Reviews

From the moment we met our group and our guide “Stone” I knew our first China experience was gonna be exciting and fun and it certainly lived up to expectations
The “Stone family”made this holiday working as one unit making sure no one’s left behind on the fast pace itinerary which included Shanghai, Ciqikou, Chengdu, Xian, Beijing
With full pack days, seeing all the sites Shanghai at night on a river cruise
Four nights on a river cruise on the Yangtze River gardens, temples, pandas terracotta army the Great Wall of China that’s not to mention shows why you’re having a meal in the evening dressing up as Emperor and Empress jumping on a plane four in the morning the experience being on the bullet trains to your internal destinations the food was incredible so many different varieties of Chinese food.
There is so much to see and do on this China experience there is not enough room on this page
If you want to experience China, this is the trip for you
A big thank you to Stone our guide and our local guides and to Wendy Wu for making this the best holiday for us

Really good and well organised tour. From the moment you arrived, with someone waiting for you, to the point you were returning home, somebody was there to walk you through process to get you checked in. "Frank" the tour guide was very, very good. Very knowledgeable, always approachable, and very helpful.
The places of interests on the tour were well chosen. Hotels chosen were clean and modern, with the staff very friendly...no complaints at all.
Traffic in Shanghai and Beijing at times was heavy, (even from somebody comes from London), but that's obviously out of Wendy Wu's control.
Would definitely recommend Wendy Wu, and this tour. Go for it.

Excellent guides, knowledgeable, friendly and very helpful.

Content of tour is very good, it covers all major sites, but felt too much is squeezed into the time allocated resulting in long and very tiring days. This relates primarily to the first few days in Beijing and Xi’an. The tour from the Yangtze through to Shanghai was perfect.

You need to be very aware of the physical requirements of this tour particularly if you are of more mature years as we had an elderly person who struggled to keep up and actually missed out as he couldn’t do some of trip..

An amazing full on experience that surpassed my expectations.
We travelled from Beijing to Shanghai escorted by our national guide Louis and a series of local guides. Our group of 14 (from Australia, New Zealand and UK) travelled by coach, boat, bullet train, high speed train and internal flights. Our hotels were of a very good standard, the food was plentiful and excellent but limited in choice for vegetarians.
Bucket lists were ticked at the Forbidden City, The Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors and let's not forget the Pandas.
Particularly memorable were a Drone spectacular by the river in Chongquin, a lakeside show in Guilin overlooked by the amazing illuminated Karst rock formations and the walled city of Xi'an as beautiful by night as it is by day.
China is an enormous country in the tiny bit we saw a country that although proud of it's heritage and ancient buildings does not dwell in the past. Parts of Shanghai resemble sets from a science fiction film - ultra modern, clean lines and very high tech.
My lasting memories will be of an amazing country with gracious, welcoming people. Would I go again - definitely if it wasn't quite so far away.
I ❤️ China

Grand Tour of China - April 2025
This was an exceptional tour, with a wide variety of sight seeing to suit all tastes - cultural, natural, historical, shopping and so much more.
Our group of 15 ranged from early 50's to 80 and all managed the level of activity because there were options at each site based on ability. That said there are quite a few steps wherever you go in China.
We really felt that we'd been able to experience the culture (and sub cultures of each province) on this tour and it very much lived up to expectations. If you can take the time out to do this - absolutely would recommend.
It was very well organised and our national guide - Ryan - was brilliant, and the local guides (one in each location) added local flavour and information.

Some hints & tips if you're thinking about booking this trip
* Flights - If you can, upgrade to Premium Economy, it's worth it for the long flight. Also, check the flight times you're provided and make sure they're suitable. We ended up with a midnight flight home, and the tour officially finishes at breakfast on the last day, so we arranged a visit to the zoo ourselves, but otherwise we would have been hanging around at the hotel until collection at 7pm
* Packing - get out what you think you need then reduce by at least a third. All the hotels have laundry service and one even had self-service free washers/dryers and detergent provided. It's very casual, and sometimes you go straight to dinner from touring so you don't need clothes to change for dinner. If you can pack in a medium case (instead of large) you'll find it easier when you're moving around between locations, and packing cubes are a god send.
* Internal transfers - these were smooth, flights, trains and coaches. Train stations in China are like airport terminals, you're scanned on the way in (and your bags are too). Also don't get caught out like we did - on trains you're not allowed any pressurised containers over 150ml (and they will pick you up on it), so think deodorant, hair spray, shaving gel - travel size is best
* Staying connected - we used an unlimited data e-sim from Holafly, £60 each for 30 days. Worked like a dream. Some others used VPNs but these were patchy. Without either of these, even with hotel wifi you won't be able to connect to Google, What's App, Facebook etc
* Food & drink - We never went hungry. Breakfasts are mainly asian, but also some western options (fried/boiled eggs, toast, croissants). Lunch and dinner are all chinese, family service. You will eat a lot of rice, noddles. There was lots of fresh veg as well, and a fish eating veggie in our group was well catered for. There is limited choice for drinks, most of our group had local beers (about £1.50 on average per 500ml bottle), soft drinks you could have coke or sprite (or coconut milk/water). These again were about £1 for a 330ml can. Don't expect diet alternatives.
* Mindset - don't think of this as a "holiday" that is restful. Think of it as an adventure. Some days we walked over 20,000 steps, other days only 4,500. Some mornings we met in reception as early as 7am, others not til 9.30am. One flight meant leaving the hotel at 4.30am (as it was the only flight from that city to the next - one flight a day)! Temperatures ranged from early 30's to mid teens, and we were blessed with only two drizzly days. Some locations have high humidity. You also need to be ready to be considered unusual - a spectacle - by the locals. Not all the places visit have lots of western tourists. I don't think I've had my photo taken by as many people in my entire life as I did in these 4 weeks. From school children in a museum being fascinated with us, to adults in the street wanting selfies (or trying to take them on the sly) - go with the flow and you'll enjoy it.
* Crowds - some of the places we visit are very crowded (partly due to the increase in domestic tourism in China), and they don't have the same culture of queuing/patience as we might have in the UK. They travel in large groups, and are often very noisy (large tour groups using loud speakers), Our guides and the timings we had for visits made the most of trying to avoid this, but you do need to think differently when in a crowd if you want to get to "the front" to see something!
* Optional extras - the night tour in Xian is an absolute MUST, we did some of the evening shows and not others depending on how tired we were. If you're a train fan, the optional trip on the MagLev in Shanghai was worth it.

A comp0rehensive well organised itinerary. Some very long days interspersed with adequate rst times. Good value for money though one or2 minor issues could be adressed .
The Box meal on arrival at the Holiday Inn Shanghai consistrd of a Subway Sandwich and a Pepsi, highly unmsatisfactory. The Holiday Inn Shanghai was the poorest of the hotels.
The Guides were good giving much insight and detail/

A fabulous tour incorporating all the key elements of China in one tour. It’s an action packed itinerary taking in all the key sites and carefully managed by your national guide, with local guides at each other main location to assist.

We had 24 on this tour group and everyone got on pretty well. Our National guide George took great care of us - he was super organised and his level of English was really impressive. He diligently catered for the various dietary requirements within the group and gave us rich insights into how China is. My last trip to China was in 1992 and the advancement is amazing! Certainly the standard of food and service facilities have improved massively!

There are several early morning starts but all understandable given that we had to cover vast distances using the various transport options - bullet trains, internal flights, cruise boats and we took a ride on the maglev train in Shanghai too! Beijing and Xian were amazing and stepped in history of course but beware that it’s full on with lots of walking as the sites are vast. The Great Wall is spectacular but that is pretty steep so those that are super for can get a challenge!

If would have been good to have a little break or chill day but we used the first day of the Yangtze River cruise to do this. The optional excursions are good - especially the acrobatics show and the night performance in Guilin if the weather permits it - go! We had a mini heatwave whilst we’re were there this March so be prepared and bring summer clothes!! Or buy some at Yangshuo!

Would highly recommend this tour and will definitely go with Wendy Wu Tours again.

Plenty to see in such a large country - this isn't just Beijing, Shanghai and Zian
Bullet trains fast,clean,punctual but no proper consideration for luggage storage,even worse than finding a space in a cabin bin on Easyjet
There is hardly any porterage which is a real pain with the frequent transfers between cities
Have plenty of Chinese currency -Visa and Mastercard pretty useless and Chinese apps unreliable
You won't want to see Chinese food for at least 6 months at home after facing nothing else for 3 weeks
Security oppressive - presented passport more in 3 weeks than in the previous 10 years
Tour manager needs to be really good as no one of note including hotel staff speak any English. I must say our tour manager Mark Wong was absolutely superb
The tourist group in this case worked well together with no problem participants
This was my 2nd time to China and I enjoyed this one much more than 2011
Terracotta warriors still highlight for me!
Good luck with your travels

A truly magical trip inside a magnificent country.
The trip from start, Beijing and finishing in Shanghai we covered vast distances ( quickly I my say) and saw a wonderful array of sights never to be forgotten.
This is ablely managed by Jason our magician of the tour guide , who is then further assisted by local guides you are extremely knowledgeable of their region to help you grasp the current region or historic issues and enhance your enjoyment, which they certainly did. Jason just makes all the various things that need to happen with the group, happen, he does professional behind a extremely well organised iternary and trip.
Well done Wendy Wu

This was a very interesting tour and we covered a huge area and enjoyed a tremendous amount of activities, sites and entertainments. It gave us a real insight into modern China and how impressively it is developing into a super modern country whilst retaining traditional culture and values.
Because China is so vast the tour entailed a lot of travelling which could be tiring, but without which we would not have seen so much.
Special mention must be made of our National guide Jason. He was tremendous; managing a group which included a number of people with mobility issues. Jason was painstaking in ensuring everyone was looked after; nothing was too much trouble for him and he really made the holiday special for all of us. All the local guides were also very good, especially Grace in Shanghai who was lovely.

Very well organised throughout the holiday apart from pick up from airport Not enough information on arriving to Hong Kong Jackie our main tour guide was very professional took meticulous attention on our needs felt very secure and looked after. I couldn’t recommend him more. Sammy in Shanghai wasn’t so good. I kept asking her to walk slower ended up getting lost for half an hour in the pouring rain Lily was absolutely lovely very knowledgeable and Jackie made a wonderful team. Angie was okay but didn’t give that little bit extra unlike Jackie and Lily all the restaurants were excellent very accommodating all the hotels were clean and some were excellent. The hotel in Hong Kong nice hotel, but the rooms were very basic . The guide in Hong Kong was very knowledgeable a very nice man who looked after the two of us perfectly old transport was good from taxis, coaches and airlines no complaints overall an excellent holiday. Very good value for money. I loved the whole experience of China and Hong Kong and I would definitely definitely, recommend Wendy to anyone

We saw the main tourist things in China, such as the wall, pandas and Terracotta warriors and had a relaxing cruise on the Yangtze river with trips from the boat, including some beautiful caves, and had talks on the boat to keep us occupied when cruising.

It was a disadvantage having to leave our hotel in Shanghai at 4.30am, yes, 4.30 am, to get our internal flight to pick up the boat that afternoon. So it was a very full-on tour. Glad I did it, and plenty of photos and good memories including evening shows.

This is not a holiday, it is an interesting, educational, cultural experience!
On 6th April 2024 we became part of” Ivy’s family “of fourteen. Four English, one New Zealander and the rest Australian (4 singles and 5 couples), a great combination. Due to jet lag we decided to fly to Beijing two days before the tour started-good idea.
Very few people had any English at all, even in the hotels. They did use translation app’s, to varying degrees of success. Downloading your own before you get to China is a good idea (wish we had).
Ivy, our national tour guide was with us throughout the 26 days. How she got us all from Beijing to Shanghai via three domestic flights (enormous airports with very tight security), three train journeys (gigantic stations) and all the tours without losing anyone was a mystery to us all. She made us all feel safe in an environment alien to ours. Forests of sky-high, tower blocks as far as you could see, cars, bikes, scooters and people everywhere. You couldn’t read anything or communicate.
When we arrived in a place we were met by a local guide, so had two looking after us most of the time.
Food was ordered for us by the local guides and Ivy depending on the area we were in and any group likes and dislikes of food. All dishes were put on a lazy Susan (always plenty, you won’t starve) for everyone to try. We practised with chopsticks before going- good idea, some restaurants provided full cutlery, some hunted round for forks and one had to give extra little china spoons (normally for soup) only thing they had apart from chopsticks!
On this trip you don’t need a scarf for temples or clothes for sleeping overnight on a train. You need layers as temperatures differ. A cotton cardigan was the most useful item. Thin plastic mac, sunhat, lipsil, sun block, mosquito repellent in some areas and a good pair of trainers.
All the hotels had toilet paper. Just remember to take some with you when out and about as few public loos (which are abundant and free) have paper. Some have paper you collect before going into the cubicle. Look out for disabled toilet or potty toilet or pedestal, otherwise you’re in the squat!
We averaged 12,000 steps a day (ranging from 6,000 to 19,000) at a moderate pace. Not all due to the tour, we preferred to walk round rather than sit with a coffee during free time.
Go on every optional shows/tour they offer, as they were all exceptional experiences!
Goggle and WhatsApp (blocked in China) TV in English if you’re lucky. Free Wi-Fi in most hotels.
Thank you to all the Wendy Wu staff for all your excellent organisation. All the local guides (especially Max and Bell) who introduced us to their home areas. Our very special thanks to Ivy.

This was the holiday of a lifetime and proved to be excellent value. Everything was perfectly planned and managed by Wendy Wu Tours, from booking onwards. The schedule was jam-packed and we were able to see so many different aspects of China and its long history, accompanied by local guides in each main region who put our experiences in context for us, and our national guide who was with us from start to finish and became a valued friend. I was truly sad to leave this wonderful country.
Photos:
Nothing can prepare you for the immensity of the Terracotta Warriors display near Xi'an.
Our evening river cruise in Shanghai was unforgettable.
A peaceful afternoon by the lake at the Summer Palace in Beijing.

For those that are considering the "Glories of China" offering from Wendy Wu, but remain doubtful if a multi-centre guided tour, in the best hotels with inclusive meals is a bit too expensive. May I tell you, I thought the same thing before I booked. But I am so glad I went for it. The Tour was jam packed with things to see and do. 2x internal flights, a 4 1/2 hour river cruise. Bullet train and Mag-Lev train journeys. Going to the top a skyscraper in Shanghai and viewing the city lights at night from a river boat. What an amazing spectacle. You will experience the hustle and bustle of cities and the more sedate pace of rural life. You can catch a show or two, or three. And if you're worried about the food, the cuisine was second to none, with a few local delicacies thrown in. There was always plenty to go around. Then there are the tourist landmarks, The Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Yu Gardens, Xian city walls, The Terracotta army, Guilin Pagodas, and more. I came away wowed. And wanting to do it all again. Amazing!!