Shanghai Natural Sites Tour: Parks, Gardens & Local Life

Local life happens in Shanghai's parks before the city wakes up.

A private full-day tour of Shanghai's natural sites and parks with a local guide in your choice of English, French, German or Mandarin. The tour visits Fuxing Park in the former French Concession, the Shanghai Botanical Garden covering 81.86 hectares, and Century Park, the largest green space in the city. Includes hotel pickup and drop-off, air-conditioned vehicle, and an authentic lunch with meat, noodle and vegetarian options. The guide speaks your language and picks you up where you're staying.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Shanghai's natural parks and beauty

• Visit Fuxing Park in French Concession
• Explore Shanghai Botanical Garden
• See art and statues in local park
• Enjoy Century Park activities and nature

The experience

Eight hours gets you through four of Shanghai's major parks and gardens, each one a different kind of retreat from the metropolitan sprawl. Fuxing Park, laid out by the French in 1909 across 10 hectares in the former French Concession, fills with dancers, card players, tai chi practitioners and street musicians in the early morning. That's when you'll see it. The Shanghai Botanical Garden spreads across 81.86 hectares in the southwestern suburbs and holds collections of magnolias, roses, azaleas, peonies, conifers, maples, osmanthus and bamboo, plus a renowned penjing garden. Century Park, the city's largest, sits at the end of Century Avenue and mixes open lawns, woods and lakes. You can feed pigeons, fish, row a boat or peddle a bicycle if you want to stay longer at any one spot.

The tour also takes in a park full of rotating art installations and statues from international artists: the collection changes throughout the year. Your guide picks you up from your hotel and handles the driving in an air-conditioned vehicle, so you move between sites without navigating the city yourself. Lunch is built in and authentic: you choose from meat, noodle and vegetarian dishes depending on what you want to eat.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned vehicle with hotel pickup and drop-off.
• authentic lunch with your choice of meat, noodle or vegetarian dishes.
• local guide in English, French, German or Mandarin.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day5 departure times: the first at 09:00, the last at 11:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (10 and older) · Child (4 to 9 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, French, German 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 12 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Jennys China Tours

Is this one for you?Choose English, French, German or Mandarin when you book. The guide speaks your language, so you get the stories and context behind what you're seeing, not a translation after the fact. The eight-hour window works if you want to move through multiple parks without rushing any single one, and the early morning timing at Fuxing Park means you see the local tai chi and street dancers when they actually gather there.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, French, German and Chinese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 9 years); Infant (under 4): 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 time does the tour start and when does it end?

The tour runs for eight hours total. Your guide picks you up at your hotel at a time you arrange, and drops you back there after visiting all four parks and gardens.

What is Fuxing Park like in the early morning?

Fuxing Park fills with local dancers, card players, mahjong enthusiasts, tai chi practitioners and street artists in the early hours. The 10-hectare park sits in the former French Concession and was laid out by the French in 1909, with a lake, fountains, covered pavilions and flowerbeds.

How big is the Shanghai Botanical Garden?

The Shanghai Botanical Garden covers 81.86 hectares and holds collections of magnolias, roses, azaleas, peonies, conifers, maples, osmanthus and bamboo, along with a renowned penjing garden.

Is lunch included, and can I choose what I eat?

Yes, an authentic lunch is included. You can choose from meat dishes, noodle dishes or vegetarian options depending on your preference.