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Agate Travel in the Media

Acclaim from Social Travel Platforms

AgateTravel.com has long been appreciated by our customers. Especially TravelChinaGuide.com, our brand in China and Asia tours established in 1998, has made a great success. Hereunder are rave reviews from the most popular social travel websites like Tripadvisor, Trustpilot, and Product Review.

Traveler Overview 5.0  Based on 3000+ traveler reviews
  • Simone G
    Super tour of Xi'an! Totally recommended
    Tracy is a fantastic guide, very knowledgeable and with great communication skills. She introduced us to every site with a very detailed explanation before getting in, in order to let us enjoy the place once inside and complete with few more info. She even explained facts related to Chinese culture that had nothing to do with thr tour, but regarding Chinese everyday life, which personally I totally appreciated. The tour is well thought, small group with no waste of time, no sto at shopping places for tourists. Definitely recommended!!!
  • Jamie H
    Trip of a life time and all the stress of travel taken away by excellent Travel China Guide!
    We worked with Amy Jian of Travel China Guide over a series of months to tailor an amazing 18 day trip around China!

    Amy was so helpful, providing advice, helping us make payments from the UK, providing documentation to assist with our visa applications and more besides.

    Amy helped shape our itinerary, and tailored it all with us choosing to book our own hotels due to some preferences and access to corporate rates available to us. Amy provided recommendations and...Full Text
    We worked with Amy Jian of Travel China Guide over a series of months to tailor an amazing 18 day trip around China!

    Amy was so helpful, providing advice, helping us make payments from the UK, providing documentation to assist with our visa applications and more besides.

    Amy helped shape our itinerary, and tailored it all with us choosing to book our own hotels due to some preferences and access to corporate rates available to us. Amy provided recommendations and adaptations to facilitate my wife who has mobility issues.

    All of the guides they arranged for us were amazing, really diverse and we learned so much from them. It’s our first holiday of this scale done as a private tour rather than group tour and it made such a difference, getting to know all the guides!

    It was a trip of a life time and we would definitely recommend and use them again!Collapse
  • Georg G
    Visit to Xian
    We had a wonderful time in Xian where we visited the Terracotta Army. Our guide Celin gave us competent insights into the history of the first Chinese emperor Qín Shihuángdì. She speaks very good English, is always friendly, cheerful and helpful. Celin knows every corner of the Terracotta Museum, the best photo spots and can tell you something about every exhibit. Many thanks to Celin
  • Jamie H
    Great knowledge and guide tailored things really well for us
    We spent two days in Xian as part of an 18 day tour arranged with Travel China Guide.

    We were met at the station by our guide Tracy and our driver. Tracy was very experienced and knowledgeable, providing lots of historical information.

    Tracy arranged for us to go to a great dumpling theatre show in the evening, and made a number of adjustments to our itinerary to tailor it to our needs/wants. She arranged to switch our included lunch from food at the Muslim quarter...Full Text
    We spent two days in Xian as part of an 18 day tour arranged with Travel China Guide.

    We were met at the station by our guide Tracy and our driver. Tracy was very experienced and knowledgeable, providing lots of historical information.

    Tracy arranged for us to go to a great dumpling theatre show in the evening, and made a number of adjustments to our itinerary to tailor it to our needs/wants. She arranged to switch our included lunch from food at the Muslim quarter street food market, to instead a great Biang Biang noodles and Rou Jia Mo place, and it was excellent! She also added in a stop at a famous Chinese brush painting shopping street, with shop after shop selling high quality equipment.

    On our last day, because of the tweaks made we could have a longer breakfast at our hotel and keep to a more relaxed pace, which was just what we needed!

    But, even then we did finish a tour of the walls and were very early for our train so had a long wait at the station, which gave us time to get a decent meal.Collapse
  • Mei L
    Great experience, would highly recommend
    We did this tour with Roger as our guide. He was great guide and very informative with his explanations. The terracotta warriors is obviously a highlight and Roger helped us navigate the intense crowds. We had our 3 year old son with us on the tour and everyone helped keep an eye out on him. The pagoda was under renovation so we went to a Chinese mosque instead.
Read all reviews on TripAdvisor
Traveler Overview 5.0  Based on 3000+ traveler reviews
  • Vin c
    Great tour, fantastic guide!
    Our family (2 Adults, 2 children) booked a private tour to the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. Our guide, Lucy, was fantastic and an all round wonderful guide. She was attentive and accommodating throughout the tour, and went to greet lengths to ensure that my children's needs were met. Will definitely want to travel with Lucy again! Highly recommended!
  • Jamie H
    Well paced tour with excellent knowledgeable guide
    Travel China Guide arranged a fantastic tour for us in Beijing!

    Our guide Candy was very knowledgeable, funny and informative! She paced everything really well for us, sorting out access to a lesser visited painting gallery at the Forbidden City, and giving us plenty of time to ourselves at the Great Wall to relax, take photos and enjoy the autumn colours. She also recommended not going in the morning to avoid the big group tours and instead to go in the afternoon, a brilliant tip...Full Text
    Travel China Guide arranged a fantastic tour for us in Beijing!

    Our guide Candy was very knowledgeable, funny and informative! She paced everything really well for us, sorting out access to a lesser visited painting gallery at the Forbidden City, and giving us plenty of time to ourselves at the Great Wall to relax, take photos and enjoy the autumn colours. She also recommended not going in the morning to avoid the big group tours and instead to go in the afternoon, a brilliant tip as we had much of the Wall to ourselves!

    Candy spoke to the driver and learned he had a painter in his family and so they helped provide great tips to my wife on where best to shop for good quality material!

    The arranged food was fantastic, a really traditional courtyard restaurant famous for Peking duck, and the broad beans side was delicious as well!Collapse
  • TB30305
    Superb Beijing and Great Wall Tour!
    I had the absolute pleasure of spending the day with Lucy. She was great with communications prior to our tour and was simply superb today while on tour. We spent the morning at The Forbidden City and then traveled on to the Great Wall. Lucy speaks excellent English and her knowledge of the Forbidden City was impressive. Even though this was a private tour, I was originally scheduled to go to the Badaling section of the GW, but Lucy suggested we drive a bit more to the Mutianyu section of the...Full Text
    I had the absolute pleasure of spending the day with Lucy. She was great with communications prior to our tour and was simply superb today while on tour. We spent the morning at The Forbidden City and then traveled on to the Great Wall. Lucy speaks excellent English and her knowledge of the Forbidden City was impressive. Even though this was a private tour, I was originally scheduled to go to the Badaling section of the GW, but Lucy suggested we drive a bit more to the Mutianyu section of the wall. I am so glad she recommended this as it was not crowded at all. This made my entire tour today worth the time and expense.
    If you find yourself in Beijing, I highly recommend this private tour and hope that you are lucky enough to spend your day with Lucy. It feels like I made a new fried.Collapse
  • ludovico g
    Best first day in Beijing
    I honestly can say that our first day in Beijing could have not gone any better. Weather was lovely to start with, we started the day very early with a shuttle pick up, it was about 10 of us but everyone was super lovely, Kevin took care of us from the very first moment. Great communication skills. We briefly stopped at Tiananmen square for a few picks and then straight into the Forbidden City, very historical place and Kevin explained us all the history behind it. After this we headed to the...Full Text
    I honestly can say that our first day in Beijing could have not gone any better. Weather was lovely to start with, we started the day very early with a shuttle pick up, it was about 10 of us but everyone was super lovely, Kevin took care of us from the very first moment. Great communication skills. We briefly stopped at Tiananmen square for a few picks and then straight into the Forbidden City, very historical place and Kevin explained us all the history behind it. After this we headed to the great wall of China, quick buffet lunch which I found was really nice and then off to the 2 people cable cart ( otherwise it is a 50 min walk. Once you reach the top, you really are blown away by the views.

    Kevin explained that he took us to a side of the wall that is not busy and also tends to be quite in the PM. We were happy about that and in fact not too many people were there.

    You will spend about 2 hours there which will run out quick if you like to walk all the way to the different towers.

    Unforgettable trip! Thank youCollapse
  • Katrina C
    Great tour with great guide
    This is a great tour cover two the key landmarks in China: the Forbidden City/Palace Museum & Great Wall. Helen was my guide and she was phenomenal! She was very knowledgeable and shared so much story with us. She also knew great photo spots away from crowds. Helen even offered to take many pictures for us. As a solo traveler I really appreciated this. Helen even brought us some water and snacks. I highly recommend this tour and ask for Helen!
Read all reviews on TripAdvisor
Traveler Overview  Based on 390+ traveler reviews
  • SQ
    Sohail Qasim
    WOW experience with Travel China Guide Tours
    Over a period of a month used Travel China Guide Tour multiple times for information and reservations. Easy reservations for train travel or group tours, great assortment of tours, wonderful trip advisors, knowledgeable tour guides, well facilitated tours, very helpful and responsive team. Keep up the good work.
  • Yasmin Prowse
    Trains, tours, advice - they are brilliant!
    This company deserve a special mention as they are excellent. I booked 3 tours through them - in Beijing and Xian - the trips were very well organised with friendly, knowledgeable guides - Lucy and Michael especially - the cars were very comfortable, one with massage seats! The tours were fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable. I also booked a bullet train and sleeper train through them. Everything went smoothly. I emailed them with quite a few queries and the response was always quick...Full Text
    This company deserve a special mention as they are excellent. I booked 3 tours through them - in Beijing and Xian - the trips were very well organised with friendly, knowledgeable guides - Lucy and Michael especially - the cars were very comfortable, one with massage seats! The tours were fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable. I also booked a bullet train and sleeper train through them. Everything went smoothly. I emailed them with quite a few queries and the response was always quick and very helpful. They definitely deserve 5 stars. Our trip to China was amazing - thank you so much for all your help!Collapse
  • MA
    Marcos
    Super helpful and friendly
    They are great, we booked with them tickets for the forbidden city (which are very difficult to get for occidental people) and they managed to do it in the day and time a lot that we chose. We got in contact with them through WeChat and they replied really fast and offer us extra help to make reservation to Tiannamen square, which we didn’t know that you needede a booking in advance (free entrance). In our case we spoke with Christina and she was great!
  • Heng
    Travel China Guide provides efficient…
    Travel China Guide provides efficient and excellent services to make things easy for travel in China. I booked my train journeys through Travel China Guide, and everything worked perfectly. They are friendly, provide good services and quick responses for your requests/questions.
    I will use their service again in the future and I’ll also recommend travellers to use Travel China Guide service to book your travel in China.
  • EL
    Elaine
    Wendy Lee Travel Consultant
    After booking our tour with Travel China from the UK we was worried but from the day we landed to the day we left china we had no worries,stress and no shopping stops on the way.
    Thank you to the travel consultant Wendy Lee
    For making our visit to China the best
  • FD
    Fabio Digiglio
    Italy
    Excellence
    TCGT is a company you need for an “all inclusive” trip in China. Emily arranged for us a perfect tailored itinerary based on our preferences. Hotel, transports and guides were professional, gentle and fluent English-speaking. We thank TCGT for such wonderful and perfect vacation in China and we highlight its services to everyone.
  • WR
    William
    Beautiful Scenery in Switzerland
    Beautiful scenery. Hotel proximity to train stations was generally good. 3 star rooms varied greatly, from very good to average. Sizes of rooms varied the most. Bathrooms were generally newly refurbished.
  • GE
    Gérard
    I strongly recommend
    For these last weeks (may, June 2023) I traveled alone in China. I strongly recommend to go through the Travel China Guide Tours internet site to book your train e-ticket. It is the easiest and fastest way to do it. If you have any problems you can contact them, they speak English, they are understanding. With them you can easily change or cancel your bookings. Thanks to them my trip was easy to organise day to day.
  • Paul
    Tour of Xi'an and Terracotta Army
    A highly enjoyable one-day tour of the Terracotta warriors and Xi'an City walls, as well as the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and Muslim Quarter. Everything was taken care of, and Susan was an excellent, thoughtful and knowledgeable guide.
  • Bob V.
    2 reviews
    Excellent trip with Travel China Guide
    Great experience! Guides were very knowledgeable, friendly and were outstanding communicators. Itinerary was followed expertly. Tour was well organized with a variety of experiences and attractions. One highlight was the home-cooked lunch in a Chinese family's apartment. Very nice lady and a fabulous cook! Other experiences, choice of hotels and restaurants were all first rate. A couple that I wasn't too excited about in advance turned out to be fun and informative beating my expectations. My tour was a great way to learn about China's past and present! Very pleased with my trip!
  • Alan Stranex
    1 review
    Our Travel China Guide Tour was really great
    Our trip was really great. Our experience before, during and even after the trip was most satisfying. Communication of all we wanted know such as itinerary, other internal travel and even electric fittings was efficiently handled. We were greeted on arrival at the airport and helped to secure our bullet train option to get back to Beijing from Xián. We found our two guides helpful and prepared to do extra (even wrote out some helpful Chinese for us) and were patient with our varied tour group....Full Text
    Our trip was really great. Our experience before, during and even after the trip was most satisfying. Communication of all we wanted know such as itinerary, other internal travel and even electric fittings was efficiently handled. We were greeted on arrival at the airport and helped to secure our bullet train option to get back to Beijing from Xián. We found our two guides helpful and prepared to do extra (even wrote out some helpful Chinese for us) and were patient with our varied tour group. We were very comfortable with our dining and accommodation. The tour buses were comfortable and the drivers unintrusive. There were some surprises including the chair lift to the Great Wall and the Kung Fu Show. A nice "surprise" in Xián was the Tang dynasty music and dance show after a dumpling meal! Tai Chi and other activities in the City Wall Park were wonderful. I'll have to go back as I didn't quite master the use of chopsticks but we foreigners were usually provided with forks. When it came time to say Goodbye we were taken to a convenient spot for transport to the train station. Thank you Travel China Guide Tours for everything.
    PS Our Guides even e mailed us some special photos after the trip.Collapse
  • Simarjot
    1 review
    Excellent Time in Beijing
    Booking with Travel China Guide Tours was fantastic. I learned about the city beforehand through their website, and was interested in the various tours they offered. Our consultant, Emily, made it very easy and comforting to book a day trip during our short stay in Beijing. Our tour guide, Kitty, was very helpful in guiding us through Beijing. She picked us up straight from the hotel, took us to the Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, the Olympic Park, and the Mutianyu Great Wall, all the while...Full Text
    Booking with Travel China Guide Tours was fantastic. I learned about the city beforehand through their website, and was interested in the various tours they offered. Our consultant, Emily, made it very easy and comforting to book a day trip during our short stay in Beijing. Our tour guide, Kitty, was very helpful in guiding us through Beijing. She picked us up straight from the hotel, took us to the Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, the Olympic Park, and the Mutianyu Great Wall, all the while explaining the wonderful sights we were seeing. We definitely couldn't have done it ourselves! I would absolutely book with them for another tour China tour. Thank you once again Emily and Kitty from Travel China Guide Tours!Collapse
  • Jan Murphy
    1 review
    A great holiday experience in China
    This was our first experience holidaying in Asia and Travel China Guide Tours was there for us every step of the way. Right for the start the holiday was tailor made for us and we had the same rep helping us along the way, she was extremely helpful, replying to any questions or queries we had almost immediately, which was most impressive taking into account the time difference between England and China. The holiday lived up to our expectations and probably exceeded them, I was quite nervous...Full Text
    This was our first experience holidaying in Asia and Travel China Guide Tours was there for us every step of the way. Right for the start the holiday was tailor made for us and we had the same rep helping us along the way, she was extremely helpful, replying to any questions or queries we had almost immediately, which was most impressive taking into account the time difference between England and China. The holiday lived up to our expectations and probably exceeded them, I was quite nervous visiting this part of the world but going as part of a guided tour was great. The hotels and restaurants were great, the tour guides looked after us well and were all very knowledgeable. I would certainly recommend them and would certainly book with them again.Collapse
  • Tom Glaister
    1 review
    Magnificent China tour
    My grandson was studying for a semester at Seoul National university and suggested that we tour for sometime before returning to Canada. I came across Xi'an Marco polo International Travel service Co. Ltd. when exploring the website of CVAC (China Visa application center) in Toronto. As neither of us had travelled in the "Far East" before, had little knowledge of China, and did not speak Mandarin, we thought it sensible to have tour guides from a company familiar with the country I am glad we...Full Text
    My grandson was studying for a semester at Seoul National university and suggested that we tour for sometime before returning to Canada. I came across Xi'an Marco polo International Travel service Co. Ltd. when exploring the website of CVAC (China Visa application center) in Toronto. As neither of us had travelled in the "Far East" before, had little knowledge of China, and did not speak Mandarin, we thought it sensible to have tour guides from a company familiar with the country I am glad we did! Our itinerary was carefully planned, and went fully according to plan. Our tour coordinator, Vera Yu, assisted us with the itinerary, paperwork and documentation for arrival in Beijing, and even arranged to meet us in Xi'an.
    The tour was magnificent,although strenuous for me as a senior,and covered many of the sites and cities we had heard of over the years. Hotels were beyond our expectations, and cheap, from what we experienced in North America. Hotel meals were generally excellent but we preferred to eat in local cafes; this was much cheaper and not at all difficult as most cafes had pictures of their menus posted outside, and staff were always helpful. In fact we were sometimes overwhelmed with how friendly and helpful Chinese people are.
    On the Yangste cruise, where we were the only Westerners, several crew members spoke some English, and the public announcements were often repeated in English or the benefit of non-Mandarin speakers.This cruise was spectacular giving much insight into daily life in China, and culminating in the magnificent 3-Gorges Dam.
    In Shanghai we went on our own with a bus tour of the city, a river cruise, and walking.I must add that I felt safer walking a night in Shanghai than I have felt in many North American cities. The Shanghai Bund (river walk), night lights on the Huangou river, and the Shanghai tower should be on everyone's bucket list.

    I just wish we had more time available!Collapse
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Traveler Overview  Based on 90+ traveler reviews
  • David L.
    2 for 1 Warriors of China tour review
    e took the '2 for 1 Warriors of China' tour leaving May16 2024 back to Sydney May27 2024.
    The tour guide in Beijing - Robin and the tour guide in Xuzhou / Hangzhou/ Shanghai - Celery, both did an excellent job. Well done.
    Trip overall was good, except the Shaolin temple visit was not worth going for me and the tour guide there needs more training I felt.
    The gratitude cost should be clearer, it is actually compulsory because it is also for the driver and the team behind the...Full Text
    e took the '2 for 1 Warriors of China' tour leaving May16 2024 back to Sydney May27 2024.
    The tour guide in Beijing - Robin and the tour guide in Xuzhou / Hangzhou/ Shanghai - Celery, both did an excellent job. Well done.
    Trip overall was good, except the Shaolin temple visit was not worth going for me and the tour guide there needs more training I felt.
    The gratitude cost should be clearer, it is actually compulsory because it is also for the driver and the team behind the scene purchasing various tickets and making sure the tour goes smoothly.
    You will need to have cash, not many places accept card. May be use Wise or master card to draw cash.
    Try to travel with smaller luggages because the train rides in and out with big luggages can be hard. You can place the Small bags on the overhead compartment.
    Bring roll on deodorant, one of the train ride security confiscated spray deodorants and opened alcohol.
    If you are travelling southern China, sign up with SkyPearl to pre-book seat on line.
    All up 7.5/10.
    Collapse
  • Fabio
    Excellent!
    TCGT is just an excellence regarding China tourism and tour tailoring. From the beginning to way back home they assist and help you with professional and gentle guides. Emily - our travel consultant - is a fluent English speaking always ready to organise and fix properly any detail, also during the trip. As other guides we met, all of them very professional, English speaking and nice persons. We appreciated any side and accommodation, either a very full but well organized itinerary with professional drivers. If you are planning a journey in China, don’t miss TCGT!
  • Cathy
    Exceptional Tour Company
    We used Travel China Guide for a customised 15 day private tour of China for 4 people, and had the most amazing time.
    This company is exceptional - I was nervous about using a foreign travel company, but once I started corresponding with Emily, everything quickly fell into place - despite me sending about 20 emails over the course of 4-5 months to tweak different parts of our tours. Emily was so organised, the day tours and travel arrangements all worked without a hitch. They will also send...Full Text
    We used Travel China Guide for a customised 15 day private tour of China for 4 people, and had the most amazing time.
    This company is exceptional - I was nervous about using a foreign travel company, but once I started corresponding with Emily, everything quickly fell into place - despite me sending about 20 emails over the course of 4-5 months to tweak different parts of our tours. Emily was so organised, the day tours and travel arrangements all worked without a hitch. They will also send you a letter to assist with your China visas. We used We Chat in China to communicate with the Guides, who were all brilliant.
    No hesitation is recommending this company. (Note they trade as Xi'an Marco Polo International Travel Service).Collapse
  • Greg
    Great 14 day China trip including Tibet with TCG
    I can highly recommend TCG. The trip was exactly as advertised and certainly met or expectations. I booked the trip online and our consultant Wendy was very helpful. All of our guides were very knowledgeable and spoke English well. The cost was reasonable and we did not encounter any unexpected fees.
  • Kathy M
    Perfect tour to see the best of China
    They were amazing, a truly memorable trip all went to plan with no additional costs. My 8 day China trip was very organised with no problems, we were kept busy sight seeing every day, we stayed in the best hotels, ate the best Chinese food our guide Candy was amazing and very helpful and went beyond her job. Thoroughly recommend Travel China for all your travel. Would love to do another tour with them.
  • Amanda
    Exceptional trip run by exceptional people
    We booked a small group tour from Beijing to Xian then Chengdu to Shanghai, and Travel China Guide Tours also arranged extra flights for us to go on to Guangzhou afterwards by ourselves. Everything about the trip was professional and beautifully organised, from our first enquiries by email to the trip itself. We travelled by internal planes and train. The guides in each city were great, the hotels were lovely and all of the meals that were part of the package were exquisite and plentiful and in ...Full Text
    We booked a small group tour from Beijing to Xian then Chengdu to Shanghai, and Travel China Guide Tours also arranged extra flights for us to go on to Guangzhou afterwards by ourselves. Everything about the trip was professional and beautifully organised, from our first enquiries by email to the trip itself. We travelled by internal planes and train. The guides in each city were great, the hotels were lovely and all of the meals that were part of the package were exquisite and plentiful and in wonderful restaurants (unlike other trips that friends of ours have done through companies based in the UK). A fantastic insight into Chinese culture. We cannot recommend this company highly enough and would love to travel with them again to other areas of China. It far exceeded our expectations.Collapse
  • Denis
    Travel China Guide, great experience
    We used the services of TCG twice. One time in 2004 to vist China. And again in 2018 to visit Vietnam. It is a very relliable company. The guides, drivers, hotels, airplanes and visits were excellent. You can choose their package or build your own, which we did. Great service. Especially with Wendy Lee. I will do business again with TCG in the future. Maybe to visit Myanmar.
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Endorsement by New York Times

The New York Times Travel Supplement has named Warriortours.com, the predecessor of Agatetravel.com, as a large and reliable travel agency!

Kudos from Worldwide Media

AgateTravel’s parent company, together with its sister website TravelChinaGuide.com, has recommended by many world famous media.