How it works
We're a guide, not a travel agency
Nihao Routes publishes free guides to traveling in China and passes trip requests to licensed travel agencies in China. A trip designer at the agency replies within 24 hours with a plan and a quote. If you book, you sign with and pay the agency directly, and the agency pays us a referral fee.
- Licensed local agencies
- Reply within 24 hours
- You pay the agency directly
Three steps
Tell us your trip
Use the trip form: cities, dates, who's coming and how much help you want. Nothing is booked at this point.
Get a plan and a quote
A trip designer at a licensed agency in China emails you within 24 hours, in English. Ask questions and change anything; it stays free.
Book with the agency
If the plan is right, you sign the agency's contract and pay them directly. They arrange the hotels, trains, guides and tickets.
Who the agencies are
Our partners are established travel agencies licensed in mainland China, with English-speaking trip designers and local guides. They plan trips anywhere in the mainland, from a two-day stop in Beijing to a month across the country.
They prefer to stay off our pages, so their names aren't listed here. The trip designer who replies to you tells you which agency they work for, and the agency's name and license details are on the contract before you pay anything.
Confinement center requests
If you're looking for a postpartum confinement center in China, the confinement center form goes to a company in China that we work with. Its English-speaking coordinators help you compare centers, get written quotes and arrange transfers and somewhere for family to stay. We don't arrange hospital care or births, and we don't give medical advice. If you go ahead, you pay the center and the company directly, and the company pays us a referral fee.
What we do, and what we don't
- We write and update the guides on this site, and read every trip request before passing it on.
- We send each request to one partner agency, not to a list of sellers.
- We don't sell tours, take payments or sign contracts. Your booking is with the agency.
- We don't sell your details or add you to a mailing list.
How we make money
Sending a request is free for you. When you book, the agency pays Nihao Routes a referral fee. That's our only income, and it's why we can tell you plainly when you don't need a tour at all: our travel guides cover how to do China on your own.
What a trip costs
It depends on hotels, group size, season and how many days have a private guide. Our guide to what a China trip costs has typical prices for hotels, trains, tickets and guides, so you can judge a quote.
Questions
Questions about Nihao Routes
Is Nihao Routes a travel agency?
No. We're an independent guide to traveling in China. Trips are planned, contracted and paid for with licensed travel agencies in China, which pay us a referral fee when you book.
What does it cost to send a trip request?
Nothing. Sending a request is free and you're under no obligation to book. If you book, you pay the agency directly for the trip.
Who replies to my request?
A trip designer at a licensed partner agency in China emails you within 24 hours, in English, with a suggested plan and a quote. You can change anything before you decide.
Can I get help with just part of my trip?
Yes. You can ask for a guide for two days in Beijing and nothing else, or for trains and hotels booked with no guide at all. Say what you need in the form.
Do I need a tour to visit China?
No. Many first-timers travel on their own with the help of a translation app and mobile payments, and our guides cover how. A local agency is most useful for tight schedules, families, older travelers and places with timed tickets.
What happens to my details?
We read your request and pass it to one partner agency so they can reply. We don't sell your details or add you to a mailing list.
Want a local team to plan it?
Tell us your dates and who's coming. A trip designer at a licensed agency in China emails you a plan and a quote within 24 hours. Free, and no obligation to book.