Shanghai Night River Cruise with Xinjiang Dining

Huangpu River lights and Xinjiang lamb, not a tourist buffet

A 3-hour private night tour of Shanghai pairs a 60-minute Huangpu River cruise with Xinjiang halal dinner on Nanjing East Road. Your guide meets you at your hotel, takes you to the river terminal to see Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai Tower and the Bund's colonial buildings lit up after dark, then walks you to a local restaurant where you watch cultural and belly dancing between courses. Soft drink or beer is included. Additional alcoholic drinks are available to purchase. The dinner is served in the restaurant, not on the boat.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Huangpu River1h · entry included
2. Pudong1h

Night cruise and Xinjiang dinner

• Meet guide and driver at hotel
• Travel to Huangpu River Cruise Terminal
• Enjoy 60-minute Huangpu River night cruise
• Dine at Xinjiang style halal restaurant
• Watch cultural and belly dancing
• Return to hotel or chosen drop-off

The experience

The evening starts at your hotel lobby, where your private guide and driver collect you and drive to the Huangpu River cruise terminal. Once on the top deck, the river opens up the two sides of Shanghai at once: to the west, the grand colonial Peace Hotel and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank line the Bund. To the east, the skyline rises: Oriental Pearl TV Tower, World Financial Center, Shanghai Tower (the second tallest building in the world). The 60-minute cruise moves slowly enough that the city's past and its bright future sit in the same frame. The Bund area in the evening is the most prosperous stretch of the river, and this is when you see it.

After the cruise, your guide leads you to a popular Xinjiang restaurant in Pudong New Area. Xinjiang cuisine is famous across China, and the menu here centers on what locals order: Dapanji (big plate chicken, flavored with light spices, potato and green pepper, usually served with hand-stretched noodles), lamb kebabs, Xinjiang yogurt and naan (a Xinjiang pancake). If lamb is not your preference, the restaurant offers chicken wings and other skewers. Between 6:30pm and 7:30pm, the restaurant hosts live cultural dancing and belly dancing. If the dancers invite you, you can join them. Soft drink or beer comes with the meal.

After dinner, your guide returns you to your hotel, or to another location in the city if you prefer, Xintiandi or elsewhere. The whole tour runs three hours from start to finish.

What’s included

• Private transportation from your hotel to the river terminal and restaurant.
• professional guide in English or Chinese.
• 60-minute Huangpu River cruise.
• Xinjiang halal dinner including Dapanji, lamb kebabs, Xinjiang yogurt and naan.
• soft drink or beer with the meal.
• bottled water throughout the tour.

Options for this experience

2 options

City Hotel DepartureGuide in English or Chinese · 17:00, 17:30, 18:00 and 18:30Pickup is included, along with drop-off at city hotels, the night river cruise fare, a Xinjiang halal dinner, a soft drink or beer, a private guide, and a driver.

Outskirt Hotel DepartureGuide in English or Chinese · 17:00, 17:30, 18:00 and 18:15Pickup is included for departures from outside the city center, such as airport hotels, Shanghai Disneyland Hotel, Toy Story hotel, Cruise Port, and the Songjiang, Chuansha, or Jinqiao areas, among others.

You pick the guide language when booking.

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

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day5 departure times: the first at 17:00, the last at 18:30

Book up to4h before

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

GroupPrivate

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.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Amazing Shanghai Trip

Is this one for you?Pick the city hotel departure if you're staying downtown, or the outskirt option if you're based further out: the tour syncs your hotel location with the river cruise and dinner timing so everything flows without gaps.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

Can children come?

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

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What will I see on the Huangpu River cruise at night?

The Huangpu River cruise shows you Shanghai's colonial past on the west bank (the Peace Hotel and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank among the grand buildings of the Bund), and its modern skyline to the east, where Oriental Pearl TV Tower, World Financial Center and Shanghai Tower light up after dark. The 60-minute ride runs on the top deck so the view is unobstructed.

What is Dapanji, and will there be other options if I don't eat lamb?

Dapanji is big plate chicken, a famous Xinjiang dish flavored with light spices and served with chopped potato, green pepper and hand-stretched noodles. The lamb kebabs are the most popular item with local diners, but the restaurant also serves chicken wings and other skewers if you prefer not to eat lamb. Please advise any dietary requirements when you book.

Is the dinner served on the river cruise or in a restaurant?

The Xinjiang halal dinner is served in a local restaurant on Nanjing East Road in Pudong, not on the river cruise. After your 60-minute cruise, your guide walks you to the restaurant, where you dine and watch live entertainment before returning to your hotel.

What entertainment happens during dinner?

Between 6:30pm and 7:30pm, the restaurant hosts cultural dancing and belly dancing. The performers sometimes invite diners to dance with them, though participation is optional.

Does the tour include hotel pickup?

Yes, your private guide and driver meet you at your hotel lobby in the evening and return you there after dinner. You can also request to be dropped at another location in Shanghai, such as Xintiandi.

What drinks are included, and can I order more?

Soft drink or beer is included with the Xinjiang dinner. Additional alcoholic drinks and juice are available to purchase at the restaurant.