Private Shanghai City Tour: Customize Your 4-Hour Itinerary

Four hours, three attractions you choose, one guide who knows the stories

A private 4-hour Shanghai city tour with hotel pickup and a professional English or Mandarin-speaking guide, where you select three attractions from the Bund, Yu Garden, Jade Buddha Temple, French Concession and Shanghai Tower based on your interests. The itinerary is fully customized: your guide meets you at 8:30am, 1pm or 6:30pm and builds the day around what you want to see, whether that's colonial architecture, Buddhist philosophy, modern skyline views or Shanghai's layered history.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. The Bund30m
2. Yu Garden1h
3. Jade Buddha Temple1h
4. French Concession1h
5. Shanghai Tower1h

Private customized Shanghai city tour

• Meet guide at hotel lobby
• Visit The Bund skyscrapers
• Choose to visit Yu Garden
• Choose to visit Jade Buddha Temple
• Choose to visit Former French Concession
• Choose to visit Shanghai Tower observation deck

The experience

You choose the three stops that matter to you. The Bund is often the first: your guide points out the skyscrapers rising along the Huangpu River and explains the colonial-era architecture that still frames the waterfront. From there, the day branches depending on what you picked. If you chose Yu Garden, you'll walk through one of Shanghai's most famous classical gardens while your guide unpacks Chinese garden design and the lives of the high officials who built these spaces centuries ago. If the Jade Buddha Temple is on your list, expect Buddhist history and philosophy woven through the visit, not just the details of what you're looking at, but the reasoning behind it.

The French Concession holds a different kind of history: tree-lined streets, colonial shopfronts, trendy bars and the scrappy mix of European charm and Shanghainese street life. Your guide shows you the corners that match your mood. Shanghai Tower, if you pick it, means the world's fastest elevator, 18 meters per second, to the 119th floor, where your guide points out the landmarks below and the stories attached to them. Departure times are 8:30am, 1pm or 6:30pm, and if none of those fit, you can request a different time when you book.

Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, and your guide speaks English or Mandarin. If you're arriving at Pudong airport and want to start the tour there, you can meet at Maglev Train Longyang Road Station (seven minutes from the airport by train) or at the airport itself with an extra charge. The tour runs in all weather, so dress for the season and wear comfortable walking shoes. If you want to add food tasting, a massage or visits to other sites like the Shanghai Museum or Propaganda Museum, let your guide know when you meet. They can often work those in or point you toward them.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off.
• professional private guide in English or Mandarin.
• customized itinerary based on your choice of three attractions from five options.
• if you book a private car option, a dedicated vehicle and driver for the full four hours.

Options for this experience

6 options

Private car morning tourUp to 15 per booking · Guide in English or Chinese · 08:30 and 09:00A local professional tour guide will accompany you, along with a private transfer service (entrance tickets are at your own expense). Pickup is included

Morning Tour onlyUp to 5 per booking · Guide in English or Chinese · 08:30 and 09:00A local professional tour guide will accompany you (entrance tickets and public transportation are at your own expense). Pickup is included

Afternoon tour with private carUp to 15 per booking · Guide in English or Chinese · 13:00A local professional tour guide will accompany you, along with a private transfer service (entrance tickets are at your own expense). Your tour departs at 1:00 pm. Pickup is included

See 3 more options

Afternoon Tour onlyUp to 5 per booking · Guide in English or Chinese · 13:00A local professional tour guide will accompany you (entrance tickets and public transportation are at your own expense). Your tour departs at 1:00 pm. Pickup is included

Night tour with private transferUp to 15 per booking · Guide in English or Chinese · 18:00 and 18:30A local professional tour guide will accompany you, along with a private transfer service (entrance tickets are at your own expense). Your tour departs at 6:30 pm or at your preferred departure time. Pickup is included

Night Tour onlyUp to 5 per booking · Guide in English or Chinese · 18:00 and 18:30A local professional tour guide will accompany you (entrance tickets and public transportation are at your own expense). Your tour departs at 6:30 pm or at your preferred departure time. Pickup is included

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 08:30, the last at 18:30

Book up to12h before

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.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportPublic transport nearby

Operated by Shanghai Melody Tours

Is this one for you?Book the morning or afternoon tour with a private car if you want the guide and transport arranged so you can focus on what you're seeing rather than navigating between stops. Choose the tour-only option if you're comfortable with Shanghai's public transit and want to keep the price down. Your guide will still customize the route and explain everything, just without a dedicated driver.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

What attractions can I choose from on this private Shanghai tour?

You pick three from five: the Bund, Yu Garden, Jade Buddha Temple, French Concession and Shanghai Tower. Your guide will visit whichever three you choose and customize the stops around your interests.

What time does the tour start?

Standard departures are 8:30am, 1pm or 6:30pm. You can request a different time when you book, and your guide will confirm it when you arrange pickup.

Does the tour include entrance fees to the attractions?

Entrance fees to the sites are not included in the tour price. You pay them separately at each stop, and your guide will help you through the process.

Can I book this tour if I'm staying outside central Shanghai?

Yes. If your hotel is at the outskirts of Shanghai, you can meet your guide at Fairmont Peace Hotel in the concierge area instead, or at your hotel with an extra pickup charge applied.

Is transportation between attractions included?

Transportation depends on which option you choose at checkout. The tour-only options do not include a private car, so you'll use public transit between stops. The private car options include a dedicated vehicle and driver for the full four hours.