Agate Travel in the Media

We booked our two-week trip to China through TravelChinaGuide and visited Beijing, Xi’an, Guilin, Yangshuo, the Yangtze River Cruise, and Shanghai.
We are delighted to say that we were overwhelmed by the excellent service provided throughout our holiday. All of the guides were friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. The vehicles were clean and comfortable, and the drivers were safe and courteous.
From the moment we arrived in Beijing until our departure from Shanghai, we were looked after in a friendly, professional, and safe manner.
During our Beijing tour, our guide was Selina. We had an issue with some tickets, but she handled it with great efficiency and a calm, relaxed approach.
In Xi’an, our guide Lola was extremely knowledgeable and provided fascinating insights throughout our visit.
In Guilin, Arthur guided us for three days. He was exceptionally friendly, experienced, and helpful. My wife accidentally left her iPad at one of the hotels, and we did not even realise it had been left behind until Arthur arranged for it to be recovered and returned to us. We were extremely grateful for his kindness and assistance.
For our Yangtze River Cruise, we travelled on the Century Victory. The crew’s hospitality was extraordinary, and the food and entertainment were excellent.
The Three Kingdoms Fire Show was a marvellous experience and one of the highlights of our trip. The scale of the performance, special effects, and storytelling were outstanding, and I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area.
After disembarking from the cruise in Yichang, Jacky was extremely helpful in organising the onward journey for my son and ourselves. His assistance made the transfer smooth and stress-free, and we greatly appreciated his support.
Shanghai was an amazing experience. We would like to thank Neo for showing us around the city and our driver for ensuring we arrived safely at the airport. Both were professional, friendly, and helpful throughout our time in Shanghai.
Throughout the trip, the train journeys were comfortable, and the cultural performances and shows were amazing.
Finally, I would like to thank Kina Lu for putting together a seamless itinerary. Everything was well organised, and we encountered very few issues. We will definitely visit China again, and we would happily use her company to arrange our future trips.
Every guide and driver we met during our trip was wonderful, and we would highly recommend TravelChinaGuide to anyone planning to visit China.
The Chinese people were amazing. Although there was sometimes a language barrier and communication could be challenging, people were always willing to help. We found them to be friendly, welcoming, and kind throughout our travels.
Thank you for helping make our visit to China such a memorable experience.
Travel Tips
* If you are travelling long distances by road, check with your travel agent about the type of vehicle provided, as a comfortable car can make a significant difference.
* At many Chinese railway stations, boarding typically opens only about 15 minutes before departure. This gives limited time to present your passport, reach the platform, locate your carriage, and board the train. It is worth researching the station layout and boarding process in advance.
* If you need access to services such as Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, or other Western apps while in China, arrange a suitable VPN before you travel, as many services are restricted. We used Airalo E sim Asia and we didn’t need a VPN
* The train journeys were efficient, comfortable, and an excellent way to travel between cities. We found them to be a very enjoyable part of the overall experience.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to China. The country is rich in history, culture, natural beauty, and modern development. We look forward to returning in the future.
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We booked our two-week trip to China through TravelChinaGuide?? and visited Beijing, Xi’an, Guilin, Yangshuo, the Yangtze River Cruise, and Shanghai.
We are delighted to say that we were overwhelmed by the excellent service provided throughout our holiday. All of the guides were friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. The vehicles were clean and comfortable, and the drivers were safe and courteous.
From the moment we arrived in Beijing until our departure from Shanghai, we were looked after in a friendly, professional, and safe manner.
During our Beijing tour, our guide was Selina. We had an issue with some tickets, but she handled it with great efficiency and a calm, relaxed approach.
In Xi’an, our guide Lola was extremely knowledgeable and provided fascinating insights throughout our visit.
In Guilin, Arthur guided us for three days. He was exceptionally friendly, experienced, and helpful. My wife accidentally left her iPad at one of the hotels, and we did not even realise it had been left behind until Arthur arranged for it to be recovered and returned to us. We were extremely grateful for his kindness and assistance.
For our Yangtze River Cruise, we travelled on the Century Victory. The crew’s hospitality was extraordinary, and the food and entertainment were excellent.
The Three Kingdoms Fire Show was a marvellous experience and one of the highlights of our trip. The scale of the performance, special effects, and storytelling were outstanding, and I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area.
After disembarking from the cruise in Yichang, Jacky was extremely helpful in organising the onward journey for my son and ourselves. His assistance made the transfer smooth and stress-free, and we greatly appreciated his support.
Shanghai was an amazing experience. We would like to thank Neo for showing us around the city and our driver for ensuring we arrived safely at the airport. Both were professional, friendly, and helpful throughout our time in Shanghai.
Throughout the trip, the train journeys were comfortable, and the cultural performances and shows were amazing.
Finally, I would like to thank Kina Lu for putting together a seamless itinerary. Everything was well organised, and we encountered very few issues. We will definitely visit China again, and we would happily use her company to arrange our future trips.
Every guide and driver we met during our trip was wonderful, and we would highly recommend TravelChinaGuide to anyone planning to visit China.
The Chinese people were amazing. Although there was sometimes a language barrier and communication could be challenging, people were always willing to help. We found them to be friendly, welcoming, and kind throughout our travels.
Thank you for helping make our visit to China such a memorable experience.
Travel Tips
* If you are travelling long distances by road, check with your travel agent about the type of vehicle provided, as a comfortable car can make a significant difference.
* At many Chinese railway stations, boarding typically opens only about 15 minutes before departure. This gives limited time to present your passport, reach the platform, locate your carriage, and board the train. It is worth researching the station layout and boarding process in advance.
* If you need access to services such as Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, or other Western apps while in China, arrange a suitable VPN before you travel, as many services are restricted. We used Airalo E sim Asia and we didn’t need a VPN
* The train journeys were efficient, comfortable, and an excellent way to travel between cities. We found them to be a very enjoyable part of the overall experience.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to China. The country is rich in history, culture, natural beauty, and modern development. We look forward to returning in the future.Collapse

I have travelled to many countries, and have taken many guided tours. Tour operators differ, and often what is advertised is not what is delivered. That was not the case with TravelChinaGuide Tours. To begin with, I initially reached out for the sole purpose of booking our train from Shanghai Hongqiao to Beijingnan. The arrangements were incredibly smooth and absolutely perfectly planned. We were delivered what we hoped for and even when a change was made prior to travel, the request was accommodated without any pause or issue.

During the course of scheduling the train, I learned of their other tours and the abilities of TravelChinaGuide Tours to accommodate my needs and desires. We had our transportation to and from the station and the hotel arranged for, and we changed our planned excursion from another provider - simply because of the way I was treated by Sophie and Christina. I had a feeling that this was who I needed to engage for our travel tour needs.

We arranged for a trip to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall at Mutianyu. Included was a buffet lunch. Our situation was a bit different, as my wife currently travels using a cane due to an injury she sustained last year while in Shanghai. There was never a concern mentioned, and I was assured that the guide would take her limitations into consideration. Our Guide, Sarah, was nothing less than incredible.

Sarah arrived at our hotel early, and was eagerly waiting our arrival. She met us with a smile and was easy to identify. Right from the beginning, we felt at ease and as if we were actually traveling with a friend as opposed to a professional guide (then again, is that not what a professional guide is supposed to do, but often does not?). She travelled at our pace, and provided so much invaluable and interesting information during the tour. Never did we feel rushed or get the feeling that we were dragging her behind, nor did we sense any form of irritation when we had to slow the pace a bit. I think she was actually a bit surprised with the ability of my wife to navigate things with a cane, but again, it was never made an issue.

Lunch provided was equally as impressive, even if a “designated” stop for most tours. There was an abundance of food of every kind - vegetarian needs were met along with us carnivores and pescatarians. Delicious, fresh and nicely and clearly displayed along with english translations. It was actually one of the better meals that we had during the Beijing portion of our trip!

The tour itself was nothing less than perfect. We walked the entirety of the Forbidden City and along the way Sarah would explain the different aspects of the city itself, along with the history of Beijing and Nanjing and the different emperors and powers the developed China as we know it today. This was not just a history lesson - it was a comfortable dive into the history of China that was interesting, engaging and left us wanting to learn and do more. At “the Wall”, we were similarly educated as to the nature of the wall, why and by whom it was built and the modernization / repair that has taken place at different points along the structure itself. Once again, we were left wanting to learn more, not because we did not learn enough or that was was shared was typical tour guide “fluff”, but because of Sarah’s knowledge and enthusiasm it made us want to.

In fact, we are already planning our trip next year and will certainly look to TravelChinaGuide Tours and Sarah to fill the need. Without question.

TourChinaGuide Tours, Sophie, Christina and Sarah, are absolutely the best professional tour guides and operators that you could hope for. The value is incomparable and I highly recommend them for any of your travel tour needs in Beijing, or wherever they may be. They have certainly earned my complete trust.Collapse