Frequently Asked Questions

Tours include culture, history, and food tastings. I place current challenges in a historical context, and share secrets of Chin Park’s architecture and plantings. We’ll visit a mural or two.
We may say hello to my favorite fruit vendor when he’s on Beach St. and see what’s sweet. We stop into a traditional herbalist's shop. And no visit to Chinatown would be complete without a visit to a Chinese grocery. We end our tour sharing dim sum, learning how and what to order, etiquette and more.

We may tailor this somewhat for private parties. If you have special requests, please let me know and we'll see what we can do!

You can get a very good idea of the standard tour by visiting my Tripadvisor page here. I'm proud to have received the Traveler's Choice Award, four times. Every one of my reviews received 5 out of 5 "bubbles"/stars.

I’m happy to create a customized tour for you. These tours make special gifts and are also great team-building outings.

Looking for a sugar rush tour? We can share special treats beyond Bubble tea and Pikachu cakes (of course we can include those, too!)

From time to time we’ll offer a specialized tour that we’re testing out, if you’d like to be part of our test crew, email me, and we’ll let you know when we’re going to do it.

All tours begin under the beautiful green Paifang or gate at the corner of Beach and Hudson Streets. (GPS address is 2 Hudson St.
Look for me and my big yellow bag!

Standard tours are 3 hours plus dim sum.

Private tours often include a brief history and culture component, snacks, and a walk then light dinner.

HAHAHA okay, so you’re new here? There’s ALWAYS traffic and often construction! There are Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins games. College events like orientations, graduations. Concerts!

If you insist on driving, parking will be limited.

There are two garages near us. One on Beach St., one on Lincoln St.

We are so conveniently located to public transit! Chinatown sits right between three train lines. The Orange line has a stop IN Chinatown (it’s called Chinatown, clever eh?) There’s a couple of Green line stops near by, Boylston is probably the closest. The Red line South Station is just a stone’s throw.

It happens sometimes, if you’re running late text or call me at 617.851.4880. We will start right on time, but I don’t turn my phone off until everyone’s accounted for. I’ll let you know where to meet us.

There are one or two, but I recommend you come early and take your bio break before we start.

Our tours run all year, in all kinds of weather. If the governor closes the roads, we’ll concede. Some of our most fun tours happen in crazy weather.

If a tour you’ve signed up for fails to fill (usually 5 guests for the Chinatown Experience) we’ll offer you the next available tour. If that doesn’t work for you, we can usually find another. For private tours, we have more flexibility.

We are walking through one of Boston’s oldest, most historic neighborhoods. Many shops have steps up or down to enter. Strollers won’t fit. No ramps for wheelchairs. That said, I’ve had people with limited mobility join the tour. If you have concerns about your ability to participate or want discuss what accommodations we can make, call me. I’m more than happy to try to create a wonderful tour experience for you with modifications. A private tour may be the way to go in that case, and I’m happy to discuss this with you. No reason to miss out!

Many people enjoy picking up cooking ingredients, snacks, treats, herbal remedies, or more while in Chinatown. Unless we’re on a private tour, we ask guests to save their shopping for after dim sum, so we can keep the tour moving and complete on time. You’ll be given a handout that will easily enable you to find the shops you want to re-visit later.

Our shops are small and the grocery is huge! Experience shows me the ideal group size is 5-10. I pride myself on engaging each guest and giving everyone a great experience. Unlike some tours where you’re trailing a large group down a busy street, we prefer an intimate experience

We also get rave reviews from our group tours! I especially love the school tours and connecting kids with this rich culture. I like grownups, too! Let me know what your group is (goals, size, ages) and we can design a rich, fun experience.

I love my school groups! From middle school, to high schools, to summer enrichment or culture or language classes... please let me know if your school or your kid’s school might be interested. I’d love to connect.

As I’m a food allergen safety trainer (and retired lawyer and adult onset allergic person) I take food issues seriously! If you have a food allergy or intolerance, or don’t eat pork or shrimp, maybe you’re vegetarian or even vegan... give me a call. With notice, I can usually accommodate your needs.

Life happens, planes get cancelled, people get the flu. Please understand that your cancellation will affect others. Only cancellations with 24 hours’ notice are eligible for a refund of the ticket price. Call, text, or email me as soon as you’re aware you need to cancel. Most often, we’re able to find another tour for you to join.

I continually research, prepare, update my materials to ensure I’m giving my guests the best tour possible. I appreciate gratuities offered as a show of appreciation!

I do care deeply about this community. I live here, and I’ve married into a wonderful Chinese family. I donate quarterly to support community organizations that do such good work. Donations have included Josiah Quincy School, BCNC (Boston Chinese Neighborhood Center, Asian American Diabetes Initiative of the Joslin Diabetes Center, and more.

I have done special shop and cook events. This would fall under private tours. Please call me to discuss.

Children under two are free. Please be mindful of other guests’ experience. I will rely on your knowledge of your child’s attention span, patience, and your ability to manage that. Seniors 65+ enjoy a 15% discount. Active duty military and veterans also get 10% discount.

This can be arranged! It’ll be different as shops open at different hours, and some things won’t be as fresh or available at night, but then, other things will be. Call me to discuss.

I have beautiful gift cards available - heavy stock with a red edge. These can be purchased here.

Please let them know you enjoyed the tour! I also offer complementary tours to concierges to enable them to gain first-hand experience of these tours. I believe most concierges also appreciate tips.

You’ll receive a terrific handout on this tour complete with information on the shops we visit, maps of both Chinatown and China, and more!