Shanghai Half-Day Tour: Jade Buddha Temple & The Bund

Four hours in Shanghai: temples, gardens, and the waterfront that built the city

You choose morning or afternoon, pick your guide up from your hotel, and spend four hours hitting the main Shanghai landmarks without arranging tickets or navigation yourself. Morning covers People's Square, Jade Buddha Temple, and the museum. Afternoon takes in The Bund, Yuyuan Garden, the bazaar, Xintiandi, and the French Concession entertainment district. Entry fees and transport are included, and the guide handles the timing so you're back by early afternoon or evening.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. People’s Square15m
2. Jade Buddha Temple1h · entry included
3. The Bund30m
4. Xintiandi30m

Day 1: Morning tour of Shanghai highlights

• Visit People’s Square
• Explore Jade Buddha Temple
• Tour Shanghai History Museum

Day 2: Afternoon tour of Shanghai landmarks

• Walk along The Bund waterfront
• Visit Yuyuan Garden
• Explore Yuyuan Garden bazaar
• Stroll former French Concession
• Visit Xin Tian Di district

The experience

You've got half a day in Shanghai and you're already thinking about what you'll actually see. The morning tour takes you to People's Square first (the heart of the city, where you can feed the doves if you want), then to the Jade Buddha Temple, built in the 1870s during the Qing Dynasty with jade statues brought from Burma. The afternoon option swings the other way: The Bund, the four-kilometer waterfront that was Shanghai's financial center in the 1930s, then Yuyuan Garden, which pulls you back to the Ming Dynasty with its halls and springs, and the bazaar around it that's been there for 500 years. An English-speaking guide meets you at your hotel, handles the entry tickets, and drives you in an air-conditioned vehicle between stops. It's the kind of tour where you're not arranging transport or hunting for opening hours yourself.

The afternoon tour also includes Xintiandi, the old French Concession district where brick buildings from the colonial era have been turned into restaurants and clubs, and the entertainment district beyond it. If you're going on a Monday, the museum and garden swap out for alternatives (M50 Art Zone and City God Temple instead), so the schedule doesn't break. Groups stay small, minimum three people, which means the guide can actually talk to you instead of shouting at a crowd. The whole thing runs about four hours, which is why it works if you're between flights or have just one morning or afternoon free.

Shanghai History Museum is the first stop on the morning route, and it's dense: 110,000 items, from bronze cannons to old maps to the HSBC copper lion. You're not spending hours there, but you get the shape of how Shanghai became what it is. Then it's out to the temple or the waterfront depending on which tour you picked, and back to your hotel by early evening or early afternoon. The wheelchair accessibility is solid across all the sites, and the vehicle itself is set up for it.

What’s included

• English-speaking tour guide.
• air-conditioned vehicle with hotel pickup and drop-off in the city center.
• admission tickets to all attractions.
• access to either the morning route (People's Square, Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai History Museum) or the afternoon route (The Bund, Yuyuan Garden, bazaar, Xintiandi, French Concession entertainment district).

Before you book

Days and timesTuesday to SundayDepartures at 08:00 and 12:30

Book up to14h before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (3 to 11 years) · Infant (under 3): free

Live guideEnglish and Chinese

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 6 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Hantang International Travel Service

Is this one for you?Pick this if you have only a morning or afternoon free and want to see Shanghai's main sights without arranging transport, tickets, or timing yourself: the fixed schedule fits the key stops into one half-day and gets you back to your hotel on time.

Traveler reviews

3.63★★★★★★★★★★

112 verified traveler reviews

5 ★39

4 ★33

3 ★12

2 ★16

1 ★12

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What's the difference between the morning and afternoon Shanghai tour?

The morning tour includes People's Square, Jade Buddha Temple, and Shanghai History Museum. The afternoon tour covers The Bund, Yuyuan Garden, the bazaar, Xintiandi, and the French Concession entertainment district. Both are about four hours.

Does the tour include hotel pickup?

Yes, the guide picks you up from your hotel in the city center and returns you there at the end of the tour.

Are entry fees included?

Yes, admission tickets to all attractions are included in the tour price.

What happens if I visit on a Monday?

Shanghai History Museum and Yuyuan Garden are closed on Mondays. The tour substitutes M50 Art Zone for the museum and City God Temple plus Yuyuan Bazaar for the garden.

How many people are in the group?

Groups are small, with a minimum of three people per departure.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes, all areas and surfaces at the attractions are wheelchair accessible, and the vehicle is equipped for wheelchair access.

Can infants come on the tour?

Yes, infants can sit on an adult's lap or ride in a pram or stroller.