China is the 4th largest country and has a long and facinating history with many places to visit, spread right across this vast country. Inevitably due to distances involved, you will spend part of your holiday travelling. We use flightswhenever possible, as this is the quickest and most comfortable way to reach each destinations.
For a truly memorable holiday, our tours include a combination of must-see locations, cultural experiences and visiting places of local charm. We feel many well known places are often shown on TV and travellers have ‘seen’ it, but it is the local charm such as a walk on a quaint cultural street, a boat ride on a river etc which makes the difference from a standard tour, compared with a Magical China tour experience.
Tasting Chinese food is one of the highlights for our travellers on tour. Our tours do not include all meals. Due to travel time and traffic congestion, its often not possible to have a rest and refresh yourself at your hotel before taking evening meals. We think enjoying food is important, especially when you have come so far. Therefore we provide you more control to sample the type of cuisine you like at your own leisure. Most hotels you stay have various restaurants and staff are always keen to help. Our guides can also recommend eating out places and restaurant outside the hotel nearby or something different if you wish. A good dinner should still be much reasonable than eating in a Chinese resturant in the UK, cost between £5 and £10 per person including a drink.
Our tours are arranged on a Small Group basis average 10 people per group and maximum 16, as we feel this gives our travellers more flexibility and enjoyment. By reducing the group size our experienced local guides are able to get to know you all individually and show you the true beauty of China.
Our local English speaking professional Tour Guide will meet and greet you upon your arrival in China based upon your particular flight times and transfer you to your hotel. Each day you have a tour activity (excluding any free time) our tour guide and driver will accompany you until you take your ongoing flight/train to the next destination, where you will be met and looked after by another local guide etc.
Sightseeing tours are generally by quality air conditioned mini van or air conditioned car (subject to group size) and cold bottled water is provided in the vehicle each day of the guided tours. Comfy shoes should be used for walking around various sightseeing locations. Please also refer to your itinerary for further specific details regarding your tour arrangements etc.
Our tours include all internal flights within China, all entrance fees, daily breakfast, additional meals and transfer as stated in the detailed itinerary. International flights with ATOL protection can also be included in your package (refer to the itinerary or contact us for prices). If you wish to buy your own international flights, this is perfectly ok. We will still meet you at the airport upon arrival and all tour details will remain the same.
China tour extensions and optional day tour
Add on guided day tours and city extensions are available for all our tour and can be included in your tour PRIOR TO departure. For details visit our Optional Tours page.
International Flights
We can obtain flights in various class seats with many reputable airlines. Depends on availability we will try to arrange direct flight when possible. In peak traveling period, a small supplement may be required for direct flight. We can also provide flights from many UK regional airports.
If you wish to be booked on a particular airline, please specify at the time of booking (supplement may apply).
We also provide a separate tour price as land only package without international flight. By using this way of booking, you may be saving even more. We can still book the tour and flight for you, but separately. You will still be met you at the airport upon arrival and all tour details will remain the same as shown in the itinerary.Save more when you book early. please contact us for more details.
ATOL Financial Protection
As a UK company registered with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), our ATOL number is 6450. We have been providing quality Far East holidays for a decade and continue to grow our destinations and products for our customers each year. We are therefore a well establish specialist Tour Operator, who prides itself on the high level of service we provide.
Many of the flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed in this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate please visit www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate
Our Accommodation in China
We take a great deal of time and effort to source our hotel selection in each city for our travellers enjoyment and unless noted otherwise our China hotels are all good 4 star rating in major cities. We also monitor our established hotel selection continually based upon each of our customers feedback received over the years. In Hong Kong we generally use 3 star hotels as standard with upgrades available upon request. Please visit ourHotel page for full accommodation details.
Your Meal Arrangements
We include all breakfasts (mixture of western & Chinese cuisine) at your hotel and most Chinese style lunches and dinners, which are all pre-booked as shown in your itinerary. Each lunch and dinner menu is selected to ensure you can try a wide variety of tasty traditional dishes whilst in China.
Accommodation in remote & special Areas in China
Remote places such as Tibet, Silk Road, Inner Mongolia and ‘off the beaten track’ tours in rural China generally has a lower standard of hotel accommodation and food selection in these remote areas when compared with similar accommodation in the rest of China. Please appreciate we will always provide our travellers with one of the best accommodations available when visiting these areas.
Cruise on Yangtze River
We use 5 star cruise ships on the Yangtze River including the US Victoria, Century and MS Emperor, which are among the best and most established cruise liners on Yangtze River. Each cabin has its own private balcony.
Travelling by train in China
When travelling by train, we choose soft-sleeper (the best class available). Every cabin contains 4 beds and it may be shared by male and female travellers.
Fitness requirement
China is a huge country in terms of geographical scale and has a diversify culture. Although most of our tour packages are suitable to all travellers, it is advisable to bear in mind the degree of walking involved. Some main sightseeing places are a mile in length, and even the ones situated on level ground, can still require steps to ascend and descend. Therefore, it is worth to consider your fitness and agility to travel with this requirement.
Chinese Visa Service
Immunisations
We advise travellers to be immunised against Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Tetanus and Polio. Please consult your doctor for further details.
Currency
The basic unit is Chinese Yuan. £1 sterling equals about 10 Yuan. Travellers cheques can be exchanged in hotels (although it is less available nowadays), airports and Bank of China. Some major Bank credit cards are accepted in China such as Visa Card, Master Card, American Express Card etc.
Time Difference
China is 8 hours ahead of GMT. In the British Summer Time, it is 7 hours ahead.
Weather
China is a vast country with wide ranging climatic conditions. The weather and its temperature can be very different between the South and North. Our tours usually take in a little of everywhere and we will advise you when and where to go based on the regions your trip will cover.
The electricity supply in China is 220 volts. Plugs are normally twin-pin flat (5 amp). However, they do vary in different cities. It is advisable to bring along a set of international adapters.
Baggage
In General, 20 kg per person maximum check-in baggage is allowed.
Drinking Water
We advise you to drink bottled water or boiled water. Chinese tea or coffee is served in hotels. Beer and soft drinks can be purchased in hotel bars, shops and supermarket.
For more information please visit our site at www.magicalchina.co.uk or call us on 0161 440 7332. Alternatively you can send us an email [email protected]