CHINA CULTURE TOURS Reviews 

I reached out to several tour companies before deciding on China Culture Tour, and I’m so glad I did! From the very beginning, Nora was absolutely wonderful: quick to respond, clear, incredibly organized, knowledgeable, and super flexible. I started planning our trip about seven months in advance, and she patiently answered every question I had, gave thoughtful advice, and worked closely with me to customize an itinerary that was perfect for our needs.

Our trip took us through Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Yangshuo, and Hong Kong. In some cities, we opted for full guiding and activities; in others, we only needed transportation. I booked our own hotels using points, and Nora was still so helpful, offering honest feedback on the pros and cons of each hotel based on location, class, and convenience. That kind of personal touch really stood out.

Even while we were on the trip, Nora checked in with us several times to make sure everything was going smoothly, and whenever we had a question, she responded within minutes. Her support throughout the entire process, from start to finish, was truly exceptional.

As for the guides, they truly made the trip. Serena, our guide in Beijing, was hands down the best guide we’ve ever had anywhere in the world. She was warm, thoughtful, endlessly knowledgeable, and incredibly attentive to our comfort and interests. Whether it was sweltering heat or sudden rain, she always made sure we were prepared, had shade or an umbrella, and stayed comfortable. Her storytelling and historical insights were so engaging that we’re still thinking about topics she introduced us to, like the Soong sisters and the Dragon Lady. She brought history to life.

Another standout was Ken in Xi’an, also deeply knowledgeable, kind, and a joy to spend time with. Every driver we had was punctual, professional, and kind, and the vehicles were clean, modern, spacious, and always comfortably air-conditioned.

I truly loved every moment of our time in China. It was an unforgettable trip, and I can’t wait to return. When we do, we’ll absolutely be booking again with China Culture Tour.

We booked a personalised travel program with Xi Xi 西西 of China travel for our trip to Chengdu and her counties including Du Jiang Yan, Jiu Zhai Gou and Huang Long Shan.

XiXi was good to advise and adjust our ‘wish list’ on the places of interest to visit so that the whole trip would more enjoyable and not too much of a mad rush ! 😘

Plus the tour guide Mary who was assigned to our small group of 5 pax was a lovely, enthusiastic and knowledgeable lady! Mary could speak both Mandarin and English fluently; and this was especially helpful when it came to explaining some more mandarin technical names and terms! Plus she was very helpful and patient especially when one of our tour mates had some passport issues at the tourist sites or when extra assistance was needed.
She constantly reminded us not to buy from street vendors who were over priced and was also careful to make sure everyone was safe in crowded places. She was always punctual and paced the timing well, yet flexible enough to change the itinerary where necessary to make it a more pleasant one for all . She is also a very good photographer! lol! ♥️

A wonderful trip. I highly recommend this travel agent and her tour guide!
Also a mention on the bus drivers engaged ( we had 2 drivers for the whole journey ) - they were all very helpful, careful drivers and very endearing! 🥰

I had tour guide Lily Lou for Beijing. It was a great experience and her tours were very in depth. Also her English is very good.

I had a custom 7 day trip designed for me as a first time traveler in China. It did not disappoint- I really had a great time even though I did not know what to expect. I would recommend!

Family trip of four to Beijing, Xi'An and Shanghai with two elderly (one of them is wheelchair bound).
This customised trip was made possible for my family by our experienced trip advisor, Nora. She is always so patient in answering all our queries and special requests for our vegetarian diet and my wheelchair bounded mother who is not able to walk much.
She even checked on us to ensure that we were alright during our trip.
Our first stop was Beijing, Michael was our first guide. He was very friendly and helpful. He accompanied my brother and our luggage to our hotel when our transport was not big enough to put all our stuff duty to a slight miscommunication. However, we received a beautiful painting of the Great Wall to make up for the error. We like the painting very much.🤭
The next day, we met our 5-star tour guide, Judy and our friendly driver, Mr Tan. Judy is a very knowledgeable guide. She explained the history clearly to us during our visit to the Forbidden City, Heaven temple, Great Wall, Tianmen and many more places. She made our 5 days stay in Beijing very enjoyable and educational. Besides her broad knowledge, Judy is also very caring guide. She took great care of my mum throughout our 5-days tour in Beijing. Judy helped to push the wheelchair as she explained the history of the places we were visiting and made sure that my mum will not be left out. She will always find means and ways to move my mum to the exhibition halls whenever possible. However, there were occasions that it was not possible for my mum to follow us into some exhibition halls as it was very narrow. Judy will then stay with my mum and kept her companies while the rest of us continue to appreciate the artifacts in the exhibition halls.
During our visit to the Great Wall, Judy helped to push my mum up to Mutainyu on the wheelchair so that she can enjoy the beautiful view of the Great Wall which my parents have always wanted to visit.
My mum told me that when Judy accompanied her to the washroom, Judy will always help to clean the toilet seat for her before she assisted her into the toilet and she will always be nearby just incase my mum needed assistance.
For our driver Mr Tan, he is also very caring and helpful. He even gave us his little stool for my mum to step when she needed to get into the car. He told us to bring along to our next city just incase my mum still needed it (Indeed the little stool was really helpful throughout our stay in Xi'an and Shanghai).
As we were not familiar with the train station ilayout n Beijing, we were very worried that we might miss our train ride to Xi'an, Judy helped us arranged for a seamless porter service (Xiao Hong Mao). This porter service did not just move our four luggage for us. The friendly porter also ensure that we get on the train on time as well. We were really grateful to have Judy as our Beijing guide.

Our next stop was Xi'an, we met our next friendly and helpful guide Mark and our skillful driver Mr Zhu.
Mark was also very helpful when we were in Xi'an. As my mum was feeling a little unwell, Mark went to look for medical halls to help my mum look for medicine for her to bring her temperature down.
It was a little difficult to find vegetarian restaurants in Xi'an and Hukuo, Mark helped us arranged for vegetarian food in the local restaurants. As for Mr Zhu, he had to drive us from Xi'an to Hukuo waterfall and back to Xi'an. He ensured that he followed the safety regulations that he had enough rest during the long hour drives and we did feel very safe during the long drive to Hukuo waterfall and back to Xi'an. We were also very grateful to have Mark and Mr Zhu with us during our stay in Xi'an.
I would like to thank Philip one of our guide in Shanghai. He went out of the way to accompany my brother to get our dinner when we reached our last stop Shanghai.
Once again my family and I would like to thank Nora, Judy, Mr Tan, Mark and Mr Zhu and Philip for taking care of us so well and made us felt at home when we were actually very far away from our home. 🥰

We will definitely recommend China Culture to our friends.

Our family of five just returned from an unforgettable 15-day journey through China, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the incredible experience curated by Nora at China Culture Tours. From the very beginning, Nora worked closely with us to design a customized itinerary based on the cities we wanted to visit and the meaningful highlights we hoped to include—most importantly, visits to the orphanages and hometowns of our three adopted children (now ages 17, 19, and 20).

Every aspect of the trip exceeded our expectations. Each day was thoughtfully planned, and everything—from our guides and drivers to the accommodations and scheduled activities—was flawless. The orphanage visits were deeply emotional and handled with the utmost care and respect, creating memories our family will cherish forever.

Before booking, I received quotes from four highly-rated China travel companies. We chose China Culture Tours for their excellent communication, competitive pricing, and well-designed itinerary—and we’re so glad we did. Nora’s attention to detail and responsiveness made the entire process seamless.

A special thank-you goes out to our outstanding guides: Steven in Beijing, Rita in Datong, William in Lanzhou, Brenda in Wuxi, and the ever-energetic and hilarious Kris in Shanghai. Having knowledgeable, friendly, and fluent English-speaking guides made all the difference—especially since we don’t speak Chinese ourselves. Their insight and warmth added immeasurable value to our journey.

Without hesitation, we give Nora and China Culture Tours a five-star rating and an enthusiastic recommendation. We look forward to traveling with them again on our next adventure to China!

We booked a custom 7 day trip to Beijing for 2. Nora with booking was super helpful in changing the itinerary to exactly what we wanted, adding and removing stops. Great communication- even after business hours. We even got WeChat contact information for our guide before we landed.
Having a dedicated guide (Mr. Chris) and a dedicated driver for the trip was a huge luxury. Through the day we could ask for schedule changes (more time here, start a bit later, etc), and it was always easy. Our guide knew all of our visiting locations, and knew how to get in faster to every ticketed site (since we were a group with a guide). We easily saw twice as many sites his help than going it solo. He handled all entry tickets, avoiding peak times/days, and we were able to use shorter entry lines.
An unexpected bonus was that Mr. Chris was a very good photographer. We offered to take our phones to take pictures, and they came out wonderful. He could be a professional photographer as well as a guide!
A trip of a lifetime - my son literally filled up his phone to 100% with photos. LOL
I highly recommend this company!

As a whole, the tour was memorable and fun. Ms. Grace Wang of CCT helped in customizing the entire trip from Kunming, Dali, Lijiang to Shangrila. The hotels arranged for us are 5-star international standard. Hotel Indigo Lijiang is the best . Better to include Snow Mountain in the tour. It is one of the highlights of the trip. We enjoyed the Dali countryside tour. The tour guide, Bell did a great job, which led us to fully enjoy and love the Dali part. Shangrila seems to be overrated. We had frustrations maybe because of high expectations of the place. Maybe one factor that led to this was the tour guide assigned to us. It seems like Kawa was not familiar with the itinerary and had few knowledge about the history of some of the sites. Kawa was silent most of the time, not explaining or giving any information about the sites visited except for Songzanlin Monastery. Most guests had altitude sickness after Pudacuo National Park which led us to skip Shangrila Old Town. Maybe a big help if we are asked to tag along the oxygen tank sitting in the bus. In Kunming, was not able to visit the Green Lake Park because the tour guide, Doyle told us to wear summer clothes and thin layer jacket for that day. It was 6pm when we got to the park; and it was chilling cold we cannot go down. That part was also skipped. Otherwise, everything was fine. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Blue Moon Valley, Yunnan flower cake making, Naxi family visit, biking at Erhai Lake are the highlights of the trip. Stone Forest, Jiuxiang Caves, Bai Minority Tie-dyeing and Tiger Leaping Gorge upper section are also okay.

Brilliant communication before the trip, and very easy to talk to, responsive etc

The 2 day tour in Xi’an was great, Winnie was a superb guide: knowledgeable and passionate with perfect English.

Highly recommended.

I have just returned from a 12-day solo trip in China arranged by China Culture Tour. It’s amazing! What an incredible experience! First, China Culture is a legit company and it delivered. My planner is Nora, she is responsive, caring and flexible. We revised my itinerary a few times, added and removed some attractions. I originally planned for a visit in Sept 2024 but due to a medical situation, it’s postponed. I paid for my entire trip but Nora was able to cancel my flights and trains traveling within China without any extra charges. I asked them to keep the full payment and just completed my trip. The local guides in the 5 cities speak English well, some better than others. Nora helped me choose accommodations, breakfasts are always included and most lunches (unless I was flying or on trains) were also included and the food was delicious! She informed all the guides I am on a low carb diet, and the guides changed restaurants on the fly for my cuisine preferences, very accommodating. There’s rain in the forecast on my last day in Beijing, my guide and driver were able to extend their day and squeeze in my visit to Summer Palace so that we wouldn’t be visiting in the rain the following day. Nora then shopped and exchanged my train ticket for an earlier departure for Xi’an; hence, gave me extra time and a sunny day in Xi’an. I highly recommend this company and I am already planning my next visit with Nora for my family. Last tip: install and learn to use WeChat and Alipay app, link two credit cards and if you have friends who have bank accounts in China, exchange and transfer some cash to your apps. These are the most widely used payments in China for shopping, restaurants, taxi and gratuity.

Second stop of our trip in China. Unfortunately, our first guide was substandard (his name was FORD): poor English and not professional at all. We requested a change and Nora reacted quickly providing a replacement.

Our new guide’s name was ALLAN, very professional and knowledgable about the sites. The only problem was that he was wearing a mask and sometimes was difficult to understand.

The forbidden city was good but full if people, 2 hours waiting to get there. The great wall was the highlight of Beijing together with the lama temple and the temple of heaven. The summer palace was also worth visiting. A must tip: go early and avoid weekends and holidays. We stayed 3.5 days.

For my ChengDu trip, the agency's Nora helped me with all the arrangements for itinerary, transport bookings and attraction bookings. I find it very convenient. She helped me manage and watch for the bookings and availabilities till the last moment.

I find it convenient. The Chengdu driver she got me was very helpful and trustworthy.

Overall, I find the company offer a lot of flexible options. They will provide additional information on the placea you want to go. And their price is competitive.

Our recent heritage tour to China with my daughters was truly the trip of a lifetime—and we have China Cultural Tour to thank for that! From start to finish, the experience was seamless, personalized, and absolutely unforgettable. We worked with Linda Wu, who was not only incredibly knowledgeable and responsive throughout the planning process, but also such a warm and thoughtful presence. Imagine our surprise and joy when we got to meet her in person in one of the provinces—what an absolute blessing!

Every detail of the trip felt carefully considered. As a family with dietary restrictions, we were a bit nervous about navigating meals, but everyone on the team went above and beyond to ensure we were well taken care of. Their attentiveness gave us peace of mind and allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in the experience.

We had some amazing local guides along the way, each one adding their own special touch to our journey. Benjamin in Xinjiang was full of insight and energy, Bruce in Xi’an brought history to life in such a compelling way, and Mary in Jiangxi was an extra special part of the trip. We had traveled with her previously, and reconnecting with her again felt like reuniting with family.

This tour was so much more than a vacation—it was a powerful journey into our roots, filled with connection, discovery, and heartfelt moments we will cherish forever. We are forever grateful for the care, professionalism, and love poured into this experience. Thank you, Linda, and the entire team at China Cultural Tour, for helping make our dream trip come true!

Following our great success in Chengdu last year, this year we travelled again to China, this time to Yellow Mountain area, the southern part of Anhui Province. We travelled in a group of 4, with more logistics issues than last year. Thanks to the patient advice and assistance from Grace, our planner at China Culture Tours, the itinerary was well designed after detailed discussions. It turned out everything went smoothly and wonderfully. Terry, our guide, is humorous, energetic and experienced. He went far to solve all unexpected problems during the trip, like finding shops for warm clothes when temperature suddenly dropped. And he is a passionate mountain climber and marathon runner and knows the Yellow Mountain very well. We passed two wonderful nights/days at the top of mountain after visiting several traditional beautiful villages near Jiangxi Province and at the foot of Yellow Mountain. The driver Mr. Zhang is professional and nice too. He drove safely and tried to help us whenever we had some special need. This has been a wonderful and unforgettable trip for all of us. We wish to express our thanks to Grace, Terry and Mr. Zhang, and the China Culture Tours! I would definitely recommend China Culture Tours to my friends who wish to travel to China.

In 2024, Grace Wang of China Culture Tour planned a 41-day itinerary for my China visit. The logistics were extremely complicated. She made sure everything ran smoothly and helped direct me to the most interesting places, selected excellent accommodations and selected very good guides, all of which resulted in the trip of a lifetime. I was so impressed with Grace's knowledge and professionalism that I asked her to arrange a much shorter trip to Taiwan and Yunnan in February and March of this year. The trip was outstanding in every respect. Although relatively short, Grace spared to effort to make sure everything went perfectly. Our guide in Taiwan, Stanley Hu, did a great job. He was knowledgeable, interesting, friendly and flexible, ensuring that I had had a great time. Doyle Cheng, our guide in Yunnan, was also excellent and everything I said about Stanley is equally applicable to Doyle. Grace really put together another great visit. I was so pleased with her work I asked her to develop 2 additional China trips for me, either later this year or 2026, to the Silk Road and Guizhou and Shanxi provinces. She worked closely with me and I now am looking forward to more great visits to China. I would recommend Grace, China Culture Tour, Stanley and Doyle to anyone planning a trip to China. Dan Crane

The Best and Reliable China Tour I ever experienced. The Schedule can always be flexible and the Tour Leader is very friendly and punctual. We had a great time during this private tour without worrying about too much unnecessary shopping and too many walks. The drivers are also kind and they always make sure to keep us comfortable during our trip.

We booked a 1 day tour with CCT during our stay in Lijiang, Yunnan. Firstly, Grace was very helpful when helping us plan the itinerary gave us useful tips as we were bringing along an infant. Ms Snow our tour guide was exceptional. She arrived early on the day of the tour. She was very attentive to our baby's needs. She even held my baby so we could eat in ease. Gave us a lot of information about the Naxi (local) culture. Overall had a good experience and will be happy to book again.

We did 16 days private tour started from Beijing. The itinerary was: Day 1: Arrival - Beijing
Day 2: Beijing - Pingyao
Day 3 : Pingyao
Day 4: Pingyao - Taiyuan
Day 5: Taiyuan - Tunxi - Huangshan
Day 6: Huangshan
Day 7: Huangshan - Tunxi
Day 8: Tunxi - Changsha - Zhangjiajie
Day 9: Zhangjiajie
Day 10: Zhangjiajie - Fenghuang
Day 11: Fenghuang
Day 12 : Fenghuang - Tongren - Kaili
Day 13: Kaili
Day 14: Duyun - Guilin
Day 15: Guilin - Longsheng - Guilin
Day 16: Guilin - Yangshuo
Day 17: Yangshuo - Guilin - Hong Kong

16 of us were all seniors. Nora made the excellent choice of places to visit full of culture, history and scenic views. It is my 4th time in China and this is one of the most memorable trip. We travelled from city via train and had local tour guys help with ticket purchasing and transportation to hotels were all smooth. Each local tour guides were very attentive to all our needs and spoke English well. The only regret was too little time for so much to see. But that was our choice. I strongly recommend this company and ask for Nora to help plan your trip! Thanks for a wonderful experience!

This trip was planned and organized by our group leaders, working tirelessly with Nora, our travel consultant. We started out in Beijing and ended in Hong Kong, covering thousands of kilometers and meandering among UNESCO ancient cities and popular mountainous attractions. The planning was satisfactory down to the last details. The local guides, handpicked by Nora, were all very professional. They were not only knowledgeable and friendly but also very passionate about sharing their culture, history and economic development with us. They were also very willing and ready to attend to our different needs and concerns, including medical issues and minute changes to make our trip more enjoyable.

Grace Wang, worked with us through five iterations of the itinerary to develop the best itinerary to fit our needs. Once in China, Grace kept in touch with us to make sure we were pleased along the way. It resulted in a wonderful adventure. China is beautiful.

BEIJING
Beijing Park Plaza - The room was what we expected. It was clean with the best buffet breakfast of all hotels on the trip.
Our guide, Nancy, was excellent. Her English was good and she was a problem solver. We visited the Great Wall on a day when umbrellas were needed. As a result, the view was very limited; however, the umbrellas came in handy as a ‘walking stick’. To limit walking, we drove around Tianamen Square which saved our energy to walk in the huge Forbidden City.

XI'AN
Xi'an Eastern House Boutique Hotel was our least favorite. The room was very cramped for 2 people.
Our guide, Susan, was very knowledgeable and very proud of her city. The Terra Cotta Warriors themselves were very impressive. I loved the dumpling making experience and the chance to peek into the average, middle-class Chinese apartment.

CHENGDU
Dorsett Chengdu Hotel... The room was very spacious. The hotel lacked some of the amenities advertised.
Our guide, Belinda, was very caring. She did her best to make our time at the Panda Center as easy as possible. We took an electric vehicle to the closest possible drop off point but there was still a lot of walking. Our Hot Pot lunch was our favorite of the entire trip.

LESHAN … Giant Buddha
During this day trip, we were still with Belinda. Lots of ancient steps to climb, but it was worth it. Not only the Giant Buddha, but also a Buddhist temple. I enjoyed watching the religious rituals.

DALI
The Linden Centre... A wonderful experience. The setting is a magical with lots of Chinese character. We sipped beverages on the lovely terrace at sundown.
How lucky we were to have Tony as our guide. Tony took us to a local market and for once I felt like I was in the China I dreamed about. Fruits and vegetables I could not identify. Meats and fish that were sold by ethnic groups dressed in traditional clothing. This is how the people shop for their food in Xizhou. Tony fulfilled my cultural need.... tie-dyeing, flower cake and Chinese pancake making, and watching the women of a school that teaches them to needlepoint with silk. Tony and our wonderful driver, Mr. Chang, drove us to Lijiang where I thrilled to find Mr. Chang would be our driver in this next city.

LIJIANG
The Bivou - This boutique hotel is a real gem. This is actually the first time we had dinner on this trip, Room service brought us a lovely ham and cheese toastie and a club sandwich with delicious hot French fries.
All of our guides were excellent but Cindy was given the hardest task. Our agenda was full of obstacles which were difficult, especially the Spruce Meadow on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Cindy took charge. There would not be any unnecessary waiting in lines. She would ensure we had the best seats on the transport bus. We thoroughly enjoyed the Naxi Family visit.

GUILIN
The Jolie Vue Boutique Hotel had a perfect location. The room was spacious and the view of elephant hill was beautiful, especially at night.
Our guide, Linda, was delightful. I enjoyed walking around the nearby lakes and talking about differences in our cultures.
Daxu Ancient Town was the absolute highlight of my time in China. We met Mr. Zhou. He is 80 years old and is very proud of showing us his way of life. We enjoyed Yao Mountain Tea Plantation.

YANGSHUO
Yangshuo Mountain Retreat Hotel's setting was magical. Beautiful views. Terrific food. O
We visited the Fuli Ancient Town Market and painted fans in Fuli Town
A WONDERFUL SUGGESTION by our guide, Linda … I attended “Impressions Liu Sanjie”, a folk story directed by Zhang Yimou, the chief director the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Linda made sure I got the best seat in the house. Linda and our driver, Mr. Su, agreed to work late that night so I could enjoy this performance. I’m so happy I got to see this spectacular show on the Li River at night.

SHANGHAI
SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund – was disappointing. Our guide, Mary, was lovely. I really enjoyed Fuxing Park. Shanghai Tower was impressive and knowing the amount of growth since 1990 was interesting.

I cannot give a full review of our journey without giving high praise to all of our drivers. China is one place I would ever try to drive. The drivers were excellent… Mr. Chen, Mr. Yang, Mr. Chang, and especially Mr. Su who even took me for a motorcycle ride in a sidecar!