4 Days Suzhou and Wuxi Highlight Tour

After completing an upstream Yangtze River Cruise from Yichang to Chongqing we had a couple of days in Chongqing itself. We decided to organise a full day private city tour and as a result I did some research on the internet as to the options. I quickly discovered that Top China Travel (TCT), who are based in Guilin, not only had the best option but also the best prices. I contacted TCT and was immediately contacted back by Yocky Yang. She was excellent in all aspects in organising the tour for us. All communications (her English was amazing) were made through WhatsApp which worked really well, payment was made through PayPal. The actual Full Day Tour included Peoples Hall and Square, Three Gorges Museum, Huguang Guild Hall, General Stilwall Museum and the Erling Park. A huge and excellent lunch (spicy Sichuan cuisine) was also included. Our guide David (who contacted us the day before to agree hotel pickup timing) was excellent, super friendly, spoke excellent English and was incredibly knowledgeable about all aspects of Chongqing. He pretty much let us dictate the speed in which we moved from one place to another, and there were no shopping stops !!! At the end of the tour we expressed a wish to visit Hongyadong as we had heard good reports of this quirky bar / restaurant complex and its amazing views. As we didn't know the way he offered to walk us there which was a nice touch, indeed we had a few drinks together which finished the wonderful day of nicely. Both Yocky Yang at TCT and David our tour guide are highly recommended.

We used China Travel to visit Guilin from Hong Kong by train at very short notice - we've never done this before so a little nervous - we did this May 2017. We found all the staff and travel arrangements excellent. Everything flowed very easily. Staff were punctual and as helpful as can be. Unfortunately we don't speak any local languages so the very high standard of English spoken by all was very much appreciated. The itinerary suggested by China Travel was great - really fascinating. There is a small issue with amenities at the large 5* state run hotels in which we stayed - most notably the food minor stuff such as no good coffee! restricted range of foods and service in the cafes not really good, just a bit frowzy so not really what an international traveler may expect - but these hotels were very successful and popular with internal travelers - so I may be out of step here, also gym facilities restricted access and poor. But these are minor quibbles given how great the trip was. The bedrooms at these hotels were excellent. What I'd like to stress is how welcome we were made and how pleasant and relaxed and accommodating everyone we met with was. Well worth a visit and a trusted agent in our view.

we looked around and could not find anyone else that would tailor a trip how we wanted it But Janet from Top China Travel was so helpful we emailed at first then talked on skype Janet Chan of the Guilin office went that extra mile Janet helped us plan our 4 week tour of China starting in Shanghi then to Yellow Mountain were Misha met us took us to some old villages then spent 3 days in the mountains with Misha showing us her wonderful part of the world (a Must do) then took the Public Bus to Hangzhou this was a great choice then onto Beijing, Xian by High Speed train (spoil your self go 1st class was great) we did the Great wall at Mutianyu we had 4 hr wish we had more time there Herbet our guid took us to The Sacred road & the Chang Tomb in the afternoon well worth the very long day Xian Terracotta Warriors Met the guy that found them and a great day Guili,Yangshou & Longsheng Annie or guid was great took us to some real out of the way places we met up with Janet in Guilin and she gave us a very personalised gift something very special to my wife & I Janet made sure we did not miss a thing. All of our tour guides and drivers were waiting for us at the train stations/airports as pre-arranged which took a lot of stress away. Everything ran so smoothly. A big Thank You to TCT Janet and the team for making our experience so enjoyable. WE will be Back The Food was Great go to the little cafes in the back streets well worth it and cheap

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

Great Hotel stay Very Nice Tour guides Convenient planned daily trips Average selection of restaurant for food though

We used Top China Tour for a recent trip which included Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai. This was a small group with four to six members. Top China travel did an excellent job. The hotels were all in excellent locations and the service was top notch. The tour guides all spoke very good English and knew the history of all the many places we visited. I always felt very comfortable wherever we went. Everything was organized nicely. I highly recommend Top China Travel as they provided us with a very memorable trip!

We book a China Tour through TCT. We received great assistance during the planning phase when our trip advisor (Rebecca) gave as details of all the visits, shows and transportation between cities and was very attentive to our demands. The tour was great, run according to the script and we want to send our words of thanks and appreciations for the efforts, knowledge, flexibility and punctuality to our guides: Lily (1) in Beijing, Lily (2) in Xian, Jane in Guilin, David in Chongqing, Helen in Yichang, Ryan in Shanghai. Many thanks to TCT for the great tour of China.

Enjoyable busy day!7 am start covering Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City early on amidst tight crowds followed by an unexpected stop at Pharmacy institute where we were able for a small “tip” enjoy a short foot massage and consultation with a Chinese medicine expert. Unfortunately this turned into an embarrassing pressure sell of his prescribed medicines which left us underwhelmed!Lunch was acceptable followed by a wiz around the Temple of Heaven. On the way to our final destination the Summer Palace we had another unexpected stop and “selling” opportunity at a pearl factory (store actually). Guide had his own sense of humour and opinions which were often unintelligible or off the wall and his English Weaker than other “English” speaking guides that we have experienced in China.All that said, we had a good day out in some very worthwhile places to visit and felt it value for money. Our favorite was the relative peace of the Summer Palace surroundings and in particular watching the old guys flying kites at heights I could not imagine possible.

We only had a few days to get a taste of China and we couldn't be happier. We visited Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. In each city our guide had exceptional local knowledge. Our tour was not set in stone with the guides flexible to suit the needs of the group. We not only saw the sites but gained in depth knowledge about them. The drivers were amazing, negotiating the hectic traffic conditions we felt very safe in their care. The guides take a personal interest in their group and look after their every need. I booked the trip over the net and had fantastic communication from start to finish. TCT is great!

My daughter and I took a private tour with Top China Travel to Shanghai, Guilin, Chengdu, Xian and Beijing. I really enjoyed the private tour as opposed to a bus tour, because we were able to discuss some details with our tour guides and make slight changes to the itinerary. For example, we loved the Panda Reserve in Chengdu, so instead of leaving early to have lunch elsewhere, we were able to eat sandwiches there and spend more time with the pandas. Also, while visiting Tiananmen Square I commented to our guide that it would be interesting to go inside Chairman Mao's Mausoleum someday and see his preserved body. The guide noticed that the line wasn't long and asked if we'd like to go now. We said 'yes', and he took us in even though it wasn't on the itinerary. We had to pay a small fee to check our bags since no bags are allowed inside, but we loved our guide's flexibility. Bus tours aren't as flexible. Two of our favorite days were the Chengdu Panda Reserve and hiking the Wohushan Great Wall. I must mention that hiking the Wohushan Great Wall was very difficult and took every ounce of energy we had; it isn't for everyone. But if you are in good shape and love challenging hikes, you may really enjoy this hike. (Other visitors should visit another section of the Great Wall.) Another favorite day happened in Shanghai. It was a very personal day. My daughter was adopted from Shanghai, so we asked Janet at Top China Travel to help us visit her orphanage. They were able to arrange this visit. It meant a lot to us. The two places where I wish we had spent more time was in Guilin and the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Guilin is a lovely town with five lakes that are connected and surrounded by a park that stretches across the small city. There is also a lovely shopping area in town. It would have been nice to have another two - four hours to simply walk and relax in Guilin. It can get hot there, so this extra time might not be fun if its mid-day during the summer months. The Temple of Heaven was nice, but what I really loved was the park surrounding it. The Chinese gather there to exercise, practice martial arts, sing, dance, play games and much, much more. I could have easily spent 2 hours simply relaxing in the park watching people. All of the hotels were nice and clean. All of the breakfast meals at the hotels were wonderful. All of our guides were eager to please, although we had trouble understanding a couple of them. There English was always good, but sometimes the pronunciation needed improvement. Our favorite guides were Cherry in Guilin and Jimmy in Beijing. We loved our tour agent, Janet. She was helpful from the beginning of the planning process all the way through the end of our trip. If I return to China, I will use Top China Travel again.

We signed up with TCT after reading reviews of Tibet tour agencies. Our trip included 4 days in Lhasa, two in Shigatse and one at the base camp. TCT made all the arrangements including the Tibet permit, hotels, tour guide, car and the driver for the entire trip. The arrangements were superb. The guide and the driver were very accommodating to our needs and made the entire trip very convenient. At the base camp, the guide even arranged for extra oxygen in case we need it. She was also very helpful in advising us as how to get acclimated to the altitude. The entire trip was smooth and enjoyable and we would highly recommend TCT for travel to Tibet.

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!

professional people to handle everything. Rebecca the star of our trip to china answered my unending emails with lot of patience and smile. gave a perfect tour to see china in a memorable way. the guides Helen at shanghai and windy at Hongkong are very kind people and lot of patience to organise the trip to your liking. curt very bad guide in Beijing, doesn't have patience and smokes continuously, very rough in speaking. but china is beautiful country to visit.see it through these guys.

Thank you Top China Travel for a fabulous visit to your wonderful country.
I was apprehensive about visiting China, but thoroughly enjoyed our travels if this beautiful country.
What made the trip was having a guide in 4 of the 5 cities we visited.
Our guides meet us at the airport, took us to our accommodation, picked us up for our daily activities, returned us back to our accommodation and made invaluable recommendations for our evenings. Then made sure we not only got back to the airports, but ensured we had the right terminals, flights and saw is right through to customs.
Having a guide made sure we went to the best sights, at the best times to avoid the queues, getting tickets in advance, making sure we got the best photo opportunities in the best places. And all with informative information about sights and history. 
If we had tried to see what we saw on our own, we would have missed so much and spent a long time trying to find it all.
Thank you to Jeremy in Guilin. It was great to get out into the country side and see the hard working farmers tendering their crops, and witness up close the celebration of families remembering their departed families.
To Linda in Beijing. Your warm manner as you taught us about the history of your country, and accepting the challenges of walking the steepest section of the wall with us. Thank you.
Olivia in Xian, the Terra Cotta soldiers was awesome and your making sure we went to government stores so we we're not ripped off, when we brought a soldier and tea.
And Summer in Zhangjiajie, the glass bridge, the glass pathway on the side of the stairway to heaven and your lovely singing. Thank-you for a wonderful tour.
Our guides made our visit to China, a wonderful holiday, thank you all. We wish you well for your futures.
Kind regards from Leah, Angus, Cameron, Maree and Todd

We reserved this tour by China Travel which is joint by China Highlights. Terraced Fields and Yangshuo have kind of unique sceneries to offer. Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo passes by spectacular views. Thanks to our tour guide chasen Cai, we really enjoyed every minute of our trip. He was cheerful, energetic and helpful. He gave us detailed information anywhere needed. Show of Impression Liu was also a must see in Yangshuo.