shirley in Beijing was so kind and helpful even assisting getting a sim card for our cellphone In Guilin Tony went the extra mile to recover an item we left at the hotel. John in Beijing was extremely knowledgeable and helpful in getting travel arrangements.

4. SIGHTS - Two of us had been to China five times previously. One was a newbie. We all enjoyed seeing the main tourist sights and just as much enjoyed the high-speed train, van and air travel. We saw what many tourists do not see including a rural village, and the incredible madness of chinese construction projects. Some guides answered our political questions as well as normal tourist things.

5, FOOD AND ACCOMMODATIONS: The tour provided meals were all good in terms of quality and variety. The hotels were all high quality and clean. Location was good for all the hotels except in Shanghai where a taxi ride or metro was needed to get to the sights.

The one caveat is that the three of us are experienced travelers with one having visited 80 countries. Group tours require doing the group schedule and do not leave much time for creative exploring. We could not have seen everything we saw without the arrangements by ChinaTours, but a little more free time would have been nice.

All in all we would recommend this tour by ChinaTours.

chris r

Visited with my 35 year old daughter. Thought we were on a group tour but to our pleasant surprise we had exclusive use of guide and driver in each of the cities. China tours does not have a guide that travels with you throughout the trip. One guide driver team take you to the check-in desk (airports) or departure gate (high speed train) and the next is waiting for you at your destination. The system worked flawlessly with guide and driver always there to meet us at our destination. Signs in the airports, subway and railway stations are also in English and we had no problem navigating from check-in desk through security to the gate The guides were very helpful and really made each place come alive. The hotels they booked us in were new, or newly refurbished and of 4 Seasons quality with duvees, high tech bathrooms and a good selection for breakfast including western breakfast foods. My daughter has many food allergies and each of the guides explained this at length in the restaurants we visited.

Bryan B

Had a wonderful 3 days of being shown the highlights of Beijing. Nancy was excellent and got me to all the places i wanted to see. Nancy also gave me some good advice on where to eat in the evenings Thoroughly recommended China toursfor organising your visit to Beijing. Really looking forward to my return to do more

markalbert60

Yes, China Tours is more expensive, but every penny is worth it!. Imagine.... picked up at the airport by your private guide. Personal driver in nice car. No standing in line after line to get on/off the bus. No following someone you can’t hear holding up a stick with a flag. Imagine telling that guide things “on the side” you want to see and having that happen. Imagine being the only non-locals at restaurants rather than stock meals with 60 other white folk. Imagine not being dropped off at “mandatory” shopping areas. We went Beijing - Xi’an, -boat on Yangzte - Shanghai. Perfect! Thanks, especially to our guide in Beijing Jack. You are a rock star!

b1bayer

After having looked into several tour operators, I settled on Chinatours.com. They helped to put together a 16 day travel adventure starting in Beijing and progressing to Xi'an, Chengdu, Shanghai, Guilin, Yangshuo, and ending in Hong Kong with side trips to Macau.

We visited the Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, Pandas, and many other attractions including a trip down the Li River They scheduled all in country transportation, tours, and hotels. The guides were very good to excellent. They took care of transfers, shows, and anything that were arranged per the itinerary and made sure we were on the correct train or flight.They are professional and did exactly what they implied they would do.

I have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone who wishes a private or group tour in China and Hong Kong. Many thanks to them for a great trip.

Bob F.

dubiousrbf2

The trip exceeded our expectations. The country was beautiful and the history was fascinating. We were impressed with all of the accommodations on the trip. The tour was very informative and enjoyable with an outstanding knowledgeable guide who was #1. She knew about the history of Xi'an, both ancient and modern, and the Terra Cotta Warriors. She was helpful in directing us to specific locations we desired to go on our free time in the evening to connect with a friend, and even gave us her personal phone number so we could call in case we needed help during that time. She was a personable guide and enjoyable to talk to. We were glad to be met and dropped off at the train station, and hotel by all concerned staff. We felt secure in China as foreign travelers mostly due to our guide’s eagerness to make sure that we were well cared for in every aspect. Suggestions for restaurants and activities were useful to us. We enjoyed eating in the city with the local residents.

Teachertravelfun