Private China Tours
Not a group tour. We plan the route around your dates, book every hotel, train, transfer and ticket, put the whole trip in the LocalKey app, and stay on call 24/7 until you fly home.
What you get
Four things come with every LocalKey trip, however you choose to travel.
A specialist designs the route 1:1 around your dates, your pace and the people travelling.
Once you approve the plan, we book all of it and confirm it in writing.
Your day-by-day itinerary guide, ready on your phone before you fly.
A real team on call for the whole trip, on WeChat or WhatsApp.
Your roadbook, bookings and practical tools in one app, ready before you fly.
Four steps from your first message to the day you fly home. Nothing is paid until you approve a written proposal.
Step 1
Dates, who is travelling, a rough budget and what you want from China. A specialist replies within 24 hours.
Step 2
Your specialist designs the route, pace and hotels, and how you travel: Independent, Private Guided or a mix.
Step 3
You get a written proposal and a quote for your trip. Once you approve it, we book everything and confirm it in writing.
Step 4
Your whole trip is in the LocalKey app, and our team is on WeChat or WhatsApp 24/7 until you are home.
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.
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.
Every LocalKey trip is designed from scratch for one party. You travel on your own dates, at your own pace, and only with the people you choose.
| Topic | Typical group tour | LocalKey private trip |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | Typical group tourFixed departure dates | LocalKey private tripYour dates, from the day you land to the day you fly home |
| Who you travel with | Typical group tourOther travelers who booked the same departure | LocalKey private tripOnly the people you choose to travel with |
| Pace | Typical group tourA shared schedule set around the coach and the group | LocalKey private tripYour pace, with each day designed around you |
| What you do | Typical group tourThe standard stops on the route | LocalKey private tripExperiences chosen for you, such as cooking with a local family, time with a tea master or an early start for the best light |
| Shopping | Typical group tourShopping stops and commission-based visits are common on many itineraries | LocalKey private tripNo shopping stops and no forced spending. We only recommend shops if you ask |
| Help on the road | Typical group tourA tour leader shared by the whole group | LocalKey private tripYour own 24/7 trip group chat with your specialist and the on-trip team, plus your guide and driver when you have them |
5 days · Shanghai + Suzhou
Per person · 2026 reference price for 2 sharing · excl. international flights
9 days · Beijing + Xi'an + Shanghai
Per person · 2026 reference price for 2 sharing · excl. international flights
Per person · reference price for 2 travelers sharing · international flights not included. Your final price depends on hotels, car arrangements and what you ask for — usually a little above this, sometimes more. 2026 reference prices.
Independent itineraries and pricesSix themes from our experiences. Any of them can be added to an Independent or a Private Guided trip.
Regional kitchens, market walks, and ordering help.
Light windows, viewpoints, and route timing.
Tea hills, city tea houses, and guided tastings.
Mountains, gorges, and quieter Great Wall sections.
Gardens, museums, craft, opera, and specialist guide days.
Age-aware days with pacing that suits adults and children.
Why LocalKey
A licensed operator in China, one specialist who knows your plan, no shopping stops, and nothing paid before you have it in writing.
LocalKey Travel has been licensed for inbound and outbound travel since 2009.
The specialist who reads your brief designs the route, handles the bookings and stays in your trip group until you are home.
No shopping stops and no forced spending. We only recommend shops if you ask.
You approve a written proposal with the route, scope, inclusions and price before any deposit. Special requests stay marked as requests until they are confirmed.
LocalKey Travel is operated by Guangdong Xingcheng International Travel Agency Co., Ltd., licensed for inbound and outbound travel since 2009.
Cost, payment, visas, and what happens after you send a request.
There is no fixed price: every trip is quoted individually, from your route, hotel level, season, party size and how much guiding you want. Private means only your party, not luxury. You set the hotel level and the budget, and we plan to it. Your specialist sends a written quote before anything is booked.
See what sets the quote.Private route design around your dates, interests, and comfort level. Hotel shortlist and booking coordination. Private guides and drivers where you want them, rail, domestic flights, transfers, and major entrance tickets, plus international flights on request (quoted separately). Restaurant planning and key meal bookings. Daily travel documents, payment and app setup notes, and live support on WeChat or WhatsApp. Your proposal lists exactly what is confirmed.
See what is included at each level.Travel insurance and personal documents, personal spending, shopping, optional upgrades, and meals outside the confirmed plan. Supplier-only access and special permits are treated as requests until confirmed in writing.
See what is included at each level.After you approve the written proposal, a 25% deposit is due within 7 days and starts confirmation work; the deposit is non-refundable. The balance is due 60 days before departure unless your proposal says otherwise. Both are paid by card through a secure payment link, or by bank transfer. Final documents and support contacts follow before travel.
See how payment works.A specialist replies by email within 24 hours. The first reply comes from a person and covers the questions we need answered before we design a route.
See how planning works.Many nationalities can enter China visa-free for up to 240 hours on a qualifying transit itinerary; outside that window, a visa applies. Confirm your specific eligibility before booking.
Check 240-hour visa-free eligibility.Most visitors find China's cities safe, orderly and easy to get around. Most places take Alipay or WeChat Pay, and both accept international cards. Tencent's TenPayGo app lets visitors pay at Weixin Pay merchants with an international bank card, Apple Pay or an overseas e-wallet, with no Chinese phone number or Weixin account required. We send setup notes before you fly.
See how TenPayGo works.Until you approve the written proposal and pay the deposit, nothing is booked. After booking, date, hotel and route changes depend on supplier rules and availability, and price differences or supplier fees may apply. The deposit is non-refundable, and cancellation charges follow the dates in our booking conditions.
Read the booking conditions.It is a trip for your party only, designed around your dates, not a fixed group departure with strangers on a shared schedule. We plan the route, book the hotels, trains, transfers and tickets, give you the LocalKey app, and stay on call 24/7 while you travel. You choose to travel Independent, Private Guided, or a mix of both.
Read the Private China Tours guide.Independent: you travel on your own, with everything booked, the LocalKey app and 24/7 backup, and you can add an airport pickup, a private car and driver, or a local guide for the days you choose. Private Guided: private guides, a driver and a car across the whole trip. Both are planned 1:1 by the same specialist, and many trips mix the two.
Compare the two styles in full.Your trip gets its own group chat, mainly on WeChat, or WhatsApp if you prefer, open 24/7 for the whole trip. Your specialist and our on-trip service team are in it, plus your guide, driver and any local service staff on the days you have them, alongside the day-by-day roadbook in the LocalKey app.
Contact LocalKey directly.No. A LocalKey trip has no shopping stops and no forced spending. We only recommend shops if you ask.
About LocalKey.Trip brief
Dates, budget, travelers, cities, and the parts you do not want to solve alone. A specialist replies within 24 hours, and the first reply comes from a person. Every trip is quoted individually.
Important
Supplier-only access, special permits, and private venues are treated as requests until confirmed. We will separate what is confirmed from what is still being checked.
