12 Day – Beijing, Xi’an, Hangzhou, and Shanghai – June 2019

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.