China Tours & Holidays

You'll get to see the world's most famous wall on most of our China holidays that begin or end in Beijing. And that's the vast majority of them. An afternoon is spent at the popular Badaling section of the wall and unlike many other operators, we also spend a night at a hotel right beside the wall. This means you get to revisit the Great Wall the following morning before the crowds arrive and enjoy views of the Juyongguan Pass from your hotel. If you're interested in knowing more about the different sections of the wall, check out our page on visiting the Great Wall.

The best place to see pandas in China is the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. This non-profit facility is home to over 80 pandas and enables visitors to observe the monochrome bears at play. We have five different escorted itineraries that include time in Chengdu and a morning visit to the panda centre so you have a few options available if pandas are on your wishlist. For more information, see our guide to visiting pandas in China.

Yes we do. The majority of our China group tours start in Beijing and end in Shanghai but we also have two touring itineraries that operate in reverse - starting in Shanghai and ending in Beijing. The most popular is our 8 day Shanghai to Beijing tour. There's also a round-trip itinerary from Shanghai that covers the highlights of southern China. Browse our collection of China trips to find the one that's right for you.

If you've already visited Beijing and the Great Wall then you might want to consider China's scenic south. This region of China is famous for its iconic landscapes, holy mountains, lush rice terraces and delicious cuisine. We have two itineraries that focus solely on the south of China, kicking off in either Shanghai or Chengdu. We also offer tailor-made holiday arrangements in China and our expert team are on hand to help create your perfect itinerary.

Our average tour size in China is 18 travellers and you can expect an interesting dynamic with people from all walks of life. And this includes a wide range of ages from the mid-20s to the early 70s. The average age is somewhere between 35 and 55 years of age.

You'll be staying in comfortable, Western-style 3-4 star hotels with good sized rooms and modern amenities. Our hotel beside the Great Wall is a little more simple but what the hotel lacks in facilities it more than makes up for with its location and views of China's most impressive man-made structure.

You'll get to sample a range of transport modes on our China holidays, from bicycle rides along ancient city walls to rickshaw rides through Beijing's most historic districts. There's also the chance to cruise along the Huangpu River in Shanghai and the pretty canals of Suzhou. For road transfers we use private A/C vehicles and for longer journeys we use comfortable overnight soft sleeper trains in private four-berth carriages. See our Top Travel Tips page for more details on sleeper trains in China.

The spring months (March - May) and autumn months (September - November) are considered the best time to visit China. During these seasons the weather is generally dry and temperatures not too hot nor too cold. The skies are also clearer with less smog in the cities and lower rainfall. You can find more detailed information, including climate averages, on our best time to visit China page.