5-Day Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou Bullet Train Tour

Accommodation in: The Bund Hotel Shanghai (4-star)/Les Suites Orient Bund Shanghai (5-star)

Your private guide will be waiting for you at the airport. A trouble-free transfer in a comfortable non-smoking car awaits you. Your guide will help with your hotel check-in. Have a good rest to prepare for your trip the next day.

Evening Ideas:

• If you are still full of energy at night, you can stroll along Nanjing Road, Shanghai’s most popular pedestrian street. Or walk along the Bund to get a feeling for Shanghai’s magnificent modern nightlife.

Meals: breakfast & lunch

Accommodation in: The Bund Hotel Shanghai (4-star)/Les Suites Orient Bund Shanghai (5-star)

You will have Western breakfast at your hotel. Your private driver and guide will be waiting in the lobby after breakfast, prepared with drinks and 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, many of which you will see, 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 well known Shanghai fare. 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 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 all offering plenty to see and do – and by night it's magic!

Meals: breakfast & lunch

Accommodation in: Merchant Macro Hotel Hangzhou (4-star)/Sofitel Westlake Hangzhou (5-star)

After Western breakfast at your hotel, your private guide and driver will escort you to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station with pre-booked train tickets, and then you can experience the speed of one of China’s fastest trains – a bullet train to Hangzhou. The journey takes about 50 minutes and your tour guide in Hangzhou will be ready to meet you at the train station exit.

Although located in the centre of the city, Lingyin Temple is like an unsullied land far away from the busy world. It is the oldest temple in Hangzhou and is believed to be the most effective one. Devout pilgrims come to visit from all over China; you too can burn 3 incenses to the Buddha and make a wish.

Move on to Hangzhou’s iconic West Lake. Take a cruise to the island on the lake and enjoy the comfortable breeze from the water; a good way to relax.
Have lunch at the Zhangshengji Restaurant, a popular old Hangzhou restaurant with the philosophy that food doesn't have to be fancy or to use exotic ingredients to be delicious. Duck casserole and West Lake vinegar fish are the first dishes that come to mind for most people when Zhangshengji is mentioned.

Tea culture is an important part of Hangzhou and in the afternoon you will visit the Meijiawu Tea Plantation. This tea village is located behind West Lake Park and it’s probably the most important base for tea production in the area. This is a beautiful natural environment. Just relax and enjoy the special tea culture, sipping the fragrant tea while appreciating the beautiful village scenery.

Good to know:

• An alternative for people who have no interest in temples: Bike around West Lake and experience local life in the morning. The cycle route around West Lake is a relaxing route with picturesque scenery.