China · HISTORICAL TOURS
This is the shortlist to send a friend: 15 historical tours worth the money, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to know before you commit.
Full-day Beijing tour to Lama Temple, Summer Palace and Panda Garden, with lunch, transport, tickets, and a silk demo for about $93.
“This was a very good tour to get a feel for a Beijing first visit. Great guide, very well organized. The Panda's were awesome. Great value for the price.”
Beijing in one day with an English-speaking guide, hotel pickup, and visits to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and Temple of Heaven.
“Delayed start, queuing to buy additional tickets despite buying skip the line... lunch didn't cater for all participants... guide unprofessional. I left early...”
Half-day Jewish Shanghai tour from the Bund to Hongkou Ghetto, with the Ohel Moishe Synagogue museum and Huoshan Park memorial sites.
“This was an amazing experience. Dvar really knew his stuff. Incredible info on the tombstones and where some of them were found. If you want to learn about the history of Jewish life in Shanghai, this is the tour.”
3.5-hour Beijing walk with hutong stories, street food tasting, Liulichang calligraphy creation, and a tips-based guide.
“I had such a good time during this tour in Beijing and it exceeded all my expectations! Hao was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the city's history, providing various insights at every stop. Highly recommended for anyone looking to explore Beijing in such unique way!”
Walk from Gangxia North to Shenzhen Museum and Lian Hua Park, then watch a drone deliver your drink from the air for skyline views.
“explained so good and felt at ease with them. will recommend.”
Private Guangzhou history tour with the Nanyue King tomb, Six Banyan Temple, Shamian Island, and a Cantonese lunch, plus hotel pickup.
“This tour is great as you are taken to the historical sights of the city. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and being a private tour meant that the driver of the van was ready and waiting for us each time. This made you feel special and being taken care of in such a busy and large city where English is not the first language.”
Visit Beijing’s Bell and Drum Towers with tickets for both sites, an English PDF guide, and a chance at a drum show.
“Una torre de tambores frente a un campanario. No está mal si ya has hecho todo lo que podías hacer en Pekín y te apetece saber cómo daban la hora en la ciudad antigua. Sin más”
Book a Tiananmen Square entry reservation in Beijing for $4.82, get an English text and visual guide, and skip the ticket line.
“I had no idea of the time it takes to visit this place. Standing in line for 2 hours is minimum, so it takes at least half the day, if you rush it. In the end I missed it because I had to leave for another tour, so I stayed in line 1h for nothing. I believe the preparation of time should be listed loud and clear. Because if I knew it, I would have planned accordingly.”
Private day trip from Guangzhou to UNESCO Kaiping diaolou and villages, with an English guide, car pickup, and countryside old-town stops.
“It was a nice trip to visit beautiful historical old town & village. Location is not too far from Guangzhou city, we only spent 8 hours in total for this trip. It was also very quiet in weekdays.”
Private Beijing tour pairing Tian’anmen and Forbidden City with Houhai Hutong walks, plus optional Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, or Great Wall add-ons.
“Alice did a wonderful job and made the tour memorable and insightful.”
Private Hong Kong tour of Central, Victoria Peak, old town, Kowloon and Sham Shui Po, with Peak Tram fast track and street food.
“Despite the rain, Stephanie allowed us to spend a beautiful day full of discoveries and with various means of transport, Peak Tram, Ding ding, ferry, metro! Historic landmarks, places that could not be found alone but also must-sees, a restauRead moreAuto-translated”
Private 4-hour Shanghai art and history tour to M50, Tianzifang, and the Propaganda Poster museum, with hotel pickup and included tickets.
“We loved the art and history tour with Mason. The artists quarter and the poster collection were very interesting. Mason also gave us a lot of interesting inputs about Chinese history and culture.”
A packed 1-day Guilin tour with Elephant Trunk Hill, Reed Flute Cave, Daxu ancient streets, and a cormorant fishing evening in Xingping.
“L'agenzia mi ha contattata per essere sicura che l'itinerario fosse tutto quello che cercavo, e si sono anche proposti di organizzarmi il giorno successivo, secondo le mie esigenze (chiedevo di vedere qualcosa in più che purtroppo non si poteva visitare lo stesso giorno per la distanza). Soffro di mal d'auto ma mi è capitato il migliore autista che potesse capitarmi! Consiglio a tutti Blues Lee, una persona competente, gentilissima e disponibile che ha saputo rendere i miei due giorni a Guilin e dintorni perfetti, dandomi consigli e informazioni importanti sui luoghi che ho visitato. Non è un semplice autista, è molto di più! Lo consiglio a tutti”
Shanghai Natural History Museum admission with interactive exhibits on fossils, biodiversity, evolution, and hands-on science experiences in Jing’an.
“Great and quality natural really natural you can feel it”
Private Shanghai colonial history day with hotel pickup, French Concession, Tian Zi Fang, Thames Town, the Bund, archives, and dumpling lunch.
“The tour guide, Troy, was as knowledgeable as any guide I have had in China. His English was perfect. He was polite, accommodating, and flexible. A most enjoyable day in Shanghai. Thank you, Troy!”
Pick a landmark, a landscape or a meal, and start the trip there.
