China · EVENING EXPERIENCES
Every itinerary has one free day too few. These 15 evening experiences justify the slot, priced and timed so you can decide in minutes and get on with the trip.
Join Lost Plate at 6 pm for a small-group tuk-tuk food tour through Xi’an’s city walls. Guides such as Buren, Amber, Michelle, and Jerry lead you to 4 to 5 family-run eateries, explain each dish, and finish with Xi’an craft beer at a local brewery.
“Fantastic tour, good food, great atmosphere and a knowledgeable guide. This type of experience helps you get to know the country better. Highly recommended.”
Join UnTour Food Tours at 6 pm for three hours of family-run eateries, regional Chinese dishes, beer, yellow wine, spirits, and a xiaolongbao lesson. Guides such as Li, Li, Topher, Jasmine, and Andres explain the food and neighborhoods. The group is capped at 12 and ends near Jiangsu Road metro station.
“This was a great tour! We booked this for our first day's arrival in Shanghai as a way to help us timeshift. That turned out to be the right idea. Our tour was small, only 5 guests, which made getting around really easy. Each stop on the tour was interesting, and we enjoyed the chance to meet a few other travelers. It definitely helped us acclimate and opened out palette to a range of cool flavors. Highly recommended.”
Spend about 45 minutes on the Huangpu River, passing the Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, Jin Mao Tower, and Shanghai World Financial Center. Choose a daytime or evening sailing, then use the indoor, semi-open, or open-air decks. Ticket collection is in person, and the correct code comes by email or chat.
“The cruise was quite nice but there are not a lot of places to sit and you have to pay extra to get a good seat”
Spend about three hours seeing Shanghai by night, with hotel pickup, a one-hour Huangpu River cruise, and a halal Xinjiang dinner in Pudong. Guides such as Caroline, Queena, Kalvin, and Xin provide local context, menu help, and photo assistance. VIP boat seating may be available, but is not guaranteed.
“This was a wonderful experience, and Caroline was a great guide. We appreciated her helpfulness and kindness.”
This private 9-hour Beijing tour combines rugged, unrestored Gubeikou with the more carefully rebuilt Jinshanling section. Guides such as Adele and Leo explain Chinese history in excellent English, adjust the hike to your ability, arrange a local lunch, and help with sunset photos. Expect 5 to 10 kilometers of steep walking.
“Leo was great!! He knows a lot about Chinese history/economy/culture and he has interesting things to speak about the Great Wall! The two areas of the Great Wall the we went were amazing!!”
Meet your local guide at Huangpi Nan Road Metro Station at 8:30 p.m. for a walking food tour through Xintiandi, Zhaozhou Road, and People’s Square. Expect noodles, dumplings, barbecue, sweets, beer, and several neighborhood stops. Guides such as TJ, Jade, Helen, Jamie, and Serena add local context.
“The guide was very friendly. It was clear he put a lot of effort in planning this tour and choosing the restaurants.”
Spend three evening hours with a private English-speaking guide and driver, cruising the Huangpu River past the Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, and World Financial Center. Then sit down to Xinjiang halal specialties such as big plate chicken, lamb kebabs, naan, and yogurt.
“We had the most wonderful boat ride tour and dinner experience in Shanghai! Our tour guide was incredibly informative and shared so much history and insight about the city that we never would have known on our own. Even though our flight was delayed and we were running late, she graciously accommodated us and adjusted everything so we didn’t miss a single highlight, which we truly appreciated after a long travel day. She also knew all the best photo spots along the river and made sure we had time to capture the skyline at its most stunning moments. The dinner was delicious, it was a great evening!”
Spend 90 minutes at Shufeng Yayun Teahouse in Chengdu Culture Park watching Sichuan opera, hand puppets, mask changes, music, and comic stage acts. Tea comes with your ticket, while selected VIP options add a massage, ear cleaning, simple opera costume, dessert, or souvenir. Hotel pickup is optional.
“This show was absolutely incredible. Pick up was smooth and confirmed the day before. The back massage was great, tea service ran all night, and so did the snacks. Each performer was so fun to watch.”
You’ll watch a five-scene Tang Dynasty music and dance production about Empress Wu Zetian, with English and Chinese screen text. Choose show-only, dumpling dinner, transfer, or combined options. Dinner brings varied sweet and savory dumplings, while the theater assigns seats, often closer to the stage with the meal option.
“The show was out of this world. The dumpling meal was great. Please note that there is no guide in sight throughout the evening.”
Sail Victoria Harbour aboard Aqua Luna, a beautifully restored Chinese junk, for about 45 minutes. Choose an early sunset departure or a later nighttime cruise, enjoy one complimentary drink, and watch Hong Kong Island and Tsim Sha Tsui light up from the cabin or open decks.
“Boat ride was comfortable and the night view from the harbour is amazing. Recommend this 45-minute experience for first timers.”
Spend an evening with a private guide such as Tom, Mary, Autumn, or Linda, pairing a VIP Huangpu River cruise with Yuyuan Old Street, Pudong, and Xintiandi. Your private vehicle handles hotel pickup and drop-off, while flexible guides can help with photos, short stops, and evening plans.
“Tom was a great tour guide with vast knowledge of Shanghai history and provided a meaningful tour. We both enjoyed this cruise and private tour and recommend it to anyone wanting to see Shanghai!”
You’ll tour Beijing by private vehicle with a guide such as Jay, Miko, Lucy, Kevin, or Jack. Choose a 3 to 8-hour evening route with Tiananmen Square, Qianmen, Houhai, Olympic Park, the CBD, hutong snacks, or even a seasonal Great Wall visit.
“Kevin took us around Beijing in the evening. He was prompt and quite thorough. He tried to show us most of the beautiful highlights and we had a nice dinner too! Thanks Kevin!”
Meet a private English-speaking guide such as Annie, Shirley, Roy, or Mason for a three to four-hour evening of soup dumplings, lamb skewers, wontons, scallion pancakes, dessert, and drinks. Walk through old Shanghai, then take a one-hour Huangpu River cruise. Food can be adjusted to your preferences.
“Annie our guide was great and really made it a memorable experience for us! She listened to what we each liked and chose places that catered to our tastes. Even helped us find MSG in a local grocery store we walked by when we said were struggling to find it.”
Join a guide such as Charlie or Oliver for a four-hour evening ride through Shanghai’s Old Town, Former French Concession, Yu Garden area, and the neon-lit Bund. You’ll use a vintage bicycle, sample local food, visit a traditional Chinese medicine outlet, and ride in a group of no more than eight.
“We were a family of 3 (mom, dad, and teenage son) taking this tour. After some quick introduction of the bikes, we got going on the tour. Charlie was an amazing guide! We saw a different side of Shanghai being on bikes than we would havRead more”
Start at Jiashan Road at 6:30 PM for a 3.5-hour food walk through Shanghai’s French Concession. You’ll eat soup dumplings, scallion noodles, pan-fried buns, pork belly, and mango sago dessert, then finish with unlimited beer and soda at a 15-seat craft beer taphouse. Guides include Emma, Max, Cathy, Joy, and others.
“We really enjoyed our experience. Samantha was a great guide and had excellent English which made learning about local life very informative. Enjoyed the local selections of different foods and also enjoyed having different people on the tour to interact with.”
Pick a wall, a palace, a river or a table.
