If you are looking for China tours from Vancouver, you’ve just found the right China tour company in Laurus Travel. We are a Vancouver-based China tour operator having been running premium small-group tours to China from Canada since 1998.
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China Travel Visa-free! Effective February 17, 2026, Canadian citizens can travel to China for up to 30 days visa-free! Check out the official announcement by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |
Consistently rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau, Laurus Travel is the only Canadian China tour agency recommended by Frommer’s – you can find our name in every edition of Frommer’s China guidebook. Whether you are from Canada or the United States, you’ll be hard pressed to find another China tour operator that can match our stellar reputation.
There are many testimonials and online reviews on Laurus Travel’s China tours including those on TripAdvisor.com. Vancouver residents may find this piece of writing entitled Our fantastic 16-days in China by a Vancouver Sun columnist particularly relevant. If you are from Vancouver, please feel free to make an appointment and come talk to us in per person.
China Tours from Vancouver – Recommended Itinerary
We have many China tours on offer. They range from 11 days to one month. If you can’t find one to your liking, please ask us for a customized itinerary. Below is a luxury small-group China tour that has been particularly popular among our guests from Vancouver.
Essential China (14 days)
Shanghai – Beijing – Xi’an – Guilin – Hong Kong
Embark on a journey of opulence and discovery with this luxury China tour, meticulously crafted to redefine your travel experience. On this tour you’ll immerse yourself in the grandeur of China’s rich cultural tapestry while indulging in the epitome of luxury and comfort.
This fast-paced luxury China tour is a perfect choice for the time-pressed looking for a well-rounded introduction to both the traditional and modern China. Trip highlights include the Great Wall at Mutianyu, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, the Terracotta Army and a day cruise on the picturesque Li River in Guilin.
Important Features
- Small group size – average 15, maximum 20
- Inter-city travel by high-speed train except for one city pair
- Luxury hotel accommodations
- Quality meals at non-tourist restaurants
- Unlimited supply of bottled water during group activities
- Complimentary Wi-Fi in all hotels
- Great Wall visit at Mutianyu with cable car rides
- No annoying forced shopping of any kind
Options Available:
- 2-day pre-tour Yellow Mountain extension
- Peking Opera show with dinner in Beijing
- Tang Dynasty cultural show with dinner in Xi’an
- Half-day immersive tea farm visit in Guilin
TOUR ITINERARY
Meal Code: B = breakfast / L = lunch / D = dinner
Day 1/Mon: Departure for Shanghai
Begin your journey from a city of your choice. You’ll lose a day after crossing the International Date Line.
Day 2/Tue: Arrival in Shanghai
Upon arrival in Shanghai, meet your driver for the private transfer to the hotel. The remainder of the day is free for you to relax or explore at your leisure.
Day 3/Wed: Exploring Shanghai (B/L/D)
With a population close to 25 million, Shanghai is China’s largest city and a dynamic hub of global trade and cultural exchange. The city delights visitors from around the world with its futuristic skyline and historical landmarks.
We begin our day with a visit to Jade Buddha Temple located in an old neighbourhood. We then walk the famous Bund – a waterfront promenade with a riveting history.
After lunch, we stroll the historical People’s Park and adjacent People’s Square in the heart of the city. Originally part of the Shanghai Race Club first established in 1850, the park and the square are surrounded by world-class museums and shops, which attract millions of visitors each year.
Customer Testimonials
John & Bev D. from Vancouver, British Columbia wrote:
Tour Leader – Howard is a 5-star tour leader – always caring for all his clients; making sure all his ducklings are within sight and not wandering too far. He was always planning ahead and ensuring the arrangements were made and checked out and communicated clearly to us. He worked well with each of the local guides – no power plays. As well, he was a good communicator and full of information about the country, its issues, economy, people, history. He understood what we foreigners wanted to know and could communicate it well, yet did not avoid any question or topic we had.
Local Guides – we had 9 local guides, some excellent, most others were good and a couple were below par. Best: Tony (Beijing), Paul (Xi’an) & David (Guilin) were excellent local guides, having good English skills, communicating well on many subjects and able to cheerfully answer questions completely and enthusiastically. With them we felt very informed on all subjects. Good: Stephen#1 (Lijiang), Sophia (Shangri-la) & Stephen#2 (Shanghai) were above average local guides – communicated well and informative, but took less initiative to inform when not directly asked.. Below average: Helen#1 (Chengdu) & Daisy (Kunming) seemed to just stick to a script with many of our questions either not completely understood or barely acknowledged. Very little depth to the information they provided.
Food – the food ordered by our local guides was excellent – lots of variety and in quantities that sometimes exceeded our capacity to finish. It seemed that at every meal there were new types of dishes or variations that we had not seen before.
Itinerary – An excellent, comprehensive and energetic itinerary. The number of different activities in the day was just right. Most on the tour seemed happy with the amount of physical activity and the balance of outdoor walking and sightseeing and indoor museum gazing. Museum gazing is not everyone’s favourite daily activity and the tour seemed balanced in that it did not overdo the museum sites, but provided lots of “street” time to see the local citizens in their daily activities. Of course the must-see sites were covered as expected, but the time on the ground to see how people live in China and have the time to discuss and explore with our guide is one of the best activities on the tour. While there was quite a bit of “bus time”, the fact that we had such good local guides meant that the time sitting on the bus went quickly as we usually were engaged in good discussions and could expand on things we had seen. When we had the below-average local guides, sometimes the longer bus rides were boring as there was little conversation of interest.
No Shopping – We are relieved that no mandatory shopping stops were scheduled, so we could concentrate on experiencing and enjoying the country and its people, not involved in some commission kick-back scheme that some tour companies favour.
Suggestions:
Food – When dinner is included as well as the lunch in one day, the quantity of either or both could be reduced perhaps by one or two dishes. At our age, large, late meals are less desirable. It seemed many of us had suggestions to the guides that the dinner be smaller when the lunch was large and filling. Many times we thought all the dishes had been delivered and deliciously consumed, then were surprised that one or two more would arrive.
Guides – I’m sure that finding top-quality guides for this kind of tour and retaining them is difficult, but I encourage you to keep high standards for your local guides. This is what creates value for your clients and sets your company above the rest of the many tour companies in the business.
Group size – 20 clients is a good group size; there was mention during the tour that you might increase this limit by 20% to 24 or 25 in the future. I would strongly urge you not to do this – extra cost would be more welcome than being part of a larger group.
John & Bev D
Vancouver, British Columbia
[More reviews on Laurus Travel China tours]
