China Tours Reviews

Note that this tour was the completion of a 75th birthday celebration that started in Winslow, Arizona USA, went on to the Philippines and ended with this incredible Silk Road Bullet Train tour!

This was the tour of a lifetime! On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the best, I rate China Tours 7!! Why would I rate this tour off the chart?

• The Silk Road bullet trains were beyond comprehension.

• The choice of a private tour was the right choice: expert commentary, attention to traveler needs and flexible schedules.

• ALL guides: Kevin, Helen, Amanda, Robin, Anna, Shelley and Susan were like “guardian angels”. Even our problems were turned into opportunities. BTW, their “English” was impeccable.

• Tour attractions were comprehensive and reflective of China’s history and culture. I particularly enjoyed the history of Chinese Communist Party in the Urumqui Museum.

• Bonus stops: local food in a number of locales, theatre productions, wine tasting at Chateaux Tuoling and marketplaces that reflected the “real” China.

• Drivers were the backbone of the tour, with safety and service as a hallmark. Vehicles were appropriate for the need.

• Hotels were first-rate, with the Novotel Peace in Beijing, Silk Road Hotel in Turpan and the Oasis Grand deserving of special commendation.

I can not imagine any tour in the future exceeding this one in terms of scope and benefits. When it is time to schedule our next trip to China, China Tours will have first right of refusal without reservation. And if friends or family want to see and experience China, my recommendation will be: Contact China Tours.

Dave P

We had a great time! I was really excited to see all the historic sites around Beijing. our guide’s name was Jeffery and he’s very knowledgeable and friendly. He took us to see the Forbidden City, The Great Wall, The Temple of Heaven, The Summer Palace, and The Imperial College Museum, and I had a great time everywhere we went. I would highly recommend!

Nicole C

Beijing is so beautiful! We loved our tour guide, he was very helpful in helping navigate and book sightseeing tours. Very knowledgeable!

Alyssa C

We saw so much with China Tours. They organized everything from the time we arrived. The airport pickup and all the accommodation. The Hotels were all great. The communication from them was awesome. It is small groups with friendly and caring guides that could communicate well with us.

brendakaren2017

I booked a private tour for my party of 9 friends to tour Lijiang, Dali and Kunming. Martha was excellent in her services to co-ordinate on our tours and provided us with excellent tour guides, all bilingual in English and Mandarin. Our mini coaches were clean, comfortable with very good drivers driving us safely to all places of interests. It was an enjoyable and memorable tour and all of us enjoyed it very much. I highly recommend Martha of China Tours to arrange your tour in China!

ctsim

We went to Xian, Long Men and Yuntaishan on November 2023 with China Tours. The places visited was fantastic. Matha from China Tours arranged everything for us just perfect for our group of 8 people. In particularly, food were over expectation - lunches and dinners were a lot! Period. Last but not least, the guide, as we requested from Matha to have a Thai speaking guide through our trip, Mr. Ling is excellent, informative and helpful. Thank you to Matha, for her arrangement. I will surely use your company service again in my next trip to China.

Siri_Yong

We did Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam tour organised by China Tours.

We are very happy with China tour company.

All our hotels accommodation was excellent. all our Guilds in all three countries were very good and speak very good English.

Our transport arrangements during tour and airport pickup and drop off was in time for our flights.

I did the tour of South Korea and China with China Tours, This November 2023 tour was based on my good experience with China tours in the past

S SAXENA

I did a 5 days 4 nights solo private tour trip with “Chinatours.com” to Beijing and Xi’an. I am really satisfied with the itinerary and flexibility of how “Chinatours” allows me to add and customize my trip.

A little hiccup, when I arrived at Xi’An high speed rail station from Beijing, my tour guide, Helen when to a different station to wait for me as they have two different rail station. Despite this, I felt her sincerity to welcome me in Xi’an whilst she kept apologizing.

Upon arriving at the hotel, guess what? The hotel gave me a free upgrade to a Suite. A whole Suite by myself！Awesome！Wish I had more time to stay in the hotel room though but my itinerary was packed. I arrived pretty late that night. Regardless, the room was decorated to give this ancient China historical ambience. It’s huge and clean. Hotel name is Grand Mecure on Renminbi Square. Breakfast included. Breakfast was alright, I had better breakfast choices in Beijing.

Next morning, Helen (tour guide) arrived early to the hotel to pick me up and start my trip. I managed to squeezed through the crowds and got an impressive view of the Terra-cotta army!

Wow!!! It’s a must to come to Xi An and look at this army yourself.

Helen (tour guide) treated me to a popular terracotta shaped chocolate ice cream. She said to make up for the hiccup last night.

I bought a history book that is all in English. If you love reading history I recommend to buy the book.

We had some thick wide noodles for lunch. It’s called “Biang Biang Mian”.

In the evening, I went to walk the ancient City Wall. Saw the bell tower and drum tower too. Then I had dinner at the mall nearby the hotel.

Final day at Xi’An, started with a beautiful weather, visited Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Xi’an Museum. I went to watched a 30 mins Tang Dynasty musical instrument show. I recommend only people who are really interested to know more about Chinese music to attend.

Then I went to Great Mosque and walked along Muslim street. Try a giant BBQ squid, it was alright. Had the crispy chinese croissant with minced pork and wanton soup for lunch. Delicious!

Overall, Helen really took care of my needs and I love her knowledge on the history of China and Xi’An. I almost forgot, both tour guides from Beijing and Xi’An are bilingual. They are fluent in English. I had a really great time in China and I am definitely visiting China again in the near future! Cheers!

I wrote a separate review for my experience in Beijing.

Nicababy Lin

Excellent service provided to our Datong and Pingyao trip...will recommend to our friends for china trip... Great service also from Martha from China Tours

Cheristiawan H

My daughter and I just returned from a fantastic 13 day trip to China with China Tours. The organisation and itinerary were excellent and our guides were really helpful and knowledgable. We had an absolutely brilliant time and a lot of that is down to the China Tours staff. When my daughter left her favourite jacket behind in Chengdu, Martha immediately arranged to have it sent on to the guide in Shanghai for us. I thoroughly recommend China Tours to anyone considering a holiday in China.

Sonya A

We have just come back from a ten day tour of China. We booked it online with Chinatours.com and we were not disappointed, Martha could not have been more helpful. We visited Beijing, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie and Shanghai. The experience was phenomenal. Chinatours.com were absolutely fantastic. Everything was superbly organised, the guides were really knowledgeable and friendly. The hotels were all clean and comfortable. The bullet train was eerily quiet and smooth even at 350km/hr. The internal flights, China Eastern Airlines, were all thoroughly enjoyable. The sites were stunning and the experience will stay with us for ever. The trip exceeded all of our expectation. Thoroughly recommended, thank you Chinatours.com for an exceptionally good time.
Tom

Tom M

Introduction: Two weeks in China became an unforgettable adventure that took me on a tour of this diverse and historically rich country. With the efficient logistics of bullet trains whisking me across 2,100 miles at speeds of up to 350 kph, I had the privilege of being accompanied by knowledgeable guides who were not only well-versed in Chinese history but also took a personal interest in ensuring I had a fulfilling experience. Knowledgeable Guides: The heart of this remarkable journey was undoubtedly the guides who accompanied me throughout. Their expertise in Chinese history was evident as they skillfully narrated the stories behind each site we visited. Their deep knowledge extended beyond facts and dates; they painted vivid pictures of the past, bringing ancient dynasties to life. It was as though I had traveled back in time, understanding the significance of each monument, temple, and landmark.
Personalized Experience: What truly set my trip apart was the guides' dedication to ensuring I had a personalized experience. They encouraged questions and patiently answered each one, taking a genuine interest in my curiosity. Their enthusiasm was contagious, making every moment of exploration feel like a shared adventure. They didn't merely recount history; they made it relatable and accessible. Cultural Insights: The guides were not limited to historical narratives; they also delved deep into Chinese culture. From explaining traditional customs and rituals to discussing contemporary trends, I gained a holistic understanding of China's diverse culture. They also shared personal anecdotes, providing a unique perspective on daily life in China. Their stories revealed the warmth and resilience of the Chinese people, making me feel more connected to the country.
Exploring China's Rich History: One of the highlights of the trip was the guides' ability to explain China's remarkable 5,000-year history. They seamlessly wove together tales of ancient emperors, philosophers, and dynasties, connecting the past to the present. Through their words, I gained a profound appreciation for the continuity of Chinese civilization.
A Modern Marvel: Beyond its rich history, China exceeded my expectations in terms of modernity. I was pleasantly surprised by the clean air, pristine water, and well-maintained streets. The sight of new cars, electric buses, and fast subways was a testament to China's commitment to environmental sustainability and infrastructure development. The subways with marble floors exemplified the attention to detail in every aspect of public life.
Conclusion: My two-week journey through China, covering 2,100 miles on bullet trains, was a remarkable experience made truly exceptional by the knowledgeable, passionate, and patient guides who accompanied me. They made sure I not only saw the beauty of China's history but also felt a deep connection to its culture and people. China's blend of ancient heritage and modernity left an indelible mark on me, and I returned home with a newfound appreciation for this incredible nation.

623normant

Wow what can we say. we had a wonderful holiday in Cambodia and Vietnam recently. What an amazing experience it was. We all know how beautiful the two countries are. The private tour which was organized to us was top class. the tour guides , the lady who coordinated the tour , the hotels and the itinerary is five star all the way. This is the second long holiday which we have gone with China tours and what a great experience. thank you ALL thank you . please keep up with the great work

Elaboda S

Thank you so much to Martha who made sure our trip was amazing! All the tour guides and drivers throughout our stay, especially Helen in Xian, were fantastic! Our stay started in Beijing, Xian, cruise along the Yangtze River and finally Shanghai.

The cruise was surprising lovely and a much needed calm few days during this packed tour! Everything was simply wonderful and definitely will travel with you again! Thank you Martha!

rehana

A* for a great booking and travelling experience. Martha was super responsive online during the booking process, and my two guides (Kevin in Beijing, Helen in Xi'an) were fantastic. Helen in particular was extremely knowledgeable on Chinese history and culture and fun to be with. Highly recommended

WorldTraveller75_01

I adore our trip Martha was so professional and the guides that take care of us, we love our experience highly recommended

Carlos P

Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai
Martha at China Tours took such good care of us in planning our China Trip. She arranged tours in all 3 cities and helped with train schedules and was always available when we had questions. She was just AWESOME!!
Maggie Beijing picked us up at the hotel and took care of us all day as we visited the Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and the Great Wall. She was a true gem! It's a day we will never forget.
Martha had us picked up at the Train Station in Xi'an where Helen gave us a fantastic day at the Terra Cotta Warriors a truly stunning place of Chinese history. She was so knowledgeable and friendly.
We got a complete city tour of Shanghai from the Museum to the Yu Gardens, Simply Stunning. We were in good hands with Carl.

Thank you, Martha and China Tours, for an experience of a lifetime.

Tim R

Booking the tour was very easy and Martha was always available to email and answer all enquires at every stage. The tour enabled us to see and experience so much of the Taiwan in 9 days. It was very well planned and organised. Alan the tour guide and his driver were always on time, helpful and informative.
We went to so many brilliant places, learned so much about Taiwan and had the most memorable times.
Thank you for making our trip to Taiwan such a brilliant experience.

John

Our China tour started at the end of December. We began our trip in Beijing, which was a bracing -12C when we arrived. We were met at the airport and would add that all pick-ups were on time each morning for tours, and at all stations or airports as well. Our first day was free in Beijing, so we explored, following the tip to visit the National Museum which has amazing stuff on display (as did the Xi'an Shaanxi museum and Shanghai museum later in the trip). We found a great Peking Duck restaurant which was a short walk from the hotel. The queuing system was a case of organised chaos in such a small space, but the meal was well worth waiting for. Best duck ever!

William was our guide in Beijing, and our tour comprised 5 people including us. All the guides were very good, but William takes the star prize. He was interesting and informative, but also a laugh. The usual sights in Beijing were awesome and splendid, but the highlight was the Great Wall, as we expected. When we saw the Temple of Heaven, there is an area where people – or their mothers – have their CVs to find a marriage partner. One of the mothers took a shine to one of our party on behalf of her daughter, and when she discovered he was a lawyer, became very interested. The rest of us found this more amusing than he did!

The bullet train was a nice relaxing journey to Xi'an. Our party of 5 split on the second day as we went to different locations next, but we all saw the Terracotta Army, which is another “must see”. The wall at Xi'an is big enough and was getting decorated for the coming spring festival (year of the Rat), but after the Great Wall, was less impressive. We all enjoyed the market and had a lunch in the Muslim area which was great fun, followed by a ridiculously cheap group hotpot that evening involving much use of online translation on our phones!

The next day, Sally took over from Helen, and despite spending only part of a day with her, she was great. Having only two of us going around the Shaanxi museum, she was able to help us with anything we found interesting, going at our pace. We left on another bullet train to Chengdu.

The journey was shorter than before, and we met David, our guide. The next day was an early start to go to the Panda Base. What an amazing day! It was fabulous feeding pandas by hand and cleaning out their enclosures. The park has been designed brilliantly, so we also wandered to see other pandas (including cute red pandas). We were struck how lovely it was to be in a less built up space after our largely city based tours before. David had been to the Panda Base before, so knew what to do, and was a fantastic guide there.

Beijing had had clear blue skies and not at all polluted, contrary to what we had expected, but Xi'an and Chengdu were more polluted. This was the trade off going in winter, although this also meant that the tourist attractions were far less busy.

The next morning in Chengdu David took us to the Pavilion Park, where we sat drinking tea (green obviously) and learning Mahjong. We also managed to have our ears massaged and shoes cleaned, although the locals were most interested in our newly taught Mahjong prowess. It was a lovely way to while away a couple of hours and contributed to our stay in Chengdu being fondly very remembered. We went to the airport to fly to Shanghai.

Shanghai was about as different as anything could be to Xi'an, and even much of Beijing. It is as blingy and modern as Xi'an reflects the ancient part of the country. Our guide Hugo showed us parts of the different concessions in the city as well as the museum, but the Yuyuan Garden was lovely. Later we met up with two of our original tour group for cocktails at the rooftop bar of the Hyatt on the Bund, seeing the spectacular lights. We managed a return trip on the Maglev train which was a marvellous way to bring our China tour to an end.

In summary, the organisation was fantastic. Everything went as planned, and the guides were all very helpful and easy to talk to. The hotels were fine throughout, although in our case, we found the Chengdu hotel – which was the swankiest we stayed in – was less well placed to explore too much for places to eat, particularly as we arrived later in the day and had a long day at the Panda Base. Transportation was fine throughout, too. Bus, car, train and plane were all good.

We originally considered a private tour but went for a small group one at a lower price. This is well worth it in winter, as the group is unlikely to be even close to the 12 maximum. The mix of locations and sights was perfect for us. Prices of meals were similar or lower than we expected, so we spent less than we took with us.

There were so many highlights, so it is difficult to choose which pictures to show, but the attached is a very small sample from what was a truly wonderful holiday.

Mark I

We are an Australian family who took the private tour from 24 December 2019 to 3 January 2020. China tours Co. had organized a meticulous tour for our family. Apart from the Shanghai stage, other stops were historic and memorable. The key attraction for China is her rich history. It would be very important that the tour guides must learn and comprehend Chinese History, not only PLA, Communist Revolution, or China Modernisation, Silk Road - One Belt - One Road, guests would be much more interested in her ancient history. Just imagine that when Qin Shi Huang connected the Great Wall to protect his newly formed dynasty - Qin, Jesus Christ was not even conceived yet, let alone the development and establishment of many great dynasties before his. Tour guides should treat this issue very carefully because of many tour guests who have studied Chinese History as their majors in High School and in University. They travel with two purposes, to see and to verify the historical records.
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To avoid the misunderstanding, that could be interpreted as a deception, in the itinerary of the tour, the program details must be utterly succinct and concise, i.e. Day 1: Receive the tour guests from Airport and deliver guests to the prebooked hotel. Tour guide will briefly explain the tour to the guests. This is the first day of arrival, the tour manager would like to leave the guest a resting time for recovering after a long flight. While Beijing and Xi'an stops were very well organized and rich history, the Gullin - Yangshuo and Shanghai stops were shallow. In Gullin - Yangshuo stop, if the tour guide were not as good and friendly, this stage would be very boring. We were very lucky to have Sue as a tour guide, she was so excellent in her English and her deep knowledge of China that shined the tour stop in a very different direction.

In Shanghai stop, I would expect the tour guide would lead us to the Shanghai historical museum where we would learn the bitter lessons of the 1930 - 1945 chaotic period in Chinese history, we were taking to the Parks which we could find them ourselves. Shanghai has so many historical monuments to attract international traveling guests, not the riverside where it showed the newly built highrise skyscrapers, we have seen them enough in New York, Singapore, or even in KL. We would like to know the history of Shanghai club, the details of the day when the Japanese planes dropped bombs over the city's residential areas, etc.

It would be very useful to prepare a china-tour booklet in advance, such that the details of the 2020 tours include detailed programs of the year i.e. how many stops of the tour, cities, historical locations, etc.

rogergreen113

Dear Martha our trip in Myanmar is finished and Isa and me are fully satisfied. We have seen a lot of places, monuments and peoples. As usual we give you a little feedback of our trip. Organization Very good: intensive (4 internal flights) but in this way we save a lot of time and we saw a lot of things. Accomodation Good and coherent with our request. Only one remark regarding the Hotel in Bagan where the Hotel was good but with a poor bathroom (not coherent with the standard of the trip). Viceversa the Hotel on the Inle Lake was spectacular. Guides All the guides were very kind, helpful and prepared. Particularly the guides in Bagan and in Mandalay spoke an excellent English and were very cultured in order to give us a complete overview of the local culture. Conclusions As usual Isa and me were fully satisfied

marioY1797DZ

Fantastic trip organized by China Tours! All the guides were wonderful and accommodated my needs. Perfect English, highly informed and kind. One of the best trips of a lifetime! China Tours made the whole experience effortless despite the obvious barrier with language. If you are going to China, no doubt this tour is for you.

bacibesobeijo

This 35 day private tour through China was set up by Martha Fu and her team. The trip was more than unbelievably fantastic and if I could rate it a 10 I would! I had some very specific places I wanted to see that were the typical tourist attractions, but several that I read about that were off the tourist radar and amazing to go to. Martha spent about a year with me to customize every detail of this trip, which I kept adding and deleting. Originally it was set for 58 days so I ended up having to split it in two trips. In fact, I have already setup Part 2 for 2020 to finish what I have started.

Martha was incredible! I have traveled the world and this trip was tops!!! Martha and I discussed the best time to go and obviously avoiding the 70th Anniversary of the Republic of China Holiday week was a great idea due to the crowds, but yet, coming in at the end of this holiday, I was still able to see lots of celebratory flower displays everywhere, which was amazing. Martha helped me with everything so that this trip was smooth and memorable. She responded to my emails within 24 hours and if she was not available Lori or another teammate stepped in to answer all of my questions. This company is unbelievable!

Travelling solo was a concern, but not with this tour company. I felt very safe at all times. Every city I went to - from arriving by train or plane, I was met with an English speaking tour guide and a driver. All my guides (10 in total) spoke English well and were very attentive to my needs.

To give you an idea of the complexity of this tour, which included trains and flights, I thought I would list some of my trip highlights:
* Beijing (Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Place, Mutianyu Great Wall, Hutong Tour, Temple of Heaven)
* Datong (Yungang Grottoes, Shanhua Monastery)
* Pingyao (Hanging Temple of Mount Hengshan, Wooden Pagoda in Ying County, Pingyao Ancient City Wall, Rishengchang Draft Bank, Qiao Family Compound, Shuanglin Monastery)
* Xi'an (Terra-Cotta Warriors, Museum, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, City Wall, Great Mosque)
* Dunhuang (Echoing-Sand Dunes, Crescent Lake, Magao Grottoes)
* Jiayuguan (City Gate, Overhanging Great Wall, Museum (Beginning of the Silk Road))
* Zhangye (Giant Buddha Temple, Danxia Landform (Rainbow Mountains))
* Wuwei (Leitai Tomb of Han Dynasty)
* Lanzhou (Binglingsi Grottoes)
* Chengdu (Wenshu Monastery, Giant Pandas, Wangjang Pavillion Park, Jinli Street)
* Leshan (Giant Buddha)
* Emei Mountain (Wannian Monastery, Baoguo Temple)
* Dazu (Rock Carvings)
* Yangtze River Cruise (Shibaozhai, Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, Shennong Stream, Three Gorges Dam)
* Zhangjiajie (Tianmen Mountain, Grand Canyon, Glass Bridge, Hallelujah Mountains (Avatar), Tianzi Mountain, Ten-mile Natural Gallery, Golden Whip Stream)
* Fenghuang (Stilt Houses on Tuojiang River)
* Hangzhou (Feilai Park, West Lake, Tea Plantation)
* Wuzhen Water Town
* Shanghai (Tongli Water Town, Master of the Nests Garden)

I highly recommend China Tours. I'm now very excited to go back to China and finish the rest of my planned trip in 2020! Thanks again for an outstanding tour!

Loretta M

We were so pleased that we chose China Tours after reading reviews from Tripadvisor to customise our itinerary. Lora was so responsive and we felt at ease planning it with her. Tour was according to itinerary and there were no hiccups. Guides, Linda at Xi'an and Mt Hua and Sherry at Chongqing were knowledgeable, professional and saw to our every need. Drivers were courteous both on and off the roads and on time. We will not hesitate to recommend China Tours to our friends. In fact, we are currently planning with Lora on our next trip to the Silk Route. Mrs Koh

Kskoh55

Excellent experience. Tour guides were all knowledgeable about history of cities visited. Drivers were safe and reliable. Trip of a lifetime

DianeSalemNH

I had a wonderful time in HK and Beijing with my two great guides, Ricky Lam in HK, and lovely Nancy in Beijing. HK is stunning, especially its iconic harbor at night. A trip on the Star Ferry was a bucket list wish for me. I had only peripheral contact with the protests on my last day there on my own, but they did not hamper my time there in any way -- HK is HUGE! The view from the Peak was fantastic. And a special shout-out to the HK Museum of History, which is the best museum I've ever been to -- and I'm a museum person head-to-tail. High point in Beijing was the Great Wall (bucket list) and the beautiful Summer Palace. Nancy was lovely and accommodating. I could not have asked for two better guides. Only low point (and not the fault of anyone but my genetic makeup): The turbojet ferry from HK to Macau. Augh -- should be called the vomit comet!

klsfhloeujg

Our first experience with China Tours for the above itinerary was excellent Everything went smoothly and the arrangements were seamless Our travel consultant Lora is professional helpful and quick to respond The guides and drivers at each destination were knowledgeable and considerate We will definitely use China Tour again for our next trip in China Mrs Liao/Koh Pooh Lii

plkpl

Everything was super well organized and very user friendly. Hotels were good and the tour guides really knew their subjects. I was with a small group - only 3 of us, great company!

Mary S

This first tour of China and with China Tours exceeded our expectations. The ongoing support and attention while planning the tour was extremely helpful and reassuring. All details promised were delivered. We were delighted with the full attention of our tour guides and the depth of information shared about each site and cultural background - past and present. Our guides were very knowledgeable and enjoyed responding to questions and engaging in discussion. They also helped us arrange for additional activities- for example, a “tea ceremony”. Andy & Nancy Oak Park, IL

Andy T

My wife and I and two of our two friends, Bill & Diane traveled to China recently through one of your scheduled packages, "15 days China Highlights with Yangtze River and Pandas" starting on October 24, 2019. In summary, I would like to say that ChinaTours exceeded our expectations!

From the start to the end of the tour, ChinaTours fulfilled their obligations. The tours guides were always waiting for us at the airport or hotel, and were very verse in their knowledge of the local community that we were visiting. Their english was more than sufficient, they were friendly, courteous and provided suggestions for lunch and dinner. We always felt comfortable around them. They made our transitions from one city to the next flawless.

I have no doubt that utilizing ChinaTours to visit China saved us not only money but many hours of frustration of getting around. So thank you for a job well done and I would most definitely recommend your Company to our friends or to anyone contemplating a visit to China.

William D