Pingyao Tours

Pingyao Tours

Experience historical China on a Pingyao tour

Pingyao city is really something else in the realm of historical China. Come on one of our Pingyao tours and go back in time. Pingyao city is a destination where you can marvel at the business and administrative ingenuity that evolved from this ancient city – in trade, banking, government, and defense– that still hold value today. On a Pingyao tour, it’s entirely possible to imagine the lifestyle of prosperous leading families who drove business, when visiting their home compound that has formed the backdrop for the memorable Chinese film, Raise the Red Lantern.

Among its great appeal, Pingyao boasts one of the most complete examples of an ancient Chinese town. Within its still intact Ming and Qing dynasty City Walls, you will find a veritable treasure trove of culture, society, economy, and religion from an era long gone. It is possible to spend two or three full days exploring with a local bilingual guide on a Pingyao tour.

Our private, small group and custom Pingyao tours encompass all the must-see attractions, while also allowing ample time for relaxed ambling through the narrow historical streets to create your own unique travel memories in this curious destination, such as Pingyao Ancient Town, Qiao, the Wang Family mansion, and the primitive Zhangbi Castle.

Highlights of our Pingyao tours

Our Pingyao tours include memorable highlights.

  • Rishengchang Former Bank – Wonder at the march of financial progress emanating from the Rishengchang Former Bank, a forerunner of modern banking, believed to be founded in Pingyao in 1823 during the Qing Dynasty. “Sunrise prosperity” (translation of Rishengchang) certainly lived up to its name, at its peak spreading throughout major cities in China and some foreign countries until the Xinhai Revolution of 1914. Gain a firsthand view of the inspiration behind today’s banking in China preserved in its original style.
  • Ancient City Wall – A favorite Pingyao tours attraction. As the financial center of the region from the 16th century, Pingyao needed the wall for protection. Since becoming a World Heritage Site in 1997, restoration has continued on the 12 meters high, 4 meters wide wall, with a 6,163 meters perimeter, surrounded by a deep moat. The 72 watchtowers and more than 3,000 battlements are said to represent the number of Confucius’ disciples and other students.
  • Ming and Qing Street – Envisage trade of old in the bustling business center of Pingyao’s narrow, orderly Ming and Qing Streets, built in the traditional Ming and Qing style architecture of bricks with stone. Shops and houses of prosperous trading families line what was once the “Wall Street of China”.
  • Qiao Family Compound – Moviegoers may recognize the Qiao Family Compound as the main location in the film Raise the Red Lantern. Construction began in 1756 and was completed sometime in the 18th century to become the residential compound for a well-known financier. Architects believe the 9,000 square meters of the estate to be one of the finest examples of imposing private residences in northern China and a must-see on a Pingyao tour.
  • Shuanglin Monastery – Be surprised by the Shuanglin Monastery, located in Qiaotou village in the countryside about 7 kilometers outside Pingyao. Founded in the 6th century, the monastery is notable for its collection of more than 2,000 decorated clay statues dating back to the 12-19th centuries.

Experience more

A world away from China’s super-sized modern cities, Pingyao is a welcome and refreshing change. With its history reflecting China’s strong commercial pedigree, in Pingyao, we help travelers create their own unique experience of this destination.

We can make special arrangements to make your Pingyao tour truly memorable.

  • Imbibe history – On a Pingyao tour, it’s possible to dine as the Chinese did 300 years ago at Yunjincheng. Eat traditional Pingyao Beef served in the elegant blue and white porcelain tableware and you’ll be stepping back in time and taste.
  • Revive the old – Ancient Pingyao comes alive again at the Pingyao Night Show. Set in an old city scene from the Qing era, the show combines music, drama, dance, and performance. Be amazed by this not to be missed Pingyao tour attraction.
  • Visit Tongxinggong Escort Agency – Make a stop at the Tongxinggong Escort Agency which served as an ancient security firm for protecting businesses and individuals trading valuables. Here you’ll gain an appreciation of the necessity for such a service. The organization maintains characteristics of escort: vehicles, cases, equipment and a field for martial arts.

Private Pingyao tours

On each of our private tours, we provide our travelers the certainty of careful attention to detail. When you book a Pingyao tour with us, we’ll arrange your itinerary and provide you with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic bilingual tour guide. Understanding the importance of balancing structure with flexibility, our tours allow for ample time to explore at your own pace, while gaining firsthand knowledge of your destination.

Why not have a look at some of our other popular China tour packages as well, these tours too can be taken as private tours, just you and your family or fellow group of travelers.


Pingyao Tours

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Testimonials


ErronW
ErronW
Reviewed on May 21, 2026
Tripadvisor score AMAZING holiday in Yunnan Province

May 2026 • Couples

This is our second China trip with China Tours. Thank you for organising such a fantastic trip Martha! Five stars experience in every way. We chose China Tours again for our trip to Yunnan, after we had a fabulous time in Beijing last year. It’s a 10-day tour which started in Kunming, and then we went to Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-la. From the moment we were picked up at Kunming airport, getting local sim card, dropped off at the hotel and the places we visited, everything was smooth and we were really taken care of.
The hotels were all excellent with great services and extensive options of breakfast included. The drivers were excellent, especially Mrs. Li who drove us from Dali to Lijiang and to Shangri-la, the car was very comfortable and spacious. We had different guides in every city, they are all very friendly, helpful, and they have deep knowledge of all the places we visited. Especially our guide Caroline from Lijiang and Tsesham from Shangri-la. We spent more time in Lijiang and Shangri-la so we had more time with our guides there. They are truly the experts of their respective cultures, they are attentive, insightful, very kind, and encouraging. We had so much fun! Thank you for making our holiday in China feel special and memorable.
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Jeff B
Jeff B
Reviewed on May 21, 2026
Tripadvisor score Fantastic experience

May 2026

Cannot say enough about this tour. Booking was incredible easy, communication, fantastic we had the great guides, including Lee in Beijing, Helen in Xi’an, Tracy in Chengdu, and John in Shanghai. Everyone was ineligible and brought you perspective. Everything was arranged perfectly, including in country, airfare and high-speed rail we elected five star hotels, and we were not disappointed. I would highly recommend this company.
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Navigate27423060359
Navigate27423060359
Reviewed on May 12, 2026
Tripadvisor score Amazingly organised tours with incredible people

Apr 2026 • Couples

Booked back to back tours through China to visit the must see places people always talk about. First tour for 10 days covered Beijing (included Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and Mutianyu Great Wall), Xian (Terracotta Army), Zhangjajie (visit the national forest via Bailong Elevator and Tianmen Mountain) and ended in Shanghai (The Bund and Yuyuan Garden). Next tour commenced a couple of days later visiting Chengdu (can't miss the Pandas) and Lhasa in Tibet (including Drepung and Sera Monasteries and Potala Palace). Guides are all fantastic. Thank you Jessica, Chris, Cindy, Lucy, Raymond and Tashi for making it such a memorable trip. So much more to see and will have to have another visit. Some hiccups with flights (delayed departures, cancellations due to bad weather) but through it all Lora was there to help find emergency accommodation and re-book flights (and thank you to Lucy and Tashi who had to deal with 2:00am flights and returns to airports when flight couldn't land). If our experience with China Tours is indicative of the service they provide then I have nothing but admiration for the organisation.
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Baron G
Baron G
Reviewed on April 28, 2026
Tripadvisor score Mervyn with China Tours was a fabulous tour guide.

Apr 2026 • Couples

We spent extraordinary two days in Xi’an organized by China Tours. Our guide, Mervyn, was the best. Her knowledge of the city and each historical site was amazing. She helped us maximize the limited time we had in Xi'an. Highly recommend Mervyn to anyone visiting Xi'an. ChinaTours did a fabulous job organizing wonderful tour guides and drivers n each city. If you are considering a trip to China, work with China Tours. You won't regret it.
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wenmindymao
wenmindymao
Reviewed on April 25, 2026
Tripadvisor score Unforgettable trip💓🤙Thanks to Dora✈️

Apr 2026 • Couples

China Tour- I booked with Dora by searching the internet which was 13 days beginning Beijing ended at Shanghai. She did an amazing job by booking hotels; trains tickets and parks tickets. Everything was running smoothly. We also special tanks to Michelle; Jacob; Andie; Joanne; and Warren working hard to guide us in sight seeing. My husband and I appreciate very much and want to recommend ChinaTour to our friends.
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Susie K
Susie K
Reviewed on April 22, 2026
Tripadvisor score Hectic trip but so well organised!

Apr 2026 • Couples

What a wonderful trip! I found China Tours and told them the places I'd most like to go to and things that I'd like to do! They organised it into an itinerary, booking guides and drivers for us at every place. We always felt looked after when arriving at a new airport or station, no panicking as to where to find our way! The guides were all very different: age personalities etc, but all very knowledgeable, friendly and adaptable to our requests! They had the tricks of the trade for getting us ahead in queues etc...a valuable resource in China!! But also the fact that all our park & site entrances were already purchased made each visit a seamless hassle free pleasure. The hotels booked for us were nearly all 5 star with great locations and amenities. Hard to fault the services of China Tours! They helped us through a last day panic when our return flight had been changed, phoning airports and airlines to try snd sort out the problem...I wouldn't have known where to start! We probably tried to fit too much into the time, but we had a brilliant holiday.
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Mayra C
Mayra C
Reviewed on April 19, 2026
Tripadvisor score Epic tour, exceeded expectations

April 2026

We planned a 2 week trip, 5 cities, 3-day Yangtze cruise, and mountains / forest national park. Our tour planner, Dora, was super flexible and helpful in building the itinerary to meet all our desires (via WeChat). The execution was perfect, with English speaking local guides at every city. Choosing a private tour worked great for us given everything we wanted to do. And we did more, besides planned top attractions (Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, temples, etc), we added a show, a cave with underground River and managed to do some shopping (note: ours was a NO shopping tour by design). All local guides were great, knowledgeable, kind and helpful. Special Kudos to Vivienne (Zhangjiajie) for climbing 999 steps with at Tianmen Cave. We loved our trip and fully recommend China Tours.
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Andrew L
Andrew L
Reviewed on April 10, 2026
Tripadvisor score Thank you China Tours for a wonderful holiday

Apr 2026 • Solo

Went to Lhasa, Tibet and Chengdu with China Tours and everything was well organised from airport pickup, hotel accommodation to the tour itself. The guides were friendly and helpful. They offered suggestions for me to explore Chengdu on my own in the evening. Overall, I had a fantastic experience with China Tours and would highly recommend them to others. Special thank you to Martha at the office and Robert the tour guide at Chengdu
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