Immerse Yourself in Nanxun Water Town
4-Day Shanghai, Hagzhonu, and Nanxun Water Town Culture Tour
Shanghai and Hangzhou are two economic engines of Eastern China, however, they have totally different temperaments. What's life like in these two cities? Let's see…
Discover Shanghai's old and new on the 1.5-km-long Bund, feel its history and look into its future. Experience the real Hangzhou with its convenient AI life, and enjoy its classic scenery. Have fun in a less commercial water town and learn about traditional Chinese culture.
This tour is designed to take advantage of the 144-hour visa-free transit policy.
Tour Highlights
- Find out the secret of Shanghai's progression by taking an in-depth Bund exploration.
- Feel how smart Hangzhou is by exploring a new type of supermarket and using mobile payment.
- Experience authentic Hangzhou life by having a boat ride and visiting a traditional Chinese medicine museum.
- Have some cultural experiences, including making and trying your hand at the oldest form of Chinese printing.
- Take a rowing boat in Nanxun Water Town and participate in a wedding on the water.




98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
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Hangzhou Family Trip
Our guide Leaf met us at the train station as we arrived from Beijing and lead us on a very well paced exploration of important spots of West Lake as well as a few other historical places in the area.We also took a detour to Anji city and enjoyed seeing the natural wonders of the area including hearing about the history of the Green Tea in the area and had an amazing lunch at a local restaurant. Best Sweet and Sour Pork and Ribs we have had in China. more
Jul 2021,
allanmM3355IK
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2 night stay at Hangzhou
I took the train from Suzhou to Hangzhou and our private guide Gerry picked us up at the train station. During our stay, we visited the Six Harmonies Pagoda, Meijiawu Tea Plantation and the West Lake. We also spent time walking the streets enjoying tasty street foods such as beggar's chicken, bbq squid and crab dumplings with soup! Gerry was a very knowledgeable guide. He clearly explained the importance of the historical sites, and I was impressed with his command of English language. Gerry also answered all my curious questions. In the evenings, we had dinner at Grandma Homes restaurant which serves local specialties at extremely reasonable prices. The vinegar fish and special pork served with bread are two local favorites. --Gary-at-SF, U.S more
Nov 2019,
Gary-at-SF
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Unexpected pleasure and an excellent guide Gerry
Unexpected pleasure and an excellent guide Gerry.When I was researching our trip to China one of the guidebooks I rely on highlighted West Lake, Hangzhou. It isn’t featured on most packaged itineraries, but when I noticed it’s proximity to Shanghai (less than an hour by train), I asked China Highlights to add a couple of days there mostly so we could relax after more than a week of active sightseeing. We left surprised West Lake doesn’t make it on more itineraries as it was an oasis of paradise. The lake itself is beautiful. Very peaceful with bike routes and walking/running paths. Lots of trees and romantic bridges. Just a delightful place to relax and reconnect with nature. If you lived in Shanghai this would be were you would have a weekend getaway place. It can be crowded as many Chinese tourists do visit there. Our guide a Gerry was excellent. Had near perfect English and was flexible with our needs. He realized that due to the crowds that the planned schedule’s order should be reversed. As we had planned to rest at West Lake as that is the primary attraction, he adjusted the schedule (cut out a meal and reduced time at one of the attractions) so my daughter could have more free time to recover. He also organized tickets to the water and light show (which for a culture experience was excellent and one of the best we have seen) and he made sure we knew where to go. Like all of the China highlights guides we had, he worked from early in the morning to late at night with a positive attitude and friendly spirit. We highly recommend Gerry for your visit to Hangzhou and China Highlights for their tour services. --New York, U.S. more
Oct 2019,
NEWYORK
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Hangzhou for pleasure and business
Hangzhou for pleasure and business 。We four people visited Hangzhou,led by guide Gerry. He was so helpful to buy a bunch flowers for my business partners. He brought us to beautiful scenes of west lake. At our request He also led us to the motor company for my business. Everything was perfect in Hanzhou our trip. --Ervin, U.S. more
Oct 2019,
Ervin
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Hangzhou for pleasure and business
We four people visited Hangzhou, led by guide Gerry. He was so helpful to buy a bunch flowers for my business partner. He brought us to beautiful scenes of west lake. At our request he also led us to the motor company for my business. Everything was perfect in Hangzhou our trip. --goatervin1988,Vienna, Austria more
Aug 2019,
goatervin1988
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Unexpected Pleasure and an Excellent Guide Gerry
Our guide a Gerry was excellent. Had near perfect English and was flexible with our needs. He realized that due to the crowds that the planned schedule’s order should be reversed. As we had planned to rest at West Lake as that is the primary attraction, he adjusted the schedule (cut out a meal and reduced time at one of the attractions) so my daughter could have more free time to recover. --913WorldTraveler,White Plains, New York more
Aug 2019,
913WorldTraveler
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Tea experience and much more
Gerry was an excellent guide - very informative, knowledgeable, and fun to hang out with. He is flexible as well; my husband was feeling “under the weather “, and Gerry switched our itinerary to accommodate him. All this, as well as a boat ride on West Lake (with the 3 pagodas on the 1 yuan note) and lunch. We ate our best dish of all China there (that Gerry found the recipe for and sent to us)! It was a Chinese eggplant dish (picture attached). --Sharon T,Grand Rapids, Michigan more
Jul 2019,
Sharon T,Grand Rapids
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Outstanding visit in Hangzhou with Leaf, our tour guide!
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Hangzhou with our wonderful guide, Leaf. Leaf went out of her way to make our stay extra special, including teaching Mandarin phrases to our daughters and finding just the right spots for photos. When my mother in law hurt her leg, Leaf traveled to the drugstore by bicycle at night and in the rain to get bandages, ointment, etc. Hangzhou was beautiful - we enjoyed walking around the lake and the boat ride. The evening show on the lake was spectacular! --julielbmccoy,Boston more
Jul 2019,
julielbmccoy
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Great tour of Westlake with Fiona
It was a very hot, tiring day but Fiona allowed us to take our time to see the sights. As we decided to finish up a bit early we were very surprised that she offered to help us rearrange our train back to Shanghai so that we could try and get back to our hotel a bit earlier. We learned a lot about the area and found it very interesting learning about Hangzhou's famous green tea amongst other things. Overall a very worthwhile experience. Well done China Highlights and Fiona. --Kathryn,Gundagai, Australia more
Jun 2019,
Kathryn
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Recommendable if you are just for a short time in HZ
I went to Hangzhou last year with my mom and we were there just for a couple of days, so we decided to do a guided tour.Gerry was our guide, he was informative and friendly. To every place he took us, he was explaining the history. Also, my phone broke that day and he helped me to go to the store and arrange the reparation. He was very helpful because no one in the shop could speak English. --Miriam more
Jun 2019,
Miriam
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Great one-day tour of Hangzhou with Gerry -- I enjoyed his knowledge of the city's history and culture and his enthusiasm while conducting the tour. He kept the itinerary flexible in order to adapt the tour to my interests. The visit to West Lake was very interesting, and the highlight for me was the chance to see Meijiawu, one of the villages renowned for growing and producing longjing tea. The beautiful landscape consists of terraced tea plants stretching high up the hillsides. After a demonstration from Nana, the tea plantation owner, of the proper technique for picking and drying the tea leaves, we had the chance to sample the longjing tea and learn more about its history. Overall this one-day tour was a great introduction to the sites of Hangzhou. --Michael T more
Apr 2019,
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Suggested Itinerary
Here is a suggested itinerary. We are happy to customize a tour according to your interests and schedule.
Your private guide will be ready to meet and greet you at airport arrivals. A comfortable private car (non-smoking) with an experienced driver will transfer you directly to the downtown area.
Start your journey with the iconic Bund. Follow your local guide into historical buildings, touch the old items, and find some clues to Shanghai's colonial past and development history.
You will have a chance to try shengjian (pan-fried buns) in an unassuming Michelin-starred restaurant, which the tourist crowds never find.
Get a unique "ticket" from your guide, board a public ferry with the locals, and cross the Huangpu River to the Pudong area — the financial engine of Shanghai.
Take the fastest elevator in the world up Shanghai Tower. There you will be able to stand at the top of Shanghai.
Hotel options:
Sunrise On The Bund
Les Suites Orient, Bund Shanghai, Bund view

In the morning, visit Yu Garden, which was built in the 16th century. It is like a peaceful oasis, hidden in the bustling metropolis. When walking in the garden, you will learn the meanings of its design and decoration.
Then, follow Shanghai's timeline to the 19th century for the former French Concession. A good proportion of Shanghai's colonial architecture has been carefully preserved there, and buildings even sport heritage plaques giving details of their history.
After lunch, take the bullet train to Hangzhou. Your Hangzhou local guide will meet you at Hangzhou East Train Station.
When you step of the train in Hangzhou, you will have entered a smart city — AI-controlled traffic system, world-leading payment methods, new-era retail stores… You can buy everything on your smart phone and get it as soon as 30 minutes later. Follow your guide to explore a new type of supermarket and find out how it can deliver goods into customers' hands in 30 minutes.

The best time to pick tea leaves is in the morning, so the first visit of the day is a tea village. Go with the tea famers and learn to pick tea leaves. Have a break at a tea famer's home, and discover the proper way to make tea. You will learn how the tea village has changed during China's history of economic development.
Have lunch in a tea-themed restaurant and see how tea is a part of Hangzhou's daily dishes.
In the afternoon, walk by the beautiful West Lake, then take to the water on a rowing boat. Listen to the interesting stories behind the sights of the lake.
Later you will visit a hundred-year-old traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy. There you can see various medicinal materials and observe how TCM pharmacists make up a prescription. Try a cup of healthy herbal tea.
In the late afternoon, enjoy a "G20 first lady" afternoon tea in a roof garden beside West Lake. Appreciate the porcelain, tea, and scenery.

After breakfast at your hotel, prepare to interact with Chinese culture and to have a relaxing boat ride in Nanxun Water Town!
Nanxun Water Town is the most original and unique of such towns. It is full of life and culture, and less commercial than other water towns.
Take a rowing boat to visit the former residence of Zhang Shiming, a super-rich man of the late Qing Dynasty (1644–1912).
Have lunch at a local restaurant by the main canal in the water town. Take a break and observe the life there — you will see local women washing clothes by the canal and preparing lunch, and children chasing each other.
There will be a wedding performance on the water, showing you how a traditional wedding was conducted in the water town. If you like, you can take part and play the bride/groom!
After the dreamy experiences in Nanxun Water Town, we'll drive you to Shanghai Pudong Airport (or a train station etc.) and wave goodbye.

Trip Notes
1. Customizing the Tour — According to Your Needs
This tour is very flexible. You can alter the itinerary and extend or shorten it to suit your schedule.
2. 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy
A short stay (up to 6 days) in Shanghai and the surrounding cities is more convenient now as there is no need for a visa.
It's permissible to stay within the administrative areas of Shanghai municipality, Jiangsu Province, and Zhejiang Province for up to 144 hours. Contact us to find out more.
Tour Price
Price includes:
Start planning your tailor-made tour now. Your 1:1 travel consultant will reply within 1 working day.