There is no single inclusion list for every private China tour. Your written proposal should state whether it covers hotel nights, intercity trains or flights, airport and station transfers, private guiding, attraction admission and specified meals. Check international flights, visas, insurance and optional activities separately; never assume they are included because the trip is called “private”.
This guide helps first-time visitors, families and group organisers compare a private China itinerary. It does not assign a universal daily rate: a city guide, a guide-and-car day and a multi-city holiday with hotels are different purchases.
What should the inclusion list tell you?
- Hotels: property or defined equivalent, location, room category, room-sharing basis, number of nights and breakfast.
- Intercity travel: which train or flight legs, seat class and relevant baggage arrangements.
- Transfers: arrival and departure transfers, including both ends of each railway or airport connection.
- Guiding and vehicles: language, private or shared service, cities, days, hours and luggage capacity.
- Visits and meals: named admissions, internal shuttles or cable cars where relevant, and the meals specifically listed.
This is a checklist for reading a proposal, not a promise that every item is automatically included. If a required item is absent, ask whether you will arrange it yourself or whether it can be added to the quote.
What may need a separate budget?
Check international flights, visa costs where applicable, personal travel insurance, meals not listed, optional activities, extra hotel nights, room upgrades and personal spending. Their treatment varies by operator and itinerary. Ask for a written “not included” list and a clearly stated currency and party size.
1. Give both operators the same brief
Start with your dates, arrival and departure points, cities, number of adults and children, and room arrangements. State whether you want a fully arranged holiday or help only on selected days. Include walking preferences, luggage and any must-do visits. Ask each operator to flag assumptions rather than silently filling gaps.
Ten itinerary days do not necessarily mean ten hotel nights or ten full days of guiding. An arrival evening and a departure morning affect the usable time. Compare the dated day-by-day plan with the hotel-night count.
2. Compare the hotel, not just its star label
Ask for hotel names or a clearly defined equivalent, neighbourhood, room category, bed configuration and breakfast basis. Check the number of rooms and nights. A central hotel may suit independent evenings better than a distant property; a hotel near a railway station may suit an early departure. Choose for your route rather than assuming one location is always better.
If your flight lands early, ask how luggage storage and room access are handled. Do not assume a morning arrival automatically includes early check-in. A solo room, family room or extra night should be visible in the proposal.
3. Trace the journey from door to door
Check airport transfers, station transfers, sightseeing transport and intercity tickets separately. A train ticket does not by itself describe how you reach the station or hotel. Compare train class or flight baggage arrangements, vehicle size, luggage capacity and the hours of vehicle service.
If one quote leaves a rail leg for you to purchase, add that planned expense before comparing totals. If you prefer to book it yourself, make that choice explicit in both briefs. The goal is a consistent scope, not to buy every service.
4. Read what guiding and admission actually include
Confirm guide language, the cities and days covered, whether the guide is private to your party, and the planned service hours. A driver and a guide have different roles. An unguided day can be an intentional choice; it should be described so you can plan it.
For attractions, separate the main admission from internal shuttles, cable cars, cruises and optional shows where relevant. Ask which are included in the proposed itinerary. Check meals by day rather than interpreting “meals included” as every meal.
5. Use this comparison worksheet
People & dates
Party size; age bands; travel dates; room sharing; currency; per-person or party total.
Accommodation
Named hotels or equivalent; location; room type; nights; breakfast.
Movement
Intercity tickets and class; both-end transfers; private vehicle and hours; luggage.
Experiences
Guide language and hours; admissions; attraction transport; meals; optional visits.
Terms & extras
Required items outside the quote; personal spending; payment schedule; written cancellation terms.
6. Same cities, different inclusions
Two proposals both describe Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. Proposal A includes nine hotel nights, intercity rail and both-end station transfers. Proposal B includes eight nights, with rail and departure transfers left for you to book. Their headline totals do not yet describe the same holiday.
Either ask B to include the missing arrangements or ask A to price the smaller scope you prefer. Once the dates, room basis and services match, compare the whole-trip total and the experience you want. These are illustrative scopes, not First Landing offers.
Questions travellers ask
Why does the price per person change with group size?
Some arrangements, such as a private vehicle or guide, can be shared within a party, while rooms, tickets and meals follow different charging bases. A larger group may also need a different vehicle. Request a total based on your actual party rather than scaling a two-person quote yourself.
Are international flights, visas and insurance included?
Check the written inclusion list for each proposal. Do not infer inclusion from the words “China tour”. If these items are outside the quote, keep them in your overall travel budget.
What should I send to get a useful quote?
Send dates or a travel window, party size and ages, cities, hotel preferences, room sharing and the help you want. Mention must-do experiences and pace. You can then compare proposals against the same brief.
How this guide was prepared
Travellers publicly ask why private-tour quotes differ and whether accommodation and trains are included. We use that question to structure this checklist, not to infer a market price. Example visitor discussion.
As a concrete operator-published example, Travel China Guide lists party-size and room-sharing assumptions, hotel alternatives and separate inclusion and exclusion lists. Those are that operator’s terms, not ours; no published price is adopted here. Example product specification.
Next: private or group travel · how many days to plan · a three-city route.
First Landing International Travel can build a China ground itinerary around your group, with transport, accommodation, guiding and visits specified in the proposal. Share your dates, party size and preferred route to start a tailored brief.