China Tours > Travel to China, Beijing holiday, Guilin tour, travel China, Nepal tourism, China travel guides

When to Go

April/May and September/October are the best time to travel in China, as the weathers are generally warm and comfortable. As a result, these are the peak seasons for tourists and could be busy in most of the attractions. In the mid-summer months most parts of China become quite hot. Winter seasons are generally cold in northern China with sub-zero temperatures in the area like Beijing in the months of December and January.

Have your own idea about where to go and what to see? We could tailor-make it for you.

Just call us on 01932 828997, e-mail us at info@tourchina.co.uk or send us your enquiry form.

Our tours in 2012

With our first-hand and in-depth knowledge about China and the adjacent regions, we had designed the tours which we believe embody the essence of the cultural, historical and geographical aspects of the regions. They offer truly exciting and memorable experience as well as best value for money. However you could also shorten or add extra time spent in any locations in the itinerary or even make up your own itinerary completely. We are here to listen and tailor-make it to suit your need.

All the tours we organize in 2012 will be guaranteed once confirmed without cancellation or price change due to "insufficient number of bookings to form the group", as the minimum number required for each departure of our tour is two persons. They are all based on tailor made privately escorted tour arrangement with daily departure from the UK.

Tailor made private tour, as against the group tour, provides you with much better services and tour flexibility. You will have your own dedicated tour guides and vehicle drivers. You will not join other group, therefore will not have to wait at the airport and hotels for everybody else's luggages and will not have to consult with the others in the group with regard to how long to stay at each site, etc. As both the tour guide and the driver will be there for you only, it'll be much easier to adjust the daily programs to suite your own needs there and then. Due to the nature of daily departure, you could also choose the departure date of your own choice without having to fit into a set date requirement in a group tour arrangement. The departure of the tour and the package price are guaranteed once confirmed and will not be cancelled or changed due to insufficient number of bookings as often happens to a group tour arrangement.

The Tour Guides

We use professional graduates with good English language skills and local knowledge. They are eager and responsible in the jobs, friendly and helpful in their nature. You’ll be escorted during your entire journey.

Tipping

Tips are complementary and there is no standard on whether you should tip or how much you suppose to tip. It’s a personal matter of gratuity, which reflects his or her appreciation for the service received. Should you decide to do so, we would like to recommend that the tips are given to the individuals directly such as the tour guide, driver, or the hotel/cruise porter, rather than a group collection. For reference and information, you may refer to the following guideline:

For Land Services:

Tour Guide - RMB50 - 100 per passenger per day;

Driver - RMB30 - 100 per passenger per day;

Hotel Porter - RMB10 - 20 per bag;

For Services on the Yangtze River Cruise:

For Services on the Yangtze River Cruise:

Crew on the ship - RMB40 - 60 per passenger per day;

Shore Excursion Guide - RMB20 per passenger;

Shore Excursion Driver - RMB10 per passenger;

Shennong Stream Boatman - RMB40 per passenger;

Cruise Porter - RMB10 per bag;

Flights

For the international flights departing from London Heathrow Airport, we arrange direct flights with British Airways or Cathay Pacific Airways. For departures from other UK airport, we could use Emirates. Cabin upgrades for all the flights are available. Please ask for details. Stopover at Dubai with Emirates could also be arranged normally without any extra cost.

For internal flights inside China, we primarily use Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern Airlines as our chosen carriers, which have modern fleets of Boeings and Airbuses with good safety records and international service standards.

Airport Taxes and Service Charges

All the airport taxes and service charges, whether for international, regional or internal flights, are included in the tours, therefore taking away all the hassles and hidden charges and allowing you concentrate on enjoying the holidays. The fuel surcharges are inlcuded in the package prices for the amount at the time of the tour packages published. As the amount of fuel surcharges varies from time to time depending on the government action and the airlines policy, we will have to make relevant adjustment to charge the difference. Should that happens, you will have advanced notice.

Luggage Allowances for the Flights

The carriers for the international flights will specify the luggage allowances at the time of booking, which may vary in accordance with the airlines policy. They normally range from 20kg to 35 kg for checked luggage depending on the class of tickets purchased. As for the internal flights inside China, the guidelines for the luggage allowance are as following, although to make sure you should always check with us upon bookings:

Weight Allowances for Checked Luggage:

First Class Ticket: 40 kg per person (no limit to pieces);

Business Class Ticket: 30 kg per person (no limit to pieces);

Economy Class Ticket: 20 kg per person (no limit to pieces);

Weight Allowance for Hand Luggage:

First Class Ticket: 7 kg per person ( 2 pieces at maximum);

Business Class Ticket: 7 kg per person ( 2 pieces at maximum);

Economy Class Ticket: 5 kg per person (limit to 1 piece only);

Limitation on Dimensions (for all the classes of tickets):

Check in Luggage: 40cm × 50cm ×100cm;

Hand Luggage: 20cm × 40cm ×55cm;

Overweight Luggage Surcharge:

1.5% of full economy class ticket fare for every kg over the weight limit. e.g. if the full fare for Beijing/Xian sector costs £100, the overweight luggage surcharge is £1.50 per kg.

Passengers are solely responsible for excess luggage. Security rules relating to the luggage and hand-carrying bags are to be observed in accordance with the airport and airlines regulations. Please check on the ground with the specific airlines or us and the authorities for further details.

Train Services

Train services in China are convenient and comfortable. Overnight trains are in Soft- sleeper class. Soft sleepers are spacious 4-berth compartments with two upper & two lower berths by night, converting to two sofas for daytime use. All necessary bedding is provided. There's a table with tablecloth, and usually a vacuum flask of hot water for making tea (or drinking chocolate or cuppas soups if you've brought some). The compartment door locks securely, and a smartly-dressed attendant looks after each car. The best trains even feature individual TV screens and power sockets for laptops & mobiles. There are clean and adequate wash basins and toilet facilities in the carriage and extra seats and rest areas. The train normally has a separate carriage as canteen which serves drinks and freshly cooked food.

Coaches and Cars

All the coaches and cars we use are air-conditioned. The drivers are well-trained and experienced with extensive local knowledge.

Cruise on the Yangtze River

The cruise ship we use is the Deluxe 5 star Century cruisers, which had been fully furnished to a very high standard with viewing lounges, sightseeing elevators, sun deck, and restaurants, together with bars, internet cafe, ballroom, beauty salon, health clinic, game room, and gift shops, etc. The individual cabins are all equipped with private balconies and based on twin sharing with en-suite toilet and shower facilities. Single supplement and suites upgrade are available.

Century Cruises fleet consists of 5 modern luxurious cruise ships: Century Star, Century Sky, Century Sun, Century Diamond, and Century

Emerald, which are all built after 2003. They are one of the most prominent 5 star deluxe cruisers on the Yangtze River, not only for its spacious public area and largest standard cabins of any Yangtze fleet, but also for its international 5 star facilities and quality services, together with 5 star onboard cusine of 3 meals per day and rich colourful onboard entertainment as well as exciting shore excursion programs. For further details, please visit the website:

http://www.centuryrivercruises.com/en/

Hotel Accommodations

Standard twin sharing or double room with single supplement on offer. To ensure high standard facilities and services, all our hotels are 4 and 5 star ratings.

Beijing, Jade Garden Hotel****

http://www.jadegardenhotel.com/index.html

A boutique hotel, of the highest quality, built in 1930s in traditional Chinese architecture and styles, at the most convenient location for both pleasure and business travellers. The hotel situated at the centre of Beijing - 5 minutes walk to the East Gate of the Forbidden City and the pedestrianised Wangfujing shopping centre, 15 minutes walk to Tiananmen Square. From the hotel room, you can overlook the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.

Beijing, Capital Hotel*****

http://www.capitalhotel.com.cn/en/index.html

A landmark on the bustling East Qian Men Street in the heart of Beijing, the five-star Capital Hotel is a member of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Official Accommodation Network. Modern in furnishing while traditional in style, the hotel is an ideal choice for business, leisure and MICE travellers. Capital Hotel locates in the well-known Wang Fujing shopping and scenic downtown area, and within walking distance to the historical sites such as Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, etc.

Xian, Days Hotel and Suites Xinxing*****

http://www.daysinn.cn/english/hotel/xinxing_a.htm

A modern hotel, conveniently located at the heart of the Central Business District in the East part of Xi’an. Each room is comfortable and spacious, with elegant and exquisite design, and luxurious western style furniture that reflects a distinguished atmosphere. In addition, rooms are furnished with a stylish walk-in luggage room and separate shower and tub.

Guilin, Park Hotel****

http://www.parkhtl.com/EN/Index.asp

Guilin Park Hotel is a four-star international hotel. Conveniently situated between Lake Guihu and Mount Laoren in the city centre. The hotel commands some of the most picturesque views in Guilin and contrasts finely with the famous Duxiu peak, Diecai Hill and Fubo Hill. Lying on the slight mountain slope, surrounded by green trees and fresh flowers, the building combines modern arts with a rich national flavour.

Yangshuo Mountain Retreat River View ****

http://www.yangshuomountainretreat.com/

The beautiful riverside retreat offers spectacular views of the Jade Dragon River and surrounding karst peaks. The mountain retreat, in traditional Chinese rural style and decoration, is only steps away from the various ethnic tribal villages and surrounding countryside with breathtaking scenery. From here, you could find a wealth of adventures and activities, such as Li River cruises, Liu Sanjie show, Longsheng rice terraces, water-rafting on the Jade Dragon River, and excursions to Buddha Cave and Water Cave, and much more.

Shanghai, Astor House Hotel***

http://www.astorhousehotel.com/en/fdjj/fdjj.php

The Astor House Hotel, a Victorian and Baroque style architecture, known as the Pujiang Hotel nowadays in Chinese, locates near the confluence of the Huangpu River and the Suzhou Creek in the Hongkou District, near the northern end of the Garden Bridge on the Bund. The hotel was the first Western hotel established in China in 1846 as Richards' Hotel and Restaurant and perhaps was "once the most luxurious hotel in the world".

"The Astor House Hotel has witnessed the whole sweep of China's emergence into the modern world, from English opium running in the 1840s through the tea dances of polite society in the 1920s and to the excesses of Maoist China in the 1960s."

"From the outside, the hotel looks like Harrods; inside is a marble-floored reception dimly lit by a huge chandelier. The air of faded grandeur is enhanced by the fact that previous guests have included Einstein and Charlie Chaplin."

Shanghai, Ramada Plaza Gateway Hotel*****

http://www.ramadaplazaxuhui.com/en/index.asp

Ramada Plaza Gateway Hotel Shanghai is a 5 star standard hotel, located at southeast of downtown Shanghai, with many attractions nearby as well as the Xujiahui Shopping Mall in a convenient walking distance. With its modern and elegant design, the hotel presents you with various leisure and relaxation facilities and was chosen as designated hotel for 2008 China international art festival in Shanghai and official partner hotel for F1 Honda team.

Chengdu, Buddha Zen Hotel****

http://www.buddhazenhotel.com/en/into.html

Buddha Zen Hotel is the first hotel established under the theme of Buddha Zen in China. The hotel is in traditional Chinese style of house, which closely adheres to the Buddhism conception of Zen and adopts the unique sense of beauty, tranquillity, and enlightenment. The hotel is located within walking distance to Wenshufang, one of the eight most famous Buddhist monasteries in China first built in Tang Dynasty over a thousand years ago, where guests can listen to Buddhist sermons, smell incense, and experience ancient charms during the stay.

Chengdu, Enjoyable Star Hotel****

http://www.xyhotels.com/en/hotelinfo.html

Enjoyable Stars Hotel is located in the city centre of Chengdu, which are decorated and configured according to the five-star hotel standard. It’s a small but luxurious hotel.

Ya’an, Moon Star Hotel****

http://www.btxyhotel.com/

The Moon Star Hotel is located on Zhangjiashan Hill on the south side of Ya’an, with Zhangjiashan Park to the west and the downtown area of Ya'an to the north. The hotel offers a range of guestrooms as well as a Chinese restaurant, a teahouse and nine private rooms. The hotel locates in a secluded countryside environment. The rooms are spacious and beds are comfortable.

Hong Kong, Nathan Hotel***

http://www.nathanhotel.com/

Nathan Hotel is centrally located at the heart of Hong Kong, amid the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong's major shopping, entertainment and night life in the Jordan district of Kowloon. Few minutes walk to the Jordan Mass Transit Railway (MTR), along with other conveniently transportation network, which allows you with easy access to major shopping and commercial districts on both Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island. It offers you a cozy accommodation with exquisitely furnished 189 guestrooms and suites, an ideal place for your stay in Hong Kong.

Meals

Each of our tours includes all the breakfast, lunches, and most of the evening meals - with breakfast served in the hotels, lunch arranged at the restaurant close to the site where you are touring, and the evening meals in the designated restaurants for the quality of the food and services, which often in conjunction to the evening entertainment such as the Acrobatic Show and the Tang Dynasty Show. All the three meals are included for the duration on the Yangtze River cruise. We also offer evening dinners for the rest of the days with upgraded menu in the specially selected restaurants serving a variety of authentic Chinese cuisine. The arrangement is to give you the choices of where to dine and when to dine in the evening, and designed only when necessary or where they add to your overall experience.

Special Dietary Requirement

Upon request, we will pre-arrange special diet such as vegetarian, food without diary product, gluten-free food, Hallal or Kosher food, etc. during your holiday in China. As for the food served on the flights, we will make such request to the relevant airlines upon booking your flights, although we could not guarantee it as it's out of our control.

Visas

Visas are required for British citizens travel to China. Upon booking, we will send you the visa application forms together with your holiday confirmation document. The visa application procedure had been changed from 26th June 2008 by the Chinese Embassy. All the visa applications are now required to be submitted to CVASC (Chinese Visa Application Service Centre), which is responsible for receiving visa applications for visit to mainland China from ordinary passport holders who are UK citizens and citizens of other countries possessing UK permanent residence or work permits, collecting visa fees on behalf of the Chinese Embassy and returning processed visa applications. The application could be lodged online, the passports could be sent and then returned by post. Please visit the Embassy and CVASC website at http://www.chinese-embassy.org.uk/ http://www.visaforchina.org.uk/ for detailed procedures. To assist your visa application, you can attach the copies of your holiday confirmation document together with the cover letter we send you to your application forms to CVASC as visa supporting document. We could also apply for the entry visa on your behalf at CVASC. If you would like us to apply the visa for you, you will need to send your passports and the completed visa application forms to us by post (Royal Mail Special Delivery). Please also enclose a pre-paid Royal Mail Special Delivery envelope/bag with your retuning address written on it, which you could purchase from the post office. For fees and charges, please refer to the following schedules.

Schedule of Fees (Unit: British Pound)

Fee category		Amount
Fee category		UK Citizen	US Citizen	Third Country Citizen
Visa Fees	Single entry	30	70	20
	Double entries	45	70	30
	Multiple entries / 6Months	90	70	40
	Multiple entries / 1 year	180	70	60
	Extra visa fee (3rd working day collection)	15 (if you apply for Express service)
Application Service Fees	Regular Service (4th working day collection)	36.00 (VAT inclusive)
	Express Service (3rd working day collection)	48.00 (VAT inclusive)
	Postal Service (apply by post)	54.00 (VAT inclusive

*Should you require us to apply the visa on your behalf, we will charge £30 per person plus the

postage (Royal Mail Special Delivery) in addition to the charges by the Embassy and CVASC.

Taking and Exchanging Money

Sterling cash is just as convenient to change into the local currency as other major currencies such as US dollar and Euro. Money could be changed in the bank branches located at the airport, and the high street in the towns and cities. Most of the hotel could also handle the money change. Traveller’s cheque could be cashed in most of the banks. Major credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard, or American Express could be used in most of the hotels and department stores and some of the restaurant. As most of the services such as all the transfers, tour sites entrance fees, airport taxes and most of the meals etc are paid for, you only need to carry a small amount of cash for convenience or personal use.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is a vital aspect to booking a holiday, giving you protection against unforeseen circumstances that could otherwise spoil your holiday. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that properly covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. Travel & General Insurance Services Limited can assist you with competitive travel insurance to specifically meet your needs on your holiday.

To arrange cover simply call tagconnect on 0845 345 3456 or e-mail the sales team at insurance@tagconnect.co.uk

The schedule of the cover below sets out a summary of the cover provided. The cover is underwritten by International Insurance Company of Hannover Limited (IICH), except for Section K (Legal expenses), which is underwritten by DAS Legal Expenses Insurance Company Limited. Both insurers are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Schedule of cover
Section	Sum insured per person	Excess per person
Standard cover
A Cancellation	Up to £5,000	£50 (loss of deposit)
Curtailment	Up to £5,000	£50
B Emergency Medical Repatriation and associated expenses abroad In Patient Benefit Criminal Injuries Benefit	Up to £5,000,000 Up to £500 Up to £5,000	£50 Nil Nil

C Personal accident Death Benefit Disablement Benefit	Up to £25,000 Up to £10,000 Up to £25,000	Nil Nil Nil
D Delayed Depaerture or Arrival, or Cancellation Due to Delayed Departure Hi-jack of Aircraft, train or sea vessel Failure of Transport Missed Connection	Up to £100 Up to £5,000 Up to £3,000 Up to £1,000 Up to £1,000	Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
E Personal possessions Single Item Limit Valuables Limit Money Tickets Passport or Visas Temporary Loss of Baggage	Up to £2,500 £400 £500 Up to £500 Up to £1,000 Up to £250 Up to £100	£50 £50 £50 £50 Nil
F Personal Liability	Up to £2,000,000	£250
G Legal Expenses	Up to £15,000	Nil

This schedule of cover must be read in conjunction with the policy certificate and policy booklet.

This policy is underwritten by Insurance Company of Hannover Limited, except for Section K (Legal expenses), which is underwritten by DAS Legal Expenses Insurance Company Limited. Both insurers are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Vaccination and Health

Please consult your GP for further advice.

Water

Bottled and boiled water are safe to drink. We do not recommend drinking tap water directly.

Electricity Supply

Electricity is at 220volts and 50HZ. The hotel rooms are equipped with hair drier and electrical shaving point. Generally power point is two-pin type, so it might be necessary to bring a universal adapter if you require its use.

Booking and Payment

To book a holiday with us, you need to complete the booking form and send it to us with £100.00 deposit. If you require the booking form in hard copy, please let us know and we will mail it to you.

Upon receiving your booking form and deposit, we will make necessary reservations with the airlines, hotels and all other relating services, and will inform you if there is any unexpected problem in the process. We will then send you a Confirmation Invoice which confirms the details of your holiday booking and shows the outstanding balance. The balance needs to be paid no later than 60 days before your departure. Sometimes due to the shortage of flight seats, we may need part of the payment immediately upon holiday confirmation in order to secure the flights with the airlines. We accept cheque, credit & debit card payment, or direct bank transfer. Cheque should be made payable to CHINA TOURS LTD. For credit card payment, please be aware that we have to pass on the extra charge that the credit card company levied to us for processing such a payment. Once the balance paid and cleared, we will send you the international flight tickets together your holiday information pack at least two to three weeks before your departure. All the internal flights and train tickets, and hotel vouchers, will be issued inside China and our agents in China will pass them to you during your holiday, we don’t handle them here in case of loosing them in the post.

You can change or even cancel a confirmed booking and we will do our best to accommodate your demand, but we also reserve the right to levy extra charges for the change. Please refer to our Booking Conditions for the terms.

For further information or if you would like to discuss your holidays with us, please call us on 01932 828997 or email us at info@tourchina.co.uk

Holiday Protections with us

CHINA TOURS LTD is licensed and fully bonded by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL (Air Travel Organisers’ Licence) Number is 6247. Your monies paid to us for holidays and flight arrangements with us are financially protected and guaranteed. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange refund any money you have paid to us for advance booking. For further details, please visit ATOL website at http://www.atol.org.uk

Useful links

Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Chinese Embassy in London

China National Tourist Office

China Visa Application Service Centre