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 2010

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 set tours we organize in 2010 will be guaranteed with minimum number of booking of 2 persons on each departure. Both the daily and weekly departure tours will also be in tailor made privately escorted arrangement, which ensures best possible guide services and flexible tour schedules to meet your personal requirement, as well as minimising delays in transfers and reducing waiting times.

The guaranteed private daily departure tours are as following:

The guaranteed private weekly departure tour on every Sunday is:

China Grand

We will also arrange another set date departure tour “China Magnificent”.

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, with privately escorted tours according to the past experience, the tour guide is normally getting tipped about US$6 per person per day, and driver US$3 per person per day, and about US$1 per piece of luggage to hotel or cruise porter. The tips could be made in local currency equivalent to the US dollars.

Flights

For the international flights specified in the itinerary, we use British and major Western European Airlines as well as Air China. For internal and regional flights in China, we primarily use Air China as our chosen carrier, which has a modern fleet of Boeings and Airbuses with a very good safety record.

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 soft-berth with each cabin equipped with air-conditioning and 2 bunk beds on each side for 4 occupants. 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. Train service within a few hours are normally soft-seat class, which is comfortable with plenty leg-room and space in the carriage.

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 MV President No.1 cruiser, which had been fully furnished to a very high standard with viewing lounges 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 is available.

President No.1 cruiser is the flag-ship of a fleet of 6

luxurious cruise ships and one of the most prominent 5 star deluxe cruise on the Yangtze River, not only for its spacious public area and complete range of public facilities, but also for its elegant decoration and outstanding service. It is 300 feet long, 56 feet wide and 56 feet in height. It has 5 decks. For further details, please visit the cruise website at http://www.yzpresidentcruise.com

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, except in a few small provincial towns where we use the best hotels available.

Beijing, Grand Skylight Catic Hotel****

Add: 8 Beichen East Road, Chaoyang, Beijing, China

Tel: (00 86) 10 84971188

Fax: (00 86) 10 84809195

Web: http://www.catichotels.com/GBJCT/home.html

The Grand Skylight Catic Hotel boasts a fantastic location, which is standing right next to the Olympic Stadium Bird's Nest. This hotel has been fully renovated before 2008 Olympics and is in progress of being granted with a 5-star hotel rating. There are many good restaurants and shopping malls near the hotel and it became the most favourite hotel by overseas visitors during the 2008 Olympics.

There are Chinese restaurant serving classic Chinese cuisine, and European-style Western Restaurant in the lobby, together with Water & Cloud Lobby Bar, Executive Lounge with a panoramic view of the "Bird’s Nest" and the Olympic Park, a fully-furnished fitness room, chess & card room, table tennis room, and billiard room.

Shanghai, Ramada Plaza Gateway Hotel*****

Address: 325-327 Tian Yao Qiao Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai,China

Tel: (00 86) 21 3363 2222

Fax: (00 86) 21 3363 3666

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

Ramada Plaza Gateway Hotel Shanghai is 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 such as indoor swimming pool, spa, billiards, café bar, together with the Chinese restaurant specializing in Cantonese cuisine and Western Restaurant serving European type of menus. All the rooms are equipped with high-speed internet connection and LCD TV with satellite programs. The hotel was chosen as designated hotel for 2008 China international art festival in Shanghai and official partner hotel for F1 Honda team.

Xian, Mercure Hotel on Renmin Square****

Address: 319 Dongxin Street, Xian, Shaanxi Province, China

Tel: (00 86) 29 8792 8888

Fax: (00 86) 29 8792 8288

Web: www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-5975-mercure-on-renmin-square-xian/index.shtml

The Grand Mercure Hotel on Renmin Square located inside the Ming Dynasty Wall of ancient city Xi'an, surrounded by quiet courtyards and elegant gardens, emanating unique rich historical breath of famous "cradle of Chinese civilization". The 194 guest rooms and suites in spectacular style reflect 50 years historical soul of Renmin Building.

The hotel restaurant is an all day dining restaurant offering excellent value for money. Innovative a la carte dishes drawing on Continental, Asian and Chinese cooking styles. The restaurant is exquisitely decorated in a combination of French flair with Chinese tradition. You will also enjoy light snacks, coffee, tea, soft drinks and wine in the cozy, relaxing atmosphere of the luxurious and exclusive lobby bar. All the rooms are equipped with Satellite/Cable TV and high-speed wireless internet connection.

Guilin, Bravo Hotel****

Add: No. 14 South Ronghu Road, Guilin, China

Tel: (86 773) 289 8888

Fax: (86 773) 289 3999

Website: http://www.glbravohotel.com/en_1/aboutus.asp

The former Holiday Inn Guilin is located along the lake area in the city center with convenient walking distance to the night market and the Banyan Lake Park.

The many restaurants in the hotel include Patio Café featuring Western, Asian, and local dishes, the Lijiang Restaurant and Seven Star Restaurant offer Dim Sum and specialities from different Chinese provinces, while the Skylight Lobby Bar is a perfect place to relax with a drink and enjoy the night entertainment after a busy day of tour.

All the rooms are equipped with satellite TV and free internet access.

Hong Kong, Nathan Hotel***

Add: 378 Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Tel. (00 852) 23885141

Fax. (00 852) 27704262

Website: 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.

All the rooms are equipped with Mini Bar, Cable TV, Coffee/Tea making facilities, and broadband internet access. Nathan Lounge provides you with complimentary beverages, self-serve coffee and tea round the clock, as well as a selection of magazines and newspapers, travel books and free internet service. The dinning facility includes the restaurant the Penthouse, which features the culinary traditions of the old Hong Kong. While the open-air bar The Bali, embellished with Balinese-crafted furnishings, serves you the cocktail drinks or refined vintage wine. There are also Gymnasium and Business Centre in the hotel.

Meals

Each of our tours includes all the breakfast and lunches - with breakfast served in the hotels and lunch arranged at the restaurant close to the site where you are touring. The evening meals are inlcuded for the duration on the Yangtze River cruise. We also offer optional evening dinners for each individula tour, which are either arranged at the hotel restaurant or at the local restaurant near the hotel where you will stay, in a mixture of Western type and local Chinese cuisine. The arrangement is to give you the choices of where to dine and when to dine in the evening, and designed only where necessary or where they add to your overall expericence.

Special Dietary Requirement

Upon request, we will pre-arrange special diet such as vegetarian, food without diary product, gluten-free food, or Muslim Hallal 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 Charged by the Embassy	Single Entry	30	65	20
	Double Entry	45	65	30
	Multiple entry/6 Months	60	65	40
	Multiple entry/ 1 year	90	65	60
	Extra visa fee for third working day collection	15	15	15
Service Fees Charged by CVASC	Regular Service	34.50 (VAT inclusive)
Service Fees Charged by CVASC	Express Service（third working day collection）	46 .00(VAT inclusive)

*Should you require us to apply the visa on your behalf, we will charge £20 per person plus the

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

We fully understand the uncertainty with regard to the visa issue. Provided we are notified the visa refusal one month before the departure date, we will guarantee the full refund of the money you paid us to secure the tour should the Embassy refuse you the visa for any reason, except the cost for the international flights, which are subject to the airlines' terms and conditions, if the tickets for the flights are issed prior to the visa refusal. Although we have no control over the issue of visa, it's extremely rare to have such incident.

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.

We consider adequate travel insurance to be an essential aspect to booking a holiday. In addition, we recommend that you purchase travel insurance that properly covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. If you decide not to purchase our insurance, you must provide us with details of your alternative insurance on the booking form.

Our travel insurance has been designed to specifically meet your needs on your China Tours Limited holiday. The cover is underwritten by Travel & General Insurance Company plc, 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. A dedicated sales team at Travel & General Insurance Company Limited t/a tagdirect will provide fulfilment of the policy.

The schedule of the cover below sets out the cover provided by tagdirect insurance. For the details of the policy schedule, please also click on the above travel insurance icon.

Schedule of Cover


Section	Proposed limits Sum insured per person	Excess per person

A Cancellation and curtailment charges	Up to £5,000	£50
B Emergency medical repatriation and associated expenses abroad Hospital benefit	Up to £5,000,000 £20 for each 24 hour period to a maximum of £500	£50 Nil
C Emergency assistance in the UK	Up to £2,000	£50
D Personal accident	Up to £25,000 (age limits apply)	Nil
E Delayed departure travel delay Abandonment Missed departure Missed connection	£20 first 12 hours and £10 each subsequent 12 hours to maximum of £100 Up to £5,000 Up to £1,000 Up to £1,000	Nil £50 £50 £50
F Personal possessions Single item limit Valuables limit Delayed baggage (after 12 hours) Travel documents	Up to £1,500 £250 £200 Up to £100 Up to £500	£50 Nil £50
G Personal money	Up to £100	£50
H Hijack	£50 for each 24 hour period to a maximum of £500	Nil
I Mugging	£50 for each 24 hour period to a maximum of £500	Nil
J Personal liability	Up to £2,000,000	£250
K Legal expenses	Up to £25,000	Nil

Age Loadings:

Children 2 to 17 --- 1/2 of the normal premium;

Family --- 2 x the normal premium;

65 to 70 --- 2 x the normal premium;

71 to 75 --- 2.5 x the normal premium;

Additonal Notes on Policy Cover:

Additonal Section A Cancellation and Curtailment cover can be offered up to £15,000 at an additonal prremium per £1,000 of cover.

Eligibility:

Please note that the travel insurance is only available to UK and Republic of Ireland residents.

Single Trip Policy:

Premiums including Insurance Premium Tax
Period	Per person
Up to 10 days	£30.00
Up to 17 days	£37.00
Up to 24 days	£42.00
Up to 31 days	£46.00

Annual Multi Trip Policy:

If you are frequent traveller who travels more than two or three times each year it will be more economical for you to purchase an annual multi trip policy. Our policy offers great flexibility and a number of important advantages.

Premiums including Insurance Premium Tax
Policy		Worldwide
Individual policy (18 to 65)		£70.00
Couple Policy (18 to 65)		£130.00
Family Policy (18 to 65)		£135.00

For an individual quotation or purchase the policy, please click on the above travel insurance icon.

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 Visa Application Service Centre

China National Tourist Office