The 15 3-Hour Experiences in China That Earn Their Price

1.3-Hour Private Tour to Jewish Ghetto and Shanghai Bund

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 69 reviews · from $90Our pick

Spend up to three hours with a private English-speaking guide exploring Shanghai’s Jewish Refugee Museum, former refugee neighborhoods, and the Bund. Guides such as Lea, Sunny, Mason, Annie, and Aron explain the refugee story, local life, and Sassoon family architecture. Downtown hotel pickup and private transport are included.

“We booked 3 hrs Jewish tour with Lea which was great. She was on time and very knowledgeable and I can happily recommend her and the company. Jewish museum is a wonderful place and the buildings surrounding it with the little park (the former Jewish neighbourhood) is also quite interesting..”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.3-Hour Private Night Tour: Beijing Foodie Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 53 reviews · from $79

Spend three hours eating through Beijing’s Dongsi Hutong with a private guide such as Lucy, Kevin, Roy, or Miko. You’ll try lamb kebabs, tanjianbing, sesame cakes, baozi, cold noodles, Yunnan rice noodles, sweets, and local drinks. Hotel pickup is included within central Beijing, while transport costs extra.

“Kevin was a great guide and he was also very funny. he shared lots of good stories about the hutong and the food we ate. We enjoyed his company very much. He is also very helpful to my elderly mother, keeping her pace during the walk around the hutong and asking her food preferences when ordering. We loved Kevin very much!”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.3-Hour Old Shanghai City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 45 reviews · 3 hours · from $75

Spend about three hours walking from Yuyuan Garden and the old city bazaar to Xintiandi, Shanghai’s polished Shikumen entertainment district. Your English-speaking guide may be Tom, Mary, Roy, Julie, or another local guide. Expect history, daily street life, a complimentary tea tasting, and practical food tips.

“A very nice visit with a super knowledable and nice guide. He was also very educational, teaching me a few Chinese words that could help me in my learning of the language. I thank him for that. Also, I really liked the route taken. I highly recommend!”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Private 3 hour bike tour with coffee break

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 38 reviews · 3 hours

Start at Xiangyang Park for a private, easy-paced ride through Shanghai’s French Concession, historic streets, parks, markets, and Bund area. Your English-speaking guide, including Jill, Gill, or Chris, supplies the city bike, adjusts the route to your interests, and takes professional photos. Coffee, snacks, and drinks cost extra.

“Jill was amazing! We had two kids along and everyone could keep up. She helped us take great pictures and the coffee/beer stop was really unforgettable.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.3-Hour Shanghai Bund Swift Tour with River Cruise or Skyscraper

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 26 reviews · from $112

Visit Shanghai’s Bund with a private guide and door-to-door hotel transfers, then choose a 50-minute Huangpu River cruise or a Shanghai Tower observation visit. Guides such as Alana, Mary, Berlin, Queena, and Xin have helped guests make the most of short schedules, including early starts, night views, and easy pacing for older visitors.

“My experience has been AMAZING, Berlin has always been attentive and very knowledgeable. Worth every penny! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Private custom tour of Hong Kong – 3 hours

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 25 reviews · from $178

Meet your private guide at Statue Square at 9:00 am for a three-hour walk through the Hong Kong areas you choose. Guides such as Stephanie and Alexandra tailor the route to your pace, interests, and language needs, using public transportation to connect Central, Sheung Wan, Tsim Sha Tsui, Mongkok, Wong Tai Sin, or other agreed stops.

“Great private tour in Kowloon in French with Stéphanie, who perfectly adapted the program to our family needs and touché us a lot about the history of HK and of the sites we visited”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.3-Hour Shanghai Yu Garden &Old Town Private Tour with Tea Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 17 reviews · from $80

Meet your English-speaking guide at your downtown Shanghai hotel and ride to Yu Garden for classical pavilions, ponds, and Qing Dynasty design. Continue through Old Town’s market lanes, then enjoy a tea tasting. The private format allows a flexible pace, with guides such as Annie, Sunny, Sunni, and May mentioned by name in past bookings.

“This was an excellent tour. The guide was pleasant and very knowledged. One of the best tours ever. I would highly recommend this tour.”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.3-Hour Private Customized Shanghai Night Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 11 reviews · from $62

Explore Shanghai after dark with a private guide from Shanghai Melody Tours. Choose the Bund, Huangpu River Cruise, Xintiandi, local dumplings, shopping streets, a rooftop bar, or an acrobatic show. Guides such as Penny and Kelly-Ping Ping can shape the evening around your interests, with hotel pickup and drop-off available.

“Penny was lovey person i saw Shanghai from different angle and she explained to me a-lot about its history. I enjoyed alot .”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.3-hour Morning/Afternoon Tea Tasting on Maliandao Street & Dimsum

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · from $99

Meet your guide near Wanzi Subway Station for a three-hour visit to Maliandao Tea Street. You’ll take part in a tea ceremony, taste eight teas across two tea shops, then sit down for dim sum such as soup buns, shrimp ravioli, chicken feet, and spring rolls. Groups are limited to 15 people.

“Excellent experience with Renny, who was very warm, friendly and helpful. Started at the really vast and interesting "tea city" and had a lovely and peaceful time trying lots of teas in a tea tasting ceremony. Then had some delicious food including pork dumplings and hand pulled noodles. Left very happy and full! Would definitely recommend.”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.3-Hour Private Tour: Amazing Beijing City Highlights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · from $188

Spend three hours with a private English-speaking guide at Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Maggie and Sunflower Li are named guides connected with this experience. Your tour includes admission, central Beijing hotel pickup, taxi transfers within the 4th Ring Road, and a flexible pace for your group.

“This is such informative trip. We were very lucky to have an experienced guide called Miss Maggie. She had such detailed knowledge from the start to the end of our trip. Would thoroughly recommend.”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.3-Hour Private Tour: The Bund and Shanghai Tower

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · from $149

Meet your English-speaking guide in your hotel lobby for a private three-hour visit to Shanghai Tower, The Bund, and Garden Bridge. Ride the ferry across the Huangpu River when operating, hear about Shanghai’s colonial era, and take in views from the world’s second-tallest building. Admission and taxis within the 2nd Ring Road are included.

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Summer Palace 3 Hours Guided Tour with Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 4 reviews · 3 hours · from $33Best value

Meet your English-speaking guide at Xiyuan Subway Station and spend three hours exploring the Summer Palace, a UNESCO-listed royal retreat. See the Long Corridor’s 14,000 paintings, the Marble Boat, Kunming Lake, and Longevity Hill while learning about Qing court life, garden design, and Empress Dowager Cixi. Gary and Yang are among the guides who may lead the tour.

“We had an incredibly special day with Gary on our very first day in Beijing. It was absolutely worth it and even more than we hoped for. Gary is a true fan of history, and you can really feel that in everything he shares. His knowledge goes deep, and he takes the time to explain even the smallest details. We could ask him anything, and every question was met with thoughtful, passionate answers. A perfect way to start our time in Beijing. Highly recommended.”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.3-Hour Shanghai Street Food Tasting & Old Town Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $118

Let an English-speaking local guide lead you through Shanghai’s back streets for soup dumplings, pan-fried dumplings, noodles, pancakes, pork sticks, dessert, and drinks. Then visit the Old Town bazaar, Ming and Qing architecture, the lake tea house, and the nine lucky zigzag bridge. Hotel pickup and drop-off in central Shanghai are included.

“Must do activity - tasty and great to get to know the city and its people”

Check availability →Read our full review

14.3-Hour Private Beijing Night Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $159

Spend about three hours with a private English-speaking guide and chauffeur in Beijing. After hotel pickup within the 4th Ring Road, see Olympic Park, the CCTV Tower, Tiananmen Square, the National Centre for the Performing Arts, a Forbidden City corner tower, and Houhai Bar Street. Jessica is one guide praised for her kindness and clear local insight.

“Jessica was amazing. She was knowledgeable and very kind!!!! I definitely recommend this tour guide and the tour.”

Check availability →Read our full review

15.3-Hour Herbal Wholesale TCM Market and a Local Wet Market Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $46

Meet Lance and his partner at Wenshu Yuan Monastery for a three-hour private walk through Chengdu’s wholesale spice and TCM markets, followed by a local food market. Expect more than 10 kinds of chili, Sichuan peppercorns from different regions, turmeric, and thousands of herbs, with plenty of time for questions about Chengdu life, cuisine, and traditional Chinese medicine.

“It was an amazing cultural experience to see this side of Chengdu. If you have an interest in TCM and want a laid back tour, this is it. It’s not one where you get hit with activity after activity but one that’s relaxed and easygoing.”

Check availability →Read our full review