9 daysFirst Time China: 9 Days, Beijing + Xi'an + Shanghai
from$2,400
Plan this routePer person · reference price for 2027 trips, 2 sharing · excl. international flights
Private trips · never a group tour
China tours at your own pace.
LocalKey plans private China tours for your party only: first trips, family trips and trips built around one interest. Travel Independent with everything booked, or Private Guided with your own guide, driver and car. A specialist replies within 24 hours.
- Your party only, never a group departure
- Hotels, trains, tickets and transfers booked for you
- Our team on WhatsApp or WeChat, 24 hours a day
- Licensed China travel agency since 2009
Two ways to travel. Both private.
Private means only your party, not luxury: you set the hotel level and the budget. Choose one style or mix them day by day. Every trip is planned and quoted individually.
You travel on your own, with everything booked, the LocalKey app on your phone and our team on call 24/7. Add what you want on top: an airport pickup, a private car and driver when you need one, or a local guide for the days you choose.
5-day route from$1,400
Per person · reference price for 2027 trips, 2 sharing · excl. international flights
Private guides, a driver and a car across the whole trip. Your guide leads each day on the ground, your driver handles every transfer, and our team stays on call 24/7 behind them.
5-day route from$2,200
Per person · reference price for 2027 trips, 2 sharing · excl. international flights
One interest, in depth: food, history, landscape.
Your final price depends on hotels, car arrangements and what you ask for — usually a little above this, sometimes more.
Browse trips by interestHow it works.
Tell us the basics
Dates, who is travelling, a rough budget and what you want from China. A specialist replies within 24 hours.
We plan and quote your route
Your specialist designs the route, pace and hotels, Independent, Private Guided or a mix, and sends a written proposal with a quote for your trip.
Approve, then travel with backup
Once you approve, we book everything and confirm it in writing. Your trip is in the LocalKey app, and our team is on WeChat or WhatsApp 24/7 until you are home.
Words from our travellers
Real messages. Every step of the journey.
Before you go
Hello Momo,
Thank you very much for sending the itinerary, it looks really good. I like it that there is enough free time for us to explore on our own, we don’t want to stay in the hotel a lot.
Dear Serena,
Thank you very much for preparing such a detailed and beautiful proposal!
We really like the itinerary, especially the hotel you selected, the Li River experience, and the sunrise visit to Xianggong Mountain. Everything looks very well aligned with what we had in mind.
Ok got it, we are just very appreciative of all the work you have put into it. The schedule looks so good!!
Along the way
The LocalKey app, plus a 24/7 WhatsApp / WeChat support group.
Hi Momo! Is it possible to go to Chongqing with an earlier train? We have just finished with the park…
Momo, tomorrow we will have meetings from 3 pm until the game. Since we were not able to see the Yellow Crane Tower could you recommend some sightseeing (shopping in some nice streets) within walking distance from the Yellow Crane Tower? We are thinking of spending 3–4 hours there and then skip the East Lake (unfotunately)
Can we leave 7:15 so we can have a quick breakfast before we go? Then we are almost 3 hours before departure at the airport
The vegetarian restaurant was so good! We loved it!
Yes, everything is just as good as we have expected it. We are really enjoying ourselves 🥰
After you return
Thank a lot, especially Momo for making this an unforgettable trip! We already know we will go back at some point 🇨🇳
Thankyou very much. Momo you were awesome!
Thank you, Momo! The trip was perfect, I got some good shots.
Next time we come we will Definetely choose your company again!
China tours: common questions.
April to May and September to October usually balance weather and crowds best. Avoid Golden Week (October 1 to 7), China's busiest travel week, and expect heat and humidity in July and August. Winter is cold in the north but quiet. Read the month-by-month guide.
Most first-time private trips run 7 to 10 days, long enough to cover two or three cities without rushing transfers or losing a day to recovery. See a sample 7-10 day itinerary.
No. We don't sell small-group or fixed-departure tours. Every LocalKey trip is private: only your party, on your dates. Private means only your party, not luxury: you set the hotel level and the budget. How our private China tours work.
Every trip is quoted individually, from your route, hotel level, season, party size and how much guiding you want. As a reference, our 5-day Shanghai and Suzhou route starts from $1,400 per person Independent or $2,200 Private Guided (reference prices for 2027 trips, for 2 travelers sharing). See what sets the quote.
It depends on your passport. Many nationalities can enter China visa-free for up to 30 days under its unilateral visa-free policy. Others can use 240-hour visa-free transit if their passport is eligible and they hold an onward ticket to a third country. If no visa exemption applies to your passport and itinerary, you'll need a visa. Check your passport before booking. Check your passport with our visa-free checker.
Yes. Every route on this page is a starting point, not a boxed product. Your specialist can shorten it, stretch it, slow it down or rebuild it around hotels, food, family or a visa-free stopover. Sketch a first draft with the AI trip planner.