Cultural experiences | Flexibility | value
China
sometime in the late 13th century, Marco Polo visited Hangzhou, China, and described it as the "finest and most splendid city in the world." Cruising the city’s epicenter of West Lake 700+ years later, it was easy to see why he was so impressed. The tranquil lake is surrounded by a rim of sleepy willow trees whose languid vines flutter in the mild breeze. From these serene woods rise majestic Buddhist pagodas atop a series of hills. As we made a sweeping loop of the 1,600-acre expanse of water, I couldn't help but think that TripToGo was helping me add, and promptly cross off, a bucket list item. For if I wasn't on this 8 Nights Essence of China trip, this most splendid city might never have been on my radar.
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Forbidden City, Beijing
Summer Palace
Hands-on cultural experiences
Flexibility, adaptability and smooth sailing
Value + affordable extras
Beijing hutong
Connor and fellow travelers at the Forbidden City
Plan your trip
West Lake, Hangzhou
Travelzoo Associate Producer, Connor White, in Hangzhou
Connor at the Great Wall
Connor at the Tian'anmen Gate, Beijing
Longjing tea field, Hangzhou
Suzhou Canal
Connor's view on a Huangpu River cruise
Shanghai
One of the oldest and most celebrated civilizations in the world, China's story is vast and complex. For all the impenetrability of its mythos, I found it to be welcoming and navigable, especially with the expertise of TripToGo at my fingertips. The country was full of generous and warm people excited to share their country with the world. Everything from acquiring a visa beforehand to using Chinese payment apps to finding my way around were easier than I expected.
It was one of our last nights that we cruised the Huangpu. As I sat there taking the monumental and cutting-edge cityscape in, fellow passengers of nationalities too numerous to mention braved the autumn chill to have their photos taken in front of the iconic bulbous, rocket-ship shaped Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the de facto symbol for 21st-century China, I was struck by the phenomenon that it seemed everyone in the world wanted to be here.
China is a nation so vast and varied that I'm already making a list of where to go next time. With more than 30 China tour packages available through TripToGo, "next time" might just be around the corner.
If you've seen TripToGo's prices in the Top 20 or your email, you know they are jaw-dropping. Triple-digit prices for double-digit days away—and it's not like you're just scratching the surface or hastily visiting the main attractions. You see the greatest hits, yes, but so much more. And they don't skimp on hotels—each one is an exquisite stay. The bar at the Renaissance Suzhou is divine. The Crowne Plaza Lake View in Wuxi has a serene waterfront that's perfect for an after-breakfast stroll. The design of the Radisson Blu in Hangzhou is cool and trendy—and its bathtub comes complete with complimentary epsom salts. You're moving fast but you're never tired, and there's always a bountiful breakfast there for you in the morning.
But beyond serving as our cultural and language guides though China, our TripToGo guides were extremely kind and helpful, able to assist with whatever obstacles we encountered. When I had left items I'd gotten at the jade museum on our bus, Annie, our guide in Beijing, called the driver to ensure their safe return. When members of our group had trouble with an electric wheelchair at the airport, she dutifully worked with them and the airline to find a solution, and upon our arrival in Shanghai our new guide, Qi, was able to at once recommend a nearby medical supply store for a new battery.
Whenever we arrived at an attraction, site or hotel, our guides quickly and easily acquired our keys and tickets. For us, there was no time spent idling in hotel lobbies or lengthy queues. Annie, Qi and John knew how to negotiate the ebbs and flows of peak visitation times and the like wherever we went. When we had free time anywhere, a clear meeting time and place was communicated to all.
China is a nation so vast and varied that I'm already making a list of where to go next time. With more than 30 China tour packages available through TripToGo, "next time" might just be around the corner.
TripToGo's guides were characterized by determination and scrupulousness. When we encountered a hurdle, they were always up to the task. One day Beijing's dubious traffic caused us to miss visiting the Temple of Heaven; before anyone could lament the situation, we arrived at the Summer Palace, a favorite lakeside residence of Qing Dynasty rulers, for what turned out to be a quietly beautiful alternative. Catching Kunming Lake in the twilight, its emerald green water glowing under the filter of evening fog, we strolled a piece of the Long Walkway, a winding, canopied boardwalk that stretches nearly half a mile along a section of the lake, enjoying detailed scenes from Chinese folktales, history and literature delicately painted on the beams above us. Later, in Shanghai, when there was an unexpected problem with the bus, our guide seamlessly pivoted to getting us to Jin Mao Tower by metro without missing a step—and we all agreed that it had been faster and more interesting anyway.
And, of course, we hiked the Great Wall. TripToGo connected us with local experts who could show us hidden gems like Juyong pass—a marvelous section of the Wall that's less crowded than the high-traffic segments further east. Steep though it was, climbing the winding stone steps and ramparts that together form the vertebrae-spine of the rugged surrounding mountains, I was spellbound by the antiquity under my feet. Peering over the side, visions of marauding invaders came to mind and when I reached the lofty Fortress No. 12, the highest point here, I enjoyed a sprawling, postcard-worthy vista of the Yan Mountains: stoney, green-fading-to-amber razorbacks heaved up from the earth by ancient geology.
If you hear "group tour" and "buses" and fear this means watching the country zoom by through a window as you're ferried between tourist traps, think again. When traveling with TripToGo, this is most certainly not the case. Our days were packed and we rode buses, yes, but our experience was an up-close and personal one. We weren't passive tourists, but engaged travelers. After working up an appetite exploring the Forbidden City, we entered Dajinsi hutong—one of the tangled traditional neighborhoods of Beijing; a web of gray walls and shingled eaves, behind whose doors is everything from homes to restaurants to barbers—where we ate a home-cooked lunch made by an old general who'd turned to cooking and painting in retirement. His colorful scenes of Chinese landscapes and birds surrounded us as we savored rich chicken drumsticks, plump dumplings and, my favorite, perfectly tangy sweet-and-sour pork.
On top of great prices for the trip, China can be very affordable once you are in the country. When I visited in late 2025, the exchange rate was favorable for Americans, with a 1:7 dollar-to-yuan ratio. This meant that meat skewers were had for about 50¢ and a typical (full) meal went for under $10. I also found the add-ons sold through TripToGo to be reasonably priced. A day tour of Shanghai, to Jin Mao Tower's observation deck and the underground market—oh, not to mention the 185mph ride on the maglev train—was under $70. I'm a sucker for a boat ride, and did three for around $100 total. We took a canal cruise of Suzhou, the birthplace of silk and known as "Venice of the East" for the lattice of working canals that dominate its map. In Hangzhou we went out on the aforementioned West Lake, which is so glorious it adorns the backside of the ¥1 note. On our first night in Shanghai, I was able to sit at the very tip of the bow during a Huangpu River cruise, with a front seat for the dazzling, bejeweled districts of the Bund and Pudong that line the historic river. The former, Shanghai's old colonial-style financial center. The latter, a futuristic eruption of skyscrapers.
While on the bus between sites and activities, our guides described how the places we visited fit into Chinese geography, history and modern day, enriching our appreciation and understanding of them. Things like how Tian'anmen in Tiananmen Square refers to the imperial-style entrance gate of the Forbidden City (or, the Gate of Heavenly Peace) directly north of the square. Or the delightful fact that the stray cats of Wuxi sustain themselves by fishing from the waters of Li Lake.
We visited a jade museum where we learned to identify real jade by its sound. There were acupuncture demos to be had at the Chinese Medicine Center. We learned the many uses of silk, from robes to sutures to bullet-proof vests at a silk factory. We observed pearls being harvested from a hulking freshwater oyster, ones with a distinct lavender shine that come only from Tai Lake. We sampled green, black and oolong tea at a farm in Hangzhou, and we dined on the local delicacy, Squirrel Fish, at the oldest restaurant in town in Suzhou.
Great Wall of China, Beijing
Kunming Lake
Suzhou
West Lake, Hangzhou
Jade museum
Silk loom
Squirrel Fish
By: Connor White
I've traveled widely in groups and by myself, and I found a place like China—with its ubiquitous activity, energy and movement—befitting of a group tour. Traveling with a guide and a pre-set itinerary was grounding, and I was joined by a convivial group of families, retirees and couples. There were TripToGo veterans who'd been with the travel company to places like Egypt and Greece. Others, fond of the company and wanting to see more of China, had extended their itinerary with a visit to Xi'an to see the terracotta warriors. We laughed over truckstop noodle soup, traded stories over long bus rides and bonded over those everyday follies of being strangers in a foreign land.
The trip started in Beijing, a kaleidoscope of traditional, tiered-roof (xieshan) architecture, gigantic modern buildings and maze-like hutong neighborhoods. Next we hiked the Great Wall outside the city as autumn slouched over the land before heading south to the Yangtze River Delta, to explore Suzhou, Wuxi and Hangzhou—three cities that intimately reflect China's rich past and dynamic present—before closing the trip with two days in Shanghai, modern China's beating heart. We climbed mountains, cruised waterways, hung on tight to pedicabs and ate our weight (okay, maybe double it) in dumplings. Through it all TripToGo provided enthusiastic and smooth service, with accommodating guides that made the trip a comfortable, worry-free experience.
Travelzoo Associate Producer, Connor White, at Kunming Lake in Beijing
West Lake, Hangzhou
Tea garden, Hangzhou
Connor's home-cooked lunch
TripToGo travelers in Shanghai
