Great trip to Beijing, Pingyao, Xian, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie, Gulin, Yangshuo and Shanghai. One of the best countries that we have visited so far. Started our journey in Beijing on June 3rd and ended in Shanghai on June 18. Went to Pingyao, Xian, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie, Gulin, Yangshuo and Shanghai. Great trip planning by Maple Zheng and team. Lots of Wechat and emails with Maple prior to the trip. Outstanding communication. Great English speaking guides in all the cities. Challenges: Vegetarians and no garlic. No problem in China. The English speaking guides organized by Odynovo in each city were very helpful and went with us to most places and made sure we got our food. I had also looked up some vegetarian Michelin star restaurants in Beijing and Shanghai. In some of the cities like Chengdu and Guilin, we had sumptuous vegetarian buffet at the Buddhist temples for about $4 ea. What a deal. Restaurants: Beijing - Kings Joy, Shanghai - Fu He Hui, Overall assessment of China. Extremely clean, no sign of homelessness, safe and outstanding infrastructure. Amazing bullet trains to go from one city to another, traveling at 200 mph. Didn't have to withdraw any money; used Alipay to pay for everything. Linked to my credit card. Pay in 200 yuan increments to avoid service fee. Best part of our trip: Zhangjiajie (Avatar mountains), Pingyao (walled city), Xian (Terracotta warriors going back to 200 BC). Went to lots of great shows in the evenings: Xian: Tang Dynasty show; Chengdu: Disappearing face mask show; Yangshuo: Sanjie Lu show; Shanghai: Impression of time; Zhangjiajie: Xiangxi (Tujia and Miow people) show Thanks to all the guides : Rocky in Beijing, John in Pingyao, Cathy in Xian, Baylee in Zhangjiajie, Ellen in Guilin/Yangshuo, Ms Liqi in Shanghai. The all wanted to make sure we enjoyed our trip. Some of them were nice enough to give us small gifts and snacks. They were all very caring.

A full week in historic Xi'an, China We had such a great time during our ODYNOVO tour of Xi’an, China that we were a bit sad to see it come to an end, even though we spent an entire week there – more than the usual visitor perhaps. We visited: • The Hanyangling Mausoleum of the 4th Emperor of the Han dynasty and marveled at the curated 2,000+ year old burial pits of the Emperor and his court. The site has been wonderfully preserved and presented as an underground museum with walkways surrounding the glass enclosed burial pits. • The elegant and charming Gao residence (Tang Dynasty) in the Muslim Quarter where we watched a lively shadow puppet show and took a class in calligraphy from a master calligrapher. Great fun and educational! • The museum of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang with the Terra Cotta warriors – truly one of the wonders of the world. The quality and quantity of the terra cotta warriors and horses in the three pits is mind boggling. The overall museum campus is large and artfully presented. • The Big Wild Goose Pagoda where we saw spectacular gold buddhas and enjoyed the lovely gardens. We did not climb the pagoda, however. The site has been beautifully landscaped and preserved. • The wall surrounding the ancient city of Xi’an – on a rainy day when there was no activity on the wall and visibility was limited. We would have enjoyed another visit to the wall on a sunny day. • The Forest of Stone Steles museum, set in the grounds of a former Confucian temple. This museum is a remarkable blend of traditional and modern architecture to display huge stone tablets inscribed in the five different styles of Chinese calligraphy. The precision of the carved writings on the stone tablets is amazing. Tablets such as these were studied to prepare for the annual merit exam for senior positions in the administration of Tang emperors. The museum includes some fun interactive exhibits; and we can highly recommend a visit to the coffee shop, which is full of surprises. • Mount Huashan, about a 2 hour drive to the northeast of Xi’an. It is accessed through a well organized national park where you take buses up tight winding mountain roads to the base of the gondola for an 8 or 20 minute ride to the top, depending on the peak. We took the shorter ride to the North Peak. Once at the top of the gondola, many more steps awaited us, as all the hiking on top is vertical – either up or down. It was not the kind of hike that we had envisioned, and it was very strenuous; but we were glad we made the visit because the views were spectacular. Nearly all of the visitors were Chinese; and there were a variety of food stations up on the mountain. We also learned: • Mahjong and played it with local players at a Mahjong parlor; and • How to make dumplings in the home of a very gracious local resident, where we dined on the dumplings we made; We saw several spectacular artistic performances: • “The Song of Everlasting Sorrow” presented on a small lake within the gorgeous Huaqing Palace grounds – a stunning combination of surprising waterworks, stage sets that emerge from the lake, acrobatics, acting, song and dance, big screen projections and special lighting effects that include elements on the mountain behind the scene. An amazing production and you don’t need to understand Chinese to follow it. • The Tang Dynasty show about the rise of the Empress Wu at the downtown Tangle Palace Theater. This was both an elegant dining experience and a beautiful and skillful performance by young artists accompanied by an orchestra of traditional Chinese musical instruments in front of spectacular background projections. It was a very classy show; and there were subtitles in Chinese and English. • The Silk Road Experience presented in a pavilion about a 45 minute drive to the northeast of Xi’an, which portrays the difficulties faced by ordinary Chinese who participated in Silk Road caravans. Some returned prosperous and some didn’t survive the journey. The show uses live camels and “wolves” in various stage sets in a circular arena with a revolving auditorium. We cannot say enough good things about our guide Jessica. She speaks excellent English, taught us an enormous amount about the history of Xi’an, the major Chinese dynasties, and Chinese history, culture, calligraphy styles, cuisine and more. She was very attentive to our needs and adjusted our schedule accordingly. We started at 9:00 or 9:30 most days, at 8:00 on the day we went to Mount Huashan, and at 11:00 on the day when we had the evening performance of the “Song of Everlasting Sorrow” at the summer palace. We were able to enjoy that extraordinary outdoor performance because she brilliantly switched the Wednesday and Thursday plans of our itinerary so that we weren’t rained out of that show. She also adjusted the itinerary for our visit to Mount Huashan to reduce the difficulty for us. We had been traveling for 3 weeks before arriving in Xi’an and were both dealing with unanticipated foot and leg pains that developed during our pre-Xi’an travels. Jessica helped us to get some relief of those issues. Climbing Mount Huashan was indeed a different and more challenging experience than what we anticipated. I think we performed better than expected, but the reduced difficulty itinerary was the appropriate choice that enabled us to enjoy the experience. She also selected excellent typical local restaurants for our lunches and helped us make good food selections. She persisted without complaint even while dealing with a temporary loss of voice. All in all, she was not just a knowledgeable and effective guide but also a great travel companion. Our driver, Mr. Tong, was also excellent and exceeded our expectations. He is very friendly and gracious and speaks just enough English. His skill at navigating the traffic congestion in Xi’an and the destinations we visited was nothing short of astounding. After the evening performance of the Tang Dynasty musical extravaganza celebrating the accession of the Empress Wu to the throne (a fantastic dinner theater experience that also far exceeded our expectations), he met us in the lobby – recognizing us amid the hundreds of attendees exiting the performance – and escorted us to his waiting van right in front of the doors to the theater (after he took our pictures with the cast)! He is indeed a superior driver. We made our own hotel and plane arrangements, and we highly recommend the Sofitel Xi’an where we stayed. It is delightfully situated with two other hotels of the same group in a tucked away compound that was a charming refuge from the bustling city. The staff were very friendly and accommodating and the food and beverages were very good. Our Odynovo Travel Consultant Corinna was superbly responsive and accommodating of all of our tour planning requests. She was a pleasure to work with; and everything fell into place in a timely manner as she predicted. Our experience with ODYNOVO was excellent and we expect to use them again in the future.

Odynovo Tour in Beijing, China My tour with Odynovo in Beijing, China was an incredible experience! As a first time traveler to China, having all the arrangements completed for me and having a guide and driver made my travel approachable and easy. It took all the guess work off of my plate, so I could just relax and enjoy my time. My guide, Cathy, and driver, Mr. Zhang, are what truly made the experience for me. They both were punctual and professional at all times. Having Cathy as a guide was like traveling with a friend who was able to give me so much background and historical information as we moved through each sight. Cathy went above and beyond, by getting us a cold treat after being out in heat all day and by bringing me some local fruits and Chinese treats for me to try the next day. These were unexpected gestures that filled me with appreciation. As we were driving through the busy streets of Beijing, I was continuously grateful that Mr. Zhang was driving and I wasn't! It was obvious that he was an experienced driver in the city that made zipping around seem easy and feel safe. We went to Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, The Temple of Heaven, The Imperial Tombs for Sacred Road & Ding Tomb, and The Mutianyu Great Wall, all of which were excellent experiences. To be able to experience such rich and historical sights with a local guide made it all so much more meaningful to me than if I had visited them on my own. Overall, I would highly recommend Odynovo Tours when visiting Beijing, China (or any area in China), and you may even want to request Cathy and Mr. Zhang!

Great trip to China!! We enjoyed a really fun, well organised trip to China for a week. We appreciate all the care throughout our time there! Tracy, our guide in Beijing, was very knowledgeable, engaging, and was able to communicate fluently in English. Rita & Mona our guides in XiAn & Pingyao were also warm & personable. All of them went the extra mile. Thank you to all!!

Fabulous five days in Beijing with Odynovo! We had a fabulous 12-day trip to China with Odynovo and give them our highest recommendation. Our travel consultant, Jake Zhong, provided a fabulous itinerary including five days in Beijing where we saw all of the best attractions, sampled delicious regional food, and stayed in a top-notch hotel. Dina Zhang was our tour guide. She gave us 100% of her care and attention for our time in Beijing. She was proactive and thoughtful, carrying umbrellas, ponchos, candy etc. to help us when the need arose. She deftly got us through a lot of ticket lines and security checkpoints swiftly and without hassle, including Tianenman Square, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall. She was informative about all of the imperial and historic sites we visited, knowing which exhibits to visit, even climbing up on the Great Wall with us. She took us to wonderful local restaurants that she personally knew. She went way above the call of duty when we lost a lens cap, researching stores on her personal time, and taking us to where we needed to go to get it replaced. She treated us like friends; we were sad when we had to leave. We had a dedicated driver, Mr. Wang, separate from the tour guide, who took us around to all the sites, including the Great Wall. We felt very safe in the nice, clean vehicle and he drove with great skill through the Beijing traffic. Dina coordinated seamlessly with Mr. Wang so that we didn’t waste time between activities. So, we highly recommend working with Odynovo and Dina Zhang if you want to go to Beijing!

Lots of Hiking on the Great Wall My Husband and I loved the Odynovo experience. The hotel was in a great location near evening street dancing. Crystal made navigating around so easy. She made sure we got some great photos at Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City, and especially on the Great Wall. At the first Great Wall location, I arrived with a bit of motion sickness. Crystal stayed with us to make sure we didn't need help. We had Juyongguan almost to ourselves. Then we went to a second location, Badaling, which was more crowded, but the view was spectacular!! I'm glad our travel planner was able to arrange two locations. Breakfast and lunch were included so we didn't spend much money on meals at all. Just an ice cream from 7-eleven in the evenings.

Great time in yangshuo and longji We did a 5 day tour with Fan as our guide to Yangshuo and Longji. Fan was outstanding. His English was great. He was knowledgeable, fun, and accommodating. We thoroughly enjoyed walks, hikes, biking the countryside in Yangshuo and longji. Would highly recommend

Beautiful city Beijing guides Angela very good and helpful

A Perfect Off-the-Beaten-Path Beijing Experience I’ve been to Beijing before, so this time I wanted to skip the usual tourist spots and discover something different. William made that happen flawlessly. He took me to Miyun Reservoir – the scenery was stunning and so peaceful – and then to Gubei Water Town, where I stayed overnight. The town is beautifully lit up at night, and William arranged everything so smoothly. The highlight was hiking on the Great Wall after dark – an absolutely magical experience, with hardly anyone else around. William was professional from start to finish: punctual, well‑prepared, and full of fascinating insights about Beijing’s history and local culture. He also has a warm, friendly manner that made the whole trip feel like exploring with a knowledgeable friend. If you’re looking for a guide who goes above and beyond, ask for William. He turned my return visit into an unforgettable adventure. Highly recommended!

Amazing Guilin, part of our China tour. Guilin was included in our roundtour in China. Odynovo arranged everything wonderful! To the point! Bruce Lu was our coordinator, and he was our contact the whole trip and we could not have wished for anybody better! We met also in person together with Kevin. Both lovely and a great help. In Guilin our guide was Alice. We liked Alice the moment we saw her, she is truly a lovely woman! Together we saw highlights like: the Longji ricefields, we started from the top and hiked down along the ricefields, it was so quiet and tranquil, we met farmers on the way. The nature, all so green, waterstreams running everywhere, a delight to the eye! We ate at a restaurant in a small village on the way down, we had the most delicious bamboo rice! Highly recommend it! The next day we did the cruise on the Li River to Yangshuo, which was amazing as the scenery is stunning. Alice pointed out so many interesting things along the way. On our last day we went to visit the Ruyi Peak, it was blazing hot and humid that day, so we didn’t go entirely to the top, but we walked the suspension bridge and the glass bridge. When you see Guilin area from above you get the idea of those famous 10000+ karst peaks! Personally I could stay on that suspension bridge hours, the views to both sides! The edges covered with red ribbons and wishes written on small wooden boards hanging from it, I loved it! Thanks Alice! ❤️ All together great experiences that we will share with the people back home. And be sure that we will recommend Odynovo as our China trip organizer! Thanks Bruce! ❤️ I would also like to take the opportunity to thank all our other guides and drivers! Alice in Beijing, Zoe in Xi'an, Dana in Chengdu, Sunshine in Chongqing and Mégane in Zhangjiajie! ❤️

Family tour of Beijing Thank you CiCi for the excellent tour of Beijing. CiCi gave use all the insider tips for travelling efficiently. Thank you for the great time!

The Great China Adventure 2026 Alice was our guide in Beijing and her bright smile and energetic personality set the tone for our family as we are also very energetic. Alice also taught a master class in patience as she patiently waited while my wife enjoyed shopping and she helped to keep the grandkids, 8 & 11 years old together. She answered a jillion questions and helped us enjoy each experience to the fullest. She set the tone for the rest of our trip and set the bar for future guides very high. Alice became a part of our family on this marvelous family adventure. She was very good at teaching us calligraphy. If you are fortunate enough to get Alice as your guide you are truly blessed as we were.

Xi’an with family If you are visiting Xi'an, booking Lisa with Odynovo is a no brainer. She guided us to see the incredible Terracotta Warriors, transforming a bucket-list sightseeing day into a seamless, deeply enriching experience. Lisa brings the ancient history of the Qin dynasty to life with her remarkable storytelling and deep expertise, while flawlessly handling all the complex logistics, transportation, and crowd navigation around the pits. Warm, attentive, and highly professional, she knew exactly how to pace the day and navigate to the best vantage points and photo spots. She was very accommodating in changing our lunch request. Our family enjoyed our 2 1/2 days in Xi’an with Lisa.