Do I need a visa to visit China?

Most European passport holders, and citizens of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Malaysia, can enter China visa-free for up to 30 days. US and Canadian travellers still need a visa, or can use the 240-hour visa-free transit if they are flying onward to a third country.

Can I use a foreign credit card in China?

Yes. Visa and Mastercard can be linked to Alipay or WeChat Pay inside the app, and both accept foreign cards. Larger hotels and international chains take cards directly; small restaurants and taxis usually do not.

How far in advance should I book?

Eight to twelve weeks for peak dates in July, August and the first week of October. Three to four weeks is usually enough in March, April, May, September and November.

Are your tours private?

Every journey on this site is private: your own guide, your own driver and vehicle, and a departure date of your choosing. We do not run coach groups.

The Great Wall at dawn, ridges fading into haze

Multi-city routes · 38 journeys · 2 to 15 days

The wall at dawn.
The train by lunch.

We plan the long routes through China — the ones that need a car, a guide, three trains and someone who knows which temple gate opens at seven. We do it from inside the country.

See the routes Tell us your dates

350km/h

Beijing to Shanghai
in 4h 18m

0cash

Your Visa card works
inside WeChat and Alipay

240hours

Visa-free transit
across 24 provinces

12regions

Provinces and cities
we actually operate in

Length

2–4 days 5–7 days 8–10 days 11+ days

Where

Yunnan Beijing Xi'an Shanghai Guilin

Signature routes

Journeys we run most often

Fixed shapes, flexible dates. Each one is a real working itinerary — the same version our guides carry, not a marketing summary.

All 38 journeys

15 Days China Classic Tour to Beijing, Xi’an, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang & Shanghai

BeijingXi'anKunmingDaliLijiang

From US$3,595 per person Beijing · Shanghai

12 Days Beijing Xian Tibet Shanghai Gold Experience

BeijingXi'anLhasaShanghai

From US$3,220 per person Beijing · Shanghai

14 Days Complete Yunnan Tour to Kunming, Xishuangbanna, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-la & Tengchong

KunmingXishuangbannaDaliLijiangShangri-la

From US$3,005 per person Yunnan

4 Days Guilin Yangshuo Classic Tour

GuilinYangshuo

From US$935 per person Guilin

3 Days Beijing Classic Tour to Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace & Temple of Heaven

Beijing

From US$700 per person Beijing

6 Days Tibet Tour to Lhasa & Shigatse

LhasaShigatse

From US$1,575 per person Tibet

China now

The part nobody warns you about

Most guides describe China as it was. Here is what actually changes your day: the trains, the payments, the hours, the safety.

01 — Rail

You can cross the country before dinner

Beijing to Shanghai is 4h 18m at 350 km/h. Your passport is your ticket: no printing, no counter, no queue. We book the exact carriage and seat direction so you face forward with the view.

High-speed network48,000 km

02 — Payment

Your card works. Your cash barely does.

Link a Visa or Mastercard to Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly and the whole country opens: metro gates, street stalls, temple tickets, a ¥3 bottle of water. Set it up in ten minutes at home.

Foreign cards acceptedVisa · MC · Amex

03 — Hours

2am is a normal hour to eat

Cities stay awake. Night markets, 24-hour noodle shops, convenience stores on every block, and streets that stay lit and busy long after the last train.

Late-night safetyConsistently high

04 — Visas

You may not need a visa at all

30-day visa-free entry for much of Europe, Australia and New Zealand; 240-hour transit for the US, UK and others. The rules moved twice this year, so we check them against your passport before you book flights.

Verified per passportBefore deposit

Where we work

Eight regions, run by people who live there

All destinations

Yunnan 12 routes

Beijing 16 routes

Xi'an 10 routes

Shanghai 13 routes

Guilin 8 routes

Guizhou 2 routes

Tibet 4 routes

Yangtze Cruises 4 routes

How we work

A planner, a guide, and a phone number that answers

We are an operator, not a marketplace. The person who quotes your trip is in the same office as the team that runs it on the ground.

You send dates and a rough plan

No forms with forty fields. A sentence about who is coming and what you want to see is enough to start.

We reply with a real itinerary

Day by day, with the trains named, the hotels priced and the driving times honest. One revision round is included before you commit.

We operate it ourselves

Our guides, our drivers, our 24-hour line. If a flight moves, the person who fixes it works for us.

Serving travellers since: 2004
Years on the ground: 22 years
Licence: L-GX-CJ00096
Based in: China
Journeys published: 38
Group style: Private only

Booking a long route?

Peak dates in July, August and early October sell out eight to twelve weeks ahead. Send dates early and we can hold hotels while you decide.

Check availability