9 Days Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai Small Group No Shopping Stops Tour

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.

About the author

ChinaTours.com

The ChinaTours.com blogger team brings you the best and most interesting information and China tour news gathered by our travel consultants, local travel guides, and partner providers. With our mission to create beautiful travel memories on your China tour, our travel guide provides ideas, tips, and insights to help bring your holiday alive.

Lyn R
1 contribution
Excellent Tour and Outstanding Guides

August 2026 . Friends • Couples

We had a very good experience and would definitely recommend this tour. The itinerary was well paced, covered the major sights we wanted to see, and the logistics were handled very well.

The guides were the strongest part of the trip. Helen was exceptional; Robert, John and Smile were all knowledgeable, attentive and flexible. They worked hard to make the trip comfortable and adjusted when needed. Smile’s recommendation of the Beijing acrobat show was an unexpected highlight.

We loved the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Terracotta Warriors, pandas and Shanghai Museum. The Peking duck experience was also excellent. Crowds were overwhelming at times, but that was beyond the tour company’s control.

There were a few areas for improvement; dietary restrictions needed better communication with restaurants, domestic airline baggage limits should be explained in advance, and we would have appreciated clearer instructions for high-speed train travel.

Overall, it was a memorable trip with excellent guides, good pacing and very well-managed logistics. We were very glad we chose this tour.
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Emily Rose
1 contribution
Our tour guide Ken made the trip so special!

Aug 2026 • Couples • Couples

Ken was an AMAZING guide!! One of my favorite tour guides ever. He was so professional and knowledgeable and kind. He really looked after us and made sure everything was handled perfectly. Huge thanks to Ken!!
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J S
1 contribution
Wonderful Experience in Xi’an with Eric and China Tours

July 2026 • Couples

China Tours is a great tour company and you can relax in China as they pick you up from the airport, lead you to the your hotel, and arrange your tours with an experienced guide and driver. If you visit Xi-an and get tour guide, Eric, you got lucky! Eric is extremely smart, diligent, and prepared as a tour guide. He speaks English well and also has a great sense of humor. Your whole family will enjoy his company. We had a great time seeing the Terracotta Warriors, attending the live show, riding bikes on the City Wall as well as visiting the Muslim District. I have to say Xi'an is very hot and humid in July but Eric has a positive attitude and works with you to make the trip pleasurable. He also has a magic Mary Poppins-type backpack where he is able to pull out things you need i.e. umbrella, tissues, his 1st grade homework, etc. I would say he was one of the best tour guides we have had!
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noname_blank
1 contribution
Excellent Personal Tours of the Beijing and Xi’an regions

August 2026 • Couples

We had two different guide/driver teams during our trip to China, one in Beijing from August 3–6 and another in Xi’an from August 6–8, and both were excellent.

In Beijing, our guide was Cynthia 常. She picked us up at the airport and was always on time, as was our driver. The driver had a newer Chinese electric sedan, which was very comfortable, and he was friendly and drove very well.

Cynthia was very helpful throughout the three days. She took us to all the main places we wanted to see, but she was also very flexible when we decided to change things around at the last minute. We never felt like we were being rushed through a fixed itinerary. She was also happy to help when we wanted to find local food rather than just eat at the usual tourist restaurants.

Cynthia and the driver also took us to the train station when we left Beijing, and when we arrived in Xi’an, Eric and our new driver were already there waiting for us. They were just as punctual and professional.

Eric had prepared some small trinkets for us to receive at some of the historical sites around Xi’an and Lintong. It was a small thing, but it was a nice and thoughtful touch.

We were particularly interested in trying local food, and both teams were very helpful with this. We had some great meals because of their recommendations. The river trout near the Great Wall was a particular favorite in Beijing, and of course the biang-biang noodles in Xi’an were a must.

We really appreciated having guides who were willing to listen to what we actually wanted to do instead of simply following a standard schedule. Both Cynthia and Eric were friendly, helpful and easy to travel with, and both drivers made us feel comfortable getting around.

I would definitely recommend Cynthia and Eric to other visitors, and I hope we get the chance to use them again if we return to China.
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Ernesto C
1 contribution
Great experience.

August 2026 • Couples

Very fast response of Lora, excellent service. Everything perfect the drivers, guides, cars, etc. Highly recomended. I used to travel a lot to China for bussiness but it is the first time I used an agent for a family holliday and it was great.
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