A Journey to the Future
2-Day Modern Shanghai Discovery Tour
What's life going to be like in the future? This tour allows you to have a peep at our tomorrows. In this tour, you will learn about Shanghai's urban planning and what's destined for Shanghai - see Shanghai's old and new to get its idea of phenomenal development. You will also have a chance to get close to the world's leading drone and enjoy a meal served by robots.
Hop aboard, sit back, and let's go to the future!
Highlights
- Uncover Shanghai's urban planning and see how this giant city is run.
- Explore the Bund in-depth and its historical buildings, then go up to the top of Shanghai to see its modern pinnacle.
- Get close to the world's leading droneand learn why DJI dominates the global drone market.
- Visit the world's biggest Starbucks and see how AR (augmented reality) is used in the store.
- Be a guest at a new-retail supermarket and enjoy a meal served by robots.
China Highlights, Asia Highlights, and Global Highlights collaborate to provide families and couples with personalized and stress-free experiences in diverse destinations.


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Shanghai- Guide and Tour Review
We arrived in Shanghai China on 10th of November, prior to departing New Zealand, our guide in Shanghai made contact with me to let us know he would meet us at the arrival gate when we land in Shanghai, this made me feel super comfortable as we arrived into a completely new country where we have never travelled to before. He let me know the instructions and when we arrived we were greeted by our guide Kris at the airport arrivals gate. Our driver took us to our hotel where Kris helped us checkin so we could rest as it was early morning. That afternoon Kris met us at our hotel and took us to explore the French Quarter where we had a lovely meal together, later that evening we went to a Chinese acrobat show which Kris recommended, truely a must see experience! more
Nov 2023,
John Morrell
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Shanghai trip with Kris
Kris is a friendly, attentive and knowledgeable tour guide who made sure our short trip in Shanghai was well organised without time wasting. We visited Shanghai Tower, The Bund, French Concession, Yuyuan, and watched the amazing Era Acrobats.Not only was he friendly and helpful, after knowing it was our first trip to China, Kris even went the extra miles and guided us all the way into the high speed rail cabin, to ensure we made no mistake and continued our journey to Hangzhou.I strongly recommend both China Highlights and Kris in Shanghai. more
Nov 2023,
chong777
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Good guide is success of your trip!
Never been to China before. We combined Shanghai masters with sightseeing to get into ancient and modern history of China. The whole experience was great from the first day. Thanks to our guide, Kris, who arranged tickets and helped us to get to the tournament timely although it was his day off and he had to wait us until night. He was cheerful, friendly and quite smart and easy to follow changes we asked. It should be also noted his English was very good so we did not experienced any difficulties with communication. I would definitly recommend Kris as a guide and define him as energetic, communicative, reliable person. Thanks to Kris who made our holiday in China easy, pleasant and remarkable. more
Nov 2023,
Tamar
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Garry’s & Eda’s Visit to Shanghai
We visited Shanghai on the last day of our tour in China. Kris, our guide in Shanghai was there to meet and assist us. We visited the Shanghai Tower, former French concession precinct and walk along the Bund. We even took a boat cruise along the river. It was an enjoyable experience. Kris was very attentive to all our needs. He was such a nice and flamboyant guy that we got along really well throughout the day. We strongly recommend Kris if you are ever in Shanghai. more
Nov 2023,
Eda Adams
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Shanghai Superguide!! Thanks Kris, you the bes!
Kris gave us a five star experience from the beginning. Not only did he show us the amazing city but he had wonderful knowledge of the city and recommended an after hour adventure that was unforgettable! We were quick to connect with Kris, he was very knowledgeable, thoughtful, personal, and fun during our whole stay. I highly recommend him to any visitors!! more
Nov 2023,
Jamie H
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Great Guide, Great Four Days In Shanghai
Our guide Kris was fantastic! He brought us to all the places we set out to see, but also had great suggestions on other places of interest. He was a very helpful interpreter and also went out of his way to make sure we were taken care of and had all of our questions answered. And he was flexible whenever we wanted to make a change. Kris really helped make our 4 days in Shanghai just perfect! more
Nov 2023,
4ontheroadMD
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https://www.trustpilot.com/reviews/65410df0cfb8432110ce3539
I was in Shanghai - thanks Kris - we had the best guide in Shanghai!Excellent English and he feels exactly what we needed. He helps us to understand and to like Shanghai. We will be back.Then I went to Huangshan - Thanks Toni - the warmest and the most patient guide! We saw the sunset, we felt the power of Yellow mountain!Then I go to Xian - thanks Jacob - Perfect English and so positive. Xian is wonderful for tourists with guide like Jacob. And I the and I was in Beijing.I had an excellent holiday . more
Nov 2023,
Malina
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Thank you so much Kenny!!
As being China born n raised n lived in Shanghai for many years, I wouldn’t book a tour to visit China. However my friend Amy booked a private tour through ChinaHighlight, for her very first trip to China, i came along, it totally changed my opinion about arranging private tour, absolutely worthwhile! We had a fantastic experience, learnt so many interesting stories about history, arts and culture, our tour guide in Shanghai is Kenny, she is so knowledgeable and caring, and took very nice pictures too! The restaurant she took us to were very yummy, feels local too, we couldn’t thank her enough for the pleasant trip, Amy already planning to visit again in Spring! Oh, almost forgot to mention the cars they arranged are very clean, safe drives too! more
Oct 2023,
venture21609
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I have a very good experience with
I have a very good experience with China Highlights. Very professional in the advisory for my pleasure travel for two weeks in china. Very good and professional guides especially Francisco in Shanghai.And also de follow of all the comunicaciones with me and also.Answering my multiple questions. more
Oct 2023,
Fredy Haber
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Shanghai, a beautiful city with a short but rich history.
Our final day of our 17day holiday in China was spent in Shanghai. We had an expert guide in Kris from China Highlights to show us around this magnificent city.From the rolling skyline to the majestic Huangpu River there is ample scenery in Shanghai but the main feature for travellers at the end of a long journey is the multitude of shopping opportunities to source those necessary mementos of this wonderful country. Everything for every taste and budget is available.Kris showed us the highlights including a ride to the top of the Shanghai tower, the world's second tallest building, as well as the sites that add to the rich history of this city including the Bund and old living sections that depict the lifestyle of the local Shanghai residents. more
Oct 2023,
Matthew C
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Francisco made our trip to China an
Francisco made our trip to China an experience we will never forget. Being in a country with a culture that is so rich and different can be very stressful. Having Francisco as our guide was the best thing that could have happened to us in our trip. And he speaks Spanish!!! Gracias por una aventura inolvidable Francisco! more
Oct 2023,
Hugo
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China Espectacular
Desde un inicio la se?orita Juana Pan nos atendió con prontitud y eficiencia. Nuestro tour era de varios días y requirió de guías que nos ayudaran en el desplazamiento. Siempre estuvieron ahí para recibirnos: Lili, Alonso, Silvia, Francisco, Pablo y otros, nos dieron excelente trato y cuidados durante nuestra estadía en China. Los lugares visitados fueron muy bien seleccionados y los shows q los que asistimos fueron espectaculares. Incluso en días libres se comunicaban por we chat con nosotros. sin duda la mayoría hizo más de lo esperado. more
Oct 2023,
Luis Sandoval Solano
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China Highlights 11 days China Private Tour
We have arrange with China Highlights for a 11 days private tour with English specking guide which include Beijing, Xian, Guilin & Shanghai. Maggie has been very helpful with all our inquiry, services and helping and preparing us for the trip. Our English tour guide Helen (Beijing), Susan (Xian), Vincent & Ellen (Guilin) & Kris (Shanghai) were all very professional, thoughtful, helpful and patience with us.All the places that were arrange suit us very well.China has really change compare 20+ years ago when I was visiting. more
Oct 2023,
John W
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Great trip around Shanghai
This was our first time ever visiting Shanghai so we wanted to see good places to go to and good food to eat in Shanghai. That's why we booked with China Highlights. They're very responsive and quick to arrange our 3 day trip. Our guide name is Qi and she is a very sweet and helpful person. She knew we wanted to explore many local foods, so she brought us some local breakfast foods when she picked us up from our hotel, just so we can try everything! She was knowledgeable as well about the culture and history of the places we went to. Will definitely recommend this tour and use China Highlights again for our next trip to China! more
Sep 2023,
Sherry
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Fantastic first trip in Shanghai
My partner and I were visiting China for the first time. Our tour guide was Martin, who was friendly and very knowledgeable. He adjusted the tour to our needs and gave us an extensive tour of Shanghai as well as many fascinating insights on China. He also went above and beyond and offered us plenty of recommendations on what to do in the evenings, how to get there, and even made bookings for us. Martin, thanks again! more
Sep 2023,
Regis
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Excellent booking and travel planning process.
Roger Li was our booking and travel advisor. As soon as he reached out to me after my initial online inquiry, he conveyed great communication skills and diligence in his work. He always responded quickly and never hesitated in adjusting our itinerary, until we are completely satisfied. He was also very flexible in our requests e.g. tweaking departure city, additional travellers, extra free days. What impressed me most was his (and probably China Highlights') ability to understand the needs of foreign travellers e.g. using WhatsApp and money exchange issues, tips on using WeChat/Alipay when applicable. We have booked our end of year tour now and hope that China Highlights will deliver as well as this initial process! more
Sep 2023,
Catherine Wong
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One day trip to Shanghai with Martin
I liked beautiful riverfront with skyscrapers, especially in the evening. The garden is very nice, lots of walkways makes it feel really big. Thanks to the guide the schedule was very flexible. Instead of waiting in a huge queue for the tv tower we went to nearby skyscraper, we also were able to meet with our friends who also visited Shanghai on the same day. more
Aug 2023,
Dmitry
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We had an amazing trip with China Highlights!
Kris was an excellent tour guide in Shanghai and flexible with our travel plans. Mervyn has impressive knowledge of history and culture in Xi'an and did a stellar job navigating the crowds of tourists seeing the Terra-cotta Army. Cactus brings a depth of historical knowledge to the tours that is super interesting, and she has great enthusiasm that makes the tour enjoyable. All our drivers were very good and helped ensure that we got from one destination to the next as safely and quickly as possible. The air conditioning in the comfortable cars during the exceptionally hot summer was appreciated, as well. Our itinerary included Shanghai, Xi'an, and Beijing, plus a few days trips such as a small water town outside Shanghai and the Terra-cotta Army outside Xi'an. We took high speed trains between all our destinations, and the China Highlights team did everything they could remotely to pre-arrange those logistics and also escorted us as far as they were able to at each train station. We traveled first class whenever the tickets were still available, and we stayed in quality hotels that were clean and centrally-located for most tourist activities in each city. It was maybe the greatest culinary trip of our lives. :) more
Aug 2023,
Brett N
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Kris from China Highlights in Shanghai was wonderful
We toured Shanghai with Kris from China Highlights as our guide, he was friendly, helpful and made the trip a lot of fun! He also went above and beyond when we traveled to my daughter’s birthplace helping to get information and connect with people from the orphanage where my daughter was adopted from.Highly recommend!! more
Aug 2023,
Rita A
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Personalized and very memorable!
Kris with China Highlights was friendly and personable during our trip. He told us the history of Shanghai in an interesting way, and gave us great recommendations to avoid crowds but still see the highlights of Shanghai. He also traveled with us to the city I was born and was very helpful in helping us communicate with locals. He made sure we had a memorable and very special experience. more
Aug 2023,
Annie A
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Suggested Itinerary
Here is a suggested itinerary. We are happy to customize a tour according to your interests and schedule.
Lunch
Your private guide will be waiting for you in the airport arrivals hall or in your hotel's lobby. A comfortable vehicle (non-smoking) with an experienced driver will be ready for you to explore Shanghai.
First you will visit the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, where you will discover Shanghai's urban designs, and your guide will introduce Shanghai's past, present, and future.

After lunch, walking along the Bund, you will learn about Shanghai's rise. Your guide will take you into historical buildings where you can touch the old items and he/she will tell you stories about their past.
Wander through the alleyways to get a glimpse of the locals' lifestyles. Your guide will take you to a famous local restaurant to taste Shanghai's most typical snack - xiaolongbao (steamed buns). Learn the proper way to eat one or you will burn your mouth!
Travel like a local as you hop on a public ferry, mingling with the crowds as you cross the Huangpu River and slowly travel from old Shanghai to Shanghai's Pudong New Area.
Take the fastest elevator in the world and ascend the highest building in Shanghai - Shanghai Tower. You can enjoy seeing the Oriental Pearl TV Tower below you and get a bird's-eye view of the entire city.
Hotel options:
Sunrise On The Bund
Les Suites Orient, Bund Shanghai, Bund View

Breakfast and lunch
Today you will have a peep into the future and see what's happening at China's cutting edge.
Learn how Shanghai has become a fertile ground for China's independent startup industries by visiting DJI (Da-Jiang Innovations) and having fun flying the world's leading drone. Get to know about this China unicorn's road to success and their cutting-edge technology (a unicorn is a startup valued at $1B+).

After that, transfer to the world's biggest Starbucks - Starbucks Reserve Roastery, where via phone you can watch an animated version of what is inside the beans' machines, and virtually see them resting before they are whisked through copper pipes to the coffee bars.
Starbuck's first in-store augmented reality experience is jointly developed with Alibaba's AI lab. Your guide will show you more surprises and tell you the stories behind the two companies.
Have lunch in a new-retail supermarket and see how robots deliver the dishes.
At the end of the day, we will escort you to your Shanghai airport or train station of choice.
Trip Notes
Customizing the Tour - According to Your Needs
This tour is very flexible. We are happy to alter the itinerary with you, to extend or shorten it to suit your schedule. For example, you can extend your tour for 1 day to explore more of Beijing, such as the hutong area and the Temple of Heaven.
Tour Price
Price includes:
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