Lily's Private Tours

Lily's Private Tours

Lily's Private Tours
5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
Lilysun’s private tours specialises in private, inexpensive but amazing travel experiences. With years of experience, Lilysun has crafted the best of Xi’an and China into fascinating tours that meet the tastes of her diverse and demanding customers. Lilysun strives to make every minute of your experience enjoyable and worth every penny you paid.
Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

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Tours and Tickets by Lily's Private Tours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles984 reviews
Excellent
943
Very good
41
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
0

Kira W
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2024 • Family
We had a fantastic private tour arranged by Lily. Michael took us on the foodie tuk tuk tour which was a wonderful way to start. Jackie showed us all the sights of Xi'an for 5 days and he was a fantastic guide who really made sure we enjoyed everything, especially our 3 year old son . Every day my son told us it was "the new best day ever". We had a day trip to the Shaolin Temple and Longmen Grotto and our guide Joe was also good. Everything went so smoothly and we appreciate the extra effort Jackie in particular made to ensure we had a wonderful trip. Would highly recommend booking a private tour with Lily as she had great suggestions for things to do with our son in Xi'an from visiting the panda sanctuary, to making DIY terracotta warriors and also climbing through the secret tunnels in the caved village near Yuanjia. Of course in addition to the normal attractions.
Written January 1, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LiTonya R.
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
What an amazing adventure! My two sons and I had a wonderful time exploring Xi'an this summer 2021. From the Terracotta Warriors to Muslim Street, and to the bike ride on the city wall (just to name a few), we had an exceptional time learning about Xi'An's rich history. Our trip couldn't have been as amazing as it was without our tour guide, Michael and his driver, Mr. Wang. Michael was very kind, patient, flexible and very knowledgeable about Xi'An inside and out. His English was phenomenal and my two teen sons were as intrigued as I was. Not to mention, he's a fantastic photographer as well. :) If you're looking for an excellent tour, guide, and private tour company, look no further. Lily's Private Tours definitely won't disappoint you. Cheers to an excellent adventure of you own!
Written July 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Buddingtraveller83
Penang Island, Malaysia170 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Family
Michael and Jeff were our tour guides for the three days; Michael in Xi’an and Jeff in Luoyang. The tour was great fun, knowledgeable and friendly. They were accommodating and great at being flexible if we needed to change the itinerary. We had a safe clean car and driver and nothing was too much trouble. We will definitely use Michael in the future for tours in China.
Written July 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nolajuli
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Solo
I did a wonderful evening food tour with Michel Chang. I highly recommend doing this and I would definitely do it again. We tried so many delicious dishes and Michael did an excellent job of explaining the food and the history and answered lots of questions I had about everything!! We went to places that I would not have known to go, or been able to efficiently go all around town, and had dishes I would not have known to try!!! Thank you Michael and thank you Lilys tours
Written November 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

viewer28359
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2017 • Couples
My girlfriend and I had the extreme pleasure of having Michael Chang as our private tour guide with Lily Tours in Xi'an. Everything you want and expect from paying for a private tour was satisfied above our expectations - customized itinerary, individualized attention and comfortable transport, flexibility in accommodating our travel schedule, in depth knowledge of history and culture, and a fluent English speaking guide who is cheerful, enthusiastic, and friendly. The customized itinerary was made by emailing back and forth with Lily a couple weeks ahead of time, while the rest was fulfilled and provided by the wonderful Michael.

We arrived at our hotel in Xi'an at about 1am in the morning. Michael had left a message with the front desk for us with the plan of meeting us and picking us up from the hotel lobby at 7am. This would have left us with no sleep for a full day tour. Our hotel phoned Michael at around 2am in the morning and he actually picked up the phone and spoke to me. I explained that we got in late and our desire to get a full night of rest, and Michael agreed to postpone our pickup time to 10am. I will pre-emptively say right now we were actually able to complete the entire packed itinerary I designed with Lily (actually with an additional unplanned stop), with most of the thanks going to Michael's excellent efficiency and time management of our tour.

Our original itinerary planned to start at the Terra Cotta Warriors (museum), but since we were starting so late in the morning, Michael recommended that we save that for the last thing of the day to avoid the crowds that would undoubtly be there now. Let's face it, tourists come to Xi'an to see the Terra Cotta army, so we were initially very hesitant to this itinerary change lest we miss out on it by not getting there before it closed due to our packed itinerary. However, with a little more insistence, we decided to trust Michael's advice, which at the end of the day, turned out to be excellent foresight and planning.

We started off the tour at the Bell Tower and Drum Tower where Michael began explaining the history of the city, the various districts/quarters in Xi'an, and the culture of the people who have lived here past and present. After that we walked through the Muslim quarter to visit the picturesque Great Mosque where we learned in depth about these people and their religion. Then we visited the adjacent and famous Beiyuanmen and Yangshi snack streets. Before and during exploring the streets, Michael gave us quite a few tips about pickpockets and how to secure and hang onto your valuables, which restaurants to come back and try, and warnings against certain street foods and vendors. We actually did come back another night and try the restaurants that Michael recommended (Jia San Soup Pau, Muslim Family Restaurant, Lou bei lou Restaurant) and found one thing that blew us away at each of them. Mind you, the dumplings here are SWEET not SAVORY.

On our way to the City Wall, we drove by Ketang Park. Driving past, we were captured by the fountains and statues, and curious, we asked to make an unplanned stop. Michael and the driver accommodated our request and we walked through the park filled with the local people. We watching them play games, dance, and write Chinese character calligraphy using water and human sized brushes that would evaporate in a few minutes providing a new blank slate. During our walk, Michael told us more about the people, his people (Han people), and showed us the best spots to take pictures with the Big Wild Goose Pagoda to get the whole leaning tower effect. We needed a bathroom break so we were guided to the the "7 star toilets" at the new Westin at the back of the park for a quick break and the driver picked us up there.

Next, at the Xi'an Great City wall (north part), Michael taught us so much more history and told us many interesting stories. After taking a bunch of photos for us, Michael helped us rent bikes to ride around the wall. This part is not a reflection of Michael or Lily tours, but I want to warn people NOT to rent bikes and ride around the wall. It may look fun and all the tourists are doing it so why not (or so we thought), but the stone on the ground is full of pockmarks and divots and the shocks on the rusty bikes do nothing to cushion your ride. It was terribly uncomfortable and NOT FUN!!! We did not even make it 15 minutes or 1/4 of the wall before turning back and returning the bikes. Regardless, the Great City wall was very cool to see and be on top of.

On the way to lunch, Michael had the driver take us through Dayantacun and Qujiang Residential District where the wealthier people of Xi'an live (southeast corner of Xi'an). We were impressed by the gated communities and beautiful buildings, the gorgeous Tang Paradise and Quijiang Pond and Park, perfectly manicured lawns, trees, and bushes and clean wide streets, and the bulk of exotic cars, which all felt like we were driving through a wealthy suburb in America.

A part of traveling the world and learning about new cultures is to sample the local food, so we asked Michael to take us to lunch at a place where local people eat and he did (in that fashion, there is no English name for this place). Michael brought us to a little shop that makes METER long noodles, and offers them by the gram. We chose a bowl of noodles made from spinach and another bowl of noodles made of egg flour along with a sampling of other local dishes that Michael recommended. This is one of the best meals my girlfriend and I have had in China and this takes into account all the Michelin star restaurants and fine dining we indulge in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. The fresh noodles are truly continuous (we trust that they are a meter long since we didn't measure) and absolutely delicious.

The final stop of the day was the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum. On the drive there, Michael taught us more history, told us fascinating stories and urban legends, and explained the layout of the land while using the Emperor’s mound as a reference point. Getting into the Terra Cotta Warriors museum was where Michael's brilliance shined. There were no lines and no crowds this late in the day, we simply waltzed in. We are able to find spots easily on the railing in all the buildings for appreciating the warriors and for pictures due to the sparsity of people. Our trip through the museum with Michael was fun because he is so knowledgeable. We ended our day and tour with a dropoff at our hotel and a personal invite by Michael to his home for homemade dumplings the next time we return to Xi'an.

In addition to all the history, culture, and knowledge Michael imparted to us on this private tour, we learned to trust Michael with our time and our bellies. My girlfriend and I both highly recommend all future travelers to request Michael Chang as their Lily's Tours private tour guide for an amazing tour and experience of the city of Xi'an.
Written July 17, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bert R
Vienna, Austria54 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2019 • Family
We are just back from a two-week China trip from Beijing to Xian, Chengdu, Guilin, Yangshuo, Shanghai which was all organized and carried out by Lily's private tours. We have had an everlasting experience. Everything worked like clockwork and we could focus on our trip and having a good time and all the logistics were dealt with by Lily and her guides and drivers. It all was just magnificent. Talking about guides, both Vivian in Beijing and Kathy in Xian were the absolute best, top of the class and with them we had the best time ever. They went out of their way to make us all happy and we had the best of times! The overall program, it was just great. We had a full plate and heavy program but it was okay and we did not feel pressured at all. Just when it became a bit too much and we became somewhat tired we had the most relaxing cruise and day at the hotel and little tour around Yangzhou. This was perfect timing; we could recuperate a bit and relax before going on. So my compliments on a program well designed and thought out. We truly enjoyed and were impressed by our journey and experiences. We loved China and all around it. Everything worked perfectly and we had a really outstanding trip; we loved it.
Written May 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

twinkle6
Blackpool, UK150 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Our guide Jackie brought the history of Xi'an to life. He gave a very informative tour of the Terracotta Soliders and spent time explaining the time line of historical events- a lot to take in! He took us to a local resturant and carefully helped with the food selection - which was great - but big portions! Our time was well spent on the tour with plenty of time for photos and questions. The second day was spent in within and on the city walls , exploring the Musilim quarter and Big Goose Pagoda .Yes you could do this yourself but would miss out on the information well explained by Jackie.
We were pleased with the tour , and grateful that the time was well judged and fortunate that our holiday was at a quieter period so not as many tourists so we were able to to get close to the sights.
Great to have the personal touch, Jackie spoke good English, so communication was easy. Thank you
Written April 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jasmine G
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018 • Family
My family and I had an amazing time with Jackie. From the first moment he met us in our hotel lobby he was energetic and aware—he talked with us the entire car ride to the Terracotta Warriors and gave us cultural insight on living in China that we wouldn't have been able to get anywhere else. His knowledge of Xi'an history is vast and he was immediately willing to look up the things he didn't know—or to get us in contact with experts who would know. The Terracotta Warriors were, of course, amazing and the Cave Home was a fun detour, but everyone loved the Hanyangling Museum best.

I think the biggest compliment I can give to Jackie was how his kindness wasn't just reserved for his paying customers (us) but for everyone around him. He made it a point of picking up the litter he saw and at one point he went out of his way to help a couple from Spain make sure they would know how to get to the airport. His genuine enthusiasm for his city, history, and the people around him was engaging and heartfelt. We would 100% book a tour with Jackie again.
Written August 22, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Jasmine for this great feedback, I'm glad to hear you and your family had an amazing time with Jackie. He is one of our top-rated tour guides in Xian. Any time you come back to China, contact us!
Written August 22, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Akila N
Hyderabad, India4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2018 • Family
My family and I visited China in the first week of June, 2018. Our stay in Xi'an was thoroughly enjoyable and memorable. Xi'an is an amazing place to visit, rich in history and tradition. A very special mention has to be made of our tour guide Michael Chang. Michael is such an enthusiastic, friendly and ever-smiling person who spoke excellent English. We were impressed by his knowledge and patience in answering all our questions. Michael has a great sense of humor and made ours' such a fun visit. He is such a warm and affectionate guy that we became good friends in a very short time! It was pretty hot and every now and then he would dash off and return with bottles of water, even without our asking! on Day2 when the kids wanted to cycle on the city wall early in the morning he readily obliged and was there on the dot and happily escorted them. His concern that we board our flight safely (as there was heavy rain at the tail end of our trip) was truly touching. To anyone planning a trip to Xi'an I would hands down recommend that you arrange for Michael to be your guide. His will definitely make your visit memorable! I must commend Lily for running a most efficient guide service. We had the pleasure of meeting Lily in person and she came across as a very warm and charming lady. At every place we visited, our pick up and drop off were on time. All our guides, Luis (in Beijing), Michael (in Xi'an) and Eric (in Zhangjiajie) were simply excellent. I would certainly recommend Lily's tour services to all my friends and anyone reading this review! Thanks a million Lily!
Written August 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for such great review, I'm glad you had a great time with us. Hope I have more chances to host you in China!
Written August 21, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Molly R
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2018 • Friends
I went on this tour with two friends in March. Michael took us to the terra cotta warriors and then around the main part of the city inside the city wall. We were all extremely impressed with his knowledge of all things Xi'an and we had a really great day. Highly recommend eating Biang Biang noodles nearby the warriors! Lily's company was extremely accommodating and they were always on time (we also had airport and train station transfers). Highly recommend!
Written April 15, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Lily's Private Tours (2025) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Reviews)

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