The 15 Market Tours in China That Earn Their Price

1.Mini Group Xian Day Tour to Terracotta Army, City Wall, Pagoda and Muslim Bazaar

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,320 reviews · from $49Our pick

Spend about 9 to 10 hours exploring Xi'an with an English-speaking guide, hotel pickup, transport, museum tickets, and a Chinese buffet lunch advertised as included. Visit the Terracotta Army, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, ancient City Wall, and Muslim Quarter with a group of about 12. Guides such as Lily, Roger, Rita, Tracy, and Carol are frequently assigned.

“Unique and Unforgettable Moment in the Terracotta Warriors Xi’an and our guide Roger I recommend him!”

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2.Half-Day Chengdu Cooking Class with a Local Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 465 reviews · from $90

Meet your English-speaking guide at Chilli Cool’s Kitchen, visit Liangjiaxiang market, taste local ingredients, then cook Sichuan dishes with a chef. Lance, Jerry, and other Chilli Cool hosts help explain the spices, translate instructions, and adapt dishes for vegetarians. Your meal, drinks, recipes, and ingredients are included.

“A delightful time in an authentic traditional Chengdu market, followed by an amazing gastronomic experience. Jerry was just great full of knowledge and energy. The cooking kitchen was a top of the line setting for preparing the meals. The location was perfect an very easy to get to, using the subway. Highly recommend it!”

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3.Shanghai Day Tour to Zhujiajiao Water Town, Yu Garden, Bazaar, Bund

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 162 reviews · from $229

Spend about 10 hours with an English-speaking guide and private chauffeur, traveling from central Shanghai to Zhujiajiao Water Town, Yu Garden, Yuyuan Old Street, and the Bund. Your price includes hotel pickup, entrance fees, bottled water, umbrellas, and a Zhujiajiao boat ride. Meals are extra.

“The Bund is very very beautifull place! Shure! We recommend!!!!”

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4.Kowloon Street Market & Food Culture Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 105 reviews · from $32Best value

Start at Prince Edward Station and follow a guide through Kowloon’s food shops, wet-market culture, bakeries, betting branches, and paper-offering stores. Guides such as Stephen, Alice, Summer, and Isaac bring local stories to each stop. The six-person limit, included tastings, and 2 to 2.5-hour route make this a personal introduction to Hong Kong food and daily life.

“Got a great experience of the Hong Kong street food scene. All the way from the ladies market to the wet market. Got to try some delicious foods. Alice was kind, patient and a knowledgeable guide!”

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5.Organic Chinese Dumpling Class with Market Walk

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 88 reviews · from $100

Meet host Feliz at Jordan MTR Station for a guided market walk, then make 10 dumplings from scratch in a café kitchen. You’ll prepare filling, shape handmade wrappers, and cook your meal. Organic pork is used, with vegetarian and vegan options available by request. The class begins at 6:00 pm and ends back at the meeting point.

“A great family outing to learn how to cook dim sum and gain a better understanding of Hong Kong's food culture. Our host was very attentive.”

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6.Terracotta Army, Lunch, City Wall, Pagoda, Bazaar

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 72 reviews · 5 - 9 hours · from $48

Spend a full day seeing Xi’an’s essential sights with an archaeology-trained guide, hotel pickup, air-conditioned transport, buffet lunch, entrance fees, and headsets. The small group option holds about 12 people, while private tours offer flexible pickup and multilingual guides. Guides such as Carol, Lily, Roger, and Celine are known for clear explanations and smart crowd navigation.

“Celine was a very nice guide. She was very kind and helpful throughout the whole tour. She also provided many useful informations and curiosità about everything we visited. She definitely provided us the best experience we could desire. I truly advice anyone to book a tour with her.”

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7.Organic Xiao Long Bao Soup Dumpling Class & Market Walk

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 62 reviews · from $136

Meet Feliz Yau at Jordan MTR Station for a guided wet-market walk, then make Xiao Long Bao from scratch in a café kitchen. You will prepare the dough, filling, and pleats, using organic pork or a vegan alternative. The small group is limited to 12 people, and each person makes 10 dumplings to eat.

“Feliz took us to the wet market to buy meat for the class we also tour the Temple street market and her preferred vendors. Then we went back to a Cafe to make the dragon dumplings. They turned out really good. Very worthwhile. The combo class would have been even better.”

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8.Lijiang Naxi Cuisine Cooking Class & Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · from $59

Meet Fancy at 9:15 am near Xiangshan Market for a guided walk through Lijiang’s largest Naxi market. Then cook and eat three dishes at a family-run studio, with snacks, drinks, tea, lunch, and your own cooking station included. The class lasts about three and a half hours and accepts fewer than 10 people.

“Lovely experience to discover Naxi culture through food. You will learn a lot about culinary traditions at the market and cook a delicious meal that is easy to cook and to replicate at home. Fancy host I lovely and kind, I highly recommend it!”

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9.Cooking Class with Fresh Market Half Day Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 42 reviews · 4.5 hours · from $82

Meet Lance, Jerry, or another English-speaking guide at Liang Jia Xiang Station for a market walk, Sichuan tea, and hands-on cooking with a local chef. You will study spices, prepare several dishes, and sit down to eat with beer or soft drinks. Vegetarian and vegan menus can be arranged in advance.

“If you like cooking and Chinese kitchen, this experience is a must in Chengdu! The market tour with the two guides - Lance and Lichi, who speak perfectly English - is very interesting, they taught us many things about Chinese food and culture. Ling, the chef, was a great teacher! And the food was delicious in the end. Truly recommended experience!”

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10.Yangshuo Cooking Class with Market Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 40 reviews · from $45

Meet Hans in Yangshuo for a market walk, local snacks, ingredient shopping, and a hands-on cooking class built around beer fish. You will learn how to choose fresh produce, enjoy family tea, and eat the meal you help prepare. Lunch and dinner time slots are available, with private transport and mobile tickets included.

“Hans was punctual, arriving exactly on time, and we began with a journey through a local Yangshuo market. We had a small bite to eat, then picked up some "happy water" and ingredients for the class. Throughout the experience, Hans shaRead more”

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11.Half-Day steamed Buns Cooking Class with a Local Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 26 reviews · from $80

Spend about four hours in Chengdu visiting a local spice market, learning about Sichuan ingredients, and making Baozi in a traditional courtyard kitchen. An English-speaking guide such as Lance or Jerry may lead the class. Ingredients, tea, drinks, and a light meal are included, with vegetarian options available.

“A great experience, the local market was fun, interesting and we got to try and use a little Chinese language. Lance our guide was great from start to finish and took lots of fabulous pictures which meant we could get with our cookery class. Read more”

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12.Dumpling-Making Class with wet Market visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 5 hours · from $50

Spend about five hours exploring a Beijing wet market, cooking dumplings in a local family’s home, and sharing a meal over tea. Your English-speaking guide may be May, Sonia, or Peter. Choose private or small-group service, hotel pickup, and extra dishes such as Kung Pao Chicken or sweet and sour pork.

“Sonia was not only very knowledgeable but also a sweet and kind guide on this tour! Learned and laughed a lot and I highly recommend taking this tour. She is also available for other tours like forbidden city etc and I wished I had known that before. Thanks again, Sonia!”

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13.Night Market Haggling Adventure with an English Guide!

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 7 reviews · 3 hours · from $68

Meet your English-speaking guide at Panjiayuan Station and spend an evening browsing Beijing’s historic night market. Guides Lan and July help you translate, bargain, choose street food, and shape the route around your interests. The private tour includes bottled water, snacks, and street food, but your shopping budget is extra.

“I enjoyed my tour with Lan! You can stop at any stall you’re interested in and the guide will help you translate or bargain. I also noticed cash is not a problem for most vendors in case WeChat and Alipay stop working on your phone ;) It was also nice that meals were included in the tour.”

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14.Vegan Home Cooking & Local Market Tour with Sanxia

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 4 reviews · 4 hours · from $47

Join Sanxia for a private 4 to 6 hour vegan food experience in Beijing’s Tongzhou District. Shop for seasonal produce at a local market, then make dumplings, noodles, buns, stir-fried vegetables, and more in her home. The day includes tea, conversation, photos, videos, and a handmade Fragrant Hills bookmark.

“Super friendly and was able to learn a lot about cooking as well as everyday life in Beijing.”

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15.Beijing Market Tour with 10-course Family Feast

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 4 hours · from $119

Meet Dee or Susan at Exit D of Liaogongzhuang Station on Line 6. Shop for fresh ingredients at a local market, then ride to a Beijing family home to help cook and share a 10-course meal with local drinks. The small group is limited to two people, with English, Chinese, and Korean support.

“An exceptional experience. There was more food than we could ever eat and everything was prepared with high quality ingredients and love.”

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