Lino N
Italy
Quynh N
Australia
- Reviewed on December 9, 2024
China is one of our best trips so far and thanks to China Discovery who made our trip so memorable, fantastic and wonderful.
No words can express our appreciation and satisfaction to China Discovery. They are simply extremely professional.
I contacted few agencies and had conversations with China Discovery via emails.
After that I checked the reputation of China Discovery to make sure it is a good company. I didn’t see a lot of followers on FB and not many reviews on either FB or TripAdvisor. But I found few good reviews and the reason that I decided to book China Discovery is Tracy - the travel consultant of CD. She is so professional, responsive, helpful, detailed, easy to discuss and so patient.
We were so happy with my decision. Our trip was so easy, so well-organized. They looked after us so well, we got picked up at every station, airport. All tour guides are knowledgeable, friendly, kind and helpful and speak English well. They are very experienced. 2 weeks went out so smoothly without any mistakes. Everything was flawless.
They always checked with us what we wanted, how we liked things, make sure we were all happy.
We were definitely happy and satisfied. U go on holiday to enjoy, not to suffer and get frustrated with tickets bookings, and access everywhere. Also we need good tour tour guides to explain us about things coz China is so rich in history, culture and more.
So just leave your trip onto CD’s hand. Trust me, They will make u happy for sure.
Highly recommended and it is worth every cent. It is totally value for money.
P/S: I will book China Discovery again if I go back to China. I already have plans for few more trip to visit other parts of China. I love China.
subramaniyam m
India
- Reviewed on December 8, 2024
14 days Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Mount Emei, Guilin, Yangshuo, Longsheng, Shanghai. Travel consultant Wing Zeng has arranged the tour and arrangements were perfect. Selection of hotels were comfortable, sightseeing itinerary were perfect. The local chinese foods recommended by the tour guide were delicious and it was a different experience. All the tour guides are more experienced (Lily ~ Beijing, Waldner ~ Xian, Sarah ~ Chengdu, Lyla ~ Gulin, Mark ~ Shanghai). It was a memorable tour.
mesashopping
Canada
- Reviewed on December 4, 2024
Wonder did a fantastic job arranging our trip to Shanghai and Xi'an. He was able to change our itinerary with very short notice. His communication via email is always prompt and explanation always clear. The private drivers in Shanghai and Xi'an were both excellent. Tour guides in Shanghai and Xi'an spoke excellent English and were friendly and knowledgeable. I already recommended Wonder and China Discovery to my friends and would not hesitate to use them again for future travels in China.
Margaret L
Canada
- Reviewed on December 5, 2024
I'm kinda late writing this review! However, we went on another tour in China after our private tour in Beijing, Xian and Shanghai and got a nasty flu afterwards.
Anyways, I want to say we were very happy about our tour we took with China Discovery. It's was exactly what we need, because my daughter and her husband did not understand any Chinese. The guides speak fluent enough English that they kept us well informed during our trip. The Hotels were beautiful. Definitely 5 stars! I also liked the fact that dinners were not included, and we can venture out ourselves to eat what we want. (The guides also gave us good recommendations) The trip was well planned and organized. We upgraded our high speed train to First class and thought it was well worth it! I will recommend this company to all my friends who want private English speaking tours!
I only gave it a 4 stars because of a little hiccup with our guide in Shanghai and also would recommend having longer stay in Xian and Shanghai. Maybe it should be a 10 days tour instead of 8?!
dwarferj
UK
- Reviewed on November 27, 2024
Booked a 3 week private tour with china discovery. Originally booked for 2020 but postponed due to COVID. China discovery were great holding the holiday until we were able to go. Once we got to china we had an amazing time the tour guides were all excellent and knowledgeable, the stories and history of this country is amazing. The scenery is beautiful and the sites we visited exceeded our expectations.
Reinhard
Austria
- Reviewed on November 24, 2024
I did an 8 days China trip with China Discovery (based in Chengdu). I visited Chongqing, Wuhan and Shanghai and did an Yangzi River Cruise.
It was a fantastic trip, everything went smoothly, all the guides we're really great, the only regret is that i didn't have more time in China. The communication with Evelyn Ma from China Discovery was very good, she always replied to my mails in the shortest possible time and was very helpful. Great agency if you want to visit China, highly recommended!
Esther W
Malaysia
- Reviewed on November 13, 2024
We had an awesome time in China. China Discovery had arranged all our tours, accommodation and transportation in all the places that were in the itinerary. The English speaking guides are very good and knowledgeable in the history of China. Our guide in Beijing had strategically scheduled our visit to the Great Wall in order to avoid the crowds. However, we found that there were too many temples’ visits. Having some tours to the country side would have been better.
Maria S
Russia
- Reviewed on November 9, 2024
Наше большое ( 17 дней и 9 городов) путешествие по Китаю планировали с April. Сложный маршрут Beijing - Xi’an - Wudangshan - Changa -Zhangjiajie - Fenghuang - Guilin - Yanshou - Shanghai был разработан с учетом всех наших пожеланий. Не могу характеризовать нас, как легких туристов. Мы достаточно требовательны к сервису, транспорту и экскурсионной программе. April внимательно и профессионально спланировала логистику, подсказала оптимальные варианты переездов, организовала все трансферы, экскурсии и гидов. Помогла с бронированием отелей. За всю поездку не было ни одного сбоя, опоздания, отмен или каких-то трудностей. В каждом городе нас встречал гид и водитель. Билеты на все достопримечательности были куплены агентством заранее, где было возможно, мы пользовались VIP проходами, чтобы не стоять в очередях. Все гиды с хорошим английским языком и отличным знанием регионов. Общение с гидами - большой бонус для тех, кто хочет не только посмотреть достопримечательности, но и попробовать разобраться в культуре и традициях Китая. Каждый их гидов и Mr Lang в Beijing и Swen в Wudangshan и Lynn в Yanshou и многие другие сделали все, чтобы наше путешествие прошло гладко и незабываемо. Они с радостью помогали с заселением в отели и в выборе местных ресторанов, рассказывали, показывали, заботились и водили нас за руку, как маленьких детей). Вся коммуникация во время путешествия происходит через WeChat, не забудьте скачать его перед поездкой. У нас было несколько автомобильных переездов между городами, все были исключительно комфортны, с прекрасными водителями и автомобилями высокого класса. Идеальные дороги Китая - восторг и комфорт! Очень приятно, что агентство China Discovery не только безупречно выполнило свою работу, но и ни разу не пыталось навязать нам какие-то дополнительные опции. Мы очень довольны и безусловно рекомендуем их услуги для организации поездки в Китай. Конечно, все можно делать самостоятельно, и мы тоже любим самостоятельные путешествия, но Китай не такое простое направление, и вы точно потеряете много времени и сил, особенно не владея языком. Не надо испытывать иллюзий, практически никто и нигде, кроме крупных 5* отелей не говорит по английски. Я имею ввиду вообще никак! Поддержка гидов бесценна, даже если вы вооружились словарем. Думаю, лучшей рекомендацией будет сказать, что мы уже приступили к планированию поездки в другие регионы Китая и поедем снова с China Discovery. Фото из нашего путешествия без фильтров и стандартных достопримечательностей, которые мы конечно тоже посетили.
Советы по планированию:
1. Постарайтесь максимально подробно изложить все свои пожелания, ограничения и опасения. Когда у нас были сомнения по отдельным вопросам, April всегда с пониманием и терпением объясняла почему и какую опцию она рекомендует.
2. Скачайте WeChat и Alipay
3. Интернет работает с ограничениями, для использования Google, WhatsApp, Telegram,Instagram и др нужен VPN! В больших отелях тоже- не надейтесь на wi-fi ! Вариант или роуминг вашей карты или vpn, мы купили заранее специальную сим карту на Озоне и все работало.
4. Курение сигарет очень распространено в Китае, уточните заранее, если вас это беспокоит.
5. В большинстве достопримечательностей удобно расположено много туалетных комнат, но почти никогда нет бумаги и мыла.
6. Нет смысла везти большой гардероб, все одеваются практично.
Wee KK
Malaysia
- Reviewed on November 5, 2024
My wife and I have had a wonderful time spending 13 days travelling across Beijing, Luoyang, Xi’an and Shanghai. Our private tour booked by Chinadiscovery.com was most enjoyable, exciting, and well looked after. Our entire holiday trip ended smoothly. Transportation via road/high speed train/air travel and hotel arrangements exceeded our expectations. Our 3 English speaking Tour Guides, Liu (Beijing), Kelly (Luoyang) and Sandy (Xian), were very knowledgeable, professional, helpful, and friendly. We are glad to have gained such an enriching experience and deeper knowledge of China’s historical landmarks, culture, and past civilization of which the knowledge certainly made our tour enriched and full of memories.
We also acknowledged the exceptionally supportive and efficient Tour consultant, Rita Jiang, who promptly assisted with our personal concerns faced throughout our trip. When we needed to make changes to our hotels, transport and itinerary, she promptly attended to our requests. And when we raised our concern transferring our several oversized and overweight luggage, she thoughtfully upgraded our 5-seater saloon vehicle to a 7-seater SUV and upgraded our Xian-Shanghai flight to Business Class.
We can only be highly satisfied with China Discovery's service and their commitment to customers ‘satisfaction. We would strongly recommend their service to people who have an interest in visiting China.
China, as a tourist destination, has everything to offer architectural monuments and relics of ancient civilizations, beautiful national parks/landscape, blooming garden flowers, old historical towns and modern metropolises, amazingly stunning snowcapped mountain tops... It is made up of multi- ethnic, multi-religious & multi-cultural people and it’s certainly also a safe and tourist friendly country. We are already planning our next trip to China.
Wee, Malaysia
Travel21204855473
USA
- Reviewed on November 1, 2024
My wife and I just completed a 21-days China tour from HK to Beijing with China Discory. From the start, our trip consultant, Jack Li, did a wonderful job of keeping us informated of trip options and pricing. His responses were always prompt. China Discovery toke care of all the planning including transportations, hotels, and entry tickets to sites. Local drivers picked us up and dropped us off at each location. When we had some minor glitch in pickups, I could always communicate with Jack for assistnace.
All of our local guides were excellent and engaging! They provided information on sites, cultures, histories, people, and foods. They helped us navigate the no-so-easy access to local attractions and best way to avoid the overwheming crowds at many sites. For this trip, they were the heart of China Discovery and made the trip enjoyable and meaningful! All of our local guides were independent workers but they all liked working for China Discovey because it is very responsive to their issues and customer issues.
Our local guide at Zhangjaijei even helped us navigate the Chinese health system when my wife had to visit a hospital for an unexpected illness. He took us to the hospital at night, stayed with us through the visit, and brought us back to the hotel after the visit.
In my opinion, China Discovery is the best way to visit China if you don't have local connections or comfortable with the Chinese language. Let them do all the hardwork and you just show up and go!
Barbara L
USA
- Reviewed on October 27, 2024
My husband and I spent 12 days in China from Shanghai, to the cruise on the Yangtze River, Mountain resorts & Beijing. We had five star hotels , first class travel(they call business class), it was amazing.
Jack Li set up everything as requested and was easy to communicate with via email.
The people are the nicest and I felt extremely safe in China the whole time.
Be sure to request phone number information for all your private drivers and tour guides because the Chinese people will let you use their phones and they will also communicate with you with these people if you have any hiccups along the way. if you have to get a bus for the Yangtze Cruise be sure to get directions for Yangtze Cruise tour bus office where you have to get your ticket. Also ask for which exit at the airport your driver will be waiting for you (with his sign & your name on it).
Go to China- it’s one of the best trips I have ever taken & I have been around the world with my husband.
Barbara L
(Coronado CA)
Ps: in China your passport is your boarding pass, ticket etc.
Sallie
Singapore
- Reviewed on October 26, 2024
We had an great time with China Discovery (tour coordinator Wing Zeng) managing our day tours in Shanghai and Hangzhou in October 2024. There were a few back and forth during the planning phase when my friend enquired about the details. Wing was very prompt and patient to provide advice and flexibility on trip requirements. After these exchanges and good reviews from Trip Advisor, we placed our trust in making payment upfront. Indeed, the service were matched with friendly and helpful local tour guides (Rica Qi - Shanghai and Derek Cheung - Hangzhou) who were very in time to fetch us and explain about each attractions we were brought to. Not to forget the delicious food recommendations! We made good and fun memories and will definitely recommend China Discovery to our friends and family! (which I already did!) Looking forward to join China Discovery for our next trip.
Vincent J
USA
- Reviewed on October 8, 2024
Leo Li kindly arranged a private tour for us (my girlfriend and myself) providing a driver and a guide for us at every city we visited. The guides were very informative, but, more importantly, they became our friends as they helped give us a deeper understanding of their lovely country. We are especially grateful that Leo was able to “squeeze in” a tour of the fabled Silk Road, an area which few Westerners visit and was a highlight our trip. Thank you, Leo, for making this a memorable trip.
Rachel H
UK
- Reviewed on October 5, 2024
Thank you so much to Wonder for organising the trip and to the amazing tour guides Jack, James and Jeff for taking us around.
As part of our tour we visited Beijing, Zhangjiajie and Shanghai. Beijing was brilliant there was so much to see and it was amazing to see the Great Wall of China. Our guides were very knowledgeable and filled us in on a lot of history and information about the cities. They also took us to lovely restaurants and would always recommend great dishes.
Zhangjiajie was so relaxing and tranquil and I’ve never come across such beautiful landscapes. Towards the end of the trip there was a few amendments to the itinerary due to flight changes and Wonder was very quick to make new arrangements for the flight and hotel which we really appreciate. Our last stop was Shanghai which was also stunning and it was interesting seeing the new and old so close together.
We would throughly recommend the tour and would definitely use China Discovery again.
Thank you to all the team
Liabel459
Italy
- Reviewed on September 28, 2024
The trip we made to China with China Discovery was beautiful and interesting. We visited very beautiful places and discovered Chinese culture. We had no setback and were followed with attention and care.
The hotels were always close to the center, clean and with great facilities.
The drivers and guides (in Italian and English) followed us with professionalism, care and friendship. We thank China Discovery agency and recommend it without delay to those planning a trip to China.
E L
USA
- Reviewed on September 27, 2024
China Discovery and our travel consultant Ms Wing Zeng helped us made our dream Huangshan/Zhangjiajie trip come true in September 2024!
Our travel consultant Wing Zeng was with us right from the beginning to put together our customized private small group travel itinerary, travel details and thru out the whole trip while we were in China and HK (China). We were able to communicate via emails and phone calls. Wing is always prompt, patient and detail in helping us with any details or issues.
The whole trip went just as planned and smoothly and we got to see and hike the beautiful Huangshan and Zhangjiajie mountains!! The scenery of both mountains are just out of this world! All local guides and drivers at each location are knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating ! Customized small private group tour is so great and flexible that my wife and I had a really great time visiting China and HK (China).
I highly recommend China Discovery customized private small group tour to anyone who is interested in visiting China. We will definitely go with Wing Zeng and China Discovery when we come back to visit China again
Malaysiantraveller68
Malaysia
- Reviewed on September 26, 2024
- Our contact in China Discovery (CD) was Leo Li. He replied all our e-mail and questions very promptly and patiently. Both Yu the Shanghai guide and Anna the Huangshan one were ok and had an adequate command of English.
- We were taken to the Shanghai Museum on People's Square but most of its treasures had already moved to the new building across the river.
- During our free time in Zhujiajiao water town, we visited the Garden of Inseparable Hearts which was next to Kezhi Garden. I believe both are lovely and should be recommended as an option by the guide/CD.
- A night up in Huangshan is advisable, as weather on our 1st day wasn't clear enough to see and enjoy the scenery while it cleared up for a while during the next day, affording some great pics.
- Similarly, to see more of Hongcun, or enjoy its night lights, I would recommend staying a night in the ancient village proper, rather than outside it. Otherwise, I felt that the 3-4 hours in Xidi and Hongcun combined was rather tight/rushed for us.
- Hotels and their breakfast were satisfactory but be prepared for compact rooms up in Huangshan.
- Very good and smooth trip overall (although we missed our train back to Shanghai due to a misunderstanding on the platform and had to buy new tickets for a later train). Planning our next trip now with CD.
Sangers
UK
- Reviewed on September 21, 2024
Wonder Wang from China Discovery was assigned to us as our travel consultant.
He was friendly, professional, flexible and attentive to all our requirements. He went above and beyond for us, nothing was ever too much.
We visited Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Chongqing, Yichang, and Shanghai. The hotels, transfers, personal tour guides for each City, and cruise were great and all very well planned.
All our questions, in advance, and during the trip were responded to over email very quickly and we felt very well looked after by a profession team.
Our itinerary was over 13 days, visiting Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Chongqing, a Yangtze river cruise and Shanghai. We got to see and experience a lot in that time. The local guides were fantastic in their knowledge, English and were very helpful. The drivers were very prompt and provided smooth transfers.
A huge plus point for us was the constant communication, our emails were answered by Wonder very swiftly and even during our trip, there were changes to our flights, etc. which Wonder handled so efficiently. This certainly put our minds at ease!
We would like to thank the whole team at China Discovery for all their hard work in providing such a special experience for our first time in China and for all the kind gifts and birthday cake for my wife!
Highly recommended tour company. Top notch customer service. If only every country had a China Discovery
We would definitely use them again!
KIM P
USA
Victor S
Spain
Jan v
Netherlands
- Reviewed on August 21, 2024
Last week we returned from our 15 day China holiday.
Every day a driver with a private guide, who gave just a little more than average. Everything perfectly organized and timed. A very busy program, but because everything is arranged for you, it does not feel like pressure. We started in Shanghai, then the Yangtze river cruise, Ping An, Yangshuo with half day cruise, Guilin, Zhangjiajie en Beijing.
Tracy was our travel consultant and she respond very quickly. Also a fantastic guide at every location with a lot of knowledge about the place and the history. A holiday we will never forget.
if you want a well organized holiday in China, stop searching and book through china disvovery
Pablo B
Argentina
- Reviewed on August 4, 2024
I recently booked a trip to China with Wonder from China Discovery, and it was an outstanding experience. Wonder crafted a perfect itinerary based on my requirements, and he was always available for any assistance, ensuring everything went smoothly.
Rachel B
USA
- Reviewed on July 26, 2024
My mom and I recently completed a 3 week dream trip to China. I worked with Mr. Leo Li to customize our trip to see everything we wanted to (the Great Wall, terracotta warriors, pandas, and Shanghai) and asked for some additional recommendations for our trip. Throughout the 3 weeks we explored Beijing, Xi'an, Cheongdu, a yangtze river cruise, Shanghai, and Guilin (if you are going to China do not miss Guilin! It is stunning). Leo was so accommodating, responsive, and helpful each step of the way. We opted for a private tour for the three weeks and it was so nice having a tour guide and driver for just the two of us, especially in the high tourist areas. If you're considering traveling to China, I cannot recommend China Discovery and Leo enough!
Yolanda K
USA
- Reviewed on July 15, 2024
We traveled to Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Huang Shan. Our travel consultant, Leo Li, responded to our needs quickly from the planning phase to the last day on site.
The local guides and drivers are very friendly and helpful; they are all top-notch tour experts. As a native of their regions, they are very knowledgeable in local as well as all Chinese history and culture. Their English discussions are clear, concise, and comprehensive on local traditions, customs, and landmarks. Their restaurant recommendations on local cuisines are delicious. We feel very lucky to have such a delightfully accommodating team!
The hotels were impressive, and the location is perfect.
We are very happy with the entire experience. We will use them again on our next trip.
DC C
Canada
- Reviewed on July 11, 2024
My family and I will have lifelong memories of our amazing experiences in China. Tracy at China Discovery designed for us a custom tour to Shanghai, Suzhou, Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. This trip has allowed my children to discover their cultural roots as Canadian-born Chinese. We went to amazing sites, learnt about the rich history, experienced Chinese culture and art, tasted the variety of regional foods and talked to locals. The English speaking guides and drivers made us feel at home and minimized our stress. This was exactly what I was hoping for. Thank-you!
Ruby Y
USA
- Reviewed on July 8, 2024
The travel consultant,WONDER WANG, is excellent,very nice,very courteous,he respond to our inquiry and request promptly ,we will definitely recommend him to our friends who will be planning to go to China .
The hotel where we stayed are nice,clean,the staff are friendly ,the location is perfect.
The tour guides ,the drivers are very friendly,helpful,courteous,and very knowledgeable.
We will use them again on our next trip .
Charles Z
USA
- Reviewed on June 28, 2024
It was a great experience touring across China in 15 days! We were a 5 people small private group including 3 high school graduates. Thanks to Leo, our trip advisor at China Discovery , the trip was well arranged and coordinated. We all had a good time!
We planned our trip a few months ahead. We communicated with Leo via phone and emails. Leo always answered questions quickly and informatively. Due to train schedule and cruise schedule changes after our booking, we had to make changes our tour arrangements. Leo patiently explained the situation and making great efforts to make arrangements to accommodate our needs.
We visited popular sites in Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Chong Qing, Yangtze River (Cruise), Zhangjiajie and Shanghai. For every trip leg, local guides would pick up and take us to train stations. They accompanied us in all site visits. They also made arrangements for lunches. These local tour guides are professionals. They are very knowledgeable and speak good English. With the help of those local guides we were able to efficiently and yet comfortably visited so many places in a short period of time. The high speed trains are amazing. It was fast comfortable. A great way to travel from city to city! The weather was good for the most part of our trip. It got a little hot and humid starting mid of June in southern China, when the Southern rainy season starts.
We all enjoyed our trip. I highly recommend China Discovery for China tours in a small private group setting.
Hogen B
USA
- Reviewed on June 23, 2024
"I would highly recommend China Discovery and Wonder Wang. We received excellent service and good advice. An example of Wonder's responsiveness was when an airline canceled a flight, he quickly noted it, informed us and provided good alternatives. The itinerary that he recommended fit our needs. The guide and driver were competent professionals. When thinking about my next visit to China, I would first contact Wonder and China Discovery!"
Paradise05014423145
USA
- Reviewed on June 21, 2024
GREAT experience! I selected the cities and Ms. Wing Zeng, from China Discovery, crafted the adventure. From our experience, China Discovery was absolutely a user-friendly agency. Ms. Zeng was attentive to little details that helped make the trip memorable. Ms. Zeng was professional and pro-active. I highly recommend this organization if you are interested in learning about China and having a one-on-one tour with skilled and well-prepared tour guides. We visited five cities. All our guides were excellent. Still, the one in Beijing, Cindy, I want to mention. We spent the longest period there and she helped us so much. The company is flexible and helped us to have a wonderful experience.
528trigger
USA
- Reviewed on June 21, 2024
Mr Wonder Wang, our travel consultant, worked with us from the planning phase to the final reality. He responded to my emails quickly, listened to me and answered my questions patiently and clearly.
During our 23-day trip April 28- May 20, we were taken care of from the moment we arrived in Kunming airport to the last minute we were dropped off at Beijing Train Station. All tour guides and private drivers were professional and personal. Big shout out to few guides: Vicky in DaLi, Evan in ChengDu, DeLia in JiLiang/ Zhangjiajie NP, and Mike in Beijing. All that made our travel life so much more fun and more memorable.
We highly recommend Chinadiscovery, especially Mr Wang, to our friends and anyone that is interested in visiting China.
Thank you, Mr Wang, for all your hard work and patience helping me planning this grand trip that would last a lifetime. Hopefully we will talk to you in a near future when we plan a trip to visit northwest part of China.
Fjoe916
USA
- Reviewed on June 15, 2024
I travelled with friends - all of us active, healthy seniors. The core of our trip was the Silk Route (Xinjiang's Kashgar, Urumqi, Dunhuang, Xining) with extensions to Chengdu, Yellow Mountain, Hangchow, and Shanghai. Tracy of China Discovery managed our entire trip. She helped us with all the details in the months we took to plan this trip and managed questions along the way as we travelled. She was communicative, thorough, friendly, patient and responsive as she learned about our preferences.
Our arrivals and departures at airports, bullet trains and hotels were smooth. Our guides were excellent and were fluent English speakers. Their pride and love for their cities were clear and I learned a lot from them. The hotels chosen by China Discovery were very good and in areas that were extremely convenient. I should mention there were two staff changes in the months that we took to plan this trip but the transition to each professional was smooth.
I would certainly look up China Discovery (and Tracy) when I take another trip to China!
Nura H
Italy
- Reviewed on June 14, 2024
China discovery gave us and authentic and unforgettable experience of China. Tracy, our travel consultant, planned the trip that we wished and tailored it to our interests.
The guides in all cities were knowledgeable and flexible to accommodate our needs in terms of sightseeing and food. Also, our luggage was dispatched late from London and Eric and Timo in Beijing and Xi’an liaised with the airports and collected the luggage for us.
Highly recommend China and this travel agency!
Trimigo G
UK
- Reviewed on June 13, 2024
I spent months researching our trip to China - it’s how I found China Discovery and we are very glad that we did!
We are from the UK and have no previous experience of China and no previous experience of a tour, although we have travelled independently quite a bit. China Discovery offered us a perfect solution. Such a trip seemed daunting for us to visit independently so we booked a 3 week private tour. We had a long list of requirements and Jack Li from China Discovery put together an itinerary that was perfect for us. It was fast paced but covered everything we wanted it to. The communication beforehand was great, our questions were answered promptly and changes were made to make sure everything was exactly right.
We returned from our trip 2 weeks ago - it was the trip of a lifetime and we could not have been any happier with our tour and the service we received. China Discovery provided us with a driver and with a guide fluent in English at each location. The guides were amazing - always knowledgeable, accommodating and able to show us the best of every location. They worked together with the drivers and ensured we got to where we needed to. We experienced things we could never have done on our own. We travelled by car, boat and high speed train - all excellent. The accommodation chosen for us was great - our favourite was the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat and we would recommend this if you are in the area.
We feel very fortunate to have made this trip and have no worry in recommending China Discovery to anyone travelling in China. Thank you Jack for planning for us this trip of a lifetime.
Gavin B
UK
- Reviewed on June 7, 2024
We had just over two weeks arranged by China Discovery visiting Shanghai, Huangshan, Xi’an and Beijing. The tour was very well planned with a good balance of seeing sights and chill out days. In Shanghai we had a city tour and visited Disney. On the city tour the guide was really flexible adjusting the tour to our needs as we went, not only did we see what was on the tour but we also did the Shanghai tower which was amazing. The boat trip on the river was amazing in the evening with perfect timing where we got sunset and the lights on the river. For Disney it was a driver only day, the driver pickup and arrangements were spot on.
We took the train from Shanghai to Huangshan, we had some concerns over luggage as we weren’t sure about the size of suitcases being allowed on the train. Jack, our tour concierge advised us and sorted out the tickets so it was super smooth. On arrival at Huangshan we were met off the train, there were a lot of people yet the tour guide found us with ease, it was all very smooth. In Huangshan we went up the Yellow Mountains and visited two local historic cities Xidi and Hongcun. The tour guide on this leg of the trip was really great, he was spot on with the timing to see the sunrise on the mountain too which was an amazing sight. Our plane from Huangshan to Xi’an was delayed by nearly 4 hours which was out of the hands of the tour company, the tour guide went out of his way to make sure we were not left stranded by the delay by taking us to a nearby hotel to relax in the lobby to break the time up and advised us on a local restaurant to have some amazing food.
We arrived into Xi’an at 3:30am, a lot later than 23:15 and the driver was there waiting for us, no delay and straight to the hotel. The following day the tour guide in Xi’an adjusted the day to make sure we could see the Terracotta warriors whilst at the same time not being too tired which was really nice of him. In Xi’an the tour guide continued to be like all the other guides, excellent with great English, local knowledge and doing his best to make sure we had a great time. We changed plans to be able to ride on the city wall which was amazing.
We took the train from Xi’an to Beijing, again very smooth and the pick up to the hotel was spot on. The guide in Beijing really went above and beyond to the extent that on the last day he helped us plan a great day at the temple of heaven and a brilliant local show. The spot that China Discovery took us to for the Great Wall was excellent too.
All in all, a seamless and fantastic trip. The guides spoke great English, they adjusted to our needs, the hotels booked were great and we left China really happy with our trip.
Trail628593
USA
- Reviewed on May 16, 2024
Mr. Wonder Wang was great coordinating our private tour to Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai. He was responsive, accommodating to our requests, and patient with answering all our questions. The tour guides and drivers were great, too.
Rex D
Canada
- Reviewed on May 15, 2024
I found China Discovery on the Internet and I asked them for a customized private tour of multiple cities across China for 4 people (two retired couples). Wonder Wang was the travel consultant responded to me with a proposal which included Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Guilin, Yangtze River Cruise, Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang Ancient City, Shanghai, Xiamen and Wuyishan. Wonder was very responsive to our questions and provided updates, made adjustments to our travel plan before and during our travel. He made all arrangements for hotels, inter-cities trains/flights, local (English speaking) tour guides, drivers and vehicles. We traveled with ease and enjoyed all the destinations. We were met by local tour guides at each destination train station/airport. They were all friendly and attentive to our needs. We appreciate their efforts, together with the drivers, to navigate through sometimes heavy traffics to bring us to all attractions as planned in the itinerary. Hotel accommodations were exceptional. Local lunches were tasty and in large portions.
alvin c
Singapore
- Reviewed on May 14, 2024
Overall the tour was enjoyable and China Discovery is very reliable and trustworthy.
We were met on arrival in Shanghai as promised.
We booked this tour because of our Royal Caribbean cruise arrived Shanghai on 26 April, couldn’t changed the date. This 12 days tour coincided with China May Day holiday and most places of interest were crowded.
However we did enjoy the Yangtze River cruise and Beijing very much.
Beijing tour guide Jackson Lui was very helpful and knowledgeable.
Thank you China Discovery especially Ms Rita Jiang for arranging the tour for my group.
Chriss
Germany
- Reviewed on May 13, 2024
We booked a 10-day private tour for 2 people with Rita Jiang, China Discovery. Start from Shanghai, flight to Chongqing, 3 nights Yangtze River cruise to Yangshuo, from there transport by car to Zhangjiajie, 3 nights, visit to Zhangjiajie National Park, Tianmen Mountain with Glass Skywalk and Tianmen Carve. Our guide was Tony. Onward transport by express train to Guilin. There we were already met by Peter, our guide, and taken to the hotel. The next day we went on a river cruise on the Li River to Yangshuo, in the evening we saw the Impression Liu Sanjie show. We had booked a higher seat category, which included private access and covered seats. The surcharge was manageable - the show was another highlight of our trip. Highly recommended. Other attractions in Yangshuo were Ruyi Scenic Park, in Guilin Elephant Trunk Hill, Reed Flute Cave, Daxu Ancient Town and a trip to the Longji rice terraces. The entire planning worked more than perfectly. Rita had already warned us in advance that there would be a lot of tourists due to the Labor Day holidays. In Zhangjiajie we decided not to use the Bailong Elevator. The wait to go up would have taken 3 hours. Tony, our guide, was prepared and had a plan B, we hiked 8 km to another cable car and had a great view of the national park. Tony spoke perfect English and gave us a lot of interesting information. We can say the same about Peter, our guide in Guilin. He looked after us very well and was extremely concerned about our safety. Both guides brought us safely to the train. The restaurants they chose were absolutely delicious. Our wish to change the 2nd class ticket we had booked for the train to Guilin to 1st class was made possible by Rita, even though almost everything was fully booked. Rita looked after us very well from the first contact. From the tips for the trip to being reachable during the trip. Our flight from Shanghai to Chongqing on Sunday morning was canceled. Rita tried to contact us several times at 6 a.m. to inform us. She had already booked a new flight. We felt well looked after and informed throughout the entire trip. The travel information sent in advance was very helpful. The hotels were all surprisingly nice, we often got an upgrade and therefore very large rooms. The WeChat app was very helpful. In China, communication, payment and taxis (Didi) are mainly done via the app. Foreigners can store their credit card here. Rita and the guides were available at all times via WeChat. We booked mobile data through Holafly. A little more expensive, but with unlimited data volume. Google Translator, Google Maps and WhatsApp worked via the stored VPN. We would book with Rita again in a heartbeat and recommend her to friends. 10 out of 10 points for Rita, Tony, Peter and our drivers and a big thank you for the very impressive and eventful trip.
Maps11275433067
USA
- Reviewed on May 10, 2024
I decided early on I would use a tour operator for my first trip to China. I was 60, traveling alone, female, and only spoke a little Mandarin. I actually chose another China-based agency first, one with glowing reviews like China Discovery, but quickly dropped them after sluggish response from my assigned tour consultant. What a contrast when I reached out to China Discovery. Wonder Wang, my assigned consultant, reached out pretty much as soon as the time difference allowed. This was consistent throughout our correspondence. We spent a good few weeks going back and forth tailoring my trip, which I wanted to be focused on history, so I requested tour guides who could speak to that. Wonder was game to any request I threw at him. We had one hiccup in planning that he quickly fixed right before my departure- a reminder to me that it's important to be clear about what you want in every detail. I received a confirmation letter that I used for my visa application (though an invite letter was not a requirement at the time). I also received a file with good-to-know's for traveling through China (tips, currency etc). You can choose to have China Discovery handle every arrangement or part of your trip (e.g. if you want to handle hotels and/or domestic transportation yourself). I asked for a different hotel in Beijing because I wanted something more traditional - a siheyuan in a hutong neighborhood- and that is what I got. All the hotels were different and all had their own appeal. I really loved going from something that was 100 years old to ultra-modern to rural retreat.
I also specified I wanted to go first class on the bullet train between Beijing to Xi'an (minimal price difference) and to ride the maglev to the Shanghai airport. In addition, because I was only bringing carry on, I wanted to upgrade seats on my two domestic flights. All were handled by Wonder.
In each city, I had a different tour guide and a driver. Except for one, each guide was fluent in English which allowed for some great conversation. The tour guide would meet me at the train station or airport upon arrival and then see me off to the next city, taking me as far as possible- to my seat on the train or to security at airports. They helped with check-in so I didn't have to navigate around the language barrier. They even carted my carry on for me.
Before this trip, I’d never traveled with a personal guide before. It was really liberating to not have to sweat the details, worry about getting lost, or navigate a foreign airport. In the past, working through these challenges was part of the attraction of traveling, because I wanted to learn to navigate like a native. But this time, I’m very glad I chose to go the route of a customized tour and grateful that Wonder and all the tour guides were there with me. I’d recommend them to anyone, especially anyone with any trepidation. You will be cared for.
If you are a first timer headed toward China, here are some tips you may find useful:
1 Get an esim before you leave. Aeralo worked seamlessly for me and I used my iPhone throughout my trip (data only) and had access to my email, texting (iMessage should work everywhere since it’s not SMS), and apps.
2 Sign up for a couple of VPN’s before you leave. As what works constantly changes, do your research on travel forums
3 Set up Alipay or Wechat before you go on your phone. Alipay worked sometimes for me, sometimes not. I didn’t try Wechat. Cash will do if you’re okay with a chance of not receiving change. Credit cards will work only at hotels or places that cater to foreigners. I needed very little spending money (Breakfast and lunch were covered by the tour).
4 You will encounter squat toilets. Some places will have both squat and sit so check all the stall doors if your heart is set on a sit toilet.
5 Bring toilet paper or tissue with you when you go out and remember to throw it in the bin, not the toilet.
6 Accept it will be very, very crowded at any of the standard attractions if you’re going during tourist season. Watch out for the heat at top attractions.
7 When you go through airport security, take out your electronics and that includes any power banks you packed. Make sure your power bank rating is marked or it will be confiscated, plus it has to fall below the limit. I didn’t have to take off my shoes or take out my liquids bag.
8 If you’re bringing carry on, check the limitations. Some airlines limit carry on to a single 5kg item and if you want more, you have to upgrade your seat. Whether they check carry on is your risk, but if it’s 5kg, it’s probably easy for them to guess by sight if you’ll be over
9 Lean on your tour guide. They will bend over backwards to help you. Thank you, Kai, Waldner, Daniel, Qi, and Liang. Thank you to my ninja drivers. And thank you, Wonder. I collected a lifetime of experiences in ten days thanks to you all.
Kat & Gez
UK
- Reviewed on May 8, 2024
We were initially apprehensive about booking a tour directly with a Chinese tour operator but we needn’t have worried. April, our rep from the office was very patient when we made alterations and amendments until we were happy with our itinerary. From start to finish everything went so smoothly and efficiently. We were met easily at each train station or airport by guides/drivers who checked whether we needed to use restrooms before any journey. They were all, without exception knowledgeable, helpful and friendly, assisting us with menu choices so that we could enjoy Chinese cuisine that was also comfortable for our Western palates. This was our first visit to China and obtaining a visa was a bit problematic but we enjoyed it so much that we are planning a further trip while they are still valid and will definitely be using China Discovery!
Thomas L
USA
- Reviewed on May 6, 2024
Overall we had good times during the trip. Great cities, hotels, food and amazing sceneries throughout our visit. Evelyn Ma and Yangtze River Cruises company had tried everything they could to fulfill our needs. Other than mishaps in pick up arrangements they did excellent jobs in meeting our expectations. Trip could have been much more enjoyable if people don’t smoke in public.
Graham C
UK
- Reviewed on May 6, 2024
We have just returned from the trip of a lifetime organised by China Discovery. April our contact was fantastic ... helpful, patient and always available when needed. We travelled as a group of 4 , and the drivers and English speaking guides were all brilliant. We started in Beijing, took a train to Xian, a plane to Guilin, a car to Ping'an, a boat to Yangshuo, a train to spend a 3 night cruise on the Yangtze , and a train to Shanghai. Everything went to plan, on time and we were treated to fabulous food. The guides were great ... Linda (Beijing) was particularly caring, Gin, Oscar and Sandra were also excellent. Hotels were all better than expected, cars were comfortable , and train journeys were interesting and all ran to time !! We would have no hesitation in recommending this Company. The biggest issue we had was the hassle getting the visa but it was worth it !!
Ronnie E
UK
- Reviewed on April 24, 2024
I selected Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai, 8 days tour with China Discovery. Travelling solo in April 2024. I am from the UK. I will not talk much about the tour sites as these were amazing in themselves to see, and lots have already spoken about then, but from a practical viewpoint I will talk about the tour. I will include some photos.
Just to confirm what you get with China Discovery tour, you get your own driver and car, and your own tour guide. It is only you, the tour guide and the driver. No other guests. This means you get very personal/direct one on one tour.
I have to say the tour went very smoothly and like clockwork, I arrived at Beijing airport via Air China flight from London, and the tour guide James was waiting for me at the arrival hall, and then took me to the car to drive to the hotel. My mobile did not work in China, Mark took me to a phone shop to register for a local sim card, I had a headache and James also took me to the chemist to get some medication. The tour guides look after you very well. He showed me a few local places to eat, and then told me what time to meet in the morning and a bit about the local shops etc so I could spend the evening exploring. The next few days were spent exploring the sites as per tour schedule.
When it came to leave Beijing and travel to Xian via bullet train, Mark took me to the station and actually came with me all the way to the train seat to make sure I was safely on the train! Candy the tour guide in Xian, had already sent a photo of where to meet once I arrived in Xian, and sure enough Candy was waiting for me, and we went to the hotel and Candy gave me some advice about the local area to explore that evening. Xian again was a tour like clockwork and the sights were amazing to see. After a few days in Xian, it was time to travel to Shanghai, Candy took me to the airport and see me off at the security gate. It was all smooth at the airport with the signs in English and check in info on boarding card, so you could not really go wrong.
When I arrived in Shanghai, my tour guide was waiting for me (very big airport with lots of exits) and he took me to the hotel. Again he was able to provide local information so I could explore that evening. The following morning Mark met me, it was raining very badly and foggy, he suggested that we change the tour a bit because I was due to go to the observation deck, but it was a bit fruitless due to the weather. Instead I mentioned one of my most favourite movies was Empire of the sun, so we instead added a few extra stops to the tour as they were in the city not far, this was not a problem to do and Mark was happy to show me the different places. After the tour of Shanghai, I departed.
A few tips,
-Try to make sure your phone will work in China, this is really useful to keep in contact with the tour guide, and family! Whatsapp/Signal and many other apps do not work in China. Apple iMessage does. The hotels also have phones.
-Start slowly with the food, I personally took a few days to get used to the food. If you struggle, there are western fast food chains in all the places. Although you will need to pay with cash as most do not accept cards. Only Wechat pay which would not work for me. But you can generally point at the menu and order with cash at the front till! There are lots of cash points also.
-Be prepared some traffic, as in any major city and city noise in general.
-There are many toilets about and at the sites.
So all in all this was an amazing experience, I was a bit apprehensive about travel to China, but I did not need to be. You need to consider your own circumstances and be aware of laws as when visiting any country, but rest assured China discovery sincerely want to look after you and I explored on my own the China cities, it was very safe and I had no issues at all. I can only recommend China discovery if China is somewhere you want to visit. And after visiting, I would strongly recommend you visit with a tour company. While some signs are in English, most people do not speak English and there are often very different processes that you need your guide to assist you with. Boarding the train for example, is a very different process than in the UK. Without a guide or anyone speaking English, you could get tripped up from the practical stuff. So I do recommend China discovery and getting a guide 100% worth every penny.
I also wish to thank Rita who arranged the tour at China Discovery, she answered my questions quickly and could not help me more. I will never forget the experience for the rest of my life.
Laila L
Italy
- Reviewed on April 22, 2024
My husband and I are just back from our holiday in China. We visited Shanghai, Suzhou, Nanjing and Hangzhou and we asked Rita from China Discovery to organize individual guided tours for us in the 4 cities and surronding areas. There were specific things we were interested to see, and in all the organization process Rita was extremely helpful, professional and accomodating. We ended up with the exact tour we wished, and we managed to see all we were interested in, in the different locations. Once there we had a different guide in each different city, and the 4 of them were all extremely professional, well prepared and kind. Also the 4 drivers that took us and the guide around were always sharp and professional, so altogether we had a beautiful and relaxing holiday, with no problem at all. We deeply thank China Discovery for such a wonderful experience, and we will surely rely on them again to organize our next trip to China.
ashok a
USA
- Reviewed on April 22, 2024
We are a group of 4 family members.All senior citizens from United States. We requested Jack Li from China Discovery to design a 20 days custom tour to visit and experience Shanghai, Zhangjiajie , Three Gorges Dam, Yangtze River Cruise,Chongqing, Lhasa Tibet and Chengdu. Jack did an excellent job of designing the tour. We traveled to Hong Kong on our own. At our request Jack booked us on the High Speed Rail from Hong Kong to Shanghai. Over 1000 miles in 7 hours.Great experience. All the places we visited in the tour were well curated. All arrangements made for Hotels,Vans and English speaking guides were good.We took 3 within China flights, all arranged by China Discovery, traveled on the highways over 1000 kms. The 5 days Yangtze River Cruise was excellent. Jack obtained travel permits for Tibet.
We found Jack Li to be a competent person to organize a tour of this kind. We would highly recommend China Discovery and Jack to anyone planning a trip to China.
P Y
Australia
- Reviewed on April 22, 2024
The trip was overall well planned. Thanks Leo Li. We enjoyed the various places of interest and fantastic local food. Small hiccups were quickly resolved and travel was comfortable. Tour guides were very knowledgeable and helpful. We will recommend China Discovery to our friends and family.
hans s
Philippines
- Reviewed on April 21, 2024
We had the 10-day tour beginning in Beijing, then Xi'an, Guiling and Shanghai. Very interesting tour combining the historical, cultural, rural and urban facade of China. It was well coordinated and the places visited were very interesting . Upon arrival, the tour company was ready right at the moment we went beyond immigration all the way till we left China. The guides in every city were the key factors because they bridged the language barrier, were very accomodating and very well knew the places to visit. Mention of Susie in Beijing, Jin in Xi'an, David in Giulin and Henry in Shanghai. Of course, all these were coordinated by Vivien Li of China Discovery. I contacted her via email , processed the tour requirement and delivered. You can trust her.
Visit China!!
Kam cheong C
Singapore
- Reviewed on April 17, 2024
I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude to my tour guide in Suzhou, as well as to China Discovery Chengdu Bamboo International Tours Co., and the China Railway Company for their efficient and quick action taken during my trip there. On the morning of the 12th of April 2024, my wife and I had boarded the bullet train from Hangzhou to Suzhou as part of our itinerary prepared by China Discovery. Upon arriving at the Suzhou railway station, I realized I had forgotten to take my bag with me when I exited the train. I then informed the local tour guide, Ms. Rose Yuan, as well as the railway authorities regarding my lost bag and they took prompt action. Mr. Wonder Wang, the travel consultant of China Discovery, was also a great help. He, along with Ms. Rose, urged the railway authorities to locate my lost bag and within 4 hours, my bag was returned to me with all my possessions still remaining within my bag. For that, I express my heartfelt and sincerest gratitude to all the parties involved, especially to Ms. Rose, who helped to return my bag to me in such a quick and efficient manner.
I would also like to comment that the itinerary prepared by China Discovery was superb! The places we visited were very interesting, the views were stunning, the tour guides friendly and helpful, and overall, my wife and I had a wonderful time sightseeing and trying the local cuisines. I highly recommend taking a tour from China Discovery to anyone who wish to plan a trip to China in the future!
Antal L
Hungary
- Reviewed on April 14, 2024
My wife and me took a 21-day private customised tour through China organised by Wonder, China Discovery. Wonder is an ideal travel consultant. He is highly competent, absolutely professional and flexible. Exept one also the local tour guides and drivers were very engaged and trusty. For travelling within China we used mainly the very efficient, very fast, comfortable and very punctual high speed trains. The selection of hotels (location and comfort) was also good. So, we were able to carry out our tour, which was quite ambitious and strict for our age (71 years), well. We can highly recommend China Discovery and personally Wonder.
apteabhi
India
- Reviewed on April 13, 2024
Hi, it was a great trip organised by the team of China Discovery. Everything was seamless and very well planned as per the itinerary provided in advance. All of their guides and drivers were professionals and well versed with the knowledge about all the spots we covered. Even the selection of Hotels at Shanghai, Xian and Beijing were fabulous with amazing meal options. We as a family had a superb lifetime experience. Once again, thanks to China Discovery for making our trip so special.
Lenise S
Brazil
- Reviewed on April 10, 2024
10 days - Beijing - Xian - Guilin - Zhangjiajie - Shanghai.
What an incredible trip!
My husband and I had an excellent experience with China Discovery. Starting with the itinerary tailored to suit us.
Everything was quick and efficient as we had little time for planning.
The prepared, humorous and super attentive tour guides served us exclusively, equipped with new cars and very polite drivers.
Excellent hotels!
Wonderful tours! I recommend!!
Tom B
UK
- Reviewed on April 10, 2024
Thank you China Discovery for an amazing trip to Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai. We had the best time and could not have been better looked after and guided in our time in China. We saw the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army, Pandas and many other amazing sites. The restaurants we went too were all interesting and delicious!
Leo Li was fantastic in helping us put together the perfect itinerary and for any queries and support on our journey. We had great support from our wonderful guides Power, Ivan, Sarah and Mark who really helped us make the most of our trip. We would strongly recommend China Discovery and will be back in touch when we next look to come back to China. Thank you!
Ccpt
USA
- Reviewed on April 8, 2024
I took a 13-Day private tour fo Beijin, Xi'an, Guilin, Yangchuo, Yangtze River Cruise and Shanghai. I first of all would like to thank China Discovery for such a great job before and during my trip. They promptly answered all of my questions and gave me peace of mind since I was traveling all by myself so far away from home. Alipay was a great suggestion because it not only helped with paying for just about anything but also kept us in touch throughout my trip with their chat feature. The trip you put together for me was exceptional, and along with some of the optional tours we added, and the cruise ship you picked made for a superb experience.
The hotels were very good, well located and clean, I was just a bit disappointed that most of the staff in the majority of hotels, even at the front desk, didn't speak English, but I was able to communicate through translation apps. The guides were excellent, their English was very good, they were very knowledgeable, attentive, flexible, and very helpful; what I'm very thankful for is that whenever I had train rides they helped me all the way into the train car, with my luggage and finding my seat, that meant a lot because without knowing Chinese I surely would have missed the train or gotten into the wrong one, they also gave me instructions as which way to go once I arrived to my destination to meet the guide. The vehicles and drivers were also very good.
The Victoria Sabrina cruise ship couldn't have been better, the staff and local guides with the exception of the very last one (I already contacted the cruise ship regarding this issue) were friendly and very very nice. There were very few non Chinese-speaking passengers but the cruise director made sure to take care of us at all times. They had shows, optional tours and activities that I enjoyed thoroughly.
I gladly recommend your company, I loved my China trip and if I had to do it all over again I wouldn't think twice about contacting Tracy and China Discovery!!!! Well done Tracy!
108maisiew
New Zealand
- Reviewed on April 7, 2024
We did a private customised 2 week trip to China with China Discovery.
From the planning stage the process was very quick and efficient. Johnson Wang replied to my emails very promptly and the itinerary was finalised to what we wanted.
The trip went smoothly. We all had pick ups at the airport at different times but that did not pose an issue.
The English speaking guides were mostly excellent and really made sure we had a good experience and looked after us very well.
Then at the end due to bad weather in one location we made last minute changes to our flights and once again Johnson and his team made these changes with a few hours notice for us.
I feel they really went above and beyond to make the trip the best experience for us.
Amazing seamless service and I would recommend them highly to anyone considering a guided tour of China.
David S
Canada
- Reviewed on April 5, 2024
Thanks to China Discovery tours for arranging an amazing travel experience. Outstanding tour consultant Leo Li coordinated every detail of our trip. Your English-speaking guides and private vehicle drivers are exceptional.
Highlights of our tour spanned from the Great Wall and Grand Palaces of Beijing to armies of Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, the unique Panda Breeding sanctuary in the heart of Chengdu and a spectacular cruise down the Yangtze River to the Financial Capital of Shanghai.
China is Amazing!.. It's a living legacy from the ancient to ultra-modern. Rickshaws on cobblestone roads to high-speed trains on elevated rails, China is full of cultural contrasts and lovely people.
Thanks for making our China vacation possible.
We appreciate you and your team’s support.
Xièxie China Discovery tours!
Two Travellers from Canada.
Happiness51174163394
USA
- Reviewed on March 25, 2024
Folks, if you are planning to visit the wonderful country of China, you must use China Discovery to make the most of your visit. The folks at China Discovery provide a friendly, engaging, highly informative tour service, with a personal touch. I’m returning in a year, and I’ll surely request their services once again. Enjoy!
Rosemarie S
USA
- Reviewed on March 12, 2024
The Most Amazing 21 Days - that is what I would name this vacation . If you really want to get to know the country, people, history and also see beautiful sceneries, then this is the trip for you.
The tour was well planned and we had very personal attention. The tour guide and driver would pick us up at the train station or airport, we then tour the particular city or town with them, had also some free time to explore on our own and then were brought again to the train station or airport. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and spoke good English. Since it was just my husband and I we could ask all the questions and could adjust schedule to weather and/or interests. The hotels were all 4 or 5 stars and were quite comfortable.
A highlight was also the River Cruise since we really could interact with the other guests, which in our case were Chinese traveling for Chinese New Year.
Here are the places we visited: Hong Kong, Guilin, Chengdu, Chongqing (start of river cruise), Zhangjiajie, Shanghai, Xian and Bejing.
BCTravelerBC
USA
- Reviewed on March 9, 2024
From Leo our Travel Consultant to Mark our tour guide and Mr. Wong our driver they were all great. Our tour was well organized and everything went perfectly. Mark our guide speaks perfect English and Leo the Travel Consultant delivered all that he promised with our tour. We would highly recommend Leo, Mark, Mr. Wong and their company China Discovery Tours.
SamAmex
Australia
- Reviewed on March 7, 2024
Wonder from China Discovery was amazing organising a dream China Trip!
Was so good, we even have now booked and gone on 2 trips with them! The first was a 22 day trip going through all of the major sites in China: Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Hangzhou, Hengdian, Shanghai. There was a guide and driver personally there to greet us at each location, and all the internal train tickets were included. So were the attraction tickets.
Note we were given the option to book our own hotels and pay for our own lunches. If you rather the tour company organise that yourself - go for it, that’s the default option. But I think paying for your own lunches at least gives you more flexibility. You can also negotiate the locations and itinerary to your own liking.
In terms of cost - for the 22 days (with 2 rest days) it was $7160 USD for two people - ie around $325USD per day for us as a couple (no lunches/hotels - but including all trains/tickets/transport).
It was such a professional and wonderful experience, we got Wonder to organise a 3 day trip to Guangzhou just last week as well (using the 144 hour visa free transit rule China has). That was also amazing.
So regardless if you’re planning a big holiday or a short trip, Chinese Discovery is amazing and takes all the stress out of organising everything. Just have your passport and wechat pay enabled and you’ll be fine.
Susan K
Malaysia
- Reviewed on February 22, 2024
Highly recommended tour agency. The trip was well planned by Rita, the travel consultant according to our budget and itinerary. When we arrived into Shanghai, the guide was already there to pick us up. We had 2 guides, 1 in Shanghai and Suzhou and another in Hangzhou. Both were very friendly and well versed in the chinese culture and history. They provided detailed explanations at the various places we visited. Transport was also well organised. We visited during the CNY when it is most crowded with people everywhere. However, due to the planning of the agency, we were able to get entrance tickets to the attractions, shows and cruises without any problems and bypass the long queues. We had a really enjoyable family vacation. Will definitely book with them if we visit Chima again.
Salil
India
- Reviewed on January 4, 2024
Took a family trip to China - Guilin, Shanghai, Xian , Beijing. It was well planned and executed trip by Wonder. We thoroughly enjoyed every step of the day. The sights, choice of hotels, guides and vehicles were spotless and well organised. Wonder was very accommodating and patient of suggestions. Quick to respond. Will highly recommend this agency especially Wonder for wonderful experience.
sharifahmed8
Australia
- Reviewed on January 2, 2024
I am overwhelmed and very satisfied with this 13 day China trip! The service I got was beyond my expectations. We were taken care of every places we visited. All local guides and drivers were helpful.
We thought we would face difficulty to find suitable Muslim food but guides took us to the right places and we had very yummy food all over the trip. Even in the Yangtze river cruise, cruise manager instructed his chef to prepare special meals for us! All local guides speak very good English. We always felt safe there.
Special thanks to Leo Li for organising such a wonderful and memorable trip! Me and my family will cherish the memories of our China trip many years to come.
Dominik F
Germany
- Reviewed on December 24, 2023
Overall I would highly recommend China Discovery as they did a really good job of planning our tour, putting us in touch with the guides and showing us the relevant sites.
All the guides spoke English quite well and the German was surprisingly good too.
benurajesh
USA
- Reviewed on December 24, 2023
China is diverse and fascinating with history nature and food. Rita at China discovery made all arrangements so we could enjoy most of China in comfort and efficiently with excellent guides at each stay. When our train ride from Shanghai to Beijing was cancelled by the railways, Rita promptly informed us and made alternate flight arrangements keeping the tour moving smoothly. The tour started with Beijing and the forbidden city and the Great Wall are an experience. Tibet is a different world with awesome artwork everywhere. Lin river cruise is a must. The caves were an experience, better than the ones in West Virginia and Virginia. Terracotta Army is a must see. The tourists outnumbered the army and the crowds were unbelievable. The Yangtze River cruise is so relaxing and pleasant. Shanghai is best for the shopping experience and the riverfront.
Thanks to Rita and her team at China Discovery in making this tour so memorable.
pepman34
Spain
- Reviewed on December 22, 2023
We had a great time in China thanks to China Discovery. We had a business meeting in Wuxi, asked them to organize a tour afterwards, but we did it very close to the traveling dates, as we were really struggling with the visa and the dates of the meeting. That left us almost no time to organize the tour, but Rita Jiang from China Discovery was really efficient in doing so. Everything was fast and smooth before going, and exactly the same after arriving there. Everything from hotels to vehicles, guides, tickets, etc., was perfectly arranged, what made that we had a very enjoyable trip and we hope to go back soon to such a beautiful country!
Jane N
UK
- Reviewed on December 14, 2023
As this was our first visit to China we were relying on Wing and the team to make all the necessary arrangements. Booking accommodation, buying advance tickets and supplying transport and guides.
We were very impressed. From pre-travel suggestions to final send off everything went very smoothly.
It was a bit of a whistle stop tour taking in a lot of the most famous sights in just over two weeks, but we always planned on returning. Next time will be more leisurely.
China Discovery were an excellent agency to work with and always very responsive when we had queries.
They come highly recommended.
Jane and Jon
eva s
USA
- Reviewed on December 9, 2023
9 day tour of Beijing/Xian/Zhangjiajie/Beijing
Overall, I cannot say enough good things about this trip! Starting with our travel consultant, Zeva Du. She was so patient and helped us make great decisions. I was hesitant about doing a private tour, but it was the best idea ever and allowed us to see the cities we wanted within our travel dates.
Every tour guide in each city was amazing and spoke English very well. They were very informative and knowledgeable. They could not have been more attentive. When leaving Beijing, we took a train to Xian. Linda, our tour guide, escorted us all the way to our seats on the train. Thank goodness we stayed on the train until the last stop! The train system over there is so efficient and a great way to travel.
Jessie in Xian was wonderful. I think seeing the Terracotta Army was my favorite.
David in Zhangjiajie and Liqi in Shanghai were equally great.
If you like Chinese food, each restaurant we were taken to for lunch was amazing.
Our Peking duck dinner in Beijing was the absolute best.
It was wonderful to see China up and running again. They suffered greatly during the pandemic and is working very hard to recover. I would highly recommend this tour company and would gladly use them again. Thank you to Zeva and her team for such a great trip!
J K
USA
- Reviewed on December 6, 2023
We are very happy with China Discovery (based in Chengdu). Our travel consultant was Wing Zheng. She is very helpful and has great attention to detail. She communicated with us very well, and was very flexible in arranging all the places that we wanted to visit. She is professional and very knowledgeable. Upon arrival to China, I was able to reach her immediately if I have a question. The tour guides were fantastic. we had two separate guides for different locations and they both speak excellent English. My husband’s birthday was during the trip, they were so thoughtful to arrange a nice birthday cake delivered to our hotel as a surprise. Overall, I’m very happy with Wing’s services and would highly recommend this company.
Ricky L
Indonesia
- Reviewed on November 28, 2023
tq so much for China Discovery for arrangement due our trip in China, Wonder as our contact person for arranger our trips are so helpful and always monitoring our trips from we before departure till we are all arrived safe in our home, i recommend Wonder, he is so much helpful and understandable. We using their service before and never disappointed us till now, always pleasure and will using their service in coming trips.
Inspire37421218290
USA
- Reviewed on November 25, 2023
Prompt response to query was appreciated with suggestions for daily guided tours with car and vehicle.
Always in time at the hotel for daily excursions. Very flexible with our request.
Beijing is a must for historical sites. Visit to Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven and Great Wall is a must. Very safe to walk anywhere even late night.
Shanghai is a must to see the business capital of China and walk along the Bund.
Go the Buddha Jade temple and Yu Garden .
Guides are very helpful till the last minute. A joy.
They are the best.
YS and RS
Adrian S
Australia
- Reviewed on November 20, 2023
We took a 20 day Chinese Silk Road trip starting in Luoyang and ending in Kashgar - the western most city in China close to the border with Kyrgyzstan. There were 8 of us in a small privately organised tour which Leo Li managed for us from China Discovery Chengdu.
I have been to China for work and twice before for holidays - this is definitely the best trip hands down. The itinerary was excellent and tailored to our needs. The hotels were fantastic (maybe except for one which was borderline) - all Chinese owned and operated hotels (there was only 1 international branded hotel in the entire 20 days). They were clean, spacious and very obliging to our needs.
The food organised by Leo was excellent on all days.
We requested English speaking guides and had 6 in all at various stages of our trip. They were all excellent, very knowledgeable about the history and significance of the locations in relation to the Silk Road and great company and humour too.
The guides went out of their way to ensure we were comfortable - even to the extent of organising special meals when a few of us got sick and another left his bag in the mountains!
The trip included historic cities beginning with Luoyang, Lanzhou, Xian, Xining, Qinghai Lake, Chaka Lake, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumuqi and Kashgar. The trip utilised a combination of China's excellent bullet trains, private bus and flights (between Urumuqi and Kashgar and Kashgar to Shanghai)
Leo seemed to work all hours! Thank you Leo and your team for making our trip so memorable!
I highly recommend China Discovery Tours and will definitely without hesitation use them again.
Some tips for travelling in China:
1. Bring Cash! - WeChat Pay (linked to your credit card) works, but not all the time. Our personal success rate was about 40%. Even in the big cities like Shanghai. So definitely bring cash. PS - you will need internet connection to pay by WeChat - see internet connection below.
2. Watch for "Spit Bombs" (the Hark...Phui!) - its getting better especially after the pandemic. But in the smaller tier 2 and 3 cities definitely watch for it. Now you know why Chinese people take off their shoes when entering homes! :)
3. Chinese hotels are very warm and the aircon doesn't work in winter. Switching the aircon to cool will STILL give you heat!! So be prepared. However, despite this, as mentioned, our Chinese branded hotels were excellent.
4. Everything in China is huge! Except for the toilet rolls in the hotels! Don't ask me why. So if you need to have a big one, make sure you have sufficient toilet paper! Don't be afraid to ask, they are generous when you ask. (The 4-5 star hotels in the main cities are OK though)
5. Speaking of loos, we tried to make sure we only do No 1s in the public loos. Most of the tourist locations are OK but they are of the squatting kind... Of course the ladies have a tougher time than us guys. So before you embark on your daily tours - as much as possible make sure your system is all clear!
6. Internet connection seems to work fine (yes even Google, Messenger, YouTube etc)...BUT, BUT I think it is because I am on data roaming. Another member of the group had the same experience - No need for VPNs. But have a VPN loaded on your phone anyway as a backup. (We were on Australian Mobile network - Vodafone and Optus). Not sure how long this is going to last. Others not on data roaming had massive issues with the Great Firewall. Of course forget about the hotel wifi, the firewall is strongest there! Also 4G works better than 5G. So setting your phone to only 4G might make your internet connection more stable and reliable.
7. Enjoy the people - they are very friendly and patient (especially with our payment issues with WeChat). Trying to speak mandarin goes a long way!
8. Enjoy the food - it is generally safe but of course be sensible. We stuck to the main markets, hot cooked food and except for a short unexplained stint, we were good.
Above all - enjoy the experience!
Tami29
Italy
- Reviewed on November 10, 2023
Our Tour with China Discovery well very well, I need to compliment them on their organization and choice of guides. Our consultant Wing was extremely helpful, kind and flexible. We did a 14 day, personalized tour and visited the imperial cities with Chengdu and a short cruise on Yangtze River. I would definitely recommend them and will plan another tour with China Discovery in the future (hopefully).
Claire P
UK
- Reviewed on November 8, 2023
We had a great experience with China discovery, our travel consultant and tour guides were incredibly friendly, helpful, and responsive, and they had a lot of knowledge about all the places we visited. The tour was very well organised and although we went during golden week - which was incredibly busy - the tour guides went above and beyond and were excellent at making sure it didn’t affect our trip. We were treated very well during our tour, got to see some amazing things, and would highly recommend using this service because of this.
Jen R
Sweden
- Reviewed on November 7, 2023
I had an amazing experience with my 8 days China trip to Beijing, Xian, Shanghai. I recommend anyone who is planning to go on a China trip with China Discovery. Please contact Wonder Wang, he assisted me all throughout my trip with competence, efficiency, done in a very responsive, responsible way. He responds quickly at all times no matter what time it it wherever you are in the world. And this is very important specially in visiting China where everything has its own system, tickets in place properly sibmitted accordingly including passports, different language, huge crowds....Thanks China Discovery for a memorable China experience!
gbg03
UK
- Reviewed on November 4, 2023
I had an absolutely incredible time in China with China Discovery. My trip (Chengdu, Chongqing, Changsha, Shanghai, Qingdao, Beijing) could not have gone any smoother. Every tour guide was extremely friendly and knowledgeable and every hotel was great. Every place that I visited was also absolutely spectacular in terms of scenery.
I also want to give a special mention to my travel agent Rita Jiang for putting up with me and my intricate demands (even at the last minute). I would highly, highly recommend China Discovery to anyone who wishes to visit China, especially the more "niche" parts which Western-based travel agencies do not typically offer.
I will definitely be travelling with them again!
Ngahana H
New Zealand
- Reviewed on November 2, 2023
Our tour covered all of the main tourist attractions offered by this vast and beautiful country.
We chose China Discovery.com for our China holiday simply because, their website information was easy to understand and their holiday options were numerous and very detailed. From the start there was a strong sense of service and we got that from our very first email to the Travel consultant. Every email was answered promptly and clearly. We were able to tailor our preferred tour option to suit our budget and in the end the choices we made were perfect. The consultant continued to keep in touch either by email or through the agents until tour end.
At all city locations local guides with modern sedans and drivers ensured that we connected smoothly with our transport, accommodation and access to all tourist destinations. At many tourist sites, the long walks and climbing long stairways suited younger and/or fitter clients. We seniors with average fitness were blessed with guides who tailored our visits perfectly to our optimum enjoyment. And still got to enjoy most on offer.
Throughout our multicity itinerary we travelled on the superbly smooth and comfortable bullet trains, high class internal air flights and comfortable high standard river boat cruises. The three day 5 star Yangtse river cruise was very comfortable, modern stylish and the staff service standard was exceptional.
Lastly we believe that it would be very difficult to experience the numerous contrasting features of China, historical and modern and its cultural entity without all the aspects of the China Discovery private tour package.
Brian K
Australia
- Reviewed on November 1, 2023
We visited China in September 2023 for 16 days visiting Beijing, Xian and Shanghai . The attraction Great Wall, Forbidden City (Beijing) Terracotta Warriors (xian) and the gardens and the lights surrounding Shanghai organized by China Discovery (Chengdu) and our consultant Ms Wing Zeng were amazing. Discovery China ( Chengdu) provides a professional first class service. I highly recommend Ms Wing Zeng consultancy and China Discovery C
Victoria
South Africa
- Reviewed on October 21, 2023
Rita Jiang was our travel consultant from China Discovery who worked with me to plan our 30 days in China. She helped with a suggested itinerary and when I added or removed destinations, she swiftly and efficiently adjusted it with clever additions I had not researched. I tried 2 other large Chinese travel agencies with my proposed itinerary before settling with China Discovery. China Discovery was not the cheapest, but they were certainly the most efficient in response time and also, most importantly, they created an excellent itinerary with clever routes and efficient transportation options between destinations. When you are travelling for this length of time as a family, efficient travel time is very important. The guides which met us in each location were well spoken and highly knowledgable. The drivers were excellent too. We covered Shanghai, Zhangzhou, Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang, Guilin, Kunming, Dongchuan Red Lands, Lijiang, Chengdu, Juizhaigou and Huanglong Valley, Xian, Luoyang, Zhangye, Dunhuang, Datong and Beijing with our two children aged 9 and 10.
There is no other way to travel efficiently through China and get to understand the culture and history without the help of a local travel agent. I highly recommend China discovery to help you plan your next trip!
Jessica T
Malaysia
- Reviewed on October 17, 2023
The tour company's services were satisfactory, and the trip was enjoyable. Although there were some little mishaps, they were solved duely and professionally. The tour guide was also very helpful and knowledgeable.
Kar Tung Quek
Singapore
- Reviewed on September 29, 2023
My wife and I speak little Chinese and we did not want to join a package group tour. It was great that we found China Discovery online. Mr. Wonder Wang of China Discovery was just fantastic in helping us design a customised private tour itinerary for our China tour. Wonder Wang was very professional, responsible, and responsive. The resultant itinerary was just perfect for us. The english-speaking tour guides and drivers at each of the destinations we visited were just great making it a carefree, comfortable, and thoroughly enjoyable experience. We were connected with Wonder Wang and the respective tour-guides online via WeChat throughout the journey and the coordination from one destination to the next were perfect and smooth. We boarded the Century Oasis Cruise ship for a Yangtze cruise as part of the itinerary. On board we were serviced by one of the english-speaking cruise managers. The onboard service was just excellent. We were connected on WeChat with the cruise manager who kept us informed and instructed every step of the way. The cruise manager also connected with our tour guide at Yichang to perfectly coordinate our disembarkation arrangements. We would highly recommend China Discovery and Wonder Wang to all who wish to visit China with their own customised itinerary and at their own pace.
madiana l
USA
- Reviewed on September 28, 2023
I have joined a 17 days trip to Shanghai, Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Chongqing, including Yangtse Cruise. Besides enjoying all the places, they are amazing. I also enjoyed the hospitality from the tour guides on the gound and the cruise ship. They served good foods and yummy. We travelled by plane, ship, high speed train during the tour. The tour arrangement is good, my travel consultant is Mr. Leo Li. Overall, the tour was very nice and satisfying. I definitely will travel to China again next time.
Peter T
USA
- Reviewed on September 26, 2023
This tour company scheduled and organized our privet tour very professionally. I would strongly recommend using them.
Our trip was amazing, you could see how happy we were from 20 pictures I attached below. Two weeks of travel by plains, bullet trains, Starting in Beijing-Xian-cruising Yangtze river, Shanghai, Guangzhou, beautiful Guilin and finishing up in Hong Kong. We all had a great time and returned back with wonderful memories.
Eugene W
USA
- Reviewed on September 25, 2023
This was my third time to the “motherland “ born a fourth generation ABC that doesn’t speak a word Chinese, did Beijing,Xian, Lhasa, Chengdu, Yangtze River cruise and of course the greatest city Shanghai, Mr Leo Li of China Discovery arranged the trip we opted to go the 5 star route with group of two , Leo answered all my questions promptly and to my satisfaction, the local guides some the best we ever encountered very good English skills on many topics, a couple became friends, question who would I have arrange a China trip? Mr. Leo Li
helen h
Indonesia
- Reviewed on September 21, 2023
At first actually i didn't expect much from this trip, however it turns out that me and my mom really enjoyed the whole trip. We visited beijing and shanghai for 4 days, and the whole 4 days have been amazing!! All of local guides are warm and super helpful. When we first arrived at beijing , i asked our guide for food recommendation, she give us a recommendation for peking duck restaurant. Me and my mom actually whrn there and the food was AMAZING. Not forget to mention that the cars the provided are comfortable, my car in shanghai even had heated seat and back massage feature. Perfect!!
Palvannanathan G
USA
- Reviewed on September 17, 2023
Vivien Li made excellent tour arrangement for our 14 day trip to China. Replied to my 20 or more emails immediately, sent both during initial arrangements and also during our travel within China. Responded to all specific requests including last minute changes requested while we were traveling in China. Hotels and guides were excellent, price charged was very reasonable. Took great care of us including contacting us when there was a change in flight schedule due to anticipated typhoon in Southern China.
I requested to arrange travel in Shanghai Maglev train 4 days before arriving at Shanghai and took great effort to arrange this. Changed the flight schedule to fly out of Shanghai Pudong airport and we were able to take Maglev train to Pudong airport. I want to thank Vivien Li for making our China travel a wonderful experience.
Bryce H
Australia
- Reviewed on September 8, 2023
China Discovery - particularly travel consultant Wonder Wang - did an outstanding job in organising and supporting our recent trip to the mainland of China. It was a memorable visit. We are now back in Hong Kong after a memorable trip to the mainland of China. The destinations - Shanghai, Beijing, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie and Guilin - were well chosen, with so many interesting and exciting things to see and do. The guides we had in each location were great - well informed, helpful, friendly and mainly with excellent spoken English. The hotels were also very good - comfortable and well located (the Yungshuo river resort was a particular highlight). And the travel logistics - trains and planes - worked seamlessly.
China Discovery was extremely responsive and flexible throughout in putting together and supporting our visit plans. The suggestions for travel options, and readiness to adapt as our plans changed, was greatly appreciated. China Discovery's performance was highly professional, first-class in fact, and I would have no hesitation in recommending the company to others who might be considering a trip to the mainland of China.
Jas3363
Malaysia
- Reviewed on September 7, 2023
Our trip was fantastic - we had wonderful tour guides that had gone above and beyond to make our journey a smooth sailing one. Our travel consultant, Wonder had been extremely accommodating in organizing our trip. Would highly recommend this agency to anyone looking to explore China!
Konstantin Y
Russia
- Reviewed on August 30, 2023
We are very glad that China Discovery helped us organize our trip! It was a very memorable trip with great guides, great drivers and stunning scenery. China Discovery arranged a transfer for us from Shanghai airport when we first arrived in China. Later we were met and given excursions to Zhangjiajie, Chengdu, Shangri-la, Lijiang and Dali. They also organized a wonderful hiking trip for us through the Tiger Leaping Gorge - Everything went smoothly, everyone was very kind, punctual and friendly - although we had a lot of force majeure (airlines canceled flights, someone from the company caught a little cold) the guys from China Discovery held their hand on the pulse and responded quickly and efficiently to all these operational difficulties - Any adjustments were easily made, and everyone was flexible and understanding. I 100% recommend booking trips with these guys XD
I especially wanted to mention Mr. Johnson, who from the beginning of planning until the last transfer, took care of us like his own family!!!
Thank you, China Discovery!!!
Matthias W
Germany
- Reviewed on August 23, 2023
We had a wonderful, custom-arranged, private trip as a family of three with China Discovery in summer of 2023 - going from Beijing via Xian, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Longsheng, Yangshou, Kungming, Yangtze River to Shanghai.
As we expected, we left with many exciting new impressions and memories - really a trip worth taking.
Last not least, we must mention Tracy, our coordinator at the agency, who was from the earliest planning stage all the way through the trip the most competent, most friendly, and most helpful coordinator we could think of - we felt really well looked after! A big compliment and thanks to you, Tracy, and the entire team at China Discovery!
Steve C
USA
- Reviewed on July 31, 2023
We had a day trip in Shanghai which included the Yuyan Bazar, Jade Budda Temple and finished the evening with a cruise on the Huangpu River. Spectacular light displays on the buildings that are along the river.
Day 2-4, we traveled to the Huangshan/Yellow Mountain region. Even though there was rain and a low cloud cover, we were able to get glimpses of the beautiful scenery. The trails on the mountain are very accessible and well maintained for walking. Our travel guides were excellent and very knowledgeable. Their English was very good and were willing to assist throughout our trip.
Comensal
Hungary
- Reviewed on July 23, 2023
9-day private tour to Guilin, Xi’an, Zhanjgijie and Shanghai with China Discovery was beyond all expectations and I have to include the excellent China Discovery (Chengdu) travel services throughout the whole tour.
Our (my wife and I) sincere joyfull thank to our travel consultant, Jack Li for the programme designed .
Excellent assistance.
Congratulations !
CALVIN H
USA
- Reviewed on July 21, 2023
Just a week tour with China discovery for Beijing and Shanghai. As a non local, it is very difficult to navigate with all china only app and regulations, not to mention the crowd. China discovery makes the logistics seemless. All smoothly run and avoid all the miles of queues. Highly recommended.
Bryan A
Indonesia
- Reviewed on June 30, 2023
Amazing trip, very good service and memorable vacation. Putuoshan and Jiuhuashan both very aesthetic
Sunshine37348462762
UK
- Reviewed on June 28, 2023
Our China tour preparation starts from late May, during this preparation we were so lucky to be contacted with tour organiser Tracy Tan (China Discovery) who was extremely helpful, responsive always everything accurate, that made us so easy to be get ready for tour without any fuss.
On the day of each destination friendly, cheerful and helpful guides were ready to warmly welcome us.
The actual tour, 2 nights in Shanghai and 3 nights in Zhangjiajie was so beautiful memorable. I wish I could go again there. Our team of four persons extremely enjoyed very well organised tour.
I would recommend anyone to take this tour through China Discovery.
Many thanks to organiser Tracy Tan , and guides Vivian and Lily for this memorable tour from start to finish.
bilofranco
Mexico
Claudia S
USA
- Reviewed on May 16, 2023
I was traveling to China for business reasons and wanted to extend my stay a little to see some of it. I had Beijing and the Great Wall in mind as well as the Terracotta soldiers in Xi’An. I knew that with the little time I had I would need all the logistical assistance I could get so when I stumbled onto China Discovery and they responded promptly with a well curated plan inclusive of hotel, drivers and guides I was all in!
They get a sense of your price range and adjust hotel bookings accordingly.
I wanted to travel by bullet train starting from Hangzhou and Rita figured it all out, including the hotel by the airport in Shanghai the night before leaving.
The guides were not only really knowledgeable but also lovely people, the same can be said for the drivers. In just four days I learned and experienced so much. As I was there over the weekend the sites in Beijing were busy, thankfully they took me to a section of the wall a little further out where they were much more manageable. In spite of the number of people, the experience was even better than I expected.
While Beijing is a cosmopolitan city I could easily relate to, Xi’An was simply magic. It is much more laid back, many went out of their way to say hello and welcome me to China and between the terracotta soldiers, the city wall (ride the bike on it!), the pagodas and the Muslim district I absolutely fell in love with it and will go back for sure to experience the archeological museum and the nearby mountains.
Massive thanks to you Jack and Lily!
Ron
Canada
- Reviewed on July 31, 2021
I recently completed a 22 day rail tour with China Discovery. I let them know what I wanted to see and they planned the entire trip, rearranging my itinerary many times based on my feedback. I appreciated their patience as I made many changes over a period of months and never felt any pressure in any way. They generally got back to me within 24 hours with an adjusted itinerary for me to consider. My trip was well-organized and adjusted on the fly when needed (particularly when a typhoon blew in and things had to be changed at the last minute). The guides were good and the trip was stress-free, largely because of the work that Tracy did in organizing it. She checked on me regularly during the trip and even met me in Chengdu to present some nice gifts.
I would definitely use China Discovery again.
HH1
USA
- Reviewed on January 5, 2021
We did a customized tour of Beijing and Shanghai in about 4 days. The coordinator did a fantastic job communicating with us throughout the whole process, and really allowed us to see the sights we were most interested in. Our guides on the ground in both cities did a great job accommodating us, even to the extent of finding a specific restaurant we had in mind. It was an enjoyable trip and being able to put the planning in someone else's hand made it a stress-free vacation!
G S He
Singapore
- Reviewed on July 5, 2020
My wife and I had a private tour from Shanghai to Huangshan in late October 2019.
It was a 3-day visit. We stayed at the foothill of Huangshan. Hotel was clean and pleasant.
The trip was wonderful and the services of the tour guide and driver were also very good.Tracy Tan at China Discovery provided good and prompt service too.
One negative aspect was the private tour price could have been 20% lower. That would have been perfect.
G HeWah
chrisdR872JP
UK
- Reviewed on January 15, 2020
Unsure of who to contact to organise my 8-day tour of China, I contacted China Discovery and they were excellent. I have no hesitation in recommending them to family and friends..
My contact at the company was Wing Zeng and, after a number of emails discussions options we finally agreed an itinerary that met all my needs.China Discovery organised my travel, hotels and guided tours for 3 cities and everything was excellent!
The real proof of the quality of the service came when I arrived at the wrong exit at Beijing station. Despite being 10pm I was able to text Wing Zeng who immediately resolved the situation. Brilliant customer service!! Thank you Wing Zeng for organising an excellent tour
kumarilm2016
Australia
- Reviewed on January 19, 2020
China Discovery organised a 13 day China tour for us from 21/12/19 to 3/1/20. Wendy Dan was the consultant.Covered Beijing,Xian,Guilin,Huangshan and Shanghai. Overall, a great tour! and well organised,thanks Wendy!
Andy our guide in Xian was excellent as were the guides in Guilin and Huangshan.
Vehicles provided in general were good.Restaurants in Beijing were bad however the quality improved after we protested.
Hotels were neat and clean(chose all 5star) except in Xian and after we complained ,we were upgraded.
I would definitely recommend ChinaDiscovery tours and would book with them again on my second tour.
We were a family of 4, all adults.
ElmiraNick
Australia
- Reviewed on January 12, 2020
We would like to thank our tour operator Ms Wing Zeng, all our drivers and tour guides (Melody in Shanghai, Cherry in Chongqing, Fay in Yichang, Derrick in Zhangjiajie, Vivien in Kunming, Peter in Shangri-La, Ya Lan in Lijiang) from China Discovery/Yangtze River Cruise/Tibet Discovery (based in Chengdu) for our holiday.
In December we had 17 amazing days - a very-well organised and detailed individual tour tailored for us to see and visit everything planned by us. During our we felt very safe and looked after at every stage.
The tour guides were also very informative and spoke English well. Special mention goes to:
The itinerary (Shanghai-Chongqing-3-night Yangtze River Cruise-Zhangjiagie-Kunming-Shangri-La-Lijiang-Shanghai) was perfect but the people implemented it were even better. Our tour operator, the guides, and the drivers were all professionals and worthy of high appreciation for a well-done job. We learned so much thanks to our local tour guides, and we are grateful to them for sharing their knowledge with us. Every place we visited was amazing with interesting history, culture, beautiful scenery and unbelievable landscapes. We enjoyed our relaxing Yangtze River cruise on Victoria Anna with all the activities on board and the arranged shore excursions very much. We really did have a great time.
The tour was our second trip arranged with Ms Wing Zeng, and we are very happy to have chosen China Discovery. If in future we have a chance to visit China again, we'll definitely do it with this company and we highly recommend it to our friends and other travellers.
rameshdhoorgapersadh
South Africa
- Reviewed on January 6, 2020
Shanghai visit included two days at the Disney resort. Magic experience with my wife and 19 year old son. Then a transfer to Beijing on high speed train. Tours in Beijing City followed by trip to Great Wall. Snow had fallen the previous night so going up the pass to the Great Wall was a fabulous experience as i come from South Africa where we have very little snow. Left Beijing on high speed train back for Shanghai to check into the "Sunrise on Bund" hotel. Classy Hotel well positioned to explore the city. My agent Lyn Wang did an excellent job of putting my package together. Lyn was constantly communicating with me via email in the run up to my departure date. Tour guides and drivers were friendly, helpful and on time. Special thanks to our young guide Ms Tina in Shanghai who did our transfers to and from the train station and airport. Was with us till we got onto train as well as made sure we had our boarding pass in hand for our return journey before saying goodbye to us. This tour company and my agent Lyn will be recommended to family and friends travelling into China - for a hassle free holiday. Thank you Lyn Wang.
866sybils
Belgium
- Reviewed on January 4, 2020
We used China discovery for a private tour ( 2 people ) of 12 days Beijing, Xian, Hangzhou and Shanghai. Riley was our contact. She presented us a very good program covering all the highlights, with a good combination of sightseeing and free time; She was very helpful and quickly replied to our questions, gave advice on questions we had related to the trip and was also flexible and open to change .
We had good guides and guidance , but our Xian guide Gin and our Hangzhou guide Lulu were really exceptionally good , they gave good explanations and really helped us out , also we had our personal car with driver and tour guide and we were dropped at the entrance of the sightings and the tour guides organized the tickets and the food at noon , taking into account our preferences. The timing spent and the program offered were really adapted to what we want. We also recommend to visit Hangzhou, very nice. So we are extremely happy with the service we have received from China discovery and i would certainly recommend them for a china trip. ( i was bit unsure before i booked because you never know via internet , but for those in doubt , really they give good service).
patricetan95
Indonesia
- Reviewed on January 2, 2020
Everything was really organized and well-planned. All our activities matched the itinerary. Lily was remarkably helpful, accommodating, and patient even though our group had some changes nearing the D-Day of the trip! We truly appreciate the panda chopsticks souvenir she sent us :’) & also when she came to see us in person on our last day and sent us off to the airport!
Our local guides in Shanghai, Zhangjiajie, and Chengdu were all friendly and speak good English. Special shout out to our guide in Zhangjiajie Mrs. Tutu who accompanied us till late at night! She also had such soothing voice when she sang to us ;)
Would definitely recommend this agency if my friends & colleagues are looking to visit China.
russellm510
Australia
- Reviewed on December 15, 2019
My wife and I have been regular international travellers over the past decade but had not made it to China's mainland until last month. A conference nearby presented the ideal opportunity to remedy this with a short Yangtze River Cruise to celebrate a significant birthday for my wife and to satisfy our curiosity about other places in this vast country. We are travellers rather than tourists, so I would like to endorse the travel agency (China Discovery) which helped us with our internal travel arrangements. In the first instance, all we had to do was indicate our intended arrival and departure points and our intended length of stay and our assigned agent Echo Gou cheerfully and efficiently provided us with multiple options. Over a couple of weeks we settled on an itinerary including various sites in Beijing, Xian, Chongqing, Three Gorges Dam, Yichang, Shanghai and Hangzhou over 12 days. Highlight was probably West Lake in Hangzhou. Hotels were all of high standard, local individual guides were well-educated and fluent English speakers and drivers were confident and cheerful. Most travel tween cities was by high speed rail, but when we chose to vary this for convenience once in China to include an internal flight and a private car transfer to an airport in another city, this was expertly arranged by our contact agent Echo in Chengdu at minimal additional cost. This flexibility made what might otherwise have been some difficult aspects of our trip into a smooth and enjoyable experience. I can't fault the professionalism and expertise of China Discovery and our agent, and I recommend others who like to travel independently to consider using such an efficient service at such reasonable cost.
HarikaSetty
India
- Reviewed on December 15, 2019
Our tour was organized by China Discovery [Rita Jiang] for 15 days covering five beautiful places. Though there were different means of communications available we just used Email and our Journey to china was all set.
Everything was perfectly organized starting from planning, implementing and executing.
We Didn't face any problem anywhere while travelling or while interchanging stations.
Security: We didn't face any problem anywhere either with baggage or other property. Everything was Secured.
Comfort: spacious cars, Door to door services, Hotels in the city center were provided, which was very convenient.
Food: food which was served was exactly the way we liked [Indian Vegetarian]
Awesome and Honest tour guide and Driver treated us like a family.
such a wonderful company with them made our journey to china Memorable.Incredible People of China !!
ChuckTheTravelingGuy
USA
- Reviewed on November 4, 2019
Prior to a Princess cruise which departed from Shanghai, we took a nine day China Discovery Tour of three of China's most well-known cities...Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. Catherine Liu, our travel consultant in China, was outstanding to work with as we had numerous questions before flying to Beijing.
Included in the China Discovery Tour she arranged were tours of the Forbidden City and the Great Wall in Beijing, the amazing Terra cotta warriors in Xian and the Pudong and Bund areas in Shanghai. These tours and the many other stops we visited were excellent.
We chose the small group tour of usually 7-15 people that included numerous stops at various sites, five star hotels, excellent guides and drivers, a bullet train ride from Beijing to Xian and a flight from Xian to Shanghai. We met interesting please, saw amazing sites and were thoroughly pleased with our China Discovery Tour.
One suggestion, avoid July and August if possible as students are out of school and visit these three cities with their families which makes for crowded sites. The reason we decided on an August tour was so we could take the cruise from Shanghai which was only offered in August.
Visiting China was extremely educational. We could have never accomplished as much as we did if we had tried to tour on our own. We highly recommend the China Discovery Tour and especially Catherine Liu. Catherine was very professional, was quick to answer our questions via email and made sure our guides were excellent. Ask for her when you book a China Discovery Tour. You will be glad you did.
Kieran W
UK
- Reviewed on October 31, 2019
Beijing-Xi’an-Zhangjiajie-Guilin-Yangshuo-Shanghai (Hangzhou & Suzhou)
Riley Guo did a brilliant job organising our trip. After reviewing the original itinerary, we made some adjustments for logistical efficiency. Riley was always quick to respond to my queries and even shared her WeChat number for even faster response. This was invaluable when we had a minor problem due to my mixing up a day trip time. Riley was quick to change train tickets and saved the day.
As with many other prudent travellers dealing with an unfamiliar Chinese tour operator, I was concerned about making the deposit and subsequent balance. However, I made each payment via Paypal without a hitch.
The greatest benefit of a private tour is the peace of mind at every stop. Driver and guide were at hand and took care of all tickets (no queuing) and lugging of suitcases. All breakfasts and lunches were included - all good to excellent depending on the hotel/venue.
We were able to save time and energy, thereby enjoying the sights and culture to the fullest.
Not only would I recommend China Discovery, I will be using them for our next trip to China.
Sean G
USA
- Reviewed on September 23, 2019
I'm a meticulous vacation planner and while the pre-planned packages available from various tour companies were good, none specifically met what my wife and wanted to do on vacation. I did some research on where to go and what to see and we originally were going to do 12-13 days to include some trips into the rural areas to see some scenery, etc. We ended up limiting the trip to the three big cities and received bids from multiple tour companies based in China. China Discovery stood out in the quality and completeness of their responses and had the most competitive pricing. The reviews on Trip Advisor were also very positive and helpful.
We ended up booking 8 days in China with visits to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. We had a list of everything we wanted to see and China Discovery made it happen -- an advantage of booking a private tour is that you can go and see what you alone want to do. (We booked our own air travel to and from China using miles earned on an airline)
In Hong Kong I was not able to find a private guide -- they are all group tours. The buses are designed for around 30 people and we had 10 in our group one day on a Lantau Island tour (fantastic) and just the two of us the next day (Victoria's Peak, Aberdeen Fishing Village/Stanley Market -- avoid it, just find a way to go to Victoria's Peak).
In China's mainland private tours are the only way to go. Why? You are only as fast as the slowest people in your group. And when it was just the three of us (us plus guide/driver) we were much more nimble at getting through crowds and we were in a car or minivan, not a bus, for driving around. The tour company gets the tickets for everywhere you are going so you don't have to wait in line. And we were able to customize portions -- like no Shanghai Museum, but add Tongli water town and a night cruise in Shanghai. Add high-speed train instead of plane between Shanghai and Beijing ... with first class tickets.
I read reviews of the hotels they had chosen to put us up at and all got good to great reviews -- and they lived up to expectations. Note: you can ask for different hotels if you want higher quality or different location -- a China four-star is Western three-star, etc. The Regal Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong was 2 1/2-3 star compared to the other two hotels. Food was average -- I had to teach the cook how to do Over Easy Eggs. The Yangtze Boutique Shanghai was fantastic -- huge room and great service -- 4-4.5 stars! Beijing hotel was the Ramada Park Plaza Wangfujing that was also great ... 4 stars. Food was great at both Shanghai and Beijing hotels. Breakfast at the hotels was included every day and lunch on most days which was in local Chinese restaurants. Extra expenses were tips for our guides and drivers, dinner, snacks, souvenirs, taxis -- we ended up spending much less than anticipated in this regard.
We had different guides each day in Hong Kong because they were group tours, then a guide + driver for the Shanghai area and guide + driver for the Beijing area. All of them spoke English well and were able to answer questions that we had. They were all very knowledgable about the subjects of each tour and even got into nitty gritty details. We were VERY impressed. At meals we would talk about all sorts of things -- especially about how we all lived and family, things like that. The guides had no problem taking photos of us with our phones and were never hurried us along if we wanted to take additional photos or video.
We happened to encounter an annual holiday when we were in Shanghai -- with millions of people pouring into the city to celebrate -- and then rehearsals for a 70th anniversary of the PRC parade and celebration in Beijing shut some roads and attractions. Both could have really thrown a monkey wrench into our plans, but the guides were adept at rearranging the schedule to our advantage and to avoid crowds and juggle going to sights that were open.
What did we see? Each line is what we did in a day
Hong Kong -- Lantau Island tour (4 sights to see) .... rating A
Hong Kong -- HK Island tour ... rating C (avoid as Aberdeen Fishing Village doesn't exist, Stanley Market is OK if you want to shop for clothes, artwork and souvenirs, and you are forced to do a Jewelry Factory Tour that is really a way to try and get you to buy some jewelry, only Victoria's Peak was good on that tour)
Shanghai -- Yu Garden, the Bund, Nanjing Road (shopping), World Financial Center (100th floor observatory), nighttime cruise ... rating A
Shanghai -- Tongli Water Town (has canals like Venice) ... rating B (very touristy, but still interesting)
Beijing -- The Mutianyu Great Wall, the Ming Tombs ... rating A
Beijing -- Hutong Tour/Rickshaw Ride, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven ... rating A
Beijing -- Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City ... rating A (the Square is kind of meh, but the Forbidden City more than made up for it)
One piece of advice save the Forbidden City for last ... it is so impressive it may make other sights seem much less interesting.
Everything China Discovery promised, they delivered at a reasonable price.John33486
USA
- Reviewed on August 25, 2019
I took a 2 week personalized vacation with Chendu Bamboo tours through China. I wanted to put some thoughts down to the TripAdvisor community as I had a lot of reservations going into it, and I hope my review will help clarify some of the items that I was uncertain of.
First, while I researching, I determined that I wanted to do a custom tour as none of the packages that I saw had everything I wanted. The towns I chose were Beijing, Xian, Dunjuang, Chendu, Guilin and Shanghai. I submitted inquiries to multiple companies and ChinaDiscovery came back to me promptly with a very comprehensive tour that was detailed and in line with my expectations. The scary part of communicating my requirements was that it had to be done mostly through email, although the Leo of Chengdu Bamboo was also quick to Skype call me to handle some of my more advanced questions.
If you decide to book a tour like this (and you are firmly in the middle class) this is and expensive endeavor. For you to pull the trigger, you can expect a number of big expenditures. First, you will need to put an initial balance down on the trip to reserve the reservation. That amount was placed through PayPay, and the Paypal account that I placed it to did not look anything like the business I was dealing with. It was a bit unnerving sending the money to such a strange account, but in the end, the transaction was fine and 100% legitimate. One point of confusion...you may research and book through ChinaDiscovery, however the invoice then turned into Chengdu Bamboo International Tours Co, Ltd. From a payment standpoint, this was fine. I found myself having fears about placing so much money to the this travel company which I only researched on the internet...but in the end, all my fears were unfounded and the execution of my trip was as perfect as it gets.
Expect to pay a few big expenses. In addition to the trip costs, you will also have some other big expenses. You will need to coordinate the buying of your international plane tickets, which I handled shortly after the deposit. If you are a US citizen, you will need to get a visa. In my case, the Chinese Visas costs about $160 per person for a 10 year visa, and to get it, you must carefully submit a form to the Chinese consulate in a designated region of the country. Because I delayed doing this, I needed to do expedited service. And because the form is brutal and requires you to send your passports to the Chinese consulate, I enlisted a visa expert (CIBT.com) in order to get in processed. Long story short, about $1K later, I received the last of the passports back from the consulate with about 2 days to spare. So plan ahead.
The final expense is that you will be advised (not mandated) to give them tips to the drivers and tour guides. You will find yourself wanting to give them tips for the great service they provide, but you should calculate 2 weeks and 2 persons a day, and understand that it will cost you hundreds of dollars or thousands of Yuan as part of your trip costs.
Last warning to give about going to China...you'll need cash. Only some (not most) banks and stores are hooked up to the Visa and Mastercard system. This means, (1) you may need to search for the right bank to get cash in China in order to withdraw funds and (2) the vendors that you'll see only will take your cash. This caused some stress the first couple of days as I had trouble finding a bank that worked.
Now...for the good stuff. Once prepping for all that, the trip that was designed by Chinadiscovery (or Chengdu Bamboo Tour Company) was pretty spectacular. The guides were beyond great, and did a truly amazing, amazing job of being everything you would want as a tour guide. Prompt, flexible, funny, sometimes motherly, sometimes brotherly, open, honest, kind, insightful, human, knowledgeable and ...simply great. Each one in each town was different...but each of them took such pride in their cities/country that you are given a great gift. The coordination of the planes, trains and automobiles was flawless and as we traversed our way around each city, we never missed a single connection, nor did our guides ever fail to meet us at our designated meeting points.
The hotels were as good as it gets as well. Breakfast was included in all hotels...some food good, and other food great. The hotels were within walking distance to all the good things. For Beijing, 15 min walk to the Forbidden City. Shanghai? 5 minute walk to the River and 20 minutes to The Bund. I could go on, but the accommodations were really good. Combine that with flawless execution of all travel arrangements, it made for a stress free trip. The lunches were all Chinese and again, and food ranged from good to great. They always gave our family of 3 too much food for one sitting, and I felt embarrassed about leaving so much food behind.
In Beijing, our guide took us through Tienanmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, The Great Wall, and Temple of Heaven (among other places). When she took us to the train station for our trip to Xian, she insisted in walking us down to our seat on the High Speed railway car. When I asked if that is the company policy, she said 'that MY policy' (to ensure her clients get to where they are going). Amazing. We reached Xian for a day and Zoe gave us great insights of the growing city, the crowds, and life in China. Then onto Dunjuang, where Lily and her driver rearranged the schedule to ensure that we saw all the Silk Road sites. The schedule changes included her and the driver starting at 6AM (after we were picked up at the airport 10PM the night before) in order to ensure we saw everything. Then in Chengdu, Cherry helped so patiently with my wife's shopping at the Panda sanctuary. And in Guilin, Kennedy was awesome describing the land and China's ethnic minority. The insight for the rice fields and rivers were wonderful. We ate probably the best Chinese food of the trip in the fresh country air. Then finally, to Shanghai, where Zack was truly a joy, and one of the friendliest and enjoyable people I have ever met in my life. The city of Shanghai was amazing, and my son enjoyed it tremendously.
Two things I would do over if I could. First, I would plan to take it in June, not late July. We had to compete with the rest of China, which has summer break at this time. As a result, the places were packed with China tourist going to the same sites, which made the crowds a bit much. Second, I would have also altered the trip to spend 1 less day in Guilin and 1 more day in Shanghai. Other than that, I would not have changed anything.
Bottom line...if you are planning a trip to China, I highly recommend planning it with Chengdu Bamboo and if you are lucky enough to work with Leo, you will not be dissapointed.
Gioreg1068
Italy
- Reviewed on September 9, 2019
We booked an 16 days guided trip to China with China Discovery Tour. Tracy Tan was our booking agent. With her, during the months before the departure, we have carefully studied the journey itinerary. Tracy has helped us make the itinerary according to our whishes. She went well above our expectations to make sure that we could have a wonderful experience in China. If you are considering a trip to China we are strongly recommending this agency and of course our agent Tracy! They sure know how to recommend and customise the best tours for any tastes! We started our visit in Shanghai and then visited the main attractions of the south of China. We went on to spend 2 day in Zhangjiajie visiting "Avarar" park and then travelling by train or car visiting Fenghuang town, Guilin/Yangshuo with a beautifull cruise on the Li River, and Kumning city with the Stone Forest. We reached Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La to finish with a fantastic experience with Pandas in Chengdu. All the guides, who accompanied us, were top quality and spoke almost flawless English and were very knowledgeable. An absolutely unforgettable trip of a lifetime!!! Thank you Tracy and China Discovery Tours for all your dedication and help to make us experience extra special!!!
Jennifer H
USA
- Reviewed on August 23, 2019
Wendy Dan helped us plan our vacation. We added and subtracted from the vacation package. All of our guides were helpful, kind and informative. Mark our tour guide in Beijing felt like part of the family. We travelled with our 14 year old son and 17 year old daughter who were not always up for the challenge of the day. Each tour guide was engaging with the kids and helped to accommodate our needs as they unfolded. It was everything we read about and more.
Xi’an was a wonderful city with a beautiful nightlife for the entire family. Landscape, interactive lit up sidewalk, and a beautiful city park. The park has a rubber track to run, music pumped in and more landscape. Terra cotta warriors was overwhelming with the size of the site. Biking the ancient city wall was a must , fun and inexpensive.
Zhangjaijie was amazing and many unexpected parts. There are gardens within the park and monkeys! We spend a long time watching the monkeys swimming in the river. The town was easy to walk and we enjoyed shopping in the local supermarket.
Shanghai is an easy city and very modern. The Bund at night is a must. Seeing the sun set with the new Shanghai on one side of the river and the old on the other was unforgettable.
I loved every part of our trip. The suggestions that I gave to China Discovery was to provide a street map as I like to explore. The other tip I would suggest so to be aware that WeChat pay is the most preferred method of payment. We had cash which works but I was planning on Visa which was not taken at a few restaurants.
We saw many beautiful gardens, Beijing Olympic Park, historical sites, and modern cities. I wish I could list them all. I did a lot of reading and research before committing to the trip to China. We completely embraced the experience and hope more people take the opportunity to China. Highly recommend China discovery and a trip to China. Our whole family loved it.
Thomas G
USA
- Reviewed on August 10, 2019
I am a history major and I went to China to study ancient Chinese history. The tour guides were very knowledgable and would always answer my questions. It was by far my favorite vacation. Visiting the grottoes, Buddhist temples, museums, ancient fortifications, and cities were the highlights of this history major's experience. My favorite experience was visiting Pingyao ancient city. The walls were first built during the Western Zhou dynasty and the buildings are mostly from ancient China. I stayed in a hotel inside the ancient city, ate the local food, bought traditional clothing, and went to the bar at night. There are many bars that stay open late and some of the locals dress in traditional clothing. It felt like living in ancient China! If you are interested in shopping, there is a gift shop near the terracotta warriors museum that shows you how they are made. You can buy pretty much anything there from a replica terracotta statue with your face on it to furniture, pottery, and replica weapons. I bought a replica sword for 960 RMB and they shipped it to my house. There is also a silk museum in Shanghai where you can buy beautiful clothing. The local people were always very friendly, polite and interested in talking with you. I never felt nervous or disrespected during my stay. The tour guides will go out of their way to ensure you enjoy your visit. I would highly recommend China Discovery for anyone who is interested in visiting China. It is much nicer to have a tour guide show you all the fascinating things to explore and explain Chinese culture and history than visiting China without a tour guide and being blind to all these things.
Awkwardtrip
Australia
- Reviewed on June 18, 2019
Ms.Lyn wang was very cooperative & professional right from the time of enquiry, booking & arranging the customized China tour for 12 days covering Beijing, Yangtze river cruise, Zhangjiajie & Shanghai. We really appreciate her for organizing the tour in a very professional manner. We were bit apprehensive initially as we booked directly without any tour operator from my country of origin. It was very wonderful & pleasant experience and we really enjoyed every moment of it.
All all tour guides were very professional & cooperative giving all the required info of the tour. Yangtze river cruise by “president No-7” was very good & enjoyed the way they organised.
Zhangjiajie is a must visit place with such a scenic beauty & we feel three days there would have been more justified to enjoy thoroughly such a natural scenic beauty spot. But the only disappointment was the hotel “Wulingyuan Hotel” arranged was close to the hills but the food was really bad & couldn’t eat at all. The least we expected that the breakfast could be to suit overseas travellers, but was really not up to any standard. Suggest you to recommend any other hotels for overseas guests.
In Shanghai, there was much free time left after covering all the listed places as per itinerary & suggest tour guide could provide some local shopping tips in China as in Nanjing road it was all expensive which are otherwise generally available in any other country. Don't miss Bund walk in the evening, the skyline under lights is most delightful to watch /gaze.
Overall it was very nicely organised & we really appreciate your professionalism for well organised tour. I certainly recommend "China discovery" tour operator & happy to avail for any future tours in china.
uday196626
India
- Reviewed on June 17, 2019
Ms.Lyn wang was very cooperative & professional right from the time of enquiry, booking & arranging the customized China tour for 12 days covering Beijing, Yangtze river cruise, Zhangjiajie & Shanghai. We really appreciate her for organizing the tour in a very professional manner. We were bit apprehensive initially as we booked directly without any tour operator from my country of origin. It was very wonderful & pleasant experience and we really enjoyed every moment of it.
All all tour guides were very professional & cooperative giving all the required info of the tour. Yangtze river cruise by “president No-7” was very good & enjoyed the way they organised.
Zhangjiajie is a must visit place with such a scenic beauty & we feel three days there would have been more justified to enjoy thoroughly such a natural scenic beauty spot. But the only disappointment was the hotel “Wulingyuan Hotel” arranged was close to the hills but the food was really bad & couldn’t eat at all. The least we expected that the breakfast could be to suit overseas travellers, but was really not up to any standard. Suggest you to recommend any other hotels for overseas guests.
In Shanghai, there was much free time left after covering all the listed places as per itinerary & suggest tour guide could provide some local shopping tips in China as in Nanjing road it was all expensive which are otherwise generally available in any other country. Don't miss Bund walk in the evening, the skyline under lights is most delightful to watch /gaze.
Overall it was very nicely organised & we really appreciate your professionalism for well organised tour. I certainly recommend "China discovery" tour operator & happy to avail for any future tours in china.
Honora M
Ireland
- Reviewed on May 7, 2019
We have just returned from our holiday organized by Jack Li in China Discovery. This amazing tour lasted twenty days and we visited Beijing,Xi’an,Chengdu,Lijiang,Guilin, Yangshuo, Hangzhou and Shanghai. We found China Discovery to be an absolutely reliable tour company,responsible and very attentive. The service was of the highest quality- hotels,guides,drivers and all the restaurants attended and recommended. We have full confidence in recommending China Discovery for anyone needing a stress free holiday in China. In each location the guides were professional,enthusiastic and delighted to give us an insight into their community-history,customs,religions,fauna and flora. In fact each location was a highlight and we have a lifetime of unforgettable memories. We would like to thank Jack Li for customizing our tour and for taking such good care of us. It was a remarkable holiday made possible by the expertise and efficiency of China Discovery and its wonderful team.
daniela1122
UK
- Reviewed on April 28, 2019
We've just come back from 2 amazing weeks in China booked through China Discovery based in Chengdu, our travel consultant was Johnson. We chose a bespoke tour taking in Beijing, Xi'an, Chengu, then a short river cruise on The Yangtze, followed by a night in Zhangjiajie and finishing off in Shanghai. We had the most amazing time. Johnson organised the trip and was very patient with our infinte changes to the itinerary,
Johnson arranged all the transport within China, hotels, and guides in each of the cities, all guides spoke excellent english, were really well organised and knowlegeable. Ruby (in Chengdu), Kimi (in Xi'an) and Johnson (in Zhangjiajie) were absolutely excellent and made our stay really special. Having a guide cuts down the queueing time considerably as tickets are prebooked for you and they only need to be picked up, in some places there are preferential queues for guided tours.
We travelled mainly by high speed train, which is by far the most convenient way of seeing the country. We were astounded by how efficient, clean and punctual the trains were. We also used the underground system of most of the cities we stayed in, we found them all easy to navigate, modern, clean and punctual.
We had 3 days in Beijing, we stayed at the Park Plaza: excellent breakfast comfortable and clean rooms, excellent location. In Beijing we saw the Forbidden city, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace and had a great day on the Great Wall, which is astoundingly impressive, coming down on the tobbogan was great fun. We were supposed to visit the Hutongs and have a go at some calligraphy, but unfortunately due to a mix of Beijing traffic, an early afternoon train to catch and the calligraphy person being called away, we were unable to do this last activity.
The second stop was Xi'an, we stayed at the Grand Mercure on Remnin Square, Less impressive than the other hotels in the square, but comfortable and excellently located. It was built in the Soviet era and had an air of faded grandeur. The Terracotta Warriors were breathtaking and we had a lovely time cycling round the town walls. Xi'an is a really pretty city by night with bustling markets and pretty lights everywhere. We took the opportunity to learn to make dumplings and have lunch with a local family. This was a great experience. It was in one of the super-modern high rise buildings that are ubiquitous, the host was a former guide and it was one of the best meals we had in the holiday. It was more a demonstration of how to fill the dumplings rather than a cookery lesson, but we enjoyed it nevertheless.
Next stop Chengdu, home of the pandas. We stayed in the Dorset Grand, the only way to describe the hotel is WOW! The highlight was the Pandas, we enjoyed Renmin park and the Opera. We mentioned to our guide that we wanted to try the local hotpot so she stayed with us into the evening to help us with ordering and show us how it was done.
The next stop was Chongqing, from here we took a 3 day cruise on the Yangtze on the Century Legend, which was a lot of fun and restful after the busyness of the previous week. Food was ordinary at best. The cruise had group excursions, which made us really grateful that we booked a private tour with China Discovery for most of the holiday (rather than a group tour with a UK based agency) as there was a lot of hanging around waiting for other people. The quality of the guides provided by China Discovery was also much higher. Breathtaking scenary and an amazing feat of politics and engineering.
Second last stop Zhangjiajie, the slow train was incredibly interesting, and it was the first look of small town, rural China we caught. It had a completely different feel from the other places we visited. As we got there we wished we had followed Johnson's advice and stayed an extra day. To sum the place up in one word: spectacular, we saw Tianmen Mountain and the Yellow dragon cave.
Finally a last few days in Shanghai, we stayed at the Sunrise on the Bund, a beautiful hotel, but not really on the bund. We were unlucky that there were night roadworks going on outside our window, but the staff did their best to mitigate their impact. Shanghai does not really need a guide, it is quite westernised and it is easy to navigate. The advantage of having a guide is that you will pack much more into the day. Again, we were grateful to have one of China Discovery's guides for one of the 3 days we spent here. As when we asked the concierge at the hotel for direction for a shopping centre, he arranged for a taxi to take us to a really hard sale place that made us feel quite uncomfortable. During the rest of the holiday only twice we had been taken to places where we felt in some way obliged to buy something, but it was not a hard sell, the trips were listed on the itinerary and we could have said we did not want to go there.
Overall it was a great holiday and we have been so impressed by the organisation and value for money provided by China Discovery and Johnson that we are planning to do a tour of Southern China in the next couple of years.
Tamsin1802
Australia
- Reviewed on April 27, 2019
When researching tours of China we found that China Discovery was the perfect company to book with as we were able to customise our own trip.
We traveled to multiple destinations within China where we had our own personal guides which made the language barrier a breeze as we were able to thoroughly enjoy ourselves with no stress. The guides had excellent English and local knowledge and showed us many things that we would have otherwise missed.
I would not hesitate to recommend China Discovery and our tour coordinator Wing Zeng. She was excellent at planing the whole tour for us, including the internal travel arrangements. I was also very impressed with how she kept in contact with us throughout the entire trip.
When traveling domestically in China, we soon noticed that there were no signs in English at the airports so we were very grateful to have our tour guides assist us with the flight check-ins.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in China and would definitely recommend this company to others.
MunWC
Singapore
- Reviewed on March 18, 2019
Our group from Singapore & Malaysia with family members of 14 pax, had enjoyable trip in Shanghai 3D2N, by our tour guide Ms Laura, and itinerary planner Ms Rita. We actually be in Shanghai for Royal Carribean 5D4N “Quantum of the Seas”, where we boarded frm Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal. Many of our group members have been to Shanghai years ago, but now this re-visiting have been excellent pleasant experiences. We visited Yu Garden, Shanghai World Financial Centre, Starbucks Roastery, Tian Zi Fang, Buddha Temple. As limited time, we missed Shanghai Museum. But still everything is perfectly well arranged. Will definitely engage the team for next tour in China :).
Icantap222
USA
- Reviewed on March 14, 2019
We booked the 6-Day Shanghai Yangtze Cruise with China Discovery and had a blast! I was very nervous about booking everything online, but Yanny He, our travel consultant, was excellent! All my fears and concerns were handled and I was assured that guides would be there to pick us up and drop us off for the entire trip. It was like clockwork! The cruise was excellent---the ship well appointed (Century Sun), the included excursions wonderful, the lectures and entertainment on board outstanding, the crew delightful, and the scenery mind-blowing. Our days in Shanghai were chilly but lots of fun & our guide gave us some excellent suggestions beyond the tour. All in all I highly recommend China Discovery. Yanny He (my online consultant) was patient, knowledgeable in all aspects of the trip, and very organized---as were all the guides throughout the trip. If you love China or are curious about it, take this trip!
David R
South Africa
- Reviewed on March 13, 2019
Wonder Wang organised an incredible memorable tour for us. our ten day trip in China was faultless - from the minute we put our feet in China right up to our flight home we were cared for in every detail. our guides and their drivers were simply amazing. Forest in Beijing, besides being very knowledgeable was a caring and lovely human being. Avril in Shanghai and Vivian in Xian were excellent as well. Their English was excellent. Punctual, arranged great lunches and simply excelled in all areas. Wonder arranged lovely hotels in the best locations. I would highly recommend China Discovery to anyone who wants to travel in China. 110% all the way!!
Pam J
USA
- Reviewed on March 3, 2019
My son and I just returned from a seven day trip to Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai. The trip was booked with China Discovery and I would like to express my satisfaction and appreciation for a well organized and extremely enjoyable trip from beginning to end. The guides - Lindsay and Vivienne in Beijing , Timo in Xi'an , Laura in Shanghai were all organized, punctual, pleasant and professional. Everything went smoothly and we really enjoyed the 5-star hotel package. The food that was included exceeded our expectations for most of the time and the drivers were courteous and safe . Many thanks China Discovery for helping us to experience such a wonderful time.
Pecos2019
USA
- Reviewed on March 1, 2019
Every step of this tour from China Discovery was proactively, kindly and professionally managed by Rita Jiang. I was not sure where to start to safely book this once in a lifetime trip in China from the US. I found China Discovery and so glad I did. The trip to off the beaten path Putuoshan was gorgeous, spiritual and inspiring. I never could have done it by myself. My flight from the US to China was delayed by 24 hours and Rita quickly made accommodations for the delay during a stressful travel time for me. You can’t underestimate kindness, responsiveness and advocacy when traveling abroad, and I will be forever grateful to Rita and China Discovery for this life enhancing journey to China and Putuoshan Island. When headed back to China, I’ll be contacting them again. Highest recommendation from New Mexico, USA.
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Amazing Shanghai Travel Stories
Here are selected travel stories shared by our valued customers who visited Shanghai and more stunning places. May these stories ignite your wanderlust and make you pack your bags and go! If you want to read more interesting stories, click here>
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“Only You” - Couple’s Resounding 69 Days Private China Journey
Elie & Marie has successfully enjoyed their wonderful and romantic 10 week couple's private vacation and experienced a lot of interesting things in 32 destinations around vast China!
- Elie (Belgium)
- (69 Days) 2019.09.04~2019.11.11
- Beijing - Hohhot - Datong - Pingyao - Luoyang - Xian - Jiayuguan......Yunnan - Guilin - Xiamen - Hangzhou - Shanghai
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North American English Teachers’ China Trips to Visit Their Students off Internet
We customized three big group China trips for tens of VIPKid English teachers and their family members to visit Xian, Shanghai, etc. from Beijing and meet their students off Internet in China in 2019!
- VIPKid Teachers (USA/Canada)
- (9-21 Days) 2019
- Beijing - Xian - Shanghai - ...... - Beijing
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Winston's Couple Tour to 9 Cities around China plus Yangtze Cruise
Winston and his wife have traveled to many world places during the past 21 years and experienced the best vacation this time to explore China's west and east, north and south parts!
- Winston (USA)
- (22 Days) 2019.05.17~2019.6.07
- Beijing - Xian - Lhasa - Chengdu - Guilin - Longsheng - Yangshuo - Yangtze River Cruise - Shanghai - Suzhou - Beijing
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Returning Hometown to Regain Adopted Daughter's Confidence
Lawson's Family had an amazing family China tour with their two adopted daughters from China and touchingly helped their adopted ethnic little girl regain confidence.
- Lawson (UK)
- (19 Days) 2018.10.17~2018.11.04
- Shenzhen - Xiamen - Yongding - Guangzhou - Zhaoxing - Rongjiang - Congjiang - Yangshuo - Guilin - ... - Shanghai
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Cultural Immersion Trip in Ancient Capitals of China
William and his wife traveled to Huangshan and Zhangjiajie with us in 2017. This time they laid more emphasis on culture and history, so hey went to several ancient capitals.
- William (USA)
- (11 Days) 2018.03.22~2018.04.01
- Beijing - Taiyuan - Pingyao - Xian/Luoyang - Dengfeng - Zhengzhou - Kaifeng - Qufu - Mount Tai - Beijing
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Journey of Treasures - Hugging Nine Cities in Summer
In 22 days, we managed to see a far bit of the country. We started in Beijing had 4 days there and we went to The Forbidden City, go to the top and overlook Tiananmen Square which was amazing.
- Paul (Australia)
- 22 Days (2017.07.31~2017.08.21)
- Beijing - Datong - Pingyao - Xian - Chengdu - Guilin - Yangtze - Shanghai
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