11-Day China Group: Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin & Shanghai, No Shopping

Traveler Reviews

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  Ming4.0•May 2026
  The itinerary was as advertised: Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, Shanghai. The tour busses were large and newer. The...
  The itinerary was as advertised: Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, Shanghai. The tour busses were large and newer. The inter-city transport was fine, although some tour members complained about a change from air to high speed rail on one leg of the trip (we didn't mind at all). The tour description said a maximum of 18 people - but we were 22 in Beijing & Xi'an. This annoyed me, but there was plenty of room on the busses. There were no enforced shopping stops (as advertised) so I imagine the larger group was either a profit opportunity or a way to reduce costs. And the guides, especially Celine in Xi'an, were excellent. Some elderly members complained of the fast pace - but such is a guided tour, and no one was left behind. My only complaint was that at the last minute, a cultural dinner show was claimed to be an extra cost. We paid it, but later realized the same show was included in our tour description and our pre-paid price. Tour company (Agate Travel) did reimburse me 100% for the extra I paid (for something included in my tour contract) but it took a good amount of pressure from me and they even tried to negotiate a smaller refund than I was owed - leaving me annoyed again. I would consider traveling with Agate again because the facilities were the best available in each area. However, I'd keep a close eye on any extras or changes that might cost me more than the contracted price.Show more
  Traveled in March 2026
  

  Reply from: Agate Travel

  Thank you for this detailed and honest feedback. We are thrilled that you enjoyed the itinerary and especially Celine in Xi'an. However, we sincerely apologize for the confusion regarding the cultural dinner show, and we are truly sorry for the frustration it caused you. We also appreciate your comments about the other aspects. We will use all of this to improve. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to do better.

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  Kevork5.0•May 2026
  We had a wonderful trip. The entire team did all their best to make everything very easy and very pleasant for us....
  We had a wonderful trip. The entire team did all their best to make everything very easy and very pleasant for us. Within short period of time, we covered many of China’s highlights, Hotels were at high standard, rooms were new, large and comfortable. Breakfast were excellent, Local train and plain rides were very well organized, and they went very smooth. They took our luggages at the hotel and we picked them back when we arrived to our destination. Our checking was done when we arrived to the airport and to train station. Agate Travel response time to our watsup messages were almost immediate. Amy was amazing to respond to our questions and our needs, and she deserves big reward for her services.Show more
  Traveled in April 2026
  

  Reply from: Agate Travel

  Thank you for your wonderful feedback! We are absolutely thrilled to hear that your trip was smooth and enjoyable. Our team works hard to make travel seamless, so knowing that the luggage transfers, check-ins, and hotel standards met your expectations means a lot to us. I will pass along your kind words and recognition to Amy, she will be delighted to hear that. We would love to welcome you back for another adventure in the future. Thanks & Best regards,

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• CY

  Carl5.0•November 2019
  This is a great tour that packs a lot in. Time flies as you see so much although you won't spend long at many of the...
  This is a great tour that packs a lot in. Time flies as you see so much although you won't spend long at many of the sites. My favourite bits of the itinerary were: - The Great Wall at Mutianyu (Beijing) we took the chair lift option which meant we could ride the toboggan back down. - Terracotta Warriors (Xian) half day - Li River Cruise (Guilin) - Huangpu River Cruise (Shanghai) which luckily turned into an evening cruise as we couldn't get on the earlier one. Those are the highlights but there are so many other things such as the Tang Dynasty Dancing and Dumpling Dinner and Summer Palace in Beijng and Reed Flute Caves in Guilin. In particular Guilin so picturesque and Shanghai so modern. We were lucky with our first two guides, Tina (Beijing) and Celine (Xian) who were both excellent. Autumn in Guilin and Mindy in Shanghai were good too. Autumn stayed with us to help us find and order food in the evenings so a couple of long shifts for her. Celine helped arrange a birthday cake for one of our younger travellers. Included meals were excellent. Full banquets usually in local restaurants but we really enjoyed the home cooked lunch as well. Food was plentyful. We even enjoyed the set meal box on the cruise. Hotels were generally of a good standard. Check-in at The Great Wall Hotel in Beijing was really slow though and trying to find a table for breakfast was difficult and located a fair distance away from where the restaurants are (need to get the subway to reach them) The hotel in Guilin was the worst one, the rooms being some distance away from the lift and lobby and small bathrooms. The hotel in Shanghai was excellent. It was nice touch that we got framed photo souvenirs of our trip from Beijing although I think both myself and my sister should have received one each as we paid for single supplements. Some feedback I'd give would be that they need to let us know about the optional night tours that are available on the website/ itinerary before we come out so that we can budget properly. There was a night visit for the Big Goose Pagoda in Xian with the musical fountain light show which we would have liked to have gone to didn't go to due to the weather. We found that the night cruise in Guilin was expensive as the premium we paid for the guide to buy the tickets and come onboard with us was excessive. We could have just walked to the ticket office and bought the tickets ourselves. The night tour of Shanghai was just as expensive but at least that included a coach to drive us around as well as the guide. Having said that, we could have used the subway and got around ourselves and because it started so late, we didn't see much. It is worth going up Jin Mao Tower. Overall, we had a great time on this trip and would recommend Travel China Guide.Show more
  Traveled in October 2019
  

  Reply from: Agate Travel

  Dear Carl Yu, How kind of you to have posted this inspiring review! Thank you for recommending TravelChinaGuide (a branch website of AgateTravel). We are very grateful for your review on our services, especially your four guides in each city. We are proud of having such professional and attentive tour guides who always make their great efforts to provide high-quality service. Also, what a nice thing to hear that you were satisfied the itinerary. Meanwhile, we are sorry for your disappointment with the arrangement of hotels in Beijing and Guilin, as well as the cost and time arrangement of the night tours. Our customer service team has begun their work on these to make improvements. Thank you for your encouragement. Your support is our greatest reward and it is our sincere hope that you will join us to explore other holiday destinations again! Wish you a good day!

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