Wendy Wu Tours Reviews

# China Tour Review – A Wonderful Country, but a Tour That Felt Too Rushed

I would highly recommend visiting China. There is so much to see and do, and it is an incredible country to explore. However, having completed this tour, I felt the itinerary was just a little too much, with very little time to relax and enjoy the experience at our own pace.

### Flights and Transfers

We flew into Beijing airport but had an internal flight to Shanghai to begin the tour. You need to be prepared to manage this transfer yourself, as you are not supported until you arrive in Shanghai. The airport is huge, and we had to navigate our way to another part of the airport to catch our connecting flight. A translator app is essential.

If you have the option of starting the tour in Beijing and finishing in Shanghai, I would strongly recommend doing so. Shanghai was the highlight of our trip, so it would have been lovely to finish there on a high. The weather also tends to get colder as you travel north towards Beijing, so ending in the warmer south was another advantage.

We flew with Air China, which does not allow online check-in from the UK. As a result, by the time we checked in at the airport, most seats had already been allocated, and my husband and I ended up sitting apart on the next two flights.

On arrival at Shanghai airport, we were met by a taxi driver who contacted our guide via his phone. She explained that she would not be meeting us at the airport and that we would see her at the welcome dinner the following day. Wendy Wu had not made us aware of this arrangement, so it was unexpected. On our return flight home, I asked our guide to help us check in, and I had to pay extra to secure seats together.

### A Very Full Itinerary

Most group tours offer a balance of excursions, free time, shows and relaxed evening meals. Unfortunately, this tour offered very little downtime.

Many days started with an early excursion, followed by lunch, perhaps a five-hour bullet train journey, and then straight to dinner. There was often no opportunity to shower or change clothes, meaning we were expected to go to dinner in the same clothes we had worn while sightseeing all day.

There was rarely even enough time to freshen up, and the constant rushing became tiring. Much of the itinerary involved travelling, and although we saw a lot of the country, we spent most of our time with the group, leaving little opportunity to explore independently or simply relax.

You also spend a considerable amount of time waiting for other group members during meals and toilet breaks, which adds to the feeling that the days are rushed.

The train toilets were not particularly pleasant, and the squat toilets proved difficult for some of the less mobile members of the group. On one occasion, I asked whether we could use the toilets at the train station before setting off on an hour-long coach journey, but we were told there wasn't time. It all felt unnecessarily rushed.

### Food and Drink

Meals were included in the tour, but most evening meals took place in restaurants rather than at the hotels. Drinks were not included, so you had to pay extra for everything, even a glass of water.

Bottled water was not provided during excursions, so make sure you take water from your hotel room each morning.

The theatre show was an excellent performance and well worth seeing. However, the arrangements felt rushed and disorganised, with problems seating people. Catering for vegetarians also seemed to be a recurring issue.

### The Great Wall and Weather

Unfortunately, the weather was dreadful when we visited the Great Wall, with torrential rain leaving us completely soaked.

Other tour operators changed their schedules to take advantage of the better forecast the following day, but our tour continued as planned. By the time we returned, we were all so wet and miserable that we decided not to go on the next excursion to the Summer Palace.

It was disappointing, as these are some of the major highlights of visiting China. I appreciate that the weather cannot be controlled, but a little more flexibility with the itinerary would have made a real difference.

### Hotels

Overall, the hotels were very nice. However, the Mercure in downtown Beijing was disappointing in terms of storage. We stayed there for four nights, but there wasn't a single drawer or shelf in the room. We had no choice but to live out of our suitcases for the entire stay.

When you are travelling for an extended period, little things like this can make a difference to your comfort.

### The Pandas – A Highlight with a Catch

One of the highlights of my trip was seeing the pandas in Chengdu. I had been really looking forward to this, but we only had two and a half hours in the park, much of which was taken up with toilet breaks.

The park was extremely crowded, and visitors were channelled through the panda enclosures, with staff encouraging everyone to keep moving. We only managed to see around a third of the park and a handful of pandas, which was disappointing given how far we had travelled to see them.

We subsequently visited Beijing Zoo, which was a completely different experience. We used a Didi taxi, which cost around £4, and entry was approximately £4 for the two of us. It was easy to get to, there were no crowds, and we had plenty of time to explore at our own pace. We were able to do this because we had paid for an extra night in Beijing at the end of the tour.

In many ways, this independent visit was far more enjoyable and relaxed than the organised panda excursion.

### Would I Recommend This Tour?

China is an amazing country, and this tour allowed us to see a great deal of it. The hotels were generally good, the sights were impressive, and the theatre performance was excellent. However, the sheer pace of the itinerary took away some of the enjoyment.

If you are confident using a translator app, Alipay for payments and Didi for taxis, I would seriously consider organising your own trip. Transport, entrance tickets and taxis can be surprisingly inexpensive, and we found the local people very helpful. Travelling independently would give you much more flexibility, allowing you to spend longer at the places you enjoy and avoid the constant rushing.

If you are less confident travelling independently, or you are a solo traveller who would prefer the reassurance of a group, an organised tour could be a good option. However, I would look carefully at other tour operators and choose one that offers a better balance of sightseeing, travel time and free time.

**My overall advice:** China is absolutely worth visiting, but don't underestimate how tiring a packed itinerary can be. You may see more on a busy group tour, but sometimes having the freedom to slow down and enjoy the experience makes for a much better holiday.

Excellent value for money. Very professional service when booking a tour. Excellent tour guides - very knowledgable - and tour managers who do everything they can to go the extra mile in ensuring you have a wonderful holiday. I particulary like the 'all inclusive' tours which mean that I can enjoy all the experiences included in each tour and not have to hunt for food at lunch time or in the evening when I'm tired.

I would like to thank George, our national guide, and all of our local guides (Max, Helen, Susan and Oscar) for making this a truly special holiday that I will always remember fondly. The tour was packed with so many highlights from scaling the Great Wall, riding on bullet trains to cruising amongst picturesque limestone karsts. In each region we were able to sample local cuisine, all of which was delicious. Meals were provided on a lazy susan so everyone had a choice of spicy/mild food; it also meant that dining was social, and it was a lovely way of getting to know everyone on the tour. I was extremely impressed with Wendy Wu Tours and look forward to my next adventure with them!

Kyle

We had an amazing holiday, seeing things that we hand only read about or seen on YouTube. We had never been on a group tour before and didn’t really know what to expect. The other members of the group were all great to get on with and our National guide Amanda was excellent and I would like to say how professional and friendly she was. The organisation of all the tours was brilliant and I would definitely recommend Wendy Wu. The local guides were also very knowledgeable and explained everything in detail. We will look forward to booking another holiday with Wendy Wu.

We recently returned from the Wonders of China tour. It was a truly amazing experience, the hotels, meals, sightseeing and transportation were absolutely fantastic and were well above what we had expected. Our tour guide Ryan was very professional and adapted the itinerary very well when some of our group were delayed in joining the tour. The entire trip was superbly organised and we had an absolutely fantastic experience.
My only criticism would be the size of the group. We had the maximum of 28 people on our tour, which whilst manageable may have been better with a slightly smaller number.
On another note, and this is totally out of the control of Wendy Wu tours, there is a huge amount of walking and steps involved on this tour. Several of the people in the group were struggling with this aspect. It is just how things are in China but perhaps more emphasis on this could be stated pre-booking. It is mentioned by Wendy Wu tours in the final documentation you receive just prior to departure but by then is it too late to have second thoughts.
All in all from booking to completion of the tour itself it could not be faulted. An absolutely amazing, and professionally executed, experience.

Our guide Chloe made the holiday. She was always going the extra mile to ensure everyone was looked after. We saw many of the major attractions. The tour ran very efficiently and enjoyable. It showed how tours should be done.

Having experienced previous world travel including organised group tours we found this Wendy Wu tour to be not one of the best. We knew that the group size would be up to 28 (and indeed it was 28) however although people were always on time this number of tourists inevitably resulted in slower execution of every aspect of the tour from train travel, air travel, dinning, general touring, getting from a to b etc and we would never consider joining a group of this size again. Some of our group found the tour pace to be well above the 'level one' as described in the brochure.
We liked all the hotels, the arrangements themselves dovetailed seamlessly, we were never hungry, our national guide Nancy was helpful and professional, the afterhours experiences were all worthwhile, China itself was clean, efficient , people welcoming and we always felt safe as a tourist , we enjoyed the yangtze cruise, the li river cruise and Guilin.
We didn't enjoy having a full day touring/travelling then going for dinner and/or a show without having the opportunity to shower and change. This happened several times and did impact negatively on our enjoyment. The worst example was arriving in Shanghai by flight, then being taken straight for dinner, which was very rushed before being taken to the ERA show and then taken to the hotel to book in. This distracted from the experience. The food itself although plentiful varied in quality, some restaurants served rice midway through the meal, provided soup at the end, didn't have cold beer or wine by the glass, wasted so much food (although the most popular dished ran out) and we were forced to eat extremely early (lunch at 11.30 dinner at 5.30 on some occasions). We were bussed to some restaurants when there were closer walkable alternatives. Our local guide in Bejing (Arthur) although enthusiastic was confusing, difficult to understand and annoying at times. Local Guides in Xian and Guilin were knowledgeable and professional.
We felt the tour concentrated too long a time upon 'shopping experiences' the Jade factory, the Xian art ceramics and lacquer exhibition workshop, the silk factory, Xintiandi and to a lesser extent the calligraphy and tea planation rather than the wonderful sights China has to offer. (We spent significantly more time at the Xian art workshop (excluding the unorganised buffet lunch) than at the Terracotta warriors themselves.
Overall we enjoyed our return to China however the tour would have been much better if our above mentioned critiques could have been addressed from the perspective of the traveller prior to tour departure.

We were on the Majestic Yangtze tour with Wendy Wu Tours for 14 days in mid-September 2026 and what a trip it was!

All the way from Shanghai to Beijing and so much in-between from a night cruise in Shanghai to such "wonders of the world" as the Terracotta Warriors and Great Wall of China, the cities of Chengdu and Xian as we flew through China's vast countryside on bullet trains and sat in awe of how much and how fast this vast country has changed in the last thirty years. Cities of twenty million or more, sky high apartment buildings adorning every city skyline and hotels as classy as any western ones with the latest technology from robot room service to AI loos with handsets to warm them up or flush everything away. All top class- apart from one or two issues flights with Turkish Airlines and stopovers in Instanbul.



The real highlights however weren't the vast distances we travelled but the people we travelled them with-our multinational group from the UK, Australia and USA-and the entertainment we enjoyed on our gorgeous four night cruise on the Yangtze River sailing through the Three Gorges Dam with the staff providing the evening entertainment and even the Captain joining in, the tours of silk and jade factories, the Forbidden City & the gorgeous Sacred Garden by day and Xian's medieval City Walls lit up by night as well as delicious Chinese food every day served on our "Lazy Susan for all to share. We got a full-on taste of China, its rich medieval heritage and its people today not as we might portray them from western media but as a people as welcoming and friendly as anywhere else and apart from Tinnaman Square free to say-often in English and always very respectfully- what life is like in China today.



It was everything we hoped for -and more. But the Star of our Tour undoubtedly was our main guide Gary (all Chinese guides it appears have an English name) who not only kept us all on time and in line with phrases such as "Gary's Family", "Follow the flag", Sticky Rice (keep together) and "One Dollar" (someone is missing)/ "Two Dollar" (everyone's here) but with his "Chinglish", his inexhaustible good humour (at least one joke a day) and his genuine concern for and attention to detail with all 23 of us. This was more than a 'personal touch' or company training. This was Gary, knowledgeable, caring,funny and always smiling; one, if not, the best tour guide we have ever had and a huge compliment to Wendy Wu who it seems sets the standard as all the guides we met seem to know her personally. Gary and Wendy Wu made our tour of China both special and memorable and for that my wife and I are extremely grateful.

Very helpful , explained the tours , not a bit pushy , gave us time to choose the tour we wanted

Visits to various cities/attractions/shows very good
River Cruise also very good
Hotel rooms ok although poorly located in some cities

Food (excluding cruise) mostly very poor particularly hotel breakfasts
Guide choice of food poor
Too much emphasis on optional tours at increased cost

Upon deciding upon which holiday I was interested in I phone to book.
My call was swiftly answered in a polite and courteous manner, the agent on the other end of the phone went through all the details of my booking to China and Japan, explained everything clearly, explained about the free lounge access, upgrade for the cabin on the cruise and that once the flight tickets were issued there maybe be upgrade options available. Explained about tipping, insurance and answered all the questions that I had. A great experience booking my holiday with Wendy Wu Tours as sometimes I dread using call centres but this was a welcome change.

Jewels of Japan was a great itinerary for my first visit to Japan. For an 11 day excursion it had a lot packed in, plenty of places to visit and an excellent guide who ensured no one was left behind. I enjoyed the entire trip from Tokyo to Osaka, and I look forward to doing another adventure with Wendy Wu Tours in five years time.

All advisors I dealt with either online or on the telephone were very helpful with answering any questions I had about flights, tours etc.
They also booked my seats on each leg of the journey, so that I could get a window seat.
Very impressed with the knowledge and professionalism of everyone I dealt with.

We really enjoyed this trip. I won’t deny that I was a little apprehensive booking it, re overnight train sharing with strangers and EBC accommodation. The train was comfortable and enough space for 4 in our carriage. Western style toilet on board was fine too. You also get amazing scenery from the train!
At EBC they have electric blankets!! We didn’t use them as the bedding was warm enough. The sunrise over Everest was spectacular, we had clear views and it was a great way to mark my birthday.
All the hotel rooms/beds were very comfortable.
We were a group of 15 ranging in age to 70+ and all coped with the altitude, no supplementary oxygen needed. This was down to following the great advice from our National Guide.
A good mix of free time and guided tours with the local guides, who seem to be experts on every Buddhist temple!
Most meals were delicious but could get a bit repetitive and there was always plenty of food but we never knew how many dishes would be served at a lazy Susan which meant full up by the time the best dish was brought out, usually Yak.
There is a lot of walking/steps so a good level of fitness helps. So pleased we did this trip.

Completed the "China Experience" tour with Wendy Wu this May visiting Shanghai, Xi'An, and Beijing. This was led by National Guide, Grace Gao, and local guides Felicity (Shanghai), May (Xi'An) and Lee/Li (Beijing). This was first trip with the company and as a solo-traveller on the tour. Met for the first day in Shanghai, as total strangers, and discovered I was the youngest (Late 30s) of a group of 16, ages on average ranged around 50–70 years old for the others.
The tour was fast-faced with a lot to see, which could make it physically demanding. Up first thing in the morning, back late at night, no real down-time or taking things at a casual pace others may entertain outside a tour company.
The tour guides were very knowledgeable, and it was good to hear their personal perspectives and experiences which shaped things for them and the changes that have advanced in modern China. It gave a very real element to the world beyond the facade of simply seeing what is in front of you. Felicity sharing as she watched the skyscrapers go up as a young girl in Shanghai, Grace's experience of when she first went to Xi'An to study before they redeveloped the city, and Lee coming in from the villages to Beijing.
The thing I found from China was that my perspective of 'big' changed. The country is so populous and so built up, it made everything back home just feeling small. The souvenir 'town' outside the Terracotta Warriors alone felt like it was the size of my hometown. Downside, you had to walk through it to get back to the bus.
That was the downside of China, the tourism felt over-commercialized and this really seemed to take a lot of authenticity away from the experience. You couldn't simply enjoy something without it being 10 trinket stalls around it, and 2 inside of it.
Though the tour allowed for some very good opportunities to witness things like the Tang Dynasty dancing, Chinese Acrobatics, and an optional Xi'an night tour which included dress up, and went to a festival filled with other domestic tourists to have a good time and lots of pictures taken of/with (Highlight event of the trip).
Wendy Wu were clearly very experienced on when and where to go to the different venues. Seeing other Wendy Wu tour groups at the same exact places shows they have a formula on how to deliver this, which is used for their other tours they host. The timings also allowed you to experience things before the crowds hit, so when you are leaving, you turn around to see a mass of people, and think "good thing we came when we did". I think that goes to sum up how these tours work, they have everything packaged in a neat box, and you pay to experience it. Wendy Wu tours are certainly not cheap in price, but it is fully inclusive, so you don't need to worry as everything is taken care for you, and they have a high calibre when it came to quality of the tour guides, hotel rooms, and choices they select. They know what they are doing to deliver the experience, from the start to finish.
I thoroughly enjoyed the trip, and the biggest cons were down to the lack of flexibility in format which is to be expected.