Beijing Tours and Trips

This was the most incredible trip. Our guide, Oli (Luo) was fabulous. His English was excellent, he had a great sense of humour and he was extremely knowledgeable about all of the places we walked and visited. My fellow travelling companions were great and we enjoyed each other’s company. The views were amazing as was the food and I fell in love with China and its people and have memories I will treasure. Don’t forget your toilet roll or mosquito spray.

Without question, the overall tour guide - *personal info removed by Feefo* - was the meat-and-potatoes of the entire tour. His knowledge of historical and regional Chinese culture and language, and his unwavering support for each member of our tour was unparalleled to any tour I have previously been on, with any tour company. I really can not emphasize enough how on-the-ball he was; two highspeed rails, two in-country Air China flights. and a river cruise, and he made everything just unfold without any drama. He also had a very good report with our local city guides, and either from instinct or experience knew when to let them run the show, or when to add in his wisdom. Look, China was going to be an exciting trip either way, but having a tour guide who was professional, helpful, and patient 24/7 for over two weeks is unheard of. But it happened!

Itinerary was jam-packed with great sights and activities that gave us a taste of both ancient and modern China, while still leaving some free time to explore on our own; excellent value. All the hotels were very good (luxurious for Exodus), with the Tianfu Sunshine in Chengdu being stand-out for room facilities and decor, the Bell Tower in Xi'an for location and generous room size, and the Dong Fang in Beijing for the most extensive and best quality breakfast buffet (and period charm in the historic coffee shop, courtyard, and public areas); Golden Tulip in Shanghai was also very glamorous and well-located for the Bund. Transport (bullet trains x 2, internal flight, private minibuses, and public buses) was all excellent - punctual, efficient and clean, and our trip leader, Sunny, got us to all the attractions before the busiest crowds, and marshalled us well on public transport. (There were only seven of us on my departure - five solos and one couple - which was a good number; I can imagine a full cohort of 16 would be much more challenging to manage in the busiest locations.) Food was amazingly cheap and generally good (you can eat well for a fiver, and feast for under £10; large beers cost around £1), although some of us might have liked an option once or twice to have a more upmarket and relaxed dining experience. This trip takes in all the main tourist attractions (Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City, a section of the Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, panda breeding centre), and they were all well worth seeing, but what I enjoyed most was having some time to explore the lesser known cities, Xi'an, and Chengdu. Xi'an was my favourite, for its historic centre, and lively night-time vibe. I would have liked some more time in Shanghai (not least because I was on a quest for family history); a day and a half on the official trip itinerary is not enough for such a vibrant city, specially as we lost half a day (the group trip to Yuyuan Garden) due to heavy rain the day we arrived. Luckily, some of us had late flights on departure day, effectively giving us another post-trip day in which we were able to visit the Yu Garden independently, but it would be good if this extra day could be factored into future trip itineraries. (Personally, I'd trade Beijing for more time in Chengdu and Shanghai. I'm planning to return to Shanghai independently.) As a solo traveller, this was my first long-haul trip, and it was brilliant. Just go!

Highlights of China was an excellent trip to see some of the 'must-see' bucket list places. Was good fun every day with good weather and we were very well looked after by our exceptional tour leader Olly...maybe an extra day in Beijing at the end but really nothing to complain about.....Thanks Olly 👍

China Highlights was an amazing trip, I enjoyed it from the begining to the end. I am very happy with this trip, Olly, out tour leader, was great and very helpfull, he took care lf all of us. Thank you for a wonderfull trip.

With as your guide, you will definitely enjoy Beijing, the Great Wall, the terra cotta warriors at Xi'an, the Yangtze River cruise, Shanghai, and more. You will have the opportunity to eat what the locals eat (or not) and meet and talk with his friends. (Everyone is friend, even if they don't know it yet!) And he will help you with any problems you may have. This is a do-not-miss experience!