Wonderful First Trip to China
I have just returned from a 12-day solo trip in China arranged by China Culture Tour. It’s amazing! What an incredible experience! First, China Culture is a legit company and it delivered. My planner is Nora, she is responsive, caring and flexible. We revised my itinerary a few times, added and removed some attractions. I originally planned for a visit in Sept 2024 but due to a medical situation, it’s postponed. I paid for my entire trip but Nora was able to cancel my flights and trains traveling within China without any extra charges. I asked them to keep the full payment and just completed my trip. The local guides in the 5 cities speak English well, some better than others. Nora helped me choose accommodations, breakfasts are always included and most lunches (unless I was flying or on trains) were also included and the food was delicious! She informed all the guides I am on a low carb diet, and the guides changed restaurants on the fly for my cuisine preferences, very accommodating. There’s rain in the forecast on my last day in Beijing, my guide and driver were able to extend their day and squeeze in my visit to Summer Palace so that we wouldn’t be visiting in the rain the following day. Nora then shopped and exchanged my train ticket for an earlier departure for Xi’an; hence, gave me extra time and a sunny day in Xi’an. I highly recommend this company and I am already planning my next visit with Nora for my family. Last tip: install and learn to use WeChat and Alipay app, link two credit cards and if you have friends who have bank accounts in China, exchange and transfer some cash to your apps. These are the most widely used payments in China for shopping, restaurants, taxi and gratuity.