Private Shanghai tour: Museum, Bund, Yu Garden & river cruise
Walk Shanghai's layers: colonial riverfront, imperial gardens, and the alleyways locals still use
This private guided tour of Shanghai covers the Bund, Huangpu River cruise, Shanghai Museum, Yu Garden, Nanjing Road and Tianzifang over 8 to 9 hours, with a guide who speaks your language and handles all entrance fees and public transport. Your guide meets you at your hotel at 9 a.m. and returns you there at the end of the day.
Step-by-step itinerary
- Huangpu River Entry included 1h
- Nanjing Road 1h
- Shanghai Museum 1h 30m
- Tianzifang 30m
Explore Shanghai's landmarks and culture
- Meet guide at hotel at 09:00 a.m.
- Travel to the Bund by public transport
- Wander the Bund and admire architecture
- Visit Waibaidu Bridge
- Take cruise on Huangpu River
- Walk along Nanjing Road and see thinnest building
- Visit People's Square and surrounding sights
- Tour Shanghai Museum
- Explore Shanghai Old Street
- Visit Yu Garden
- Learn about traditional Chinese Medicine at ancient pharmacy
- Stroll Former French Concession and Tianzifang
- Return to hotel by public transport
What’s included
- Your private guide in your chosen language.
- all entrance fees to Shanghai Museum and Yu Garden.
- bottled water throughout the day.
- all public transportation (bus, metro, taxi) to move between stops.
- hotel pickup and return.
Times
- Every day 09:00
Information
Prices and times updated 6 days ago
Operated by MoreFunAsia
The experience
The day starts at your hotel, where your guide meets you at 9 a.m. and takes you by public transport to the Bund: the waterfront that defined Shanghai's rise as a trading port. You'll walk past 26 buildings spanning different eras and styles: the Peace Hotel, Shanghai Customs House, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank. Across the Huangpu River, the modern skyline answers them. Then you cross Waibaidu Bridge, a steel span from 1908 that still anchors the old city's identity, before boarding a one-hour cruise. The river shows you both sides at once: the colonial west bank and the forest of towers in Pudong, lit up if you're there as evening falls.
After the river, you walk Nanjing Road, the commercial spine of Shanghai, where 1.7 million people pass through daily. Your guide shows you the Paper Building (纸片楼), a triangular structure so thin it looks like a sheet when you stand at the right angle, yet it still houses residents. You'll see Shanghai People's Square, the city's geographic center, and then enter Shanghai Museum. The building itself (a round dome on a square base) embodies an ancient Chinese idea of heaven and earth. Inside, eleven galleries hold bronze, ceramics, paintings, calligraphy, jade, coins and Ming furniture, all arranged to show the depth of Chinese art across dynasties.
The afternoon takes you to Yu Garden, the largest classical garden in Shanghai, built in 1559 as a gift to a retired minister. Six distinct areas unfold within its walls: pavilions, halls, rockeries, ponds and cloisters, each designed to reveal something different as you move through. You'll stop at an old Chinese pharmacy from the Qing Dynasty (1783) to learn how traditional medicine was prepared and used. Then you walk the Former French Concession, tree-lined streets with a mix of Chinese and European architecture, before ending in Tianzifang. This former industrial zone is now a maze of narrow lanes lined with early 20th-century Shanghai folk houses (dormer windows, red tiles, green moss) now filled with restaurants and fashion boutiques. Your guide brings you back to your hotel by public transport.
Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to move through Shanghai the way residents do: by public transport, with a guide who knows the stories behind each neighborhood. If you prefer a private car for the whole day, that option is available at checkout.
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Top questions
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese and Japanese.
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 17 years); Infant (under 3): free.
What's included in this private Shanghai tour?
The tour includes your private guide, all entrance fees to Shanghai Museum and Yu Garden, bottled water, and all public transport (bus, metro, taxi) throughout the day. Lunch is not included, so you'll have time to eat at a restaurant your guide recommends or choose on your own.
How long is the Huangpu River cruise?
The cruise lasts one hour and shows you both banks of the river: the historic Bund and colonial buildings on the west, and the modern towers of Pudong on the east, including the Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower and Jin Mao Tower.
What makes the Bund worth spending time on?
The Bund is a waterfront stretch where 26 buildings from different eras stand side by side, each with its own architectural style. They're the physical record of Shanghai's transformation from a trading port into a modern city, and they face the river so you see them against the water and the skyline beyond.
Is this tour accessible for people with mobility concerns?
The tour is wheelchair accessible, and infants can travel in a pram or stroller. Service animals are allowed. The itinerary involves walking through gardens, streets and museum galleries, so the pace depends on your comfort level. Your guide can adjust.
Can I book private transportation instead of public transport?
Yes, private transportation is available as an option at checkout. The standard tour uses public buses, metro and taxis, which is how locals move through the city. Private transport can be added if you prefer.
Private Shanghai tour: Museum, Bund, Yu Garden & river cruise
8h–9h · EN · ES · FR · DE +2
from US$ 109.87 per person