CHINA CULTURE TOURS Avis 

We travelled with China Culture twice, most recently on a 20-day Yunnan trip, and once again had an excellent experience thanks to our travel advisor, Nora. She designed a well-paced itinerary covering Kunming, Jianshui, Yuanyang, Dali, Shaxi, Lijiang, and Shangri-La, with trekking at Tiger Leaping Gorge and Meili Snow Mountain.

What truly stood out was the careful altitude progression. Unlike many other travellers we encountered who suffered altitude sickness and required oxygen, our entire family acclimatised very well with no discomfort at all.

The guides and drivers were professional and attentive, making the journey very comfortable. During the hikes, our Tibetan guide, Pema, was especially patient, guiding us carefully and allowing us to proceed at our own pace without any pressure.

Even after the tour ended, Nora continued to assist with train tickets and airport transfers. Highly recommended—we would gladly travel with China Culture again.

We used China Culture Tour for our trip to Yunnan (Dali, Shaxi, Tiger Leaping Gorge, and Lijiang) and are so grateful for the great work by the entire team. Nora handled the planning and was consistently quick to respond—even when we had last-minute questions about trains/flights or needed to adjust hotel details. Once on the ground, our guides (Jerry, Vicky, Elena, and Grace) were genuinely warm people who made each stop feel personal and welcoming, and you could tell they loved sharing about the towns we were visiting. The itinerary struck a great balance: we had a solid plan each day, but never felt rushed and could easily build in slower wandering, browsing, and spontaneous detours. The guides were also always willing to help us with lots of small-but-important details—finding great coffee breaks and arranging visits to local shops we wanted to see after spotting them in a Chinese drama. We had the same driver throughout the trip, and his steady, thoughtful presence (plus water always on hand) made even the few longer travel days feel easy. We’d highly recommend!

Linda was very helpful to work with to plan our tour in Beijing. She was flexible and customised the tour to suit our preferences including arranging some last minute airport transfers. Our guide Chris was knowledgeable and friendly. Would highly recommend China Culture Tour.

Olivia made the Beijing part of my Chinese tour the best, she went above and beyond. I high recommend her and Johnny in Zhangjiajie. I had the most wonderful trip

Linda Wu from China Culture Tours is a professional, and she knew exactly what we wanted during the planning of our 2-month-long China tour. We are nearly at the end of our tour, having spent two nights at the top of the Yellow Mountains, Huangshan, in the Xihai Hotel. Excellent choice to see and feel the mountains. Our local guide, Tuffy, with his excellent English skills, helped us at each step, waiting patiently while we negotiated the steep steps that took us to the hotel (2kms) after a coach drive and a cable car climb. Tuffy's knowledge of both local Chinese customs and traditions, as well as his general knowledge of the country and its history, made for stimulating discussions. His knowledge of music enabled us to appreciate both contemporary Chinese music and the classical style. Long and in-depth conversations about history, music, culture, and even comparisons with Bob Dylan and Eminem, or John Denver, made it all more interesting. We had a great trip, and felt comfortable and safe everywhere we went. THANK YOU to all who made this possible.

We had a wonderful time exploring our first family trip to China (10-days) thanks to the fantastic team that made our trip smooth, fun, and memorable. We were very fortunate to have great weather. We’d always miss the rain! Our travel planner, Nora, was incredibly efficient and responsive from start to finish—she made planning the trip so easy and ensured everything ran seamlessly. She was always there to answer any of our questions.

In Beijing, our guide Henry was knowledgeable, attentive and friendly, sharing fascinating stories and history that really brought each landmark to life. He was very attentive and considerate of my elderly dad. In Luoyang, Cherry was pleasant and helpful, and we truly appreciated how she helped us experience the local culture and arranging massages for us! In Xi’an, Maggie was knowledgeable and friendly—she made our visit to the Terracotta Warriors and the ancient city enjoyable. Finally, in Shanghai, SaSa showed us the modern side of China with great insight and recommendations that helped us make the most of our time there. Her restaurant recommendations were great and we really enjoyed the food.

Each guide was professional, kind, and went above and beyond to make our trip unforgettable. A shoutout to the wonderful drivers accompanying us on our tour and Tom, on our last day, ensuring we are taken care of and that we have all our plane tickets and luggage in order. I highly recommend this tour company for anyone looking for a well-organized, enjoyable, and personalized experience in China!

I have just got back from an amazing week in China. I am a 76 year old who wanted to visit China while still able and so I decided to go alone.
I was lucky to come across China Culture Tours and especially Nora.

Nora arranged a wonderful tour for me. I was met at Beijing Airport by guide Jimmy who like Nora was very kind. He escorted me to Tananman Square, Forgotten City, the Wall and the Summer Palace.
Nora then arranged for me to go on the bullet train to Xian. There I was met by another lovely guide called Joy. She took me to see the 3 tombs of the Terracota Army. This was magnificent, so pleased to have seen them live.

From Xian Nora arranged an internal flight to Shanghi, there I was met by Molly. Shanghi is an amazing place, the Bund was very interesting and the shopping a must. I bought back a peice of China in the form of a jade pendant.

This was the holiday of my life - Nora and Co. made it so special for me. I felt so safe and although I was travelling alone I did not feel alone.

China is a must to visit, especially if Nora has arranged all the minute details of the tour.

I must add that the 3 hotels, in Beijing, Xian and Shanghi were of a very good standard and everyone was so helpful

Very efficient service from Nora. She drew up a wonderful itinerary for my family’s first visit to China. Highly recommended and will surely use their service again for any future trips to China.

We booked a 10-day private tour to Hong Kong/Beijing/Shanghai with China Culture Tours for our family of four this summer. The entire process went very smoothly. Grace Wang was our coordinator and she did a wonderful job with planning. She was prompt in her email responses, detail-oriented and very accomodating of our various requests. The intinerary was well thought-out. Every thing happened exactly according to plan from pick-ups at the airports to visiting all the tour sites as promised. The hotels we stayed at were fantastic! We even received some free hotel upgrades.

The best part of the experience was the tour guides and the drivers. With their help, we were able to see so much of China that we otherwise would likely have missed out. One guide in particular deserves a shout-out. Our Beijing tour guide, Lily Liu, was by far one of the best guides we've had (that is saying a lot considering the extent of international travel we've done as a family in the last 10 years). Lily was warm and personable. She madesure we ate at the best restaurants, learned the historical significance of each tour site in depth, and took excellent pictures of us! If you are planning to visit Beijing through China Culture Tours, be sure to ask for Lily.

We had just completed our visit to Guilin as part of our 16-day tour of China, organised by China Culture Tour. Due to our time constraints, Nora Zheng, our travel consultant, expertly selected the places best suited to our interests.

Our Guilin tour guide, Mike, was a local and very experienced. He enthusiastically explained the sites we visited and recommended excellent places for meals that were both delicious and good value for money.

The places we visited included the Li River boat cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo, biking in the Yangshuo countryside, West Street (known as the "global village"), Reed Flute Cave, and Yao Mountain Tea Plantation.

The accommodation we stayed in was Jolie Vue Boutique Hotel (rated 4 stars). It offered stunning views of Elephant Trunk (Elephant Hill Park) and the surrounding hills from the 7th-floor restaurant. The hotel is centrally located, within walking distance of the pedestrian street and the Sun and Moon Pagodas. Surprisingly, the hotel was not crowded, and there were plenty of tables available during breakfast, with an outdoor veranda for taking photos. The staff was very friendly and always willing to help.

Regarding the bike ride in the countryside, we initially hesitated due to the number of scooters on the path and roads. However, Mike quickly adapted the plan and took us on a walking trip through the countryside instead, which was much more enjoyable.

We also found the visit to the Tea Research Institute very interesting. It covered the tea production process for various types of tea, the grading system, and the medicinal effects of different teas, such as caffeine-free teas for nighttime and teas beneficial for cholesterol levels.

We've been told by friends who have visited Guilin that it is a must-see destination in China. We had seen photos, but this is a place that must be experienced in person to truly appreciate its beauty. We only wish we had more time there.

We have found China Culture Tour to be an excellent tour company, and we've mentioned how well they planned our trip in our previous reviews. The high level of service continued throughout the tour.

Before Guilin, our previous destination was Chengdu. After searching many places for a soft toy panda for our daughter (who loves pandas), we found one on display in a shop, but it wasn't open yet. We asked our tour guide Leah whether we could return to the shop to buy the panda, and she said, "Absolutely, no problem!" We were able to purchase the panda, which turned out to be the last one in stock. It seemed like the panda was meant for our daughter—wasn't it?

However, as we were heading to our next destination by train, we realised that the bag containing the panda was missing. We immediately called Mike to see if he could help find it. We also called Leah in Chengdu to ask if she could help us get another panda from the shop. She replied right away, saying she would go to the shop and try to buy it for us.

Meanwhile, Mike returned to the station to help locate the missing panda. To our surprise, he managed to find it—left at the baggage-checking station! Shortly thereafter, Mike sent us a photo of the parcel with the panda, which he arranged to have delivered to our hotel in Zhangjiajie, our next destination.

This experience is a testament to how well this company treats its clients. Nothing is too much trouble. Our tour is closely monitored, and Nora checks in with us regularly to ensure everything is going smoothly.

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.