Travellers' reviews about China

Beijing- Saw forbidden city and Great wall, stayed in the Hutong district. It was overall a great stop and we would go back. Xi'an- Best tour guide (Iris)! Saw the terracotta army (and the factory where they make the replicas), biked on the city wall and went to an amazing dinner & dance show. Tibet- Beautiful landscapes, lots of Buddhist monasteries and temples and Everest. Delicious momo! Nepal- Nice change of pace, Hindu temples and beautiful architecture. Pangkor Laut- Very relaxing, perfect end to a vacation!

This year in arranging my holiday I took a risk. Two risks, in fact. The first was the destination: China. I’ve long since wanted to travel there, but had no idea what to expect (which was part of the fun of going). The second was my choice of travel company: Evaneos. I had never heard of them before, let alone travelled with them. But, having obtained quotes from several other companies, Evaneos seemed to provide what I wanted. It is one of a new breed of internet-based travel companies which produce bespoke holidays at reasonable prices by employing local agents at the destinations. The result is a highly personalised holiday, thus avoiding the necessity to be part of a large tour group (which I was keen to avoid!), at a cost that didn't hurt my pocket. From the outset the team at Evaneos took care to ensure our needs were met. I was put in touch with an agent in Beijing, who helped structure the holiday for me. What did my son and I want to see? What did we want to experience? Where did we want to stay? What was our budget? And along the way she made some useful suggestions too. In the end we arranged exactly the kind of holiday we wanted, taking in the sights and activities which interested us most. Local guides and drivers were provided as required, but equally we were left to our own devices when we wanted to be more independent. The guides were very knowledgeable and helpful and spoke good English. They became more like friends as our journey unfolded. Handovers went smoothly as we moved from one destination to another, and we felt like royalty being chauffeured between the various attractions. Our trip incorporated three cities: Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. All are worth seeing and are remarkably different. In each of them the mid-range hotels we had chosen were comfortable and we found the staff to be friendly. Among the highlights were Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, Shanghai’s The Bund waterfront at night, and the beautiful West Lake and parks of Hangzhou. Along the way we managed to include a Kung Fu demonstration, the Beijing Opera, a calligraphy lesson, the vibrant Muslim quarter of Xi’an, Ming tombs, Buddhist temples, and a trip up the world’s second tallest tower. Our Mandarin improved enormously, we enjoyed meeting so many friendly people, and I had plenty of time for sketching. I can honestly say the trip was one of the best holidays I have ever taken. It went beyond our expectations and Evaneos delivered everything that we could have wished for at a price that suited our pocket. My only question now is where to go next….Thailand? Tibet? South Africa? So many choices! But at least next time my choice of company is already decided! For me it has to be Evaneos.

It was great to be met upon our arrival by a member of the team. The flexibility started day 1 when weather was bad so the site car tour was moved to early next morning. That was so much fun! The camping/hike on the wall allowed us to see parts most tourists don't. Loved camping on the wall. The communication was a little off though. Everyone commented about the confusion on what we brought, what happened to our stuff we didn't pack, etc. But the views, thhe food, and experience were great. Xi'an was OK. The tour guide was nice. But it felt like we were trapped into a specific restaurant that the food was bad and was gimmicky. I liked how our guide made sure the hotel would get us a box breakfast and recommended a good spot for dinner. I wasn't really happy with the confusion over the Tibet permit for our friend that met us in Lhasa. I felt we should have been told it would cost extra for delivery before we paid. Our flight information was known then. However, our guider took great care of us. I wish we could have hiked a little more. Our guide tried to be flexible with us. Although we understand that we needed to acclimate 3 days in Lhasa too long. Other areas to explore and hike would have been nice. Also, the tour company recommended places to eat but all very touristy and food not all that good. When our guide was with us, he took us to local spots and we had a blast. We also found places on our own. But if I travel to Tibet, I want real food, not spaghetti. The experience, views, guide, and new friends were amazing. Accommodation were all good. The place on Lhasa was fun as the staff helped us out and did a lot to make sure we enjoyed our stay.

Let me first say the trip was wonderful with so many well known places to visit. The Terracotta Warriors, the Great Wall the Longman Grottos but most surprisingly Tongli. Trying the local food out with the help of the guides was fun

Excellent trip as I visited most of the well known places and was very excited to have my own time without having to wait for others