Shanghai: Bund, Jade Buddha Temple & Tower Private Tour

Your guide speaks English, but the city doesn't, and that changes everything

You get picked up from your hotel and spend the full day moving through Shanghai's main landmarks (The Bund, Shanghai Tower, Jade Buddha Temple, and the French Concession) with a private English-speaking guide who handles all the logistics and explains what you're actually looking at. Lunch is included, entrance fees are covered, and the route can shift based on what interests you. You return to your hotel at the end without having arranged transport, tickets, or a restaurant yourself.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. The Bund30m
2. Pudong1h · entry included
3. Jade Buddha Temple1h · entry included
4. French Concession1h
5. Xintiandi30m

Explore Shanghai city highlights

• Meet guide at hotel lobby
• Visit The Bund and admire skyline
• Tour Shanghai Tower and riverside
• Visit Jade Buddha Temple
• Lunch with Hunan cuisine in French Concession
• Stroll Wukang Road and coffee stop
• See Wukang Mansion and Madam Song site
• Explore Tianzifang arts area
• Visit Xintiandi and return to hotel

The experience

The Bund hits different when someone's actually explaining what you're looking at. Most first-time visitors to Shanghai end up squinting at colonial-era buildings and guessing at the history, or worse, getting cornered by touts outside the major sites. A private guide with door-to-door pickup means you skip that entirely. Your guide meets you at your hotel lobby, and from there it's just the two of you (or your group) moving through the city without the usual friction of figuring out where to go or how to get there.

The day starts at The Bund, where you'll see the Fairmont Peace Hotel, the HSBC building, and the whole skyline that makes Shanghai feel like it's caught between two centuries. Then you head to Shanghai Tower, the world's second-tallest building, designed by the American firm Gensler. The views from up there are the kind that make you understand why the city matters. After that comes Jade Buddha Temple, which has been standing for over 140 years. There are two jade Buddhas inside: one reclining at 8 feet long, one sitting upright at over 6 feet. The temple sometimes sets up benches where you can practice writing prayers in Chinese with ink and pen, which is genuinely interesting if you've got kids or just want to slow down for a moment.

Lunch happens in the French Concession (Hunan cuisine, the kind Chairman Mao used to eat), and then you walk Wukang Road, which still has the colonial architecture from when the French actually ran this neighborhood (1849 to 1943, across 163 acres). You'll see Wukang Mansion, designed a hundred years ago by Laszlo Hudec, shaped like a giant sail ship. The area's full of cafes and galleries now, so there's time to stop for coffee if you want (at your own cost). From there the tour swings through Tianzifang, an artsy pocket with handmade jewelry stores and bars, and finishes at Xintiandi, the birthplace of the Communist Party, before your guide takes you back to your hotel.

The itinerary is customizable. If you'd rather see Yu Garden or the Jewish Refugees Museum instead of Jade Temple, you just tell your guide during the day. Just note that both of those are closed Mondays. Morning and afternoon departures are available depending on what fits your schedule, and everything (entrance fees, lunch, taxi fare within the Middle Ring Road, and the guide) is already included in the price.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off.
• private English-speaking tour guide.
• entrance fees to The Bund, Shanghai Tower, Jade Buddha Temple, and other attractions.
• lunch with Hunan cuisine in the French Concession.
• taxi fare within the Middle Ring Road.
• customizable itinerary based on your interests.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day14 departure times: the first at 07:30, the last at 14:00

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (13 to 80 years) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

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

Prices and times updated 12 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Sunflower Tours China

Is this one for you?Book this if you're visiting Shanghai for the first time and don't speak Chinese: the private guide and included logistics remove the usual friction of navigating the city, reading signs, and timing yourself between major sites, leaving you free to actually absorb what you're seeing.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

Can children come?

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

What time does the tour start?

You can choose between morning and afternoon departures. Your guide meets you at your hotel lobby at the agreed time.

Is lunch included?

Yes. Lunch is a Hunan cuisine meal in the French Concession and is included in the tour price.

Can I skip the Jade Buddha Temple and visit somewhere else instead?

Yes, the itinerary is customizable. You can ask your guide to visit Yu Garden or the Jewish Refugees Museum instead, though both are closed on Mondays.

How long is the full day tour?

It's a full-day tour covering multiple major attractions across Shanghai, with lunch included.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes. Your guide meets you at your hotel lobby and transfers you back there at the end of the day.

What's included in the price?

Entrance fees to all attractions, lunch, private English-speaking guide, taxi fare within the Middle Ring Road, and hotel pickup and drop-off.

Can the tour be customized?

Yes. The tour can be adjusted based on your interests, and you can discuss changes with your guide on the day itself.