Licensed guides and private drivers in 14 Chinese cities

Home / Ideas
Trip ideas

Somewhere to start, if you have not decided

Eleven ways into China, written by people who live here. Each one is a real trip we run, with the days, the costs and the honest drawbacks.

First time in China
first visit

First time in China

Visa rules, payment apps, train tickets, the queue you can skip. A local guide clears the friction on day one, so the rest of the trip feels like y…

10 days · Beijing · Xi’an · Shanghai
China with kids
family

China with kids

Nap windows, stroller steps and a seven-year-old who has decided noodles are the enemy. A guide with kids of their own plans around all three.

7–12 days · Beijing · Chengdu · Guilin
Canton Fair & business
business travel

Canton Fair & business

Two halls, 25,000 exhibitors, and a supplier who wants a deposit by Friday. Your interpreter should know the floor, the customs paperwork and when …

3–10 days · Guangzhou · Shenzhen · Shanghai
Sichuan food journey
food

Sichuan food journey

Peppercorns that numb, chilli oil that does not burn, and a hotpot etiquette you can learn in one evening. Eight days, three cities, and a guide wh…

8 days · Chengdu · Leshan · Chongqing
The Great Wall, done right
the Wall

The Great Wall, done right

There are nine sections within two hours of Beijing. One is a cable car and a crowd. Another is a two-hour hike with nobody on it. The difference i…

1–3 days · Beijing · Mutianyu · Jinshanling
Silk Road
the long road west

Silk Road

Buddhist caves, a desert fortress, and 10 days of landscapes that change every three hours. The old trade route is still the best long drive in China.

10–14 days · Xi’an · Zhangye · Jiayuguan · Dunhuang
China by high-speed rail
rail

China by high-speed rail

Forty thousand kilometres of high-speed line, 4.5 hours from Beijing to Xi’an, and a station system that rewards people who know which entrance to …

7–14 days · 4–6 cities
Photography journeys
photography

Photography journeys

Mist on the karst at 6:20, lanterns in the hutong at 9, a rooftop in Shanghai at blue hour. We plan days around light instead of opening hours.

8–12 days · Zhangjiajie · Guilin · Shanghai
Honeymoons
couples

Honeymoons

A private boat on the Li River at dawn. A courtyard hotel in a 200-year-old house. Dinner for two in a Shanghai lane kitchen. China does romance qu…

9–12 days · Guilin · Hangzhou · Shanghai
Slow travel
long stay

Slow travel

The longer you stay, the cheaper the day and the better the trip. At 21 days the guide fee drops 40%, and your guide stops being a guide and starts…

14–30 days · 4–6 bases
Solo & women travellers
travelling alone

Solo & women travellers

China is one of the safer countries to travel alone in, and one of the more annoying ones to navigate alone. A guide solves the second part without…

7–14 days · any city
Visa-free China
practical

Visa-free China

Fifty-odd passports enter China without a visa for 30 days. Another fifty-odd can transit for 240 hours. The details decide whether your trip works.

policy guide · 30-day entry · 240-hour transit
Or start from a place

Pick a city and we work outwards

Every city page has the guides who live there, the day trips worth the drive, and what the transfers actually cost.

ChinaTravelGuide.eu

Not sure which one? Say so.

Most travellers arrive with a feeling rather than an itinerary. Describe the feeling and we will do the rest.

Send a two-line brief