We booked our tour with Travel China Guide Tours in May, and
traveled to China in November 2019. During the planning
phase, we communicated via email with Kelly Wang, Travel
Consultant with Travel China Guide (TCG), based in Xi’an.
TCG does business under the Xi’an Marco Polo International
Travel Service Co. banner. At all times, our dealings with
TCG were very clear and we were very pleased with the tour
details as arranged. On our late afternoon arrival at
Shanghai Pudong Int Airport, we were met by Ocean, our guide
for the Shanghai portion of our tour, and escorted to our
hotel in Pudong. Our arrangements included a day on our own
prior to the start of the official tour, and Ocean provided
us with very practical information to help us find our own
way around Shanghai by Metro. We were amazed by the
efficiency and low cost of the Shanghai metro system. The
next morning we left our hotel at the end of the morning
rush hour, easily located the nearest Metro station, and
made our way to Peoples’ Square in central Shanghai.
Following a day of self-directed touring, including a visit
to Tienzifang (in the former French Concession), and the
Shanghai Tower in Pudong, we made our way back to our hotel
via Metro, later in the day following the evening rush hour.
We stopped for a light dinner at one of the restaurants on
the 8th floor of the Super Brands Mall in central Pudong
(Lujiazui). The restaurant afforded a wonderful view across
the Huangpu River to the Bund, with its brilliant light
display.
On the following day, Ocean escorted us on a private tour to
Suzhou, approximately a two hour drive from Shanghai, where
we toured the beautiful Master of Nets formal Chinese
Garden, and then carried on to Tongli water village. We
found Tongli, with its beautiful tree-lined canals and small
shops, to be very pleasant and relaxing, and the perfect
start to our tour, given our slow recovery from jetlag.
The next day, Ocean escorted us to Shanghai Railway Station
to take the high-speed train to Beijing, guiding us into the
station to the correct waiting room, (there are several huge
waiting rooms in the station) and explaining the check-in
process we would go through to get on our train.
We can highly recommend Ocean as a very knowledgeable and
personable tour guide. He provided a detailed commentary on
the sights we were visiting, giving us useful insight into
local life and culture.
