In this article you’ll learn:

• What are the most popular China tours.

• How to spot an honest travel agency.

• What you should look at before booking a tour to China (visa arrangements, past customers’ referrals and so on).

• When you shall book a tour and when you shall travel by yourself.

• What are the pros and cons of private and group tours.

• How to prepare your trip and what to bring to China.

In the past, I have bought two China tours (in 2008 with a French travel agency and in 2010 with a Chinese travel agency, when I went to Tibet). I’ve also been invited to join two “free” tours (from a local Chinese government and a local travel agency, who were both seeking feedback from foreign tourists).

IIf you’ve already decided to book a China tour but you aren’t sure what travel agency to choose, we can suggest a reliable agency to you. Click here to contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

What are the most popular China tours?

“Classic China” Tours (Beijing-Xi’an-Guilin-Shanghai)

Unless you have specific wishes (such as seeing Everest), if this is the first time you’re visiting China, I suggest you start in Beijing, which I compare to Rome because everywhere you go, you’ll stumble upon something interesting. Here are the most common tours that start in Beijing:

Only Beijing (4-6 days): This is the tour that I took in 2008. You’ll visit the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Hutong, Tian An Men Square and much more.

Price range: 400-500 USD per person (private tour).

Notice: none of the prices that you see on this page includes the international flights.

Beijing-Xi’an-Shanghai (8-10 days): You’ll visit Beijing, then the Terracotta Warriors and the Muslim neighborhood in Xi’an, and finally move on to Shanghai, which may not offer any Warriors or Great Wall sections, but nowadays it’s probably the most vibrant and exciting city in the world (and, for what it matters, my favorite city to live in).

Price range: 1050-1400 USD per person (private tour 2-4 people, the more you are the cheaper the tour).

Price range: 1050-1400 USD per person (private tour 2-4 people, the more you are the cheaper the tour).

Beijing-Xi’an-Guilin-Shanghai (12-14 days): Besides Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai, you’ll enjoy the Li River’s cruise, which is probably one of the most spectacular cruises in the world.

Price range: 1300-1800 USD per person (private tour 2-4 people, the more you are the cheaper the tour, the price also depends on the season).

Tibet Tours

Lhasa-Everest Base Camp-Kathmandu (8-9 days): You’ll start your trip in Lhasa (the capital of Tibet), then visit the lakes and temples between Lhasa and Shigatse. You’ll then arrive at Everest base camp and, finally, cross the Nepalese border and end your trip in Kathmandu (the capital of Nepal).

Price range: 1100-1200 USD per person (group tour), 800-1400 USD per person (private tour 2-4 people, the more you are the cheaper the tour, the price also depends on the season).

Lhasa-Everest Base Camp-Lhasa (7-8 days): This tour is similar to the previous one. The difference is that instead of ending your trip in Nepal, you’ll come back to Lhasa after reaching Everest base camp.

Price range: 900-1000 USD per person (group tour), 800-1300 USD per person (private tour 2-4 people, the more you are the cheaper the tour, the price also depends on the season).

Lhasa-Shigatse-Lhasa (6 days): TThis is the tour I took in 2010. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to reach Everest base camp, so I stopped in Shigatse. Besides visiting Lhasa, you’ll still enjoy plenty of lakes, temples and amazing landscapes.

Price range: 500-850 USD per person (private tour 2-4 people, the more you are the cheaper the tour, the price also depends on the season).

Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar (14-17 days): This is the tour of my dreams. You’ll arrive in Lhasa, move to Shigatse and then keep going until you reach the western extremity of Tibet, where the sacred Mount Kailash is located.

p.s. We published a complete travel guide on Tibet, click here to read it.

Sichuan Tours

Chengdu-Leshan-Mount Emei-Chengdu (5-6 days): You’ll arrive in Chengdu (Capital of the Sichuan Province), visit the Giant Pandas Center, then go to Leshan to see the biggest Buddha’s statue in the world. Finally, you’ll climb Mount Emei, one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains.

Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong (3-5 days): You’ll visit the wonderful parks of Jiuzhaigou (which is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site) and Huanglong, in Northern Sichuan. You can either fly or arrive by car from Chengdu.

Yangtze River Cruise (5-12 days): The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia. I put 5-12 days because usually nobody travels to China only to cruise the Yangtze. You’ll find all kinds of tours that also include the cruise, such as the Beijing-Xi’an-Yangtze Cruise-Shanghai tour or a similar one.

Kungfu Tour: Visit to the Shaolin Temple

Click here to read our complete guide to the “Kungfu Tour”

How to spot an honest travel agency?

Here what I suggest to looking at:

Does the agency provides a “safe” payment method?

Sure, Western Union is awesome because the payment arrives in a few minutes. However, you can’t track the transaction. This is the reason for which many scammers ONLY accept payments through Western Union or an offshore bank account (Hong Kong, Cayman Islands and so on). This is true for any international transaction, and not only for tours. Therefore, ask your agency if you can pay through wire transfer or Paypal.

How does the agency’s website look like?

Generally speaking, scammers have a short-term view. In addition, they need to close their website and start a new one every time somebody takes the time to legally pursue them. A great website doesn’t guarantee that the agency is honest, however, if an agency has invested time and money into building a beautiful and functional website, it’s probably honest and long-term focused.

Is the sales manager pushy?

An agency that has a decent turnover and many customers doesn’t need to be pushy. Watch out for pushy sales managers!

Are the guides honest?

The first time I came to China with a tour, our guide kept bringing us to overpriced shops in the hope that we would buy something (The vendors pay a commission to the guides that bring customers. Now I know that this is a typical “scam” in China).

And most importantly… What does previous customers say?

While you can judge some of the points I listed by yourself (Is the sale manager pushy? Can I pay with wire transfer or Paypal?), the only way to know if the guides are honest is to read the referrals that previous customers have left on the website of the agency you chose. Every reputable agency will have a referrals page with the feedback of previous customers.

Also, check the Facebook and Twitter accounts of the agency. Do they have any followers? Most importantly, do they interact with them? What are other people saying? What are the comments of the previous customers on social networks?

What should I look before to book a China tour?

Besides the overall honesty of the agency, I would consider the following points:

Can the agency help me obtain a Chinese travel visa?

Getting a visa for China is extremely tricky. Any decent travel agency will help you get a travel visa (also called L VISA).

Do I have any flexibility in my itinerary?

A good agency will usually offer some flexibility in itineraries or will at least have a large number of tours to choose from. If the agency only offers two to three itineraries, it’s probably new and has limited resources and experience.

Will the agency send someone to pick me up at the airport?

The main reason for booking your trip with a travel agency is to minimize hassle. The first hour in a new country is always the worst because you’ll feel lost – especially if you’ve never been to Asia – and airports are full of scammers (especially at the moment of getting in a taxi). A good agency will send someone to pick you up at the airport.

Will the agency organize my internal trips?

China is huge. If you’re planning to visit more than one city, make sure that the travel agency of your choice will handle domestic flights/train rides for you.

What does the tour’s price include?

In my experience, the basic requirements are a guide, domestic plane/train/bus tickets, hotels fees and attraction tickets (example: will you have to pay the entrance ticket for the Forbidden City or is it included in the tour price?). Food, in