5 Days Xiamen City and Tulou Tour

Lily from Top China Travel and her staff provided us an amazing 15 day visit to China last month, which featured Guilin and Yangshuo besides other major China destinations. Our hotels, guides, drivers and itineraries all more than met our expectations. We had lots of opportunities to add to or modify our itineraries, which we did. Whatever any changes were made, our guides and drivers helped us with transport and purchasing of entries. The hotels were superb, as were the meals. I highly recommend using Top China Travel to anyone wishing an excellent visit to China.

We visited Beijing, Xian, Guilin, and Hong Kong. Our agent Rebecca was very helpful setting up the trip and very responsive to our questions. Our guide in Beijing, Linda, was a joy to be around. We made a friendship with her as we ended up spending a lot of time together. This personal service is most valuable to me as a seasoned world traveler who is used to solo travel. Having her as a guide made me feel like I knew someone in Beijing who was taking me to all those places I had previously only read about. Xian is cultural and Guilin is beautiful and we are so happy with our selection and with TCT.

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!

I just returned for a wonderful China tour. I booked through TCT and Tracy was fantastic. My entire trip was amazing, I went to four cities, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu and Beijing. I had the private tours with private guides which I highly recommend. My guides, Chris, Lily, Fen and Neil were fantastic. Neil in Beijing was absolutely amazing! I am already thinking about a trip back.

wonderful visit and wonderful guide Li. Li showed us all the charms of this great city together with our Li river tour. We fell in love with this place and Yangshou. Great place to visit and it was a favourite city in all the cities we visited. great guide

We went on an 11 day Private tour organised by TCT to Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Cruise on Li River and Shanghai. Everything was so perfectly and professionally organized by Bonnie. Prior to the commencement of the holiday she was so helpful and responded very promptly to all our questions and requests. The tour was perfectly tailored to our taste and we have seen and experienced more than what we expected. The Guides were very knowledgeable, especially Christina in regards to her proficiency in English and the knowledge (Sabrina – Beijing, Christina – Xian, Jay Guilin and Alice Shanghai). They were very helpful and went out of their way to help us and make us happy. At times communication became somewhat challenging though, it did not significantly affect us. They recommended very pleasing, fantastic and one of a kind shows that left memorable impressions on us. We highly recommend TCT to anyone who is planning to have a tour in China. Thank you Bonnie and the team for the wonderful and memorable holiday. Gamini & Wijitha

Just returned home to the US after a 6 day China Tour. TCT, our guide Cathy, drivers and Janet our tour organizer all exceeded our expectations. We especially appreciated the ability to shorten or lengthen our days as our energy levels permitted - this was truly a private tour experience.

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.

We just returned from a very busy 10 tour of China. Maggie was great to work with in planning our trip. Mary was at the airport to meet us in Shanghai and got our trip off to a wonderful start. She was an absolute joy to be around. Annie met us in Guilin. She was a fun bundle of energy and took us on the Li River Cruise. Lena picked us up in Xian. Lena was so sweet and thoughtful and really made sure we had a great time. Daniel met us in Beijing for the last leg of our trip. Daniel was super knowledgeable and fun to be with. He took us up the Great Wall and made lots of memories for us all. All four drivers were courteous and attentive. They made sure we had water and we never waited for a car. Fantastic service by all. The guides all spoke excellent English and really took the anxiety of the language barrier out of the trip. We had great experiences and would highly recommend Top China Travel!

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 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.

It has been a wonderful private tour with TCT visiting Hong Kong, Guilin, Yangshuo, Xian, Bejing. We were promptly received at every airport and train station and warmly welcomed by all of the tour guides and also brought to our departure flights and trains always on time with warm and friendly smiles. This team (Billy, Summer, Eric) is very responsible which is very comforting for a traveller. Billy (Guilin/Yangshuo), Summer (Xian) and Eric (Bejing) are very knowledgeable about these cities and towns, and, easily provide the historical and traditional context of things which provided us deep understanding and clarity to our perspectives. We really enjoyed the Four Lakes cruise (Guilin), dinner in Yangshuo West Street, the performance impressions of Liu Sanjie (Yangshuo), Imperial show and Dumpling Banquet (Xian), dinner in the Houhai lake (Bejing), Peking Roast Duck at Quanjude Restaurant. At every location where we ate this team (Billy, Summer, Eric) ensured that our food preferences were taken care of even when it meant some last minute changes to the menu. Great flexibility. Strongly recommend these apart from visiting all the cultural and historical sites. Outstanding planning by Bonnie and immaculate execution by Billy, Summer, Eric made this a wonderful and memorable trip. Thank you guys and girls of TCT.

For most of us, travel to China is either a distant dream or a once in a lifetime trip. Unfortunately due to language and cultural barriers/difficulties, planning and executing such a trip is extremely difficult at best. And for those of us who do not care for group travel, but rather the freedom and flexibility of fully independent travel, travel to China represents a difficult goal. After a lot of research I thought I had a basic idea at least of where I might want to go, but since I don’t speak Mandarin or read Chinese script/hanzi, traveling independently seemed impossible – and I was traveling solo. And at 71, I’m through with hassles and dealing with problems while traveling. Not only is life too short for that, but the time you have in a country is limited and how much time do you really want to waste dealing with issues vs seeing what you came to see or experience? I had previous experience dealing with independent travel agencies in Argentina and Chile, but didn’t expect that service to be available in China for some reason. But after a bit of additional research I discovered Top China Travel (TCT) and soon after my first contact with my travel consultant Rebecca Wei, things quickly fell into place. Turns out selecting TCT, was one of the best decisions I’ve made in quite a while. I began with a base three week Highlights of China itinerary, and modified it to suit my interests and requirements, including class of hotel, sights, and additional locations. Because with TCT, there is no limit to how much you customize, nor are there additional service fees for doing so. I ended up with a 25 day package to 11 different locations, and this has to be the highlights from what I discovered and guides repeatedly told me. I will tell you this is a LOT for one trip, but based on my age, it is unlikely I will go back again, so wanted to see as much as possible this trip. My itinerary included Shanghai, Huangshan, Yellow Mountains, Hangzhou, Guilin, Changdu, Xi’an, Yangtze River Cruise, Zhangjiajie and Beijing. I specified 5 Star hotels and believe me they were that – some of the nicest hotels I’ve ever experienced anywhere in the world including in the USA. But you can tailor that to your budget and requirements from three-star up. I’ve never experienced a trip so organized and well executed. It was totally flawless and hassle free. There was never a single issue or mistake. From the time I landed in Shanghai, I was met by an English speaking guide and driver (drivers Chinese speaking only), and taken to my hotel and hand held thru checking into the hotel, since everything of course was pre-paid thru TCT. Then the next morning a fully guided tour of Shanghai with evening free to myself. Additional evening activities are recommended at each location that TCT will arrange and book for you at an additional cost. I attended three while in China. Then when ready to leave Shanghai for Huangshan and the Yellow Mountains (which were stunningly beautiful and unique), I was taken to the train station and accompanied by the guide thru the check-in process and then I was off to Huangshan, where upon arrival I was met again and taken to the hotel with guided tours the following days. And this repeated FLAWLESSLY throughout the trip at each location. And the hand offs were quite impressive. At each location I had a new driver and guide, and they had my full itinerary of what I had done to that point and of course what I was scheduled to do and more impressively, had received a call from the previous guide advising them I was on my way. If this isn’t 5-star service, I don’t know what is. Now while this might all seem a bit too organized, I can assure it was not. There was flexibility and as a day progressed, as the guide got to know me better and felt I might enjoy more scenery vs a tea ceremony, for example, we could change that on the fly and at times did just that – within reason of course. And evenings were free. And another bonus was the experiences with the guides. Not only were they extremely knowledgeable and the drivers safe and reliable, but I learned more about life in China than I could ever have imagined doing since I developed personal relationships with the guides and the conversations were interactive and spontaneous and I had so much time with them each day. There is no way I could have accomplished or experienced this within a tour group. Words can’t express my thanks to Top China Travel and the entire ground operations including guides and drivers for making my China trip one of the most memorable trips I’ve ever taken. And perhaps in the next couple years I can return and see a few things I missed on this trip, or return to a special place and relax a bit more. I won’t say it would have been impossible to have planned and executed this trip without help, but I can’t imagine having done so without having the knowledge and relationships with the ground operations and so many other things. And I’ve planned and executed dozens of international trips with no assistance, but to places far easier than China or Japan. China is a fascinating and incredibly beautiful country, with scenery and culture unlike anyplace I’ve visited. Chinese people are welcoming and I felt safe everywhere I went. I highly recommend China as a travel destination and if you are looking for something similar to what I’ve experienced, I highly recommend Top China Travel. You won’t be sorry you selected them.

We arranged our 21 day personalised itinerary of China and Tibet with Janet Chan of Top China Tours , a company in Guilin.Janet made the process from us enquiring to the end of the trip very easy for us. The tour was fantastic, the Guides were very knowledgeable, the Driver's very experienced, the Hotels were very central, the Tours arranged for each area we visited were great, leaving us with a very rememberable trip,many thanks to Janet. Christine-Australia

I booked my trip with Top China Travel,extremely professional and prompt.I was guided by the guides Cathy in Xian and Eric in Beijing,very knowledgable,knew the English language very well,knew history,stories,always ready to help with any of my problems that I feel I was travelling with companions.I was very happy and I know you