3-Day Essence of Shanghai and Watertown Tour

Recommended Hotel: The Bund Hotel Shanghai (4-star)/Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World (5-star)

Your private guide will be waiting for you at airport arrivals. A comfortable vehicle (non-smoking) with an experienced driver will transfer you directly to your hotel. Your guide will help you check in.

Evening Ideas:

• During a typical day, your guide will be with you between 9am and 5pm. The evenings are yours for exploration or relaxation. You can ask for ideas and recommendations from your guide (an expert on Shanghai).
• Nighttime on the Bund is beautiful, and the best way to enjoy the night lights is by taking the Huangpu River Cruise.

Meals: breakfast & lunch

Recommended Hotel: The Bund Hotel Shanghai (4-star)/Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World (5-star)

You will have a western breakfast at your hotel. Your private driver and guide will be waiting in the lobby after breakfast, prepared with drinks and a map, ready to maximize your time.

Your sightseeing begins with a visit to Shanghai Museum, one of the best museums in China. It is home to more than 120,000 precious historical relics. You’ll see many of these, including the most precious two: a cooking vessel with a dragon pattern from the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046BC) and a special cursive-style work of calligraphy based on the Red Cliff Ode (赤壁赋).

Yu Garden is an oasis of peace and calm in the midst of the busy streets of Shanghai. It is the perfect place for some quiet time after a busy morning of sightseeing in the city. Built during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), it used to be a private garden. You can see there the layout and style of a traditional Chinese garden, and appreciate classical Chinese architecture: pavilions, winding cloisters, decorated walls, dwellings, and the most distinctive building there – a ship-like living room by a pond.

You’ll have lunch at Home’s Restaurant, which specializes in Shanghai cuisine using the best local ingredients! Smoked fish and red jujube with sticky rice are popular in Shanghai. The restaurant enjoys a great reputation with diners from many parts of China and abroad.

If you are a thrill seeker, don’t miss the 360° glass viewing platform on the Oriental Pearl TV Tower! This is Shanghai’s major landmark, standing across the Huangpu River from the Bund. You will browse Shanghai’s history in the Shanghai History Museum, located on the ground floor.

End the day enjoying the sunset with a relaxing walk along the Bund. This 1.5-kilometer-long embankment runs along the western bank of Huangpu River. On its west side it is an architectural gallery with 52 well-preserved old European-style buildings. Once the major trading and commercial center of old Shanghai, the Bund has now taken on new vitality, with futuristic developments, chic restaurants, up-market shops and bars offering plenty to see and do – and by night it's magic!

Good to know:

• If the traditional way of touring Shanghai does not attract you, why not try a fancy, cool way – touring Shanghai by sidecar. Contact us to have our travel advisor tailor-make a Shanghai tour to meet your requirements.

Meals: breakfast & lunch

After breakfast at your hotel, your tour guide will help you check out, and prepare for a relaxing water town tour before your departure!

Xitang Ancient Water Town is a beautiful town that seems like a completely different world from the hustle and bustle of Shanghai. Cobbled streets, old buildings, bridges arching over canals, rowing boats lingering on the river, locals singing folk songs – this is Xitang, a charming, ancient water town. Something that makes Xitang special is the number of bridges it contains: the town has 104 bridges, built in varying styles spanning the Ming and Qing dynasties. Some look like rainbows over the river and others like long flutes. You will take a short cruise on the water and enjoy a relaxing time.

After Xitang and lunch, your tour guide and driver will escort you to the airport and wave goodbye.

Good to know:

• The Xitang tour will take more than half a day, so if your departure flight is in the early afternoon, it is suggested to replace Xitang by Zhujiajiao Watertown – the water town nearest to Shanghai.