China · MORNING
Good morning tours fill up weeks ahead; the great ones go first. Below: the 14 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
A 4-hour Shanghai half-day tour with hotel pickup, English guide, and key sights, from Jade Buddha Temple to the Bund and Yu Garden.
“He was a great guide. He explained everything so very well. We packed a lot into the very varied afternoon.”
Morning Terracotta Army tour with an English guide, skip-the-line tickets, and a local family lunch in Xi’an.
“Andy was more than a perfect guide for our trip. He really helped us understand Chinese culture to a deep level. Going to see his family was a really rich experience and each place that we saw, he knew how to add knowledge to the visits. We really recommend booking him !”
Xi'an tuktuk morning food tour: unlimited bites and drinks, Muslim Quarter breakfast, local market walk, 4-5 stops in 4 hours.
“Buren has been the best tour guide, he showed us traditional dishes in Xi'an made by the real locals and family business shops. He is so passionate about food and gave us very nice recommendations to visit after. Thank you so much!”
Easy morning bus to Mutianyu Great Wall with skip-the-line tickets, a long 5-hour visit, and optional cable car.
“I appreciated the efficient transportation, the continuous assistance, the resolution of any inquiry. My special thanks to Betty and Liz!”
Overnight Great Wall camping with tents and bedding, plus sunrise and sunset views from the Wall, including private Beijing transfers for $350.
“If visiting China and the Great Wall this is worth every cent. Definitely the highlight of our time in China.”
Half-day Pu'er tea picking and tasting near Yunnan, with pickup, hands-on leaf picking, processing farm tour, tea tastings, and lunch.
“I was really intrigued by the itinerary of this trip: there aren’t many such trips for english speaking travellers. But I was a bit hesitant because there weren’t many reviews and I am a solo female traveller. Maxime put me completely at ease. I reached out via email and he responded promptly and reassuringly. The trip was everything I wanted it to be, and more. It was a very authentic experience walking through the tea plantation and engaging with the tea plantation manager. I love Chinese tea and know a little about it, but I learnt so much more during the trip. My only regret is not having enough time…”
3-hour tea ceremony and dim sum tasting on Beijing’s Maliandao Street with eight teas, lunch, a small-group guide, and an easy subway meetup.
“Excellent experience with Renny, who was very warm, friendly and helpful. Started at the really vast and interesting "tea city" and had a lovely and peaceful time trying lots of teas in a tea tasting ceremony. Then had some delicious food including pork dumplings and hand pulled noodles. Left very happy and full! Would definitely recommend.”
Morning walk through Beijing’s Temple of Heaven with a small English guide, included ticket, and guided stops from prayer halls to echo acoustics.
“Wonderful Tour. Beautiful place. Great guide. At times difficult to understand English speaking guide. She spoke a little too fast.”
Early morning sunrise photo cruise in Xingping, Guilin. Fishermen with cormorant birds, ferry rides, and round-trip pickup included.
“It is an alternative for people that don't have a whole day to spend to do the boat cruise.Although a ride with the boat was included the fisherman denied to take me for a ride.So I spent an hour sitting on a stone and waiting for the sunrise Read more”
4-hour small-group Forbidden City walking tour with an English guide, skip-the-line entry, and no shopping or detours. From $16.
“Vanessa, she was a great tour guide. She knows every detail of all the story here in the Forbidden city. She has humor and is very kind, Nice to have has a guide around the city.”
Sunrise Great Wall tour with private Beijing pickup, then self-guided Forbidden City afternoon, with tickets and guide included.
“Mark was really friendly and nice. I was on a business trip to Beijing and had a few extra days, so I booked this tour for just myself. It was completely awesome and Mark gave me a chance to see one of the most incredible sites in China (and the Read more”
4 days in Zhangjiajie for Avatar-style peaks, fewer crowds, Tianzi and Tianmen highlights, and an early light attempt at sunrise.
“The 4 day hilights Zhangjiajie with sunrise experience was really fantastic. The sights we visited were very much to our expectations and we had an excellent English speaking guide, Johnny Xiang (Xiang Jinrun), who was extra extra extra, helpful and sincere and very responsible and flexible. Sometimes the weather doesn't cooperate and he changes the itinerary around to suit us which was great. We didn't get to see sunrise but were hopeful for a glimpse of sunset up at the homestay at avatar mountains but it was cloudy. All in all we had a great time and most important we got an excellent knowledgeable English speaking guide as promised.Read more”
Sunrise on Hong Kong’s highest peak, Lantau Peak. Strenuous north ridge climb, small group, optional Tian Tan Buddha, 4am start.
“Had a great time on this hike, led by Tristan, who is very experienced, friendly, and an excellent hiking guide! Rory was so helpful in organizing the whole thing, very responsive over email and went out of their way to make this happen for me. I Read more”
Morning street food in Xi'an Muslim Quarter with a small group, tuk-tuk rides, and 5+ local stalls near the Bell Tower.
“The tour was great, tour guide Amber was amazing, super helpful and super knowledgeable. I have tasted plenty of great local food which I would never found without her help. Highly recommend:)”
Pick a landmark, a landscape or a meal, and start the trip there.
