Shanghai: Night River Cruise & Tower Option Private Tour

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/10

Duration3h–4h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · CM

PickupAt your hotel

Hands gripping the VIP deck railing as Shanghai lights up below

You're picked up from your hotel and taken to the Bund, where you board a VIP-level river cruise down the Huangpu with views of Shanghai's lit skyline. If you've chosen the tower option, you ride the high-speed elevator to the 118th floor for a 360-degree night view from above. Optional dinner at a local restaurant with soup dumplings and regional dishes rounds out the evening. Everything—transport, guide, entry fees if booked, and timing—is arranged in advance.

3h–4h

Step-by-step itinerary

Night tour with river cruise and tower visit

Pick up from Shanghai hotel
Visit the Bund landmark
Board VIP floor on river cruise
Enjoy illuminated city views on cruise
Visit Shanghai Tower (optional)
Take fast lift to 118th floor
View panoramic night skyline

The Experience

A driver arrives at your hotel and you're moving through Shanghai's night streets within minutes. The Bund appears first—those colonial buildings glowing against the Pudong skyline—and your guide walks you straight to the cruise terminal. You board a sightseeing ship, climb to the VIP floor, and the river opens up. The boat moves slowly enough that you can actually see the detail in the light displays: the old architecture on one bank, the new towers on the other, all of it reflected in the water. This is a private tour, so it's just your group up there, no crowds fighting for the railing.

If you've added the Shanghai Tower option, the second half takes you to the building itself—the world's second-tallest structure, and it looks different at night. The elevator climbs at 55 meters per second to the 118th-floor observation deck, and the view shifts from the river's perspective to a full 360-degree panorama of the city lit up. You're standing inside the tower looking down at the same lights you were watching from the boat. The contrast is worth the upgrade if you want to see Shanghai from both angles in one night.

Dinner, if you've booked it, happens at a local restaurant—not on the boat, not on top of the tower, but somewhere in the city where you can eat properly. The menu includes soup dumplings and other Shanghai specialties. Your guide handles the timing so everything flows without you checking your watch. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, and your driver knows the route, so you're not navigating or negotiating fares at the end of the night.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup in a private air-conditioned vehicle with a local guide, VIP-level seating on the Huangpu River cruise with views of the Bund and Pudong skyline, and optional entry to the 118th-floor observation deck at Shanghai Tower if you choose that upgrade.
If you book the dinner option, a meal at a local Shanghai restaurant with soup dumplings and regional specialties is included.
Drop-off back at your hotel closes out the evening.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Sunny Private Tours

Is this one for you?Choose this if you want Shanghai's main night sights—the river and the skyline—without arranging your own transport, timing the stops, or figuring out where to eat. The private format and hotel pickup mean you're not coordinating with other groups or waiting for a scheduled departure.