China is a vast country with a rich culture, breathtaking scenery, and delicious cuisine. Summer is a popular season to visit China, as the weather is warm/hot and many attractions are at their most vibrant.
However, planning a summer trip to China can be overwhelming, especially for first-time visitors. In this guide, we'll provide you with tips on how to plan a memorable summer trip to China.
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What’s the Weather Like in China in Summer?
Summer in China lasts from June to August (longer in the south), and the weather can vary greatly depending on the region you're visiting.
Northern China (Beijing, Xi’an) is hot and dry. The average daily high temperature in summer is around 32°C (90°F).
Most attractions in northern cities are historical and cultural, which are less affected by weather conditions. Almost all indoor visits are air-conditioned.
Southern China(Shanghai, Guangzhou, Guilin) ishot and humid. The average daily high temperature in summer is around 34°C (93°F).
Summer is very suitable for visiting gardens, mountains, rivers, and lakes and outdoor activities in the south. The occasional rainfall wouldn't affect your trip too much.
In some plateau or mountainous areas, such asTibet,白天temperatures average acomfortable20°C (68°F).
June is a relatively cool month, about 2°C (3°F) cooler than July and August.June is recommendedif you want to avoid the heat and encounter fewer tourists.
98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
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Jenny Beijing
Jenny was very nice. We visited the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. She was very accommodating and patient. more
Jul 2023, Chiara G
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Had a fantastic tour of Beijing
Our tour guide Bruce was fantastic, he went above and beyond and made our familly feel extra special.learnt a lot of history from Bruce,made our Beijing's trip excellent,Thanks,Bruce more
Jul 2023, Pavan C
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Helen in Chengdu fantastic!
Helen in Chengdu was absolutely fantastic! She is very knowledgeable, speaks English well and is very active. She was flexible, practical and ready to make changes. She offered various extra options and was very sweet with my child. more
Jul 2023, Chiara Gasparini
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Great experience on the Great Wall
Simon our guide greeted us with a happy welcome to China , we were from that moment comfortable and confident our two days with him would be better than our expectations.Simon our guide was informative and very knowledgeable about the wall and surrounding areas. My experience with him and his team has exceeded my expectations , I was impressed by the professionalism he displayed more
Jul 2023, Terence S
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From skepticism and nervous ness to vow !!! And incredible
it was our guides who made all the difference our first destination Bejing and our tou guide was Olivia , she was like full of energy knowledge and punctual on top of that so kind and helpful , made our experience like dream , the places we went China wall , Tina man square and summer garden , our guide olive took care of everything, big tankyou to her and we would absolutely recommend if any one want to go for China trip to contact China highlights Maggie but ask for Olivia as tour guide more
Jul 2023, Arjun Wadhwani
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Tianmen Square, For Ideen city
The tour was quite well organized and our kids loved Linda who always was taking care of them. more
Jul 2023, Michael B
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High level personal service
Jack, the assigned tour guide in Beijing, also did an excellent job. He was punctual, always courteous and engaging, and above all, knowledgeable about the places we visited. He was quick to answer all our questions. At the end of the day, we all felt we had learned a great deal about Chinese history from Jack. more
Jul 2023, Mukasa Ssemakula
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China tour from being nervous to Vow and incredible
it was first class arrangement and tour guide Olivia who made the trip absolutely incredible and lot of credit goes to our first tour guide Olivia, she was so enthusiastic,knowledgeable and full of energy that me and my wife had a feeling of vow !!! and confidence, would definitely recoment any one would wish to take china tour to contact China high lit and particularly Olivia she made our trip so comfortable and took care everything. Big thankyou to Olivia . more
Jul 2023, Arjun W
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An unforgettable tour of historical sites, the desert and the mountains
William was my guide during 4 days' stay in Beijing. He was extremely helpful in navigating through the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and the Mutiankou section of the Great Wall. His explanations were always very entertaining and to the point and his English was excellent. He gave great advice on where to discover Beijing cuisine, where to get the best fruits (apricots were delicious!) and what is best to do at night. more
Jul 2023, Dmitry I
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This hiking was amazing
This hiking was amazing. Organization was perfect since the beginning. Kimmi was answering all our questions rapidly and effectively. Once in China we found really a good team The driver and the tour guide Oliver accompanied us all the trip and they took a good care of us. They adapted to our needs always happy and smiling. Good work China Highlights! more
Jun 2023, Virginia Tapia Hompanera
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An excellent 2 days in Beijing with guide Lily
我们有一个伟大的experience with China Highlights and our tour guide for the two days in Beijing, Liu Yuan (Lily), was excellent. She is friendly, professional and very knowledgeable about the Forbidden Palace, Temple of Heaven, The Great Wall and the Summer Palace. These are the places we visited with her. She is patient and didn't rush us at all. She adapted the tour activities and schedule to accommodate our interests and side trips such as Bei Hai Park. She is also very helpful: she took the extra time to walk us to the pizza restaurant in a mall which we would not have found on our own. We appreciate everything Lily did for us and highly recommend her. more
Jun 2023, Flamenco64
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I booked on short notice and Roger was…
I booked on short notice and Roger was very quick in responding and planning the shedule to our wishes. Our guide was very friendly and we got along great and our driver very polite. Unfortunately due to a lot of traffic our shedule was affected but we were not hurried and could enjoy our 2 destination Greta wall and the Summer Palace. I would recommend booking with China Highlights! more
Jun 2023, Clemens
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Great Wall China
It has been a unique experience from start to finish. Our tour guide Oliver made it possible, very prepared and always up to the task, always very responsible and capable of keeping our interest at all times. Thank you Oliver for this very special and unforgettable experience. more
Jun 2023, Maytee
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Great experience in Bejing with Jack
We had an amazing experience with China Highlights and our Bejing Guide Jack. We travelled through China for two weeks with two small kids (3-5) and all the China Highlights Guides and Drivers went out of their way to make this a memorable experience. Jack and our driver Mr. Lee in Bejing were amazing and we had a wonderful time here. The kids loved the great wall and the topoganing down, the face painting and the rikscha ride - and we loved all the sights. Jack and Mr. Lee were very patient with us and the kids and we managed to see everything in a relaxed fashion. We can highly recommend China Highlights and Jack and Mr. Lee. more
Jun 2023, Leo
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Best Tour Company
Olivia was our guide throughout the tour.During the actual tour, Olivia was exceptional and provided us with great insights into the sights and history as well as stories about Chinese culture and experiences (I now have to visit more places in China!). Her restaurant recommendations were amazing and I will definitely trust her to find great food options. She even showed us to our train gate at the end! more
Jun 2023, Pranam P
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3 day tour of Beijing with Tom
We had a 3 day tour of Beijing with our amazing tour guide Tom. He is super knowledgeable, and we learned a lot from him about the interesting history of everything we saw. He also took great care of us and made sure we had everything we needed to be comfortable. I highly recommend Tom! more
Jun 2023, Raghav
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Great wall with kids
We visited The Great Wall in Mutianyu and the Changling Tomb. We had a good buffet lunch and had some interesting conversation about local life. Recommend Linda from China Highlights as a guide in Beijing. It was really hot on the wall, so better be earlier. more
Jun 2023, XX
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Best Tour in China
Ivy is the best tour guide we ever have , very knowledgeable and take good care of us throughout our trip in Beijing . She is always early and love her arrangement for the entire trip . Will not hesitate to chose China Hightlights again . more
Jun 2023, Jade
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Excellent Service
I organise a group tour for U.K. nurses to China and communicated with Roger who’s been very efficient, helpful and accommodating. Good service and reliable. Guided us through the process accordingly and has given us different options that suit our budget and need.The company has different tour options from high end to reasonable choices of tour packages. Excellent English speaking skills too! Highly recommended! more
Jun 2023, RALPH DEOCAMPO
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Roger Li is a valuable asset to your company
我住在加州,是指你的薪酬any by a friend in Beijing for a group of 4, private tour to Beijing and the Great Wall in 9/2023. After I submitted my inquiry online, on 5/27, I received a reply from Roger Li within 24 hours. And it was the weekend. I was very impressed. Roger has been very helpful and patient in assisting me in planning this trip since 5/27. He is extremely responsive and detailed. I am very grateful to have been assigned to such a responsible young man. I am looking forward to a safe and pleasant trip with your company’s arrangement in 9/2023. more
Jun 2023, Huey Lee
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Recommended Places to Visit in China in Summer
Here are several recommended destinations that offer a blend of cultural, historical, and natural wonders…
Beijing
Beijing is China’s must-visit city, known for its imperial history and architecture, no matter what the season, and especially for first timers.
北京的夏天是适度又湿又热。但阿尔most all the indoor attractions like the museums in the Forbidden City are air-conditioned. Heat won’t be a big problem for a summer visit.
The warm weather is good for a visit to the mountainous Great Wall. We suggest a sunset or night visit to avoid the heat of the day and the crowds. For a sunset visit, we can also arrange a picnic for you.
Xi’an
Xi’an is the best city for getting to know China’s traditional culture.
The main attraction in Xi’an is the Terracotta Warriors. It won’t be affected by the weather. For a special-interest activity, we can arrange the hands-on experience of making your own terracotta warrior in a cool and quiet workshop.
If you want to avoid the heat, a night tour of the city is recommended. We will arrange a fun and culturally-rich evening tour, where you can see the bustling nightlife in Xi’an, with food, street performances, and antique architecture, which would take you back to the medieval Xi’an of over a thousand years ago.
Shanghai
As one of China’s top gateway cities, Shanghai is another place to visit no matter what season you come to China.
Shanghai is a place where century-old history meets modernity. The Bund is the best place to experience such a contrast.
We would like to enable you to enter historical buildings along the Bund and tell you the stories behind them. This would allow you to get to know Shanghai in a more in-depth way, and that without getting caught in the sun.
A cruise on the Huangpu River to see the skyscrapers to also a good way to learn about Shanghai. In summer, we recommend a night cruise for a cooler feeling and charming night views.
Guilin
Guilin is best for seeing Chinese countryside views and experiencing the vitality of summer.
Yangshuo, a town near Guilin has plenty of cool outdoor activities for summer, especially for families with kids like discovering a cool and authentic karst cave and having fun on an SUP on a picturesque river.
If you are interested in local countryside life, take a local farmer's taxi to a market in a small town.
成都
The biggest draw in Chengdu is the cute giant pandas. Pandas are “afraid” of heat. If you want to see pandas playing outdoors, try to go around 8 to 9 am. They will probably go indoors to rest in their air-conditioned rooms after 10 am.
We have access to giant panda volunteer programs that allow you to see pandas closer. You wouldn't have to line up at the right time to watch them. You could make panda cakes, watch pandas being fed, and clean their enclosures.
Yunnan
If you want to find a place to escape the heat, then Yunnan is a good choice. Yunnan’s summers are cool and beautiful.
Yunnan enjoys stunning scenery like the sparkling Erhai Lake, majestic Jade Dragon Mountain, and one of the deepest gorges in the world — Tiger Leaping Gorge. Yunnan is also a great place to learn about minority cultures.
Tibet
Summer is the best time to visit Tibet for its nicest weather and stunning scenery. The warm summer air has a higher oxygen content than in other seasons.
Journey to Everest Base Camp and witness the starry sky and the morning sunshine on the world’s highest peak. It must be on many people’s bucket lists, as well as seeing the Potala Palace and various temples and discovering the religious significance and stories behind them.
If you are interested in Tibetan festivals, visit Tibet in August when the Shoton Festival, Nagqu Horse Racing Festival, and Ganden Thangka Festival are held.
如果你想了解Tibetan folk customs and their life, we can arrange a local Tibetan family visit. You could also participate in their daily farming.
- 8-Day Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Private Tour
- 4-Day Lhasa Highlights Private Tour
- 2-Week Beautiful China with the Holy Tibet Tour
More Options
In addition to the popular destinations above, there are more cool and unique city choices, such as the mountain destination Zhangjiajie, the Hulunbeir Grassland of Inner Mongolia, the off-the-beaten destinations like the Great Northwest area (Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, etc), and the less-crowded western and northern Sichuan.
- 4 Days Essence of Zhangjiajie
- 8-Day Miraculous Qinghai and Silk Road Tour
- 8-Day Hohhot–Ordos Tour with Hiking, Camping, and Culture
- 6-Day Xiahe, Langmusi and Zhagana Tour
- 9-Day Panoramas of Western Sichuan Tour
All our itineraries can be personalized for your/your family's travel goals, available travel days and dates, and other requirements. If you have a general list, we could help you realize it better and give you more professional advice. Justcontact us.
Suggested Summer Itineraries
For first-timers, Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai are the basic classic combination. If you want to have more China experience, we’ve given you their combos with featured cities for different interests.
All our sample schedules can be adjusted based on your group size, trip duration and dates, and other needs.
1. If You Prefer Outdoor Activities
Besides the basic Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai elements,Guilin is recommended for outdoor lovers.
Guilin is suggested for its rich summer activity selection and relaxing vibe. Guilin offers many interesting outdoor activities like biking, caving, and many water activities.
You may need to set aside 11–14 days for this trip. When it comes to scheduling, especially when traveling with children, we recommend a flexible schedule.
To avoid the heat, block out the afternoon or schedule activities after 4 pm, like a sunset or night visit to the Great Wall.
Here is the sample itinerary:
- Days 1–3: Beijing sightseeing with all the must-see attractions and a special sunset visit to the Great Wall with a family picnic time.
- Days 4–5: Xi’an sightseeing with the Terracotta Army, a foodie tour, and a night walking tour.
- Days 6–9: Guilin with a Li River cruise and some interesting activities like caving, trying Chinese landscape painting, and SUP on a scenic river.
- Days 10–12: Shanghai with a visit to the Bund, a home visit and cooking experience, and some free time.
2. If You Are Looking for a Panda Tour
成都should definitely be includedin addition to Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai if you are panda lovers. We also recommend a Yangtze River cruise from nearby Chongqing — a good way to avoid summer heat while enjoying China’s natural views.
Here is the suggested itinerary, which takes about 2 weeks:
- Days 1–4: Beijing arrival and exploration with must-sees including the Great Wall and the Forbidden City
- Days 5–6: Xi’an sightseeing with a visit to the Terracotta Army and clay-warrior-making experience
- Days 7–8: Chengdu panda tour with a keeper program — make panda cakes, see pandas being fed at a close distance, and clean their enclosures.
- Days 9–11: Yangtze River cruise with excursions
- Days 12–13: Shanghai exploration with a visit to the Bund and some free time.
98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
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Helen wad fantastic!
Helen in Chengdu was absolutely fantastic! She is very knowledgeable, speaks English well and is very active. She was flexible, practical and ready to make changes. She offered various extra options and was very sweet with my child. more
Jul 2023, Chiara G
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成都more than pandas
Our guide Alex was so great at arranging this! He understood our preferences in all the trip.By the way I accidentally lost my phone one day. Sharon (the planner girl) and Alex solved the situation in no time. more
Jul 2023, gilberto b
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Jiuzhaigou/Huanglong in Sichuan is a must visit!!!
Susan (she was amazingly flexible and kind and so quick to respond to our needs) more
Jul 2023, Sandy
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Great Trip Planning Experience
My family decided to have a trip to chengdu in Dec-2023 and due to the winter time concern, I have decided to try a trip planner instead of self planned tour; and I found Chinhighlights,com.Roger Li is assigned as my trip planner and it is a great to have him assisting in my trip. Roger is very knowledgeable in what he is doing with a great sense of urgency; He is very upfront on his proposal and willing to listen on my feedback. Roger also taking the extra steps to prepare itinerary in 2 different language; English and Mandarin as my kids prefer to have details in chinese and my wife only on English. Thanks a lot Roger. We managed to finalize and signoff the trip plan within 1 week. Well done. I hope I will have an equal or better experience with china highlights on my upcoming china trips. Will update with next review after my trip ends. Cheers. more
Jun 2023, Kenneth Chin
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Family China trip
We enjoyed our trips around Chengdu with Jason, China Highlights. We were on two trips - Panda Research Base and Leshan Budda. Jason took us to really good restaurant with dumplings as we told before that we like them :) The next day he presented the famous hot pot and helped us to cook it. During the trips he was very careful with our needs and was following them, what is really important while travelling with small kids. Our driver was also good, helpful with luggage and good-driving. They also had 2 baby carseats. Definitely recommend. more
Jun 2023, XX
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成都visit - Henry Li guide
I traveled to Chengdu and visited the Giant Buddha statue that is carved in the mountain. We had Henry Li as a guide and he was excellent. He knew a lot of history about the place and answered a lot of our questions. He also took us to the local restaurants so we can experience the local cuisine. I recommend Henry, as a guide, to anyone that wants to visit Chengdu and the surrounding areas. Thank you Henry for the amazing experience. more
Jun 2023, Adrian Iancu
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Great long weekend in Chengdu
My husband and I are Aussie expats living in China. We just finished a great 3 day weekend in Chengdu with China highlights and our wonderful guide Helen. It was a real pleasure to have Helen as our guide - she was friendly, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable about Chengdu and the sites we visited. She was also very diligent at meal time to ensure my food intolerance was accommodated - so we were able to still enjoy the delicious and famous food in Chengdu without any worries. Helen also organised for us to go to an evening show at the professional Opera one night which we really enjoyed. During our trip we also visited a little local opera house and had tea, saw the panda sculpture at IFS, went to Jinli old street, day trip to Leshan for a boat ride and walk at Leshan Buddha, Panda Breeding and research centre and a stroll around a local park to see how the locals enjoy their leisure time. The itinerary was great for the time we had and we enjoyed everything. It was also a very comfortable trip - our driver Mr Ren was very nice and we always felt safe with him at the wheel. more
Jun 2023, Rhiannon E
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Loved Chengdu!
Jason was our wonderful guide. It was the perfect day to see the pandas. A little misty and few people. The pandas were out at every stop, along with the red pandas and peacocks. A fun walk at a great outdoor shopping area more
Jun 2023, Pamela B
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Fantastic Chengdu family visit
We explored wonderful Chengdu and surroundings in 4 days. City tour in a relaxed way with delicious local snacks, really nice! Spectacular new dinosaur museum, Dujiangyan (combined Panda and dam in one outing, very recommendable), Leshan Buddha. All above super cool with the kids (ours are 7 and 4). Emei Shan impressive, maybe a little long driving to explore it and watch out for the hotels there, not all are nice and in the town itself there is nothing. But we were blessed with perfect weather on the top and perfect views. Eating hot pot is spectacular in Chengdu, but watch out how spicy it can be. Michael is just a perfect tour guide! He speaks super fluent German and has a very relaxed and competent style of explaining, which made the whole tour so nice. We love Chengdu and will definitely come back! more
Apr 2023, Stefan P
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Giant Pandas - Giant Buddha - Mount Emei
We had a wonderful 3 days in Chengdu area,visiting the Panda breeding Center, Leshan Giant Buddha and hiking at Mount Emei.We have been travelling several times with Chinahighlights and everything was well organised as usual. Our guide Michael (fluent in English and German) was great showing us the beauty of Sichuan. We can highly recommend travelling with him and Chinahighlights. more
Mar 2023, steffenwet
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Two amazing tours
Both tours were led by excellent guides who knew a lot about everywhere we went, and were very helpful and friendly. The agent was equally helpful and quick in responding to questions which was ,especially in covid restrictions time, extremely convenient. more
Jul 2022, Elizabeth
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Panda Keeper for a Day at Dujianyan Sichuan
This is was the second time that we had signed up for the program Panda Keeper for a Day, this time at the Dujianyan Panda Base, about 1 hour drive away from Chengdu. Great experience again. We will surely do it once again. more
Mar 2022, Thomas
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Amazing Tibet experience in Sichuan
Henry was an informative guide who went out of his way to ensure positive experiences. Mr Wu was not only a safe and attentive driver on sometimes rough roads but also a great photographer, capturing shots of us as we toured. Henry went out of his way to talk to anyone around to help bring the place alive through stories so we had the opportunity to meet so many locals, real people, and hear about their lives. Another highlight was the opportunity to climb a 1000 year old watchtower in Danba and meet the local family who managed it. Truly magical. Henry was also a consummate foodie who provided us with great local food recommendations along the way. more
2021年7月,黛博拉·J
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Amazing visit to panda bases in Chengdu and Woolong
Jason was terrific; he understood our interests in pandas and he made our outings very enjoyable. We plan to return to Chengdu to visit pandas and will be asking for Jason again. more
Dec 2019, victoriadH3461ED
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Panda heaven
我们刚刚完成了成都程to China organised by Robert Hui at China Highlights. Our Guide for the 2 Day trip was Daisy Du who made us feel very welcome and helped us check in and ensured our rooms were satisfactory then gave us directions of where to go for the best food. The next day Daisy took us straight to the Giant Panda Breeding and Research centre. It was fantastic to see the Pandas so close. It’s a little sad that they are in captivity but it is essential to increase the breeding rate and so save these wonderful animals from extinction. We saw Pandas of all ages and sizes including a tiny little baby that was only 36 day old. After an extremely tasty lunch picked for us by Daisy she then took us into the people’s park and showed us the tea houses and dating area where parents can advertise their single ‘30 something’ children to potential partners. The day ended with a wander around Jinli Old Street where you can buy anything from food to souvenirs to furniture. We have had the best time in Chengdu helped no end by the friendly, helpfulness of our guide Daisy who knew all the best places to go and sights to see. Thank you Daisy, a great time was had by all. ---jayne_Stu Halifax, United Kingdom more
Nov 2019, jayne_Stu
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Wonderful Chengdu tour with Jason
With other two friends I have visited Chengdu in September 2018 and our tour guide was Jason, who has been really amazing with us.He had the smart idea to bring us to the Pandas reserve very early in order to avoid the crowds, even if we were visiting Chengdu right during the Chinese national holidays.After the Pandas reserve, we visited the tea park and the city centre, where Jason could give us a lot of information about Chengdu. Jason gave us also very nice suggestions about places to visit in the evenings during our free time. Totally recommended!!! ---Vittorio C Berlin, Germany more
Nov 2019, Vittorio C
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Cecelia is your guide in Chengdu
We had a great time in Chengdu seeing the pandas and other excursions. Cecelia, our guide, picked us up with a bag of fruit and a wealth of knowledge. She took great care of us, got us through lines quickly and brought us to great restaurants. We even took a cooking class. Highly recommend her. --Robert D,Seattle, Washington, US more
Oct 2019, Robert D
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成都and Wolong Panda base with Aaron
Aaron picked us up from the airport and drove us straight to the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center. We had a very enjoyable time touring the Research Center with Aaron. Even though he has probably been to the research center many times he seemed just as excited to see them as we were. Especially the babies! The next morning we headed to the Wolong Panda Base with a stop at the 2008 Earthquake memorial site. We had a great lunch in the small town of Gengda and then went on a hike in the Dengsheng Gorge with a local guide. The next day we did the panda keeper program which entailed cleaning cages (inside and out), feeding pandas, making panda cakes, watching a film about the program and walking around the base looking at the many pandas. After the program we drove back to Chengdu. While we were working Aaron took some great pictures of us cleaning and feeding the pandas. The next morning tour guide Snow took us to the train station. Aaron was such fun to be around, he spoke English wonderfully and gave us great info about the pandas. ---Cougfan Auburn, Washington, US more
Oct 2019, Cougfan
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Panda keeper program
Had a wonderful time on the panda keeper program which we booked through China Highlights. We generally avoid doing organised tours whenever possible as we prefer to do our own thing. Cecilia was our guide for the day and quickly made us feel at ease in her company she was interesting, knowledgeable and enthusiastic everything you want in a guide. The whole day was great and Cecilia certainly enhanced the experience, she took lots of photos for us throughout the day which was brilliant as it’s difficult getting photos together, she also provided us with buckwheat tea and biscuits which was a lovely touch. A big thank you to Cecilia. --Maria & Peter Foulger more
Sep 2019, Mariafoulger
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During this whole trip, at anytime , if we need to modify our schedule or activities, Aaron and the driver can accommodate. They are friendly, knowledgeable, good communicator, flexible, and dedicated to making sure our needs are met. Aaron, thanks for making this an unforgettable trip for us! --Venture114992 more
Sep 2019,
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3. If You Want to Avoid Heat
If you want to enjoy nice and cool weather conditions on your summer trip, Yunnan is definitely the best choice to combine with Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai.
For a Yunnan trip, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La are the four popular destinations.
Here is the itinerary:
- Days 1–4: Beijing arrival and exploration with must-sees including the Great Wall and the Forbidden City
- Days 5–6: Xi’an sightseeing with a visit to the Terracotta Army and clay-warrior-making experience
- Days 7–8: Kunming with a less-crowded Naigu Stone Forest exploration
- 天9:大理。访问一个当地村庄去发现the daily life of the Bai people, dye a handkerchief, and taste the home-cooked local cuisine.
- Day 11: Lijiang. Visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and a Naxi family to learn about the mysterious Naxi culture.
- Day 12–14: Shangri-La. Visit a local Tibetan family, experience a Tibetan ceremony of blessing, learn to paint a thangka (‘sacred tapestry’), enjoy a starry night with a bonfire on the grassland...
- Days 15–16: Shanghai exploration with a visit to the Bund and some free time.
See more onHow Long to Spend in China: Itineraries from 1 Week to 1 Month
Tibet is also a good destination for cool weather, as well as plateau scenery and mysterious Tibetan culture. If you are interested in Tibet, see our2-Week Beautiful China with the Holy Tibet Tour.
Costs for a Summer Trip to China
Summer is the peak travel season for most of China. The price of hotels and airfares can go up by 50 to 100%. Other prices are relatively stable.
For a private tour, the average cost per day is about US$220–350 per person, including flights/trains within China, 4- or 5-star hotels, lunches, attractions, guides, and private transport. Kids under 10 get 30 to 50 percent off.
Hotels and flights to popular destinations will be in great demand during the summer vacation. If you are planning a trip to China during this period, we suggest booking 6 months in advance.
Crowding on a Summer Trip to China
China’s schools’ summer holidays usually encompass the months of July and August. So, crowds are expected, especially in popular destinations.
If you have a flexible schedule, a smarter choice is to travel in June, when there are fewer tourists and China’s summer vacations haven't started.
我们也会帮助你避免人群possible, arranging VIP passage to avoid queuing, choosing less-crowded times of the day, etc. Our guide would also arrange a less crowded travel route for you, e.g. taking you on a hidden route when visiting the Forbidden City.
We also have tours to many off-the-beaten-track destinations, like theSilk Road,northern Sichuan, andInner Mongolia. If you are interested in these destinations or you have other interests, justcontact us. Our tours are personalized.
Recommended Summer Tours to China
Our private tours are designed to be the most convenient and fulfilling option for your trip to China. We would create an itinerary according to your flight times, interests, and any other requirements.