China Tour Packages

1. About China
2. Tidbits
3. Things to Know Before Visiting China
4. Our Best China Tour Packages
5. China At A Glance
6. Top Reasons To Visit China
7. Best Time To Visit China
8. Top Things To Do In China
9. Food
10. Dos and Don’ts of Visiting China
11. Shopping In China
12. Art and Culture

Chinese civilisation stretches back over 3,500 years, but we can trace human civilisation in China back to the Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods. The Shang Dynasty was the first recorded Chinese dynasty to rule the Yellow River Valley from 1600 to 1050 BCE.

Until Qin Shi Huang became the first Emperor of China, the country was a group of warring states. He is also credited with codifying the current Chinese language. Over the centuries, several dynasties ruled China. The Qing Dynasty was the last to rule until the 1911 Revolution when the Republic of China overthrew it and established Sun-Yat-sen as its President. This was also later replaced by the People’s Republic of China in 1949, with Mao Zedong as its leader.

China is a vast country with a variety of landscapes. It is the world’s fourth-largest country, slightly larger than the United States, surrounded by 14 countries, including India, Nepal, and Russia. While the Pacific Ocean borders the east, mountains comprise most of west and southwest China. The Taklamakan and Gobi Deserts make up northwest China.

Despite such a rugged terrain, the ancient Chinese became pioneers of trade, and many products and technologies, including silk, porcelain, tea, paper, and gunpowder, were first developed in China.

Confucianism greatly influences Chinese culture, highlighted by the Chinese people’s respect for social hierarchy, focus on rituals and familial obligations, personal ethics, and self-discipline.

Chinese cuisine focuses on balancing and harmonising fundamental flavours like sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami. The cuisine is as varied as its landscape, ranging from Sichuan and Shandong to Cantonese, Huaiyang, and Northeastern.

Check out our affordable China tour packages if you’d like to explore the different Chinese culture and cuisine elements.

• China was called Zhongguo or the Middle Kingdom, implying that it was the centre of the earth around which other countries revolved.
• The Silk Road is the oldest and first global trade route, connecting China with Rome.
• The Forbidden City is the world’s largest palatial complex with 980 buildings & 9000 rooms.
• China owns all the pandas in the world except two, one in Mexico and the other in Taiwan.
• The Bailong Elevator is the world’s heaviest and highest outdoor elevator.
• The longest wall in the world, the Great Wall of China, is not a continuous structure but a network of walls.
• Mandarin Chinese is the world’s most widely spoken native language.
• The Hong Kong –Zhuhai –Macau is the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world, covering 55 km.
• The Yangtze is the longest river in Asia & the third longest in the world.
• Most Western websites, including Facebook, Google, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Wikipedia, are banned in China.
• The Terracotta Army in Shaanxi, with its 6,000 warriors, horses, and other sculptures, is the world’s largest group of life-sized statues.
• The Guangdong Science Centre in Guangzhou is the world’s largest science museum.
• Chongqing has the longest monorail in the world, covering 65 km.

• China offers single (90-day validity) & multiple-entry L-Visas (6 months -1 year) for Indian tourists.
• Make sure you carry a translated doctor’s note when carrying medications.
• Pre-book tickets to major attractions as it’s likely to be very crowded, especially during peak season.
• To access Facebook & other banned sites, get a paid VPN.
• Remember to pack according to the itinerary and season. China is vast, and different regions experience different climate conditions.
• You can buy an eSim card and purchase data through this card.
• Although credit cards are accepted, make sure you carry enough cash.
• Install a language app that works offline as well. Better still, learn a few Mandarin phrases.
• Even vegetarian dishes could include non-vegetarian condiments or pieces of meat used as garnish. If you are vegetarian, make sure you carry ready-to-eat food packets.
• Educate yourself on chopstick etiquette.

While you may be tempted to travel independently without a tour package, travelling to China is a different cup of tea. For one, the language barrier is huge. It can be fun initially to communicate through sign language or a translator app, but the language barrier can become weary as you continue your journey. This becomes incredibly frustrating when you are navigating the long queues or obtaining entry tickets at a tourist spot. While plenty of signage explains the place in English, the language seems computer-generated and written by someone without knowledge of everyday English. Without a guide, you’ll only be wandering through the different places, not being able to appreciate its history.

There are some places like Tibet where you cannot go on your own. You’ll need a Tibet entry permit, which can be obtained only through a travel agency.

This is where a China tour package from GT Holidays comes into the picture. We work with experienced tour guides who are well-versed in English. They are local professionals who understand Chinese culture and can help you navigate the differences. We’ll take care of everything, including food and travel arrangements, to ensure the entire holiday experience is seamless and memorable.

This is perhaps the single most important reason for our clients to opt for China tour packages. The Great Wall of China is not a continuous wall but a network of walls built by individual feudal states during the Chinqui Period to protect their territories from northern nomadic traders and each other. Qin Shihuang connected the different walls into a single great wall and fortified it with watch towers. Later rulers also strengthened the walls. Today, the wall covers over 5,000 km, is listed among the Seven Wonders of the World, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The best time to visit the Great Wall is around the spring and autumn seasons when it’s not scorching hot or freezing cold. Fall season is also a great time to hike and get a panoramic view of the autumn colours. While exploring the Great Wall is part of every China tour package, choosing the right section is important. Tourists usually take the Badaling, Mutianyu, Simatai, and Jiankou sections from Beijing as they are easy to access and don’t demand much physical strength. But these sections will be crowded. Mutianyu is perfect for families with the elderly or children as it is relatively flat and has cable car access. Jiankou is less crowded but offers beautiful scenery. You can also go camping at Jiankou.

Few countries have a history as rich and ancient as China. Surprisingly, most of these cultural practices have remained unchanged over the millennia despite numerous invasions and outside influences. Many modern achievements date back to the Chinese Civilisation. It is the birthplace of paper, gunpowder, and silk.

The ancient Chinese highly regarded record keeping, evidenced through inscriptions on Oracle bones, metals, and parchments. They discovered the art of silk making as early as 3630 BC and even sold it as far as Rome, along with tea, porcelain, jade, and other precious stones. The Silk Road played a crucial role in facilitating cultural exchange and sharing of knowledge, religion, and technology, shaping the course of history.

The Chinese were the first to standardise coins, language, customs, and political systems to create a unified central government. They also made remarkable achievements in medicine, astronomy, navigation, and printing and invented medicinal practices like acupuncture, tai chi, and cupping.

The Chinese practised the ancient philosophy of feng shui, which involves arranging living and working spaces in harmony to promote health and well-being. The philosophy revolves around the idea that energy flows and how items are placed affects how you feel about your surroundings.

The country has numerous architectural marvels that attract millions of tourists from across the world. While the Great Wall of China is a national symbol, there are plenty of other famous buildings. For instance, the Terracotta Army in Xian displays over 6000 life-sized sculptures of warriors, horses, and chariots to protect the tomb of Qin Shi Huang.

The Forbidden City is another such marvel. It is the largest palace complex in the world, with 980 buildings and 9000 rooms. For over 490 years, it was home to the Chinese ruling family, including 24 Chinese emperors. The Imperial Palace within the Forbidden City is now home to over 1.8 million relics, some of which are from the Neolithic Age.

The Temple of Heaven is a large religious complex that was constructed from 1406 to 1420. It symbolises the relationship between earth and heaven and the distinction between the human world and God’s world.

With its vast geography, it is no wonder that China is blessed with beautiful natural wonders, ranging from the Himalayan Peaks in Tibet to the Yangtze, the country’s principal waterway. The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its unique rock formations, dense forests, and deep canyons. It is locally called stone forest, thanks to its quartzite sandstone pillars and peaks.

The Gobi Desert is another natural wonder and the 6th largest desert in the world. It is famous for its natural resources, including rich gold, copper, and coal deposits. Scientists have also discovered dinosaur fossils and eggs over 71 million years old.

With its pointy hills in Guangxi, the Li River is one of China’s most beautiful landscapes. It was even named among National Geographic Magazine’s Top Ten Watery Wonders. The river originates in the Maoer Mountain and winds through Guilin, Yangshuo, Pingle, and Zhaoping before finally meeting the Xi River. But the best landscape is from Guilin to Yangshuo, with its rolling hills, steep cliffs, and fantastic caves.

For adventure seekers, nothing can be more epic than Mount Everest, on the border between Tibet and Nepal. A trek to the Base Camp at Mount Everest could be one of the greatest adventures of your life.

China has long understood that focusing on infrastructure was the key to becoming an economic superpower. Much of the government spending goes towards building better airports, well-connected railroads, bridges, roadways, and modern buildings. The cities are clean, efficient, and pollution-free. Nothing amazes first-time tourists more than the technologically advanced buildings that are super-sturdy and built in record time.

For instance, the Shanghai Tower is the 3rd tallest building in the world and is appreciated for its unique helical shape. But what makes it special is that the tower harvests rainwater and uses solar panels and wind turbines to power itself.

The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park Glass Walkway Bridge is another architectural marvel built around the Tianmen Mountains. It is 430 metres long, 6 metres wide, and suspended over a 300-metre-deep valley. But what’s even more thrilling is the section that opened to tourists in 2016. Aptly called Coiling Dragon Cliff Skywalk, the 100-metre-long skywalk is built around a cliff on Tianmen Mountain and has 99 hairpin bends.

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is another magnificent landmark in Shanghai’s urban landscape. It is the world’s sixth-tallest TV and radio tower and China’s second-tallest. The building features several restaurants, including a revolving one, shopping centres, and a roller coaster.

The Bailong Elevator is another architectural marvel and the world’s largest outdoor lift. It extends over 326 metres on a cliff in Zhangjiajie National Park.

The Tian Tan Buddha is the world’s tallest outdoor seated Buddha. It was built in 1993 and symbolises the prosperity of China, the stability of Hong Kong, and peace across the world.

Chinese cuisine is as varied as its geography, depending on class and ethnic background, and is also influenced by its cultural exchange with other civilisations over time. There are over eight culinary schools: Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Szechuan, and Zhejiang. While you have sampled Chinese cuisine in many Chinatowns worldwide, they’re more likely to be Cantonese cuisine as this is where most Chinese emigrants come from. The Indo-Chinese that we’re accustomed to in India is influenced by Hakka cuisine.

When you travel to China, we suggest you forget what you know about Chinese food—authentic Chinese food is unlike anything you have ever had. You could also include a food tour in your China tour package itinerary.

From Peking duck and dim sums to kung pao chicken and hot pot, there are plenty of iconic dishes to try in China.

While China’s vast geography made travel impractical, recent technological developments have made travel easy and effortless. China’s high-speed railways can take passengers anywhere across the country. Almost all tourist attractions are well connected with multiple travel options, such as rail, road, and air. Even the attractions are wheelchair-friendly, with ramps, cable cars, and elevators.

Chinese cities are very safe for tourists and even ranked above European countries like Denmark and the Netherlands. Crimes like mugging and rape are extremely rare thanks to the draconian penalties aimed against mischief mongers. Thanks to the increased number of tourists, people are getting used to the idea of welcoming different races and ethnicities.

Language is also not a problem with guided China tour packages, as you have a Mandarin-speaking tour manager to guide you.

Given the vast territory, the climate and weather vary in different areas and change in different seasons. As you travel across China, you will experience a variety of climatic conditions, ranging from subtropical temperatures to frigid and even temperate weather. Generally speaking, China experiences four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Despite the seasons, the varied climate makes China a year-long destination. But if you are looking for the best time to pick a China tour package, read on:

Spring is usually short but varies vastly from one region to another. It’s also a period of sharp transition as the weather suddenly changes from cold to warm. The temperature usually ranks from 10°C to 22°C, depending on where you’re visiting. The Chinese typically consider spring to be the beginning of the year. It’s also windy this time of the year, with North China experiencing gale winds and dust storms. If you travel to Beijing, Tianjin, or Shandong during this time of the year, wear face masks and hooded jackets.

However, early spring brings rain to southern regions in China, where it is cold with little sunshine and high humidity. Pack spring clothes like windbreaker jackets, long skirts, and some layered clothing to prepare for the sudden weather change. But if you are travelling to the South, carry rain gear.

• Catch the rapeseed flowering spectacle as vast swathes of landscape turn bright yellow in places like Yunnan, Jiangxi, and Anhui.
• Experience tea harvest in Zhejiang and Fujian.
• Experience the Miao Sisters’ Meal Festival in Guizhou.

Summer can be hot and humid across China, ranging from 28°C to 33°C. July is especially hotter, with temperatures even reaching up to 35°C. It’s also the rainiest time of the year in some places like Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan. It is hot and rainy in northern regions like Beijing and Xian, with July and August being the rainiest months. If you’re visiting China around this time, we suggest you plan your activities early in the morning or the evening. A night tour of the Great Wall of China is also a great idea.

Over the years, temperatures have been soaring across the country, with some places like Beijing experiencing up to 42°C in summer.

South China is equally hot and humid but could experience typhoons in July. Cities like Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Chengdu experience temperatures around 35°C, which could even reach 40 during this time.

The only place that is pleasant to travel to during summer is West China. Places like the Yellow Mountains and Zhangjiajie are pleasant and scenic during summer. You can hike through the scenic trails of the Yellow Mountains or go for a river cruise on the Yangtze. Tibet is also cool and pleasant during summer. However, most places will likely be crowded since schools are closed during this time. We suggest you book VIP access to bypass long queues.

• Book a tour to Tibet to explore the beautiful landscape.
• Explore the ancient trade routes along Yunnan and Gansu.
• Plan a beach holiday in Sanya, Xiamen, and Qingdao.
• Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Mount Fanjing in Guizhou.

Autumn is definitely one of the best seasons for a China tour package. The weather is pleasant, with temperatures ranging from 15°C to 27°C, depending on where you travel. The days are bright, and the weather is pleasant, with very little rainfall. However, some places like Hong Kong and Shanghai experience some rain around this time. The nights are cold, but not cold enough to cover yourself in thick clothing.

Cities like Beijing and Xian experience temperatures around 5°C, with dry and windy weather. If you travel further, to the northeast or northwest, it could be around 0°C. Places like Xiling and Shenyang even experience snow.

What makes autumn special in China is the spectacular landscape with leaves turning red, yellow, and gold, depending on the month you travel. It’s also the time for the Mid-Autumn Festival or the Mooncake Festival, a harvest festival celebrated in Chinese culture. The Chinese also celebrate Golden Week, a 7-day work and school holiday during which they are encouraged to explore their country and culture.

• Visit the Jiuzhaigou National Park for its spectacular scenery.
• Go hiking in Kanas Lake in Northern Xinjiang.
• Visit Shangri-la in Yunnan.
• Hike across the Great Wall in the Simitai Region.
• Visit Tianmen Mountain next to Zhangjiajie City.

As with other countries in the Northern Hemisphere, China also experiences cold and dry winters, with temperatures ranging from 6°C to -6°C, depending on where you travel. Northern and Central China are freezing cold in winter, while cities like Hong Kong and Macau are pleasant, with temperatures around 15°C. Beijing experiences slight snow in December, while in places like Harbin and Huangshan, it could be -6°C.

• Visit the Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin.
• Visit the Yabuli Ski Resort.
• Join the one-day Panda Volunteer Program in Chengdu.
• Experience the Spring Festival celebrated across China.

As a nation with overwhelming history, culture, art, and cuisine, there’s little wonder that there are plenty of things to do and explore in China. Here are a few things you must not miss on your China tour package itinerary.

While there are plenty of supermarkets and department stores, the best way to experience authentic Chinese life is to visit some of its supermarkets. These flea markets have everything you’ll need from fresh vegetables and fruits to household items and even traditional Chinese medicine.

The Panjiayuan Market is the largest flea market in China, with over 3,000 stalls selling everything from antiques and souvenirs to handicrafts and porcelain items. You can also buy intricately carved jade figures, antique furniture, and traditional Chinese paintings.

The Hongqiao Market is a vibrant marketplace in Beijing that is famous for its pearls and jewellery. It also has an indoor seafood market and separate sections for electrical and electronic items, branded clothes, silk clothes, and fashion accessories.

The Shahe Clothes Wholesale Market in Guangzhou is a great place to buy low-priced clothing.

Hong Kong is famous for its night markets selling everything from everyday clothes and accessories to household items and souvenirs.

Despite its modern developments, China has managed to preserve its rich culture and traditions, evidenced by its historical buildings. For instance, the Terracotta Army in Xian is one of China’s best historical sites. It is part of the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, which contains 6000 life-sized sculptures of soldiers, horses, and chariots to protect him in the afterlife.

The Great Wall of China is another remarkable site built over centuries to protect the country from nomadic raiders. The wall traverses from the east coast to the west desert, passing through mountains and plateaus like a dragon.

The Shaolin Temple, which was built over 1500 years ago, is famous for its Shaolin kung fu, Pagoda Forest, and Dharma Cave. The ancient monastery is considered the birthplace of Chan Buddhism.

The Forbidden City was home to the Ming Dynasty rules for hundreds of years, including 24 emperors. It has 9000 rooms in its 70 palaces, helping the royals live luxurious lives.

Chinese beaches weren’t very popular earlier. But thanks to efforts by the Chinese government, they are now clean and include fun activities like paragliding and banana boat riding. Hainan, often described as the Hawaii of China, is the cleanest and least crowded of all beaches. The Marin Headlands is another safe beach with a separate place for sunbathing and sports activities for children.

Wuzhizhou Island is often referred to as the Maldives of China and is famous for its beautiful scenery and amazing attractions, such as Plants World and Underwater World.

If you want to enjoy picturesque scenery, visit the Tianya Haijiao for its large stones and park.

• Visit Hong Kong Disneyland.
• Try some grilled insect snacks like scorpions and centipedes on the street stalls.
• Sign up for a Panda Loving Care Program in Chengdu.

• Walk on the Coiling Dragon Skywalk at Zhangjiajie National Park.
• Go hiking and camping on the Jiankou Section of the Great Wall of China.
• Ride on a toboggan at the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall of China.

The Chinese take food seriously and can be very superstitious about food, diet, and dinner etiquette. Some foods are a must for certain events or festivals. For instance, moon cakes are a must during the Mid-Autumn Festival. While there are around eight different cuisines, they focus on primary flavours like sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. The Chinese believe that food must balance all these flavours.

Food is also categorised in terms of north and south flavours. For instance, while northern Chinese food is heavy on wheat noodles and steamed/stuffed buns, the Southerners eat rice or rice noodles as their staple starch. And while it is true that the Chinese can eat anything that moves, it is because wasting food is frowned upon. The Chinese are also keen on eating seasonal produce as it affects harmony between yin (cold) and yang (hot). For instance, radishes are eaten only in winter as they are hot food and help keep the body warm.

Just like animal variety, the Chinese have an equally vast range of vegetables, some of which you may have heard only recently thanks to globalisation. The Chinese are masters of presentation – some dishes can be so elaborately decorated with intricate vegetable carvings.

If you’re signing up for a China tour package, include a culinary tour in your itinerary. Some of the dishes you must try include:

This is a famous Beijing dish loved for its thin and crispy skin. The sliced duck is eaten with pancakes and a side of spring onion, cucumber, and sweet bean sauce. Ducks marinated in Chinese sauces, soy sauce, and other condiments and left to dry for 24 hours in a cool place. They are then roasted in a specially prepared oven until the skin turns crispy and golden brown.

This is a Szechuan-style dish famous all over the world for its sweet and savoury flavour. It is easy to prepare and uses simple ingredients like dried chilli, cucumber, cashews, vegetables, and mashed garlic, but it tastes delicious.

The Chinese invented tofu thousands of years ago during the Han Dynasty. Tofu is an important source of protein and is also considered a symbol of health and simplicity. It is an integrated part of Chinese cuisine and is used in different ways. It is eaten raw, such as silken tofu, smoked, made into pudding, and deep-fried. Some famous tofu-based dishes include map tofu, beef and tofu stir fry, and spicy garlic tofu.

• Don’t disrespect/criticise Chairman Mao Zedong or the Chinese government.
• The Chinese aren’t too comfortable with PDA – don’t hug people you meet for the first time.
• Don’t discuss the Japanese, Tibet, or the Taiwan issue with locals.
• Don’t tip the locals, as it could embarrass them.
• Brush up on your chopstick etiquette.
• Don’t bring up topics related to COVID-19 or call it the Wuhan virus.

If you know where and how to shop, China can be a shopper’s paradise. With its megamalls, supermarkets, and flea markets, the country caters to varying tastes and budgets. You can buy anything from branded clothes to first-copy products, second-hand goods, and low-cost items.

While most people come here to buy international brands, make sure you check their domestic brands as well, they’re of excellent quality and available at half the price of reputable brands.

Shopping in China is cheap, but you must know what to buy. Most international brands have manufacturing units in China that produce goods for the whole world. Since they are sold without overseas shipping costs or markup, name-brand products are quite cheap. Case in point: Nike and Adidas are cheaper in China than in the US or Europe.

However, high-end Italian bags like Gucci and Prada are more expensive in China than in Europe because of the high tariffs and shipping costs. But their domestic brands are far cheaper and of good quality, too. Some of the best places for shopping include:

Hong Kong is a great place to shop. Things are cheap in the city as Hong Kong is not subject to sales tax. Shop for electronics, beauty and skincare products, clothes, tailor-made clothes, sneakers, watches, and other fashion accessories as they are very cheap here.

• Times Square on Causeway Bay
• Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon
• Mong Kok in Kowloon
• Temple Street Night Market in Jordan

Guangzhou is shopping heaven in China since it is home to most manufacturing factories. There are plenty of wholesale markets where you can buy anything, including electronics and electrical appliances, for cheap. Besides clothes, you can buy Cantonese embroidered items, jade sculptures, and Chinese tea.

• Tianma Wholesale Market & Shahe Market for clothes
• Hanyin Electric Appliance Market for electrical appliances
• Jadeware Street for jade items and jewellery
• Nangfang Tea Market for tea
• Qingping Market for Chinese herbal medicines and other traditional items

Shenzhen, being the Silicon Capital of China, is a great place to buy electronic appliances. But you can also purchase fashion accessories, clothes, handicrafts, and toys for cheap.

• Dongmen Circle for electronic components and computer parts.
• SEG Market for digital products and computer parts.
• Dongmen Circle for clothes, accessories, handicrafts, and more.

This is the best place in the world to buy silk, thanks to its long history of silk making. The silk here is definitely top quality and features intricate embroidery. You can also buy clothes, scarves, umbrellas, landscape paintings, and tea.

• West Lake Longjing Market for tea, silk umbrellas, Xiaoquan scissors.
• Sijiqing Clothing Market for garments.

China’s capital city has great shopping malls, antique markets, and wholesale markets. It’s a great place to buy fashion items for the young.

• Wangfuijing Shopping Street for high-end fashion, cosmetics, electronics, stationery.
• Xidan Commercial Street for funky clothes and accessories for the young.
• Panjiayuan Flea Market for antiques, jade, lacquer, Chinese calligraphy, porcelain.
• Beijing Silk Market for silk ornaments and clothes.

• Bargaining is the norm in China. Unless the price is listed and it’s a branded store, you can bargain anywhere.
• At flea markets, don’t ask for the price unless you want to buy it. The shopkeepers are very good at convincing people to buy.
• Mini-So is a great place to shop for quirky accessories and stationeries.
• Don’t agree to the seller’s first quote, it’s always marked up.
• Don’t be put off by fake products, the quality can be good and even match the real thing.

With such an ancient history, it is no secret that China has a rich tapestry of paintings, performing arts, sculptures, and architecture. The Chinese invented calligraphy, pottery, and porcelain. While calligraphy and painting were the domain of the elite, the common people showcased their lives through paintings on tomb and cave walls, some of which date back to the Han Dynasty and are well preserved even today.

Music and dance are some of the oldest Chinese art forms, with music playing an important role in early Chinese rituals. Similarly, theatre was also associated with Chinese rituals, including dance forms that helped exorcise demons and re-enact important historical events.

Confucianism has a major influence on Chinese culture. The philosophy focuses on a strong sense of family, respect for hierarchy, appreciation for harmony, and the importance of personal ethics and morality.