Private Tianjin City Tour: Great Five Avenues & Porcelain House

Navigate Tianjin's colonial past and modern waterfront without arranging transport or translation

A private full-day tour of Tianjin with English-speaking guide covers the city's colonial-era landmarks, including the Great Five Avenues, Porcelain House, and Riverside 66, with hotel or cruise port pickup, entrance fees and lunch included. The guide meets you at your arrival point (hotel lobby or Tianjin International Cruise Port), and returns you there by 5pm. Choose your departure location when booking.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Tianjin city highlights

• Meet guide at hotel or cruise port
• Visit Former Residence of Puyi or Prince Qing's Mansion
• Learn colonial history and enjoy Tianjin lunch
• Stroll Great Five Avenues and see historic sites
• Visit Porcelain House and shopping streets
• Shop and taste local treats at Ancient Culture Street
• Walk Riverside Promenade and Italian Style Street
• End tour at start point by 5:00pm

The experience

First-time visitors to Tianjin who don't speak Chinese face a real friction: navigating between districts, decoding signage, and avoiding street-level hassles eats into sightseeing time. A private guide and car solve that by handling the route, the language and the entry lines. You're picked up at your hotel or the cruise port, then driven through the city's distinct neighborhoods on a single itinerary that connects them logically rather than leaving you to piece it together alone.

The tour moves through Tianjin's colonial layers. Jingyuan, the former residence of the Last Emperor Puyi, anchors the morning (replaced by Prince Qing's Mansion on Mondays when Jingyuan closes). From there, the Great Five Avenues (lined with European-style houses built during the concession era) show how foreign powers shaped the city's architecture. You'll pass the Former Jewish Synagogue, Former British School, and other colonial-era sites that map the period onto the streets. Lunch is a Tianjin-style meal included in the price, eaten somewhere in the itinerary rather than at a tourist restaurant you'd have to find yourself.

The afternoon shifts to modern Tianjin. The Porcelain House, a mansion covered in decorative porcelain, stands as a singular oddity worth the stop. Riverside 66, the city's largest mall, anchors the waterfront section alongside the Italian Style Street and Haihe Cultural Square. The tour ends at Ancient Culture Street (Gu Wenhua Jie), where you can browse the bazaar, taste local crepes and Sweet Ears dessert, before being driven back to your starting point by 5pm.

What’s included

• Private English-speaking guide.
• hotel lobby or cruise port pickup and return.
• private car for the full day.
• entrance fees to Jingyuan (or Prince Qing's Mansion), the Porcelain House and other sites.
• Tianjin-style lunch.
• taxi fare for central Tianjin departures.

Options for this experience

2 options

Central Tianjin DepartureGuide in English · 09:00Lasts 8 hours and departs from central Tianjin hotels. Includes a private tour guide, taxi fare, lunch and entrance fees. Pickup is included.

Tianjin Port/Binhai DepartureGuide in English · 08:30Lasts 8 hours and departs from locations outside the city center, such as Tianjin Cruise Port and Binhai Hotels, Teda Hotels and others. Pickup is included.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:30 and 09:00

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (13 to 90 years) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 43 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 9 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Sunflower Tours China

Is this one for you?Choose the Tianjin Port/Binhai Departure if you're arriving by cruise ship or staying in Binhai hotels, since the guide meets you there and times the return to your ship. Pick Central Tianjin Departure if you're staying in the city center and want to start and end at your hotel.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 12 years); Infant (under 3): free.

I'm arriving by cruise ship at Tianjin Port, does the tour pick me up there?

Yes. Choose the Tianjin Port/Binhai Departure option at booking and your guide will meet you at the cruise port, then transfer you by private car. The tour returns you to the port in time for your ship's departure.

What is the Porcelain House and why is it on the itinerary?

The Porcelain House is a mansion decorated entirely with porcelain tiles and ornaments, making it visually distinctive and a notable example of modern Tianjin architecture. It's included as a stop that shows how the city has evolved beyond its colonial past.

Is lunch included, and what kind of food will we eat?

Lunch is included in the tour price. You'll eat a Tianjin-style meal as part of the itinerary, so you won't need to budget separately for midday food or search for a restaurant.

Do I need to pay entrance fees separately at each site?

No. All entrance fees are included in the tour price, so you walk in without stopping to buy tickets at the Porcelain House, Jingyuan or other attractions.

How much walking is involved during the day?

The tour includes strolling along the Great Five Avenues and walking through pedestrian streets like BinJiang Dao and Ancient Culture Street. You'll also explore interior sites like Jingyuan and the Porcelain House. Expect moderate walking spread across the 8-hour day, with the guide pacing the stops so you're not rushed.