China Travel Guide

China Travel Guide

China Travel Guide

Tap into our China travel guide, designed and prepared especially for western travelers looking to bring their travel dreams to life.

As travelers ourselves, we understand making China travel plans should be uncomplicated. However, with the myriad of available options, it’s hard to know where to start. How do you tell one-China travel guide from another? Who do you trust for the very best in China travel? Guide your search by exploring the content we’ve assembled here with help from our team of travel consultants, China travel guides, and our very own CEO, Mr. Li.

As a travel agency that’s been designing unique and memorable vacations for well over a decade, we know the best holiday experiences are created when you have the background and information that enriches your experience. Amongst this collection of articles and news, discover topics of interest about the places, culture, food, accommodation, weather, and people that can become part of your own bespoke adventure. In fact, you can think of it as your personal travel China guide! 

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We are continually adding to this collection, however, some of the most popular articles cover the fundamentals every China travel agency should share with its customers. Find tips on how to travel safely in China, the best ways to pay on your holiday, the best cities to visit on a China tour, the best highlights in every destination, and what to include on your China tour bucket list.

Once the logistics are sorted, turn your attention to the ‘fun stuff’: cuisine, culture, and experiences. Looking for the finest Chinese tea? We can help. Want to explore the intricacies of ancient Chinese architecture? You’ll find the answers here in our travel China guide.

We understand your travel experience with us starts long before you arrive in China and as a dedicated China travel guide, we want every moment of that experience to be the content of beautiful travel memories. Enjoy dreaming and exploring – and if there’s more you want to know for your China travel plans, reach out to us. We’re here to help.


China Popular Highlights

With so many fantastic places and things to see in China, popular highlights that find their way to your bucket list won’t be in short supply. What will be a challenge is narrowing down your list to one that can be covered while you’re traveling on tour. Fortunately, we can help with that! We’ve put together detailed information on China, popular highlights, and included the most fascinating and useful information that will help you decide what to see and when. Want to know what’s really behind the Forbidden City’s walls? Keen to explore Shanghai’s glamorous past? Curious about the Terracotta Army in Xian is really defending? We can answer all these questions and more. And if you’re still having trouble about what to include on tour, explore further in our China travel guide, or get in touch with our team of friendly travel consultants.

Forbiden City

Forbiden City

Great Wall

Great Wall

Terracotta Army

Terracotta Army

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

The Bund

The Bund

Yu Garden and Yu Garden Bazaar

Yu Garden and Yu Garden Bazaar

Chengdu pandas at the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Centre

Chengdu pandas at the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Centre

Li River

Li River

Longji Rice Terraces

Longji Rice Terraces


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Things to do in China

Looking for things to do in China? Then it’s time to search our ever-expanding list of the incredible, interesting, and insightful. There literally is no shortage of things to do in China, so when planning your travels, it pays to do your research and be prepared. In this section of our travel China guide, find articles on unique experiences and everyday events that will make for beautiful travel memories in a country with a rich and diverse history. Whether it’s a typical Beijing breakfast, passing time with pandas in Chengdu, or gazing at gorges on the Yangtze, you’ll discover how to maximize the opportunity with the wisdom of our people on the ground – our valued network of guides, travel consultants, and partner providers.

Things to do in Beijing

Things to do in Beijing

Things to do in Xi'an

Things to do in Xi'an

Things to do in Chengdu

Things to do in Chengdu


China Travel Insights

Imagine an industry expert sharing their China travel insights – and being able to take advantage of decades of experience and knowledge. Well, look no further. Discover and explore China through the unique perspective of our travel writing team of travel guides and travel consultants. We’ve tapped into their first-hand knowledge and enthusiasm for their corner of China. You will love learning what makes Beijing beautiful, Shanghai special, and Guilin gorgeous. Don’t wait until you’ve arrived. Let us bring China to life for you right now.

How to plan a trip to China: Get past the overwhelm (and get excited)
How to plan a trip to China: Get past the overwhelm (and get excited)
The specifics of how to plan a trip to China can stump even the most experienced of international travelers. Amidst the challenges posed by the many Ch...
Is China safe to visit for westerners? How to ensure it’s safe to travel to China
Is China safe to visit for westerners? How to ensure it’s safe to travel to China
Is China a safe place to visit? (Tips for Westerners to know it is safe to travel to China)Is China a safe place to visit?We’ve been asked this qu...
Looking for China tours from USA? Insider tips for scoring the best value (and loving your vacation)
Looking for China tours from USA? Insider tips for scoring the best value (and loving your vacation)
Contemplating your options around China tours from USA?  There has never been a better time to be researching, planning and taking China tours from the...

Travel Memories

Read what people say about travelling with ChinaTours.com


Customers from USA

Customers from USA

Customers from Mexico

Customers from Mexico

Customers from USA

Customers from USA

Customers from Europe

Customers from Europe


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Testimonials


Mayra C
Mayra C
Reviewed on April 19, 2026
Tripadvisor score Epic tour, exceeded expectations

April 2026

We planned a 2 week trip, 5 cities, 3-day Yangtze cruise, and mountains / forest national park. Our tour planner, Dora, was super flexible and helpful in building the itinerary to meet all our desires (via WeChat). The execution was perfect, with English speaking local guides at every city. Choosing a private tour worked great for us given everything we wanted to do. And we did more, besides planned top attractions (Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, temples, etc), we added a show, a cave with underground River and managed to do some shopping (note: ours was a NO shopping tour by design). All local guides were great, knowledgeable, kind and helpful. Special Kudos to Vivienne (Zhangjiajie) for climbing 999 steps with at Tianmen Cave. We loved our trip and fully recommend China Tours.
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Andrew L
Andrew L
Reviewed on April 10, 2026
Tripadvisor score Thank you China Tours for a wonderful holiday

Apr 2026 • Solo

Went to Lhasa, Tibet and Chengdu with China Tours and everything was well organised from airport pickup, hotel accommodation to the tour itself. The guides were friendly and helpful. They offered suggestions for me to explore Chengdu on my own in the evening. Overall, I had a fantastic experience with China Tours and would highly recommend them to others. Special thank you to Martha at the office and Robert the tour guide at Chengdu
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elainekennedy2201
elainekennedy2201
Reviewed on April 08, 2026
Tripadvisor score China Tours

Mar 2026 • Couples

We enjoyed a fantastic trip to China. We booked our land tour/hotel arrangements through Lora @ China Tours who was excellent. Great organisation and everything went according to the itinerary. We would definitely recommend China Tours to any future travellers.
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Steve L
Steve L
Reviewed on April 06, 2026
Tripadvisor score Great time in Xian with Mark as our guide

Apr 2026 • Couples

We had an excellent few days in Xian, Mark was very knowledgeable on Xian and knew all the good places. Suggested a great night time show as well , very happy and highly recommend.
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Janet Y
Janet Y
Reviewed on March 22, 2026
Tripadvisor score Only way to travel in China with China Tours

Mar 2026 • Friends

The best experience with a personal travel guide. Very accommodating. You will be spoiled by their over the top service. Very knowledgeable in every aspect of China's history. Expedient and best times and entrances to parks and attractions. Guides were very friendly and caring.
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Stefan B
Stefan B
Reviewed on March 20, 2026
Tripadvisor score Great experience!

Mar 2026 • Solo

I chose China Tours for an 11 day Beijing, Xi’an, Zhangjiajie tour and it was seamless. The travel agent, Lora, was attentive and committed to customer service throughout the planning stages.

Throughout the tour, I felt safe and comfortable with each driver and tour guide. The tour guides were knowledgeable, warm and so enthusiastic. I had such a lovely time - the Great Wall was one of the best days of my life.

Doing a tour in China is highly recommended as they have their own ecosystems (apps for purchases etc), and a tour made everything so much easier!
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Adam D
Adam D
Reviewed on March 17, 2026
Tripadvisor score First-class small group tour and customer care

Mar 2026 • Couples

Lora from China Tours provided us with a first-class experience from start to finish. Outstanding customer service and always accommodating to our needs. They made our holiday to China even more special by organising everything for us and even accomadated our additional day request to go to Three Kingdom Town in Wuxi.
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Fearless489773
Fearless489773
Reviewed on March 09, 2026
Tripadvisor score A Dream Come True

Feb 2026 • Couples

Following our recent retirement we wanted to fulfil our dream of seeing the Terracotta Army in Xi’an and Giant Pandas in Chengdu. We had a planned annual trip to Hong Kong over the Chinese New Year period so we wanted to add a trip to China by train. We knew it can be difficult to navigate around China for non mandarin speakers, but we also did not fancy being part of a large tour group, therefore we explored the possibility of a private tour. We did some online research and came across China Tours Xi’an. From the moment of our first contact, we were so impressed with the care and professionalism of our travel consultant Dora. She understood the key places we wanted to visit and she built a recommendation itinerary for us around them and to our amazement, we wouldn’t be just seeing giant pandas but would be keepers for the day at the Panda Base. A quotation was received promptly which covered the costs of hotel, private guide, private car/driver, admission costs, as well as train tickets between Xi’an and Chengdu. The booking was secured with a deposit payment with balance payable a month before the trip. Both of our tour guides Jenny at Xi’an and Andie at Chengdu were knowledgeable, friendly, and enthusiastic. Our dedicated drivers and transports were excellent. Of course, we were not disappointed with the Terracotta Army, but Jenny’s useful hint in forgetting about personal space to get to the front for the best view ensured that we did get the best view even with the huge crowds! The giant pandas were the highlight, we fell in love with these fluffy bears, such delightful and gentle creatures. Thank you China Tours for making our dreams come true, a particular big thanks to Dora for coming to the rescue when our return journey to Hong Kong which was not organised by China Tours didn’t go as planned, your help and professionalism is so appreciated by us. We would highly recommend China Tours for visitors to China.
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