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A driver is not a guide, and a cheap day rate is not the whole cost. Here is what a private car and driver actually covers, what changes the price, and how we quote it.
In China these are three different jobs, licensed separately. Knowing which one you are buying prevents most of the disappointment people describe in reviews.
A private driver comes with a licensed commercial vehicle and handles the road: airport meets, tolls, parking, luggage, and the waiting that a full sightseeing day requires. A guide is licensed to explain sites and, at many museums and palaces, is the person allowed to accompany you with commentary. A butler, in our sense, is the English-speaking person who stays with your party from arrival to departure and coordinates both.
Some travellers want driver-only and prefer to explore alone. That is a legitimate way to travel and we price it. What we will not do is sell you a driver and call him a guide — the licence does not transfer, and the difference shows up at the first ticket gate.
Four variables explain almost all of the difference between quotes you will receive.
A city day and a 300 km transfer day are not priced the same. The plan lists which legs are driven and which are rail or air, so you can see what you are paying for.
Sedan for two, MPV for a family with luggage, or a larger van for a group. The vehicle is matched to people and bags, not to a headline day rate.
Beijing and Shanghai in Golden Week cost more than Kunming in shoulder season. Peak dates are flagged in the quote rather than discovered at checkout.
Full sightseeing days include waiting and parking. Late-night arrivals and very long days are planned and priced in advance, not added as a surprise.
We do not publish a fake from-price, because the same route is a different product for two travellers in a sedan and a family of five in an MPV.
Send your dates, the cities you want, how many people and how much luggage. We reply within 48 hours with an outline and a per-party quote that separates vehicle, driver, guiding, tickets and hotels.
If a cheaper option exists — a rail leg instead of a long drive, a local driver in the next province instead of carrying one across the country — we will say so. The quote is built to be compared, not to be decoded.
First consultation is free, and the outline arrives within 48 hours.
Start my itineraryWhether you already have flight dates or just a sentence — "first trip to China, ten days, with my parents" — that is enough for a first outline.
