Client funds & travel cover
Understand the payment controls and travel cover we are arranging, how refunds and additional costs are handled, and which personal documents you receive before payment or departure.
Read the customer information →Private, tailor-made travel in China
See the real China.
We’ll handle the rest.
We design private journeys through China for European travellers who want depth without friction — the language, the payments, the trains, the reservations, quietly taken care of, so the country itself can take centre stage.
- 30-day visa-free entry for most European passports
- Private guides in English or German; French and Spanish on request
- Execution through licensed local partners
- Direct line to your team while you travel, in English
Or simply write to hello@privatechinajourneys.com — coming this year, dreaming about someday, or just curious how any of this works: every email is read properly, your questions are taken apart seriously, and you get a considered answer from the person who would actually plan your trip, within one working day.
30-day visa-free entry for most European passports is valid through 31 December 2026. Renewal has not been announced — we reconfirm the rules for your nationality before you book. Details
Before you commit
Verification before brochures
Before you look at a single itinerary: how your money is held, what we refuse to do, and what happens when something goes wrong. All of it in writing, none of it an upsell.
No shopping stops. No shop recommendations. No retail conflicts of interest.
This applies to PCJ, guides, drivers and all assigned personnel. We investigate reports; a verified breach means immediate removal and replacement, and we will never use that person again. We also help with problems from your own independent purchases.
Our promise and how to report a concern →What happens if something goes wrong
Comprehensive travel insurance is a booking requirement, not an upsell. Beyond it, our published protocols spell out who does what, hour by hour — rebooking, hospital liaison, family contact — before you ever need them.
Our published what-happens-if protocols →Why now: 30-day visa-free entry for most European passports runs through 31 December 2026. The policy has been extended before; renewal beyond that date has not been announced — we reconfirm the rules for your nationality before you book. The visa-free window, country by country →
Three ways in
Journeys we design
Every trip is built from scratch around your dates, pace and interests. These three lines are where our local knowledge runs deepest.
Classic China
Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai at a human pace — the Great Wall at dawn, hutong courtyards, the Terracotta Army, and the Bund by night. For first-time visitors who want the icons without the conveyor belt.
View the sample itinerary →Chengdu & Sichuan
Tea houses, Sichuan kitchens, giant pandas at feeding time and the engineering marvel of Dujiangyan — an unhurried journey into China’s most liveable region, built for food lovers and slow travellers.
View the sample itinerary →Tech & Business China
For founders, investors and the professionally curious: AI, EVs, robotics and e-commerce on the ground in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Beijing — company visits by day, culture and kitchens by night.
View the sample programme →Eight more themed journeys — pandas, the Silk Road, bullet trains, the last dynasty, kitchens, photography, Yunnan and the Grand Canal: See all thirteen journeys → — or a fully custom route, same published-cost logic →
Why now
China just became much easier.
The experience didn’t.
Entry formalities, payments and trains have never been simpler for European visitors. What hasn’t changed: the country is vast, its systems are local, and the gap between “possible” and “effortless” is exactly where we work.
Visa-free, up to 30 days
Unilateral visa-free entry now covers most of Western Europe — tourism, business
and family visits. The policy runs through the end of 2026 and has been extended before.
Over 45,000 km of high-speed rail
The world’s largest network, and still the most rewarding way to cross it —
booked, seated and station-navigated for you.
Mobile payments, unlocked
Alipay and WeChat Pay now accept international cards. We set everything up with
you before you land — and carry a cash backup plan anyway.
The way we work
Designed around you,
handled end to end
No fixed departures, no groups, no scripts. One travel designer and one local operations team, from the first call to the flight home.
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Conversation first
A 30-minute call about who you are and how you like to travel — not a form, a person.
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A first draft within days
Day-by-day route, hotels by name where possible, and a transparent price. We refine together until it fits.
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Everything reserved, everything confirmed
Guides, drivers, trains, tables, tickets — locked in before you leave home, in writing.
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Someone on the ground, always
Your guide in each city, our operations team behind them, and a 24/7 line while you travel.
Plain promises
What you can expect
- Restaurants locals actually use. Your guide orders with you — dietary needs sorted quietly in advance.
- Realistic pacing. One great thing in the morning, one in the afternoon. Room to breathe, and time to wander.
- Honest advice on the boring things. Payments, connectivity, medical care, insurance — written down before you travel, not discovered after.
Questions, answered
The practical side
What if a guide or driver recommends a shop?
Our rule is zero shopping stops, zero shop recommendations and no retail conflicts of interest.
Contact PCJ directly. We investigate the facts; once a breach is verified, we immediately
remove and replace the person and will not engage them again, including through another supplier.
Your own shopping remains your choice, and we help with communication and purchase complaints.
Read the full no-shopping promise and reporting process.
Do Europeans need a visa for China right now?
Most Western European passports (UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands,
Switzerland, the Nordics and others) currently enjoy unilateral visa-free entry for
stays up to 30 days, for tourism or business. We reconfirm the rules for your
nationality and itinerary before booking, as policies are reviewed periodically.
How do payments work? I’ve heard China is cashless.
Almost everything is paid by phone. We walk you through Alipay/WeChat Pay setup with
your international card before departure, test it together on arrival, and keep a
card-and-cash fallback for smaller vendors. So far we have not found a till you can’t pay at — and we keep two fallbacks ready anyway.
What about internet access and my usual apps?
Google, WhatsApp and many Western services are restricted in mainland China. We brief
you on connectivity and set up your EU/UK roaming or a travel eSIM before departure — no VPN to install — and make sure you can reach family and colleagues from day one.
sure you can reach family and colleagues from day one.
Is China safe for travellers?
Day-to-day safety in Chinese cities is excellent by international standards — violent
crime against visitors is rare. The real risks are practical: traffic, big distances,
language. That is precisely what a guide, a driver and a 24/7 line are for. For women travelling alone, our sourced solo-female safety page goes deeper.
What does a private journey cost?
As a guide: Classic China (10 days) is €3,800 per person, two travelling (€3,300 at four)
— about €380 a day, ground costs covered. Chengdu & Sichuan (8 days) is €2,900 at four; Tech & Business
programmes are €6,000 per participant at six. Prices exclude
international flights and scale down with more travellers. Every quote is itemised,
in euros, with no hidden extras.
What happens if one of us gets sick or hurt in China?
Comprehensive travel insurance is a booking requirement, not an upsell. On the ground, your
guide works from an English-speaking hospital list for every city on your route, and our
published what-happens-if protocols spell out who does what,
hour by hour — rebooking, hospital liaison, family contact — before you ever need it.
Your booking, confirmed in writing. Your personal documents explain
the agreed payment route, applicable protection, insurance benefits and refund rules.
We do not request or accept bookings or deposits from EU-resident travellers until
applicable contracting and insolvency-protection requirements are satisfied.
Existing contracts and accrued rights remain unaffected.
Read the customer information →
China, plainly
The practical guides, free and honest
Written on the ground, dated, re-checked when rules change. The awkward parts included — because trust starts before the first email.
Updated Aug 2026
China’s 30-day visa-free entry, explained
The 35 European countries, the exact conditions, and the first-24-hours rule everyone misses.
9 min read → Updated Aug 2026Paying in China with a European card
The setup that works — plus the three classic failure modes to pre-empt.
10 min read → Updated Aug 2026Is China safe for tourists?
What’s genuinely safer than Europe, what the real risks are, and how to travel so the question never comes up.
9 min read → Aug 2026You loved Japan. China is the original.
An honest comparison for your next big trip — including the parts where China loses.
8 min read →All guides, including internet, first-timer routes and our emergency protocols →
Start the conversation
Tell us when. We’ll take it from there.
Write to us with your dates, who’s travelling and what you’re curious about — or simply ask for a free 30-minute sanity call first. You’ll hear back from a person within one working day.