Choose Independent if you are happy to move between booked hotels, trains and sights on your own, with the LocalKey app and a 7×24 team behind you; choose Private Guided if you want private guides, a driver and car across the trip, and a local host in each city. Both are private trips for your own party, planned 1:1 and booked by LocalKey, and you can add an airport pickup, a car and driver, or a local guide to Independent on the days you want one.
Both levels sit within Private China Tours: your own China trip — planned, booked and backed. Neither is a group tour, and neither is a fixed package. The difference is how much support you have on the ground between the things we book.
What LocalKey does: LocalKey Travel is the China inbound travel brand of Guangdong Xingcheng International Travel Agency Co., Ltd., a licensed travel agency since 2009 headquartered in Guangzhou. On both levels, a 1:1 specialist designs your route and sends a written proposal; nothing is booked or paid until you approve it. LocalKey then books hotels, high-speed rail, any transfers in your proposal and attraction tickets, puts the day-by-day roadbook in the LocalKey app, and supports you 7×24 on WeChat or WhatsApp. To start a custom route, send your dates, who is travelling and the cities you have in mind; you do not need a finished itinerary.
What is the difference between Independent and Private Guided?
The difference is support on the ground: on Independent you travel by high-speed rail and public transport with step-by-step directions in the app, while Private Guided adds private guides, a door-to-door driver and car, and a local host in each city. Planning, booking and the 7×24 trip chat are the same on both.
| Topic | Independent | Private Guided |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels | Well-located hotels at sensible prices, simple ones included if you prefer | Higher-category hotels, chosen for position and service |
| Getting around | High-speed rail and public transport; we book the tickets and write step-by-step directions | Private car and driver, door to door |
| On the ground | You travel independently, with our team on WeChat or WhatsApp 7×24 | A local host in each city and private guides for the days that need them |
| Tickets and entry | Attraction tickets and timed entries booked for you | The same, plus appointments for special requests, confirmed in writing before you travel |
| Add-ons | Airport pickup, private car and driver, local guide on demand | Already across the trip |
| LocalKey details | Explore Independent | Explore Private Guided |
The table is a starting point, not a substitute for route planning. A short Beijing and Shanghai trip may suit either level; a longer route with several regional transfers usually makes the difference more noticeable.
What both levels share
- Your route is planned for your party, not combined with unrelated travellers.
- A 1:1 specialist designs the route around your dates, pace and the people travelling, and sends a written proposal to review before anything is booked.
- Nothing is paid until you approve that written proposal. Once you do, LocalKey books domestic flights and high-speed rail (international flights on request), hotels, attraction tickets and timed entries, and confirms them in writing. Private airport and station transfers are standard on Private Guided; on Independent they are booked only when you add them to the proposal.
- The LocalKey app holds the day-by-day roadbook, maps and a wallet with every booking grouped by day, ready on your phone before you fly.
- Your own trip group chat is open 7×24 on WeChat or WhatsApp, with your specialist and our on-trip service team in it.
How does Independent work on the ground?
On Independent, LocalKey books the trains, hotels, transfers and tickets you agreed, and the app tells you how to get from one booked service to the next; you do not book your own high-speed rail tickets, and nobody walks beside you unless you add a guide or driver for that day. It is planned independence, not a do-it-yourself trip.
High-speed rail is the normal link between major cities where the network is practical, and LocalKey books domestic flights instead where distance or dates make them more practical. A typical Independent city change looks like this:
- Check out with the train time, station and entrance already in the app roadbook.
- Reach the station by metro, taxi, or a private transfer if you added one.
- Take the booked high-speed train to the next city.
- Follow the roadbook to the next hotel, or meet an airport or station pickup if you added one.
- Spend the next days on booked sights and your own time, with the 7×24 chat for questions.
Inside the app, each day can show where to meet a driver or guide on add-on days, which station entrance or hotel lobby to use, train departure and arrival details, suggested walking, metro or taxi connections, and the tickets or timed entries for that day. If a train is delayed, a station exit is confusing or energy runs out, you message the team rather than solve it alone.
Two practical facts shape an Independent day. The gov.cn guide to working and living in China lists the passport as valid identification for buying train tickets, so keep it with you on every rail day, even though LocalKey books the tickets. Between booked services you pay for metro rides, taxis and meals yourself: foreign visitors can link Visa or Mastercard to Alipay and WeChat Pay, according to the gov.cn payment service guide for overseas visitors, and our Alipay for foreigners guide covers the setup before you fly.
A local guide is an optional add-on on Independent, not a default. You might add one for a large palace or museum complex, or a day where interpretation matters, and keep other days to yourselves.
When does Private Guided make the day easier?
Private Guided makes the most difference on days with a long-haul arrival, older or less mobile travellers, a fixed entry time, heavy luggage or several stops in one city, because a driver and guide carry the logistics that would otherwise fall on you. It does not remove traffic or make every site step-free; it reduces avoidable transfers and decisions.
| Situation | What changes with Private Guided | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Long-haul arrival or jet lag | A car meets you and takes you straight to the hotel or a first gentle stop | No station stairs, luggage hauls or routing decisions when energy is lowest |
| Grandparents or reduced mobility | Shorter walks, fewer stairs, planned rest stops, car access closer to key sights | The group protects energy without dropping the visits that matter |
| Timed museum or heritage entry | Car and guide work back from the reserved arrival time | Fewer metro changes means less risk of missing the slot, security queue included |
| Luggage-heavy hotel change | Checkout, bags, a visit and check-in are joined in one day by the same car | Bags are not moved repeatedly through public connections |
| Several stops in one big city | A temple, a museum, lunch and a neighbourhood walk are sequenced by car | The guide can stretch or shorten a stop without re-planning transport |
Historic streets, gardens, courtyards and stations can still involve stairs and uneven paving, so each site is planned around your group. For older travellers, see Private China Tour for Seniors.
More coverage does not mean every hour is guided. Private Guided can still include meals on your own, quiet mornings and free afternoons; your written proposal shows which days use a guide, the car or free time.
Which level fits your group?
Independent tends to fit confident, rail-comfortable travellers on a straightforward city sequence; Private Guided tends to fit first-time visitors who want daily support, families with mixed ages, and anyone for whom stairs, transfers and decisions are tiring. The choice should follow your group, not a status label.
A Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai trip by high-speed rail is a typical first route: the Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai sample route shows how the same three cities run on Independent and on Private Guided.
| Profile | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Travellers who enjoy high-speed rail and exploring alone | Independent | The route uses rail, with clear directions and the team on call |
| Confident city travellers who want a guide only for one or two big sights | Independent, with a guide added on those days | You get context where it matters and keep other days free |
| First-time visitors who want daily practical support | Private Guided | A driver and car door to door, a local host in each city and private guides on the days that need them carry most of the logistics |
| Grandparents or travellers with reduced stamina | Private Guided | Less walking and fewer transfers protect energy for the visits |
| Families with mixed ages | Private Guided, or Independent with a car added on harder days | Car access makes it easier to pause when children or older travellers tire |
| Routes with several hotel changes or countryside days | Private Guided | Luggage, transfers and day trips are easier to coordinate |
A route can also mix the two: an Independent city pair by rail, then a car and guide added for a regional extension or day trips. A couple who walks and uses the metro happily may find Independent more satisfying; a family with one traveller recovering from an injury may find Private Guided more practical even if everyone else is independent. If you are travelling with children or across generations, see China Family Tours.
How do you choose, then enquire?
Answer four questions — how you feel about rail between cities, whether you want time without a guide or car, how much hotel level and downtime matter, and whether age or mobility makes transfers tiring — then send your dates and group to a 1:1 specialist. You do not need a finished itinerary to ask.
If your answers point to rail, free time and a practical hotel level, ask about Independent. If they point to more private coverage, higher-category hotels and a slower pace, ask about Private Guided.
A useful first enquiry includes:
- Travel dates or a date range, and arrival and departure cities.
- Number of travellers and approximate ages.
- Cities or regions you are considering, and any fixed dates or timed visits.
- Any reduced mobility, medical limits or need for regular rest.
- How much rail travel and independent time your group would enjoy, and how many hotel changes feel comfortable.
Every trip is quoted individually from the hotels, transport, guide days and pace in your written proposal; LocalKey does not publish a single price for either level. Choose Independent or Private Guided, then enquire with a 1:1 specialist. LocalKey support is available 7×24 through WeChat or WhatsApp.
Frequently asked questions
We don't speak Chinese. Should we book a fully private tour or just hire guides for a few days?
Both LocalKey levels are fully private trips for your own party, planned 1:1 and booked by LocalKey, so the real choice is how much support you want on the ground. Independent, with a local guide added on the big-sight days, suits travellers comfortable with rail and the app; Private Guided suits first-time visitors who want private guides, a driver and car across the trip, and a local host in each city.
Do we need to speak Chinese to travel on Independent?
You do not need to manage China in Chinese on your own. The LocalKey app gives step-by-step directions for each booked train, transfer and sight, and your trip group chat on WeChat or WhatsApp, with your specialist and the on-trip service team in it, is open 7×24 when something does not go to plan.
Can we mix Independent and Private Guided on one trip?
Yes. A common pattern is an Independent city pair by high-speed rail, then a car and guide for a regional extension, day trips or a luggage-heavy hotel change. Your written proposal shows which days use a guide, a car or free time.
How do we start a custom route with LocalKey?
Send your dates or a date range, arrival and departure cities, the number and ages of travellers, the cities you have in mind and any fixed visits to a 1:1 specialist. The specialist sends a written proposal, and nothing is booked or paid until you approve it.
Does LocalKey publish one price for each level?
No. Every trip is quoted individually from the hotels, transport, guide days and pace in your written proposal, so the same three cities can be quoted very differently for two groups.
Sources
- Gov.cn — Guide to Working and Living in China 2025: mobile payment and train tickets — verified_on 2026-10-19
- Gov.cn — payment service guide for overseas visitors to China — verified_on 2026-10-19
