8 Days Cheap Tour to China Most Popular Cities

We used Top China Travel for a 6 day Beijing City Tour and Badaling Great Wall Tour and we must say we were very impressed! Our tour guide Tina was very fluent in English and did a very good job of explaining the significance behind the various historical sites and attractions. As a vegetarian family, they were able to arrange a vegetarian lunch on both days for us. The only issue we had was that they only provided us two hours on the Great Wall which we realized was not adequate enough, given the huge crowd that visits the Badaling section of the wall. Apart from that, we would definitely recommend Top China Travel to anyone visiting China!

My wife and I spent the beginning of a 11 day China trip in Beijing. Our trip was through Top China Travel and our travel advisor was Janet Chan. This phase of our trip went very well. Jim our guide and Mr Wong our driver were wonderful hosts. Mr Wong was punctual, safe, helpful, and friendly. Jim was very knowledgeable, informative, and friendly. If the rest of the trip goes this well we will be happy travelers.

This is a must to do when you are in Beijing. It's not crowded with tourists. The The food is good but the same of all tours in China. The guide was friendly but his English was very bad, sometimes you couldn't understand a thing what he said. The communication with the company was good.

We were a bit nervous about using a company that none of our friends had used and therefore had no personal recommendation, but they were amazing. The hotels were great, what we saw was amazing and our private tour guide took us to the places we really wanted to visit. We had 2 days in Beijing and wished we had longer. There is so much history there and our guide, Jennifer, was so knowledgeable. She is a history graduate so knew her history. The Great Wall was as great as you can image it. Our guide took us to the Mutianyu area of the wall where there weren't too many tourists and if you walked a couple of miles or so you can get away from them so easily, especially early in the tourist season. I do wish we had a longer time on the wall but it was so much fun coming down from the wall on a toboggan slide! At Xi'an, where we had 2 days, our guide took us to meet one of the farmers who discovered the terra-cotta army and that made that visit even more special. Old Xi'an is also fascinating and worth walking around the wall or taking a bike ride on it. We didn't have as much time in Shanghai, so only really saw the Bund area. We went up the Shanghai World Financial Center but when we got to the top, It was in the clouds so couldn't see much, though when we went down a level the clouds had lifted and the view was amazing. We did do a night river cruise on the Huangpu river which was our favorite thing to do. Top China Travel really do know how to pack as much into your trip as possible. Our train or plane transfers were in the evening so we had the day to visit and our guides really did help us with everything we needed. Our drivers provided bottled water in their cars, and the driver in Chengdu even provided Wifi in his car. In Shanghai we ended up with 3 guides and our driver was a smoker and even though he didn't smoke while we were in his car, it really smelled of smoke, but that wasn't the case at the other places. Vicky was our tour consultant and we were able to meet her in Guilin which was so nice. She really did answer any questions we had and was able to upgrade us to a better room in Guilin as our first room was way too warm. Not only did she make sure that we had a great experience in her country but also helped us with getting our visas. We had an amazing experience and have recommended Top China Travel to our family and friends.

I was planning a trip to China with my mom and 2 kids. Had received a few quotes from various people, Joyce being one of them. After shortlisting, I decided to go with Joyce from TCT & that's the best choice I made which made my trip super nice and very memorable. Joyce is very nice, understanding, patient, always replied to my emails promptly and fully answered anything and everything I asked her. Eventually we both came up with a 12 day itenary covering 4 places - Shanghai, Xi'an, Harbin & Beijing. She had looked into every single detail to make sure all my needs were met. We are an Indian vegetarian family. :) Every 2nd day, there was a change in my idea and I used to write it down to her and she responded very well to everything :) So, there were English speaking guides and drivers for us during the trip. Every single one of them is just awesome and very prompt. A special mention to my guides Mulan - Shanghai, Miki - Xi'an, Gloria - Harbin, Emily - Beijing. Not to forget the drivers. Such helpful, friendly, professional, punctual, prompt and efficient people. The entire trip was so smooth. Ticketing, checking in at hotels, taking us to Indian restaurants, even checking us in at the airports no time was wasted and everything just went right. We covered a lot of places in all the cities. Had the best of weather (Harbin was -21) and it even snowed in Xi'an. The great wall is just grand :) At Shanghai, there was a little confusion and my ATM card got stuck at the bank machine. My guide Mulan did all she could to help me out. She spoke to the officers, tried to help and then when we were looking for other ATMs she walked with me all they way just to help me out. After we finished shopping, we forgot one of our packets at the market, Mulan helped it get delivered at Beijing for us. That's how sweet she is. Similarly, Gloria at Harbin was equally amazing. She helped us so much in that freezing weather - she even provided the kids with warmers and helped us click pictures when our hands were numb with cold & she made sure the kids had a gala time. Thanks girls. All tours were very professionally arranged. So much so that we had to prepone our trip by 2 days and when I mentioned this to Joyce, she immediately spoke to the agency and even arranged for a refund of the places we did not visit. Very accommodating, I must say. I would like to emphasise that without TCT, we would not have enjoyed our trip at all. It is my most memorable trip ever. Thank you again Joyce :) Had a very satisfying experience. Looking forward for more trip through TCT

Our tour: Beijing, Xi`an, Yangtze River Cruise and Shanghi When we first made our inquires, we thought we would be hooked up with a group but due to our dates, it turned out to be just my husband and I. It was one of the best tours we’ve been on and we travel the world. First, we were immediately notified of a hotel upgrade prior to leaving home due to a National Holiday they declared in China. Our first hotel was close to the center of Beijing and everything would be shut down due to the Military Parade scheduled. Upon arriving in Beijing at 4:30am, we learned from our “super” guide, Grace, that all tours would be shut down for that one day also. Not a problem. We ended up going to the Great Wall and the Summer Palace the day before the shut down. We had plenty of time at both locations plus a delightful lunch on the way to the Great Wall. The day after the shutdown, was to the Temple of Heaven, (actually a wonderful park with everyone doing everything from dancing to playing checkers) then on to Tian`anmen Square. Here the decorations were still up from the parade and it was starting to get crowded but we started early, the Forbidden City and the Rickshaw Hutong Tour. Lunch was part of the Rickshaw tour and was in a local Chinese home. Normally, these might be spread out over a couple of days but we had to compress due to the shutdown and didn’t feel we missed anything. Again, Grace and our driver were wonderful and she knew all the short cuts etc… Then they drove us to the high speed train. Grace arranged our tickets and even boarded the train with us to make sure we were in the right seats, Loved this girl!! We were met in Xi`an at the train station by _____and driven to the Ramada Bell Tower. First on the agenda was the Ancient City Wall. This wall is about 40 feet high and probably 15 feet across. It isYou popular to rent bikes and ride around it (lots of tandum bikes) or walking or jogging. The whole distance is about 6 miles around. (visible from Google Earth) Then on to Terracota Army Museum. This is about an hour drive out of the city. This is a large complex. I don’t know what I was expecting but I didn’t expect buildings other than the hugh one built over the warriors. Lunch was provided at a restaurant on site. Back to Xi`an and a quick stop at the Wild Goose Pagoda. Here you are given into the care of a Pogoda volunteer to take you thru the grounds. The next morning we had some time before our flight to Chongqing so ___ took us to the Shaanxi History Museum. This museum has some wonderful exhibits that are well worth the time. Our flight was met by the local guide and driver and they took us to the Victoria Llanna. I can’t tell you how fantastic it is to have these guides to move you around and look out for you. There is no way we would have known to hire a local porter to carry our luggage to the boat They put a suitcase on each end of a bamboo pole and carry it down probably 60 cement stairs to a 50 foot metal walkway on drums extending out to the boat. I had to hold on to the rail just to walk across to board the boat. No way I could have handled luggage. Our guide recommended the proper fee to the porter and fended him off when he wanted more. Registration is on board the boat. Our guide helped us with that and then off he went. On board, you are seated with a group of other travelers. We were called the Foreign Independent Travelers. We had couples from France, Israel and Australia at our table. The meals are oriental but it is easy to find something you like. Every meal was buffet except for the final night. Always breads, eggs, meat and various fruits for breakfast. Lunch and dinner had rice, chow mein, various meat and vegetable dishes and always watermelon. In the bar area, I found an ice cream bar that was my daily reward! The different Georges were beautiful. On one you stop and board smaller boats to go deeper into the Goddess stream. At about 11pm on the final night, you start through the locks of the three gorges dam. Two boats go through at a time. Take a nap so you can stay up for this transition. When we arrived in Yichang, another very competent guide came on board and collected us. Hired a local porter for us and up the hill we went to the car and driver. Then on to the Yichang Airport to catch our flight to Shanghi. Our guide walked us into the airport and made sure we had our boarding passes. In Shanghai we were again met and taken via the MagLev train to the Marriott Puxi Hotel. The MagLev operates out of the Pudong airport so if you want to ride on this, you need to arrive at the right airport. (our son said we had to do this so, there you go) Our day in a took us to the Jade Budda Temple, YuYuan Garden, Old Town, Oriental Pearl Tower (clear observation floor-like you are standing on air), Nanjing Road and the Bund. All doable in one day and at an easy pace. I’m not a shopper but did take my picture at the Apple Store to show I was there! Next morning we went to Watertown. This is a town with canals (think Venice) that is 1700 years old. Walked the streets and took a cruise on the wooden boat. Very peaceful amid the hustle and bustle of Shanghai. On to the Hongqiao Airport for a flight back to Beijing. (We were on Hawaiian Airlines so needed to go in and out of Beijing ) Our last day in Beijing we went to the Pearl Market to shop. This is where one goes to by knock offs. High end handbags, electronics, toys etc. (Flight crews go there to shop) This is not a souvenir shop. The next morning another guide and driver showed up to take us to the Beijing Airport. A guide and driver are the way to travel China and Top China Travel does it well. All guides were English speaking and paid attention to any requests we had

I can't recommend this company enough!! I started talking to Yocky via the chat system on their website, as we wanted to do a 2.5 week trip around China. Our itinerary was: Shenzhen-Beijing-Xian-Kunming-Dongchuan-Chengdu-Guilin-Sanya Here's how things went: 1) She was instant in her replies and responded to subsequent emails within the hour (and trust me, I sent A LOT of emails). She was always so thorough and efficient. 2) She made us a tailor made trip that covered everything we wanted, including some slightly more off the beaten track attractions. 3) She helped us keep to our budget and suggested reasonable things we could cut out when things were too expensive (not something many companies would do as they are trying to make a quick buck). 4) She listened to all of our requests for things such as early morning flights, vegetarian food, and readjusting itineraries. 5) All our drivers and guides were EXCELLENT; they were prompt, kind, spoke excellent English and had a wealth of knowledge about all the sites we saw. All the cars on our private tours were nice and comfortable and had water. 6) Despite asking for 3* hotels, all 7 hotels we stayed in seemed like 4* to us and all included breakfast. 7) With such a large and complicated trip there were bound to be a few hiccups (e.g. there was a marathon in Xian one day which meant a lot of roads were closed, so we couldn't access sites). Yocky was in touch with us the entire time and helped us rearrange our plans quickly and ordered complimentary tickets to a show to make up for the inconvenience. We were so nervous about our first trip to China as we speak no mandarin and are strict vegetarian but honestly this was one of the best trips of our life; this company made it so easy for us and I really can't imagine having been able to do it myself any better!

Of all of the places in China we visited Guilin was our favourite. It was very scenic with its lush greenery and limestone hills. We took the 4 Lakes and 2 River cruise which I would highly recommend. On another night we walked along the lakes and rivers and crossed the bridges, we had cruised the night before. The lighting on the lakes and rivers as well as on the bridges was splendid. We also went on a 3.5 hour cruise on the Li River. My husband is an amateur photographer and he took roughly 300 pictures on the Li River cruise (just to give you an idea of how scenic it was).

Rebecca from Top China Travel organized the trip for 4 for 2 weeks. We had a private driver and tour guide in each city. We were met and escorted everywhere from pickup to drop off at train stations or airports. The guides were excellent and generally spoke English well. they were enthusiastic and helpful. We often had them ordering our meals because of language issues. The tour in each city was very good. Unfortunately as someone else has indicated the Oct 1 week is very busy and so you have to time where you go to try to avoid the unbelievable crowds. The travel arrangements whether by train or air were perfect with no hassles or problems. we were always met punctually and there were never any surprises. Meals were excellent in the absolutely amazing hotels which were 5* plus. Getting used to the Chinese food was challenging and so it did take a bit of effort to figure out what our stomachs could handle but we did prefer the local restaurants as opposed to sticking with western food. Our favourite site was Guilin. The landscape and scenery spectacular plus the opportunity to hike and cycle refreshing after the big cities. One must see Shanghai and the warriors but be aware that there are crowds and a lot of traffic so getting anywhere is often longer than expected. Overall I would do the trip again and 2 weeks was certainly a good length of time. The organization and attention to detail was excellent

Rebecca Wei of Top China Travel (TCT) did a fantastic job in arranging our six-city group tour to China. She flawlessly planned from beginning to end our entire tour itinerary, meet-and-greet at airport, hotel accommodations, meals, transportation, air conditioning coach with driver and guide at each city. Everything ran like clock work. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit at each city and felt at ease because we knew that Rebecca had already made all the arrangements for us. The visit to the tea plantation and the tea processing was interesting and educational. The river cruise in Guilin was mesmerizing. Several members of our group said they will contact Rebecca again to arrange for their next vacation to China.

Me, my brother, and mother just got back from our 3.5 week trip all around China with TCT. From the moment we landed in Beijing we had an experienced and friendly guide waiting for us at the airport (Felix who was GREAT!). All of our guides throughout the cities we went to were very knowledgeable, had stellar English, and were very friendly. The drivers of our personal van were also very nice and did their job very well. The trip was planned with great detail and thought by Janet- we got to see so much in our 3.5 weeks there from The Forbidden City in Beijing, The Great Wall, Pandas and Hot Pot in Chengdu, Shanghai, Rice Patties in Chengdu, The Terracotta Warrios in Xian and so much more! We highly recommended top China Travel and loved the personal touch they added to our wonderful trip. Many thanks, Catherine, Dragana, and Paul

When planning our China trip we read many trip advisor reviews and noticed Janet Chan’s name came up a number of times so we asked for her to arrange our journey across this fascinating land. What a great choice we made, she listened and responded to our questions and arranged all our trip that went off without any problems. We didn’t want shopping nor group travel and she responded brilliantly. Two days hiking on the wall with fabulous guide Miko, in fact all our guides and drivers were just excellent. High speed train meant we saw lots of China’s varied countryside and went to some out of the way places. We can only say great things about TCT and especially Janet Chan if you are planning a trip. Thank you Janet for an exciting and memorable trip! Chris n Jools Winstanley

We are currently still traveling but wanted to give a review of our Beijing section of the trip. Firstly, when we explored options on tours on the internet we sent email from the TCT website requesting information. Janet replied and from there on the planning was effortless. She accommodated all that we wanted to see into a well planned trip. She was responsive and prompt in her replies from China and could speak english well. We arrived at our first destination in Beijing. Our guide, Eric Gu, greeted us at the airport with a big smile. For last 3 days he has shown us the attractions. He is very knowledgable, patient, flexible and fun. Speaks excellent english also. He made extra effort to accommodate our requests and waited patiently while we were eating delicious food, buying pearls and handbags and booking us theatre tickets to the Kung Fu show. We cannot have enough thanks for the good service we got. Stay tuned for the rest of our trip. On the Xian and Shanghai now.

We found TCT through a random internet search when looking for a local Chinese travel agency to help us plan our 2-week trip to China. We had a basic idea of what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go and Janet (our efficient and friendly TCT agent) put together a great itinerary for us that started in Beijing and ended in Hong Kong. We corresponded with her exclusively over e-mail and her responses were always punctual and on-point. The itinerary was very reasonably priced and TCT was able to organize everything from local hotel stays, restaurant meals, airport transfers, internal train and plane tickets and excursions in each city (e.g. great wall, etc.) As well, we were a group of 4 (myself, my husband and our in-laws) and our tours and transfers were almost always exclusively private. The guides in each city were knowledgeable and spoke decent English. Overall, we were very satisfied with TCT's services. I would recommend TCT if you are looking for a reliable one-stop shop to organize your China travels from start to end.

We had the most wonderful time in our trip to China, thanks to TCT. We had a great team in every City: Leo in Shanghai; Sarah in Guilin and Yangshuo; Snow in Chengdu, Carol in Xian and Jane in Beijing. They prompt met us at every airport, and train station and welcomed us with warm friend smiles. We appreciated how responsible they were and always on time to take us everywhere we were going! They made our vacation the most memorable ever. We learned so much about China's history and the fascinating stories they shared with us! our trip organizer Janet had lunch with us in Guilin and introduced her daughter to us. we felt like part of the family:) and that's how we felt the entire trip, like we had our cousins waiting for us on every airport...what an AMAZING trip. we highly recommend TCT! Very special thanks to Snow for re- arranging our visit to the Panda bear sanctuary for us to take pictures with the baby Panda! Thanks again to Leo, Sarah, Snow, Carol and Jane. We loved you guys!!!