Aug 24, 2024
A fantastic private and bespoke day tour of Xian - We had a fantastic private day tour with our family of 5 (3 teenagers) and Michael with the driver Mr Wong. The tour consisted of Xian City Wall, Muslim Quarter and the Terracota Warriors , with lunch at an authentic restaurant trying the famous Biang Biang noodles. Everything was bespoke to our needs as our son has severe autism, ADHD, and all 3 kids with nut allergy. Michael made sure all the scheduling was as perfect as we could imagine it . The tour was made as comfortable as it could in the heat of summer at 35 degrees ! We even cycled a.section of the Xian wall to the kids delight. We would highly recommend Lily's tour with Michael ! Thanks for a perfect day.
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Sep 24, 2023
Best city tour in Xi'an! Recommended - Totally recomended tour in Xi'an! My guide, Michael, was superb! Nice guy, friendly, easy talk, very good English, and great guide. He continuously shared interesting facts about every place we visit, as well as suggestions of other things to do to make my stay in Xi'an more enjoyable. Food was also great, and Michael recommended some very traditional Xi'an dishes which were very tasty. Michael even dropped me off in a very nice area that evening as per my request, after we finished the tour, and gave me some tips about things to do, which ended up being one of the best moments I had in the city. 100% recommended!
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Aug 12, 2023
⚜️ Exploring Emmie Takes Xi’an ⚜️ - My day tour of Xi’an was pleasant thanks to my guide, Michael. It was holiday but we had an early start to the day which was helpful in beating the crowd.
I loved everything Xi’an and got to see the major landmarks (Terracotta Army, city wall and Muslim quarter) and tried very delicious food all in a day’s work. As a history buff, seeing the Terracotta Army was a dream come true for me.
Michael was Passionate, Personal, Present and well Prepared! He was thoughtful of my needs as a solo traveller (taking pictures, going to restroom etc.). He impressed me with his knowledge about the overall historical development of Xi’an - from ancient to modern city. I learned a lot, and had an overall good experience 🤩💯 Thanks to Michael, the driver and Lily.
Best wishes,
Emmie from South Africa
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Sep 29, 2019
Lily’s is the Best! - We booked 5 days with Lily and cannot praise them enough. From Beijing to Xi’an to Chengdu, Vivian, Cathy and Cheryl were amazing! Knowledgeable, willing to accommodate our specific requests and each found us great local places to eat. Having drivers who can meet you and help you negotiate getting in and out of train stations and airports made all the difference.
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Jul 27, 2019
Great day out - Michael was a knowledgeable and very friendly tour guide. A superb morning at terracotta museum followed by a lovely lunch at a local restaurant and an afternoon spent exploring the wall.
I couldn't recommend this tour highly enough. Also a big shout out to the driver Mr Jie.
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Jul 16, 2019
Amazing family trip - We had an amazing customized tour, our guide Jackie was very great. We were picked up at train station and he took us to halal restaurant for breakfast, the food was very delicious. Then we went to City wall of Xian, Big wild goose pagoda, muslim quarter to prayer there and had lunch, then continued the tour to The Terracota Warriors. Jackie had great knowledge about the history of the places we visited and abaout Xian city, he was very fun, kind and informative. He took us to local restaurant for dinner and helped us when check in at the airport at night. My father and my children really like him.
I would highly recommend this tour to my friends and families. I would like to contact this tour again when I visit China on next trip. Thank you Jackie & Lily for wonderful trip.
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Jul 10, 2019
Amazing private tour by Xian with Cindy - Amazing private tour by Xian with Cindy, all visits including terracotta warriors absolutely wonderful, driver was very good and very professional, highly recommend this tour with Cindy, such a great experience
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Jul 7, 2019
Great family day with Michael! - We had such a wonderful time in Xi'an!!! We arrived on Wednesday and Lily set up a driver to pick us up from the train station in a spacious, air-conditioned minivan. Our driver was there waiting for us and took us straight to the car with no issues at all. The following day, Michael and the same driver picked us up from our hotel (Gran Melia - fabulous hotel in such a great, new part of town!) and they were early, which is always a plus. They drove us to the Terracota Army where we spent a couple hours in the morning. Michael was great with our family (3 kids ages 6, 9 and 11) and had a good idea of how much info to give the kids and how long to stay at each spot. He kept us moving along and everyone had a great time! After that, we went for a bike ride along the ancient city walls - - one of the best parts of our trip!!!! Michael arranged the bikes and helmets for us (don't know how we could've done it without him!) and he outfitted us with 1 tandem bike and 3 single bikes. We spent 2 hours riding and stopping for pictures and some cold drinks. It was WONDERFUL and we got lucky with a cooler day. Michael and our driver were waiting for us by the bike office so as soon as we were done, they got us right back into the air-conditioned van. Then we were driven to the Muslim Quarters which we all enjoyed SO MUCH! What a sight to see and lots of smells and tastes to experience. He was so patient with us as we searched for food our children would eat - hahah! We had a really nice time checking out that area and Michael was wonderful helping us get around, being our personal photographer :) and helping translate when our kids had questions or we stopped into the shops. It was really a terrific experience and one of our favorite days of the trip! Many thanks to Lily for arranging a wonderful day for us!!!
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Jul 7, 2019
Brilliant experience at the warriors & Xi’an. - We were picked up on the dot by Michael, who got us out to the Terracotta Warriors before the BIG crowds hit (and they were already swelling when we arrived). Mr Jia, the driver, drove like a gent, nothing like cowboy taxi rides I’ve had when O/S.
Michael really knows everything you need: immensely detailed knowledge of Chinese history, of the stories and culture around the first emperor and the warriors. He was bright and cheery, calm and knowledgeable. He was really clever how he moved us around the exhibition, finding quiet spots to prep us for the next sections, knowing where best to stop and show us details we would absolutely have missed by ourselves. He loves the subject and really unpacks the details - especially where the individual warriors and the stunning bronze chariot/emperor’s carriage are displayed.
After the warriors, he guided us away from the vast exit crowds and off to a great nearby restaurant (avoiding the on-site fast food). We gorged on delicious local noodle specialties and salads.
We visited the Eastern Gate & walls. Alas it was way too hot to ride along the walls, but that would have been brilliant. Recommended if you get the chance! Nevertheless Michael gave us the context of the walls in Xi’an’s ancient and modern history, of the bell and drum towers.
We wrapped up with a walk through the Muslim quarter. We were so stuffed from lunch that we didn’t want to eat anything, so Michael adapted the tour to take us through back streets and to a market that happened to be on our day. That was fascinating, getting a view of Xi’an street life. It also meant we felt confident to return to the Muslim quarter that night for dinner and to enjoy the promenading crowds.
I was thrilled with this tour. It was worth every cent. Michael is a great guide and I really recommend him if you want a great tour.
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Jul 4, 2019
Xi’An Classic Day Tour - We had a fantastic tour throughout Xi’An, and our brilliant guide was Michael. We were picked up at 8 at our hotel to get a bit of a head start on the crowds getting to the Terracotta Warriors. We were driven there, and then shown around all the open pits, with Michael giving us a history of the emperor and his family as we were walking. The terracotta warriors were incredible, so detailed and lifelike. We were then driven to a nearby restaurant with the most amazing long noodles! Everything was so delicious. We forgot to pay for lunch though which was a bit embarrassing but Michael was really helpful and organised a way for the money to get back to the restaurant. We were driven back into the city and visited the city wall. We were given a bit of a history lesson and told about the developments throughout the dynasties. It was a bit warm to go bike riding so we went for a stroll instead. Then, we went to the nearby Muslim quarter and explored a street market, before having a look around the street food. It was really incredible. Finally dropped back at the hotel for a rest. Really wonderful day, and we got to see so much of Xi’An!
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