Unforgettable Guilin: 2-Day Private Luxury Karst Journey

Spring did a fantastic job as our guide in Xi’an! She was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and organized, making our visit to this historic city both smooth and memorable. She brought the Terracotta Warriors to life with engaging stories and fascinating details that we never would have caught on our own. In the Muslim Quarter, she knew exactly where to take us for the best local food and helped us navigate the lively streets with ease. One of the highlights was cycling along the Ancient City Wall—Spring made sure everything was set up perfectly and shared just the right amount of history while giving us time to enjoy the experience. Overall, Spring balanced professionalism with warmth, and her passion for Xi’an really showed. I would highly recommend her to anyone visiting the city—you’ll leave with great memories and a deeper appreciation for Xi’an’s culture and history.

I created a custom 7 day solo trip Focusing on visiting the beautiful tea areas of the Fujian Province and I was not disappointed! I felt the trip organization and guide was worth the money I spent as a first time China traveler. Highly recommend!

Linda designed a wonderful trip precisely to our interests and pace. Laura our Beijing guide was very friendly and helpful and knew her city and history inside out. Highlights a music lesson and impromptu concert in the Temple of heaven gardens, a Peking opera, and a visit to the summer palace and Great Wall. Thank you so much China Culture Tours.

I recently returned from an unforgettable 3-day adventure in China, and I'm still reeling from the experience! Our phenomenal tour guide, Jack ensured our journey was seamless, informative and delightfully entertaining. Jack provided clear, concise explanations about each historical site, sharing fascinating stories and anecdotes that brought ancient China to life. We explored iconic attractions like the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven, each more stunning than the last. Savoring authentic Chinese cuisine, from succulent Peking duck to flavorful hot pots, was a gastronomic dream come true.

Jenny made our three day stay in Xi’an memorable and worry free! Jenny is a very experienced guide that knew the perfect (and less crowded) spots for taking pictures and explaining the history of the Terracotta Warriors and Xi’an. Our 25 and 21 yr old daughters were immediately drawn to Jenny’s personality and spirit! Jenny was quick to handle all the tickets and tended to “speed up” anyone she felt was delaying our day. Jenny’s love of her city was obvious and she made our family feel special!

Excellent tour and guide. Our guide Jenny was very knowledgeable and very good English. We enjoyed our tour and learned a lot. I strongly recommend her for anyone that will book this tour.

we had the pleasure of being accompanied on our trip to China by this agency. The service was very professional, polite and impeccable. The operations person who followed us, Linda, was very attentive to our needs, and planned some really wonderful days. We recommend without a doubt the seriousness and full satisfaction.

We were thrilled with our first experience in China, especially in the stunning Guilin/Yangshuo area. Having a guide like Linda was essential in navigating through such a vast and activity-rich region. The service was impeccable, with Linda and the driver welcoming us with exceptional professionalism. Linda was not only a knowledgeable guide but also incredibly friendly and informative, enriching our journey with insights into Chinese life and culture that we otherwise wouldn't have known. She made our trip authentic and memorable, also accommodating our dietary needs and keeping up with our active pace. Her ability to connect with people and offer unique experiences, such as visiting a local's home and having an organic meal at the rice fields, truly made the trip unforgettable. Linda proved to be extremely reliable and caring until the very last moment, even seeing us off at the airport. She was the perfect guide for our group, and we wish her all the best for her future endeavors. Thank you again for providing us with such a remarkable experience.

CHINA OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2019 We researched several companies and studied reviews on Trip Adviser before contacting China Culture Tour with an initial query. Right from the outset Grace who owns the company was excellent. She emailed detailed information and a suggested itinerary then phoned me in Scotland to ask if there was anything else she could help with. What service and we hadn’t even booked anything yet! Needless to say we decided to go with China Culture Tour and finalised everything with Grace who was very accommodating and came up with a holiday itinerary that included everything on our list. Our 17 day tour was Bejing-Cruise on the Yangtze-Chengdu-Xian-Guilin-Yangshuo-Shanghai. Everything went like clockwork. As soon as we landed in Bejing we were met by our driver and delightful guide Olivia who checked us into our hotel and sorted us out with a local sim card. We had opted for centrally located 4 star hotels and all were excellent. Besides being very comfortable all were located within easy walking distance of the centre. Our days were generally 9 to 5 apart from the day we visited the Great Wall when on the advice of Olivia we were picked up at 0730. We spent several hours walking in relative solitude but by the time we left on the toboggan (great fun) the wall was mobbed. Being keen sports fans we also visited the Olympic Park and saw the Birds Nest and the Water cube which is now known as the Ive Cube! It was our 30th wedding anniversary in Bejing and Olivia presented us with a beautiful cake and also presented us us a gift when we left. What a lovely touching gesture. Our flight from Bejing to Yichang landed early and our transfer to the Cruise ship was seamless. We enjoyed our 4 day cruise on the Yangtze which visited the lesser gorges, the 3 gorges dam and a pagoda. Our room was good with 2 large windows and a balcony and we met some lovely Americans who were seated at the same table for meals. The food however was a disappointment and the cruise probably a day too long as there isn’t much to do onboard and the last day we mainly sailed past industrial areas and towns. The transfer from the port to the train station at Chongqing was again seamless and we took the bullet train which was spotlessly clean and arrived perfectly on time. As we entered the train station our luggage was put through security and my husband had his aerosol deoderant and shaving foam confiscated. Not sure if it was because they were too big or if all aerosols are banned but worth noting for future travellers. Our guide in Chengdu was Luna who again was very keen for us to experience as much as possible. Our accommodation here had been changed by Grace who had contacted us on the cruise to let us know she had received a poor review for the Chengdu hotel so she changed us to a fabulous aparthotel. What service! We also had a minor medical issue here and our driver and Luna were unbelievably helpful in resolving this. We loved seeing the pandas but the highlight for us was the Peoples park on the Sunday which was mobbed. There was so much going on in the park singing, dancing, playing music, a marriage street where parents advertise their sons and daughters availability, ear cleaning (yes really!) and mahjong. After an alfresco lunch Luna tried to teach us how to play this much to the amusement of passers by. Brilliant fun. Another seamless bullet train journey to Xian where our guide was Lucy. There we learned the story of and visited the Terracotta Warriors. Do you know it takes one year to restore a single warrior! We also had a great time visiting ‘Auntie’ at her home where we attempted to make dumplings to match the ones she had made earlier. It was fantastic to see how a Chinese family lived and a joy to share lunch with them. On to our next destination of Guilin which is a lovely city and Grace’s home town. Our guide Mike took us to many places including the ancient town of Daxu which happened to be the same day the mayor was visiting so there was much going on. It was fascinating to learn how the elderly had left to live in newer bigger apartments in the cities but then returned to their simple life as they didn’t enjoy the hustle and bustle. We were also really fortunate to meet up with Grace who arranged our fabulous holiday and thoroughly enjoyed our dinner with her. An amazing four hour boat trip along the River Li where we were treated to fantastic scenery saw us reach Yangshuo and our hotel situated beside the water. The views here are stunning and after our cycle it was lovely to relax and watch the Chinese punts lazily making their way downstream. We would recommend more than one night here as it is beautiful. Our last day saw us in Shanghai where the Bund at night is truly magical. Our guide Martina packed so much including a visit to the top of the Financial Centre where we were treated to an amazing 360 degree view of the city then lunch and a tour in the busy French Concession area. I can’t praise China Culture Tour enough for our brilliant holiday. All our guides, drivers, transfers, hotels, meals and tours were excellent. We had great fun and it was fascinating to learn from the guides about their way of life. All the cities we visited were spotlessly clean (even the leaves were swept away) and we never felt uncomfortable out on our own. China is an amazing country and it was a joy to be able to experience it with China Culture Tour.

This is my second time with China Culture Tours. I had dinner with Grace (thank you again) and Linda was an outstanding tour guide. We had to make a last minute change and the weather was challenging our best laid plans. However, Linda ably guided us and the selection of the hotels and the home-made lunch in Longji was a highlight. Linda was helpful, energetic and full of information. She was also very responsive to all our needs. I especially enjoyed her goading me on the climb all the mountain tops, and her flexibility in making sure we got to savor the local food. Thanks for a great time.