Shanghai: The Bund, Yu Garden & Zhujiajiao Water Village

Driving past Shanghai's skyline, then stepping into a 400-year-old garden

You're picked up at your hotel and driven to The Bund to see Shanghai's colonial and modern skyline, then walk through Yu Garden where you sit for a tea ceremony. You visit the Silk Museum to watch the process of silk production, then board a canal boat through Zhujiajiao water village before returning to your hotel. The private guide handles the route and timing, and soup dumplings are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Yu Garden1h 30m · entry included
2. Zhujiajiao1h 30m

Explore Shanghai and Zhujiajiao Watertown

• Meet guide at hotel lobby
• Visit The Bund and view architecture
• See Shanghai Tower and skyline
• Tour 400-year-old Yu Garden
• Enjoy traditional Chinese tea ceremony
• Visit Shanghai Silk Museum
• Travel to Zhujiajiao water village
• Ride traditional canal boat
• See temple, garden, and bridge
• Return to hotel by private vehicle

The experience

Your guide picks you up at the hotel and heads straight to The Bund, where 52 buildings line the river in a mix of Romanesque Revival, Gothic, Baroque and Art Deco styles: the whole thing reads like a century of Shanghai compressed into one waterfront. Across the Huangpu River you're looking at Shanghai Tower, the World Financial Center, Jinmao Tower, all the glass and steel that went up in the last thirty years. It's a strange thing to see them side by side, the old colonial facades and the new skyline having a conversation you didn't expect.

Then you move into Yu Garden, built in 1559 as a minister's private house during the Ming Dynasty. The garden design works on this principle of blurring the line between what's artificial and what's natural: the paths curve, the walls frame views, the water reflects things back at you. You sit down for a traditional Chinese tea ceremony right there in the garden, and for a moment the city noise just drops away. It's the kind of pause that makes sense after walking through all that history.

Before heading out to Zhujiajiao, you stop at the Shanghai Silk Museum to see how real silk gets made: silkworms, cocoons, the old machines that did the work by hand. Then it's out to Zhujiajiao, the water village on Shanghai's outskirts that people call the Venice of the East. You board a traditional canal boat and drift past an aged temple, a garden, and the kind of bridges that have been there long enough that they've stopped looking new. After that, your driver brings you back to the hotel. The whole day runs long enough to hit all four stops without feeling rushed, and you get soup dumplings (xiaolongbao) somewhere in there: the signature Shanghai dim sum, the kind you can't really describe until you've tasted it.

What’s included

• Private English-speaking guide.
• hotel pickup and return transfer.
• entry to Yu Garden with traditional tea ceremony.
• visit to Shanghai Silk Museum.
• traditional canal boat ride through Zhujiajiao water village.
• soup dumpling tasting.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (3 to 11 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.

Prices and times updated 13 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Shanghai Advisor Tour

Is this one for you?Book this if you want Shanghai's main landmarks and a water village escape in one day without arranging transport or timing the stops yourself: the private guide and fixed itinerary handle all of that.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (under 3): free.

How long is the full tour?

The itinerary covers four main stops (The Bund, Yu Garden, Silk Museum, and Zhujiajiao) with private transport between each. Plan for a full day.

Is the tea ceremony included?

Yes, a traditional Chinese tea ceremony at Yu Garden is part of the tour.

Does the price include soup dumplings?

Yes, soup dumpling tasting is included in the tour.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes, private transfer service picks you up at your hotel and returns you at the end of the day.

Can I bring a stroller or pram?

Yes, infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller. Infants must sit on an adult's lap during transport.

What should I wear?

Wear comfortable shoes and dress appropriately for the weather. The tour operates in all weather conditions.

Is this tour suitable for people with limited fitness?

Yes, it's suitable for all physical fitness levels.