Private Shanghai Layover Tour: Tower, Bund & Classical Garden

Shanghai tour: Jewish history, gardens, riverfront & 632m tower sunset views in 8 hours

A private sightseeing tour of Shanghai with a guide in your chosen language, including hotel or airport pickup, transportation between eight stops, dim sum lunch, and entry to all attractions. The itinerary moves from the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum through Yu Garden and the Bund's historic waterfront, then into Xintiandi's Shikumen old houses, Nanjing Road's shops, and finishes on the 118th floor of Shanghai Tower with views across the Huangpu River. The guide answers questions throughout and the schedule is built around your arrival time or preferred start.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Shanghai's history and skyline

• Meet guide at airport exit
• Visit Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum
• Walk along the Bund waterfront
• Explore Yuyuan Old Street
• Tour Yu Garden and Zigzag Nine Bend Bridge
• Taste traditional Xiaolongbao dim sum
• Stroll Former French Concession and Xintiandi
• Visit Shikumen Open House Museum
• Walk and shop on Nanjing Road
• Admire Pudong skyscrapers and Lujiazui Ring Bridge
• Visit Shanghai Tower observation deck and drink coffee
• Transfer back to airport

The Experience

Your guide meets you at the airport exit at 8:30 a.m. or whenever you land, and the private car takes you straight into the city. The first stop is the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, housed in the former Ohel Moishe Synagogue, where documents, photographs and personal items tell the story of over 20,000 Jewish residents who fled Europe during World War II and lived in Shanghai's Restricted Sector. From there you move to the Bund, the riverfront that defines Shanghai's identity—you'll walk past 26 buildings spanning different architectural styles, from the Peace Hotel to the Shanghai Customs House, with views across the water to Pudong's modern skyline.

Mid-morning brings you to Yu Garden, built in 1559 during the Ming Dynasty and small enough to contain all the elements a classical Chinese garden should have: pavilions, halls, rockeries, ponds and cloisters arranged across six distinct areas. You cross the Zigzag Nine Bend Bridge—Chinese tradition says the number nine brings good luck—and reach the Mid-Lake Pavilion Teahouse, Shanghai's oldest. At noon the guide takes you for dim sum, specifically Xiaolongbao, the soup dumplings Shanghai is known for. After lunch you spend the afternoon in the Former French Concession, walking through Xintiandi where Shikumen old houses from the 1920s now house cafes and restaurants, then into the Shikumen Open House Museum, a preserved household from that era with seven rooms showing how a Shanghai family lived then. You'll also walk Nanjing Road, the commercial street that stretches 5.5 kilometers and draws 1.7 million visitors daily.

The final stretch takes you through Pudong's modern district, where you walk along Lujiazui Ring Bridge to photograph the skyscrapers, then to Shanghai Tower itself. The 118th floor holds the world's highest indoor observation deck—the express elevator reaches it in 55 seconds at 18 meters per second. You have time to stop and look out over both sides of the Huangpu River, drink coffee or tea on the 119th floor, and if the weather holds, watch the sunset. After that, the driver takes you back to the airport to catch your flight.

What’s included

• Private transportation from your hotel or airport.
• professional guide in English, Spanish, French, German or another language.
• bottled water.
• dim sum lunch (Xiaolongbao).
• entrance fees to the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, Yu Garden, Shikumen Open House Museum and Shanghai Tower's 118th floor observation deck.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcome

Operated by MoreFunAsia Shanghai Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you're arriving at the airport or staying outside the city center—the guide picks you up and handles navigation across eight hours, letting you move between the Bund's architecture, Xintiandi, Nanjing Road, and the Jewish Refugees Museum without managing transport between stops yourself.

Top questions

What's inside the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum?

The Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, housed in the former Ohel Moishe Synagogue, displays documents, photographs, films and personal items from the lives of over 20,000 Jewish residents who fled Europe during World War II and lived in Shanghai's Restricted Sector between the 1930s and 1940s.

How many buildings will I see at the Bund?

The Bund tour covers 26 buildings of different architectural styles, including landmarks like the Peace Hotel, Shanghai Customs House and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, all standing on the west bank of the Huangpu River.

What is Shikumen architecture?

Shikumen refers to the old residential houses built in Shanghai during the 1920s and earlier, combining traditional Chinese and Western architectural styles. The Shikumen Open House Museum is a preserved 1920s household with seven rooms—guest room, study, bedrooms, pavilion and kitchen—showing how Shanghai families lived in that era.

How high is the observation deck on Shanghai Tower?

Shanghai Tower's 118th floor holds the world's highest indoor observation deck, called the Top of Shanghai Observatory. The express elevator reaches it in 55 seconds, and from there you can see across both sides of the Huangpu River and drink coffee or tea on the 119th floor.

Is the tour customizable?

Yes, the tour is private and customizable—your guide can answer your questions about the city throughout the day, and the schedule is built around your arrival time or preferred start, making it flexible for layover travelers.