Our family had some great time in China. The ...
China
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Apr 19 - May 2, 2025
Our family had some great time in China. The planning of the trip with Heidi was seamless, she was working with us through various scenarios to build the final itinerary. Once in Hong Kong our guide Anne took wonderful care of us taking us to markets, city sights, small snack places and giving advice on spots to visit on our self guided tour days. Zhangjiajie was scenic but very crowded especially in National Forest Park while at least walking in the Grand Canyon one could feel the nature a bit better; also the glass bridge, the zip line and the slide were fun for the kids (and the parents:-)). In Xi'an we loved the terracotta warriers; the exhibits in the museum are fascinating. Also the cycling on the old city wall was great as was the dumpling making class in a home of a local - both for the food as well as to see how the locals live. The guide Jessica took great care of us there. Beijing has shown all the versatility of a capital - Tiananmen square and the Forbidden city, Summer palace and temples on one side, the modern architecture of the Bird's Nest stadium, the Watercube, Galaxy Soho or the 798 Art Zone on the other side. Seamless public transport, great food, real feel of the megalopolis. And the Great wall really leaves you breathless. Our Beijing guide Alice provided a lot of information on the city, country, history, culture. Great trip alltogether; lots to see, many reasons to return. Thanks to kimkim/Odynovo team for the support during the trip.
Hotel Reviews
New, large rooms, comfortable.
a bit older hotel already, but great location
Activity Reviews
It was a nice day, we loved the Victoria Peak, the tram ride, the Star ferry and the Mid level Escalator area; ideally we had bit more time in Central market and at Victoria Peak, We loved the dumpling and cream cake shops.
The nature at Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is fascinating, but the issue is the crowds and the noise they produce. One can't really feel the nature, a lot of tourist groups with guides with loud loudspeakers.
It was very interesting to go for dim sum to a place where locals go.
The Grand Canyon was better than the Great Forest Park - less crowded though busy. Walk in the Great canyon gorge was feeling more natural, and also the glass bridge, zip line and slide were fun for family, though very arranged. We missed the timing to catch the cable car to Tianmen mountain - here better time management through the day by the guide would be expected. If the crowds on Tianmen mountaing were as they were the day before in National forest park, then we would not like the experience. We suggest kimkim clarifies the guest preferences when planning for visiting nature parks so expectations are clear.
Really fascinating exhibition - both the warriors as well as chariots - both halls as well as the area around.
We really liked going to a home of a local person to see how people live. We liked the class and the lady preparing the good but have not really had time to work the whole preparation adn cooking process. ideally a longer cooking course is organized so some other meals could be prepared too.
Really impressive city wall and a nice bike ride around it. Fascinating to see girls and ladies taking photos in the old traditional costumes. As we went for a Tang dinasty show, we did not have time for a Shanxi museum.
Really nice to walk the Muslim quarter with all the food stalls and to see the puppet show. Having bit more time for trying food would be great.
The Forbidden city and the Tiananmen square are fascinating. Thanks to our guide Alice for getting us into the square really fast. Visit to hutong with small rishaw tour and a local food in one of the hutong dumpling places was great.
The Wall is great and a must see. We went to Juyongguan area of the wall as the traffic to Mutianye was very heavy due to public holiday; this was a bit closer and less busy. The guide and the agency were very flexible to move the trip for a day due to some health issues on our side, which we appreciated.
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful travel experience with us! It brings us great joy to hear that your family had a memorable time exploring China. I'm delighted to know that the trip planning process was smooth and collaborative, and that you enjoyed working with me to create your customized itinerary. Your kind words about our local guides—Anne in Hong Kong, Jessica in Xi’an, and Alice in Beijing—mean a lot. We’re thrilled they were able to enhance your journey with... Read more