Zhujiajiao Water Town Tour with Shanghai Zoo and Pandas

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.99 (80 reviews) 99% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/7

Duration6h–8h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · CM

PickupAt your hotel

Walk ancient stone alleyways and watch pandas in one morning.

This private tour combines Shanghai Zoo with Zhujiajiao water town, a 1,700-year-old settlement known as the "Little Oriental Venice." Your guide meets you at your hotel, takes you through the zoo to see giant pandas and other animals, then drives you to the water town where you explore old stone-paved alleyways, cross the ancient Fang Sheng Bridge, and browse local shops and handicrafts. A gondola ride and local lunch are available depending on which option you book; the driver returns you to your hotel at the end of the day.

6h–8h

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Shanghai Zoo and Zhujiajiao Town

Meet guide at your place
Visit Shanghai Zoo and see animals
Travel to Zhujiajiao water town
Explore old alleyways and Fang Sheng Bridge
Visit local shops and landmarks
Optional gondola ride
Enjoy local lunch
Return to Shanghai hotel

The Experience

Your guide picks you up from your Shanghai hotel in an air-conditioned car and heads first to Shanghai Zoo. You'll walk through the park to see giant pandas, peacocks, monkeys, elephants and other animals at your own pace with your guide explaining what you're looking at. The zoo visit sets up the second half of the day — a contrast between modern Shanghai and something much older.

The drive to Zhujiajiao takes you out of the city to a water town that has stood for 1,700 years. Once you arrive, your guide leads you through the old alleyways on stone pavement, pointing out local shops, historical landmarks and the colorful handicrafts people still make there. You'll cross the ancient Fang Sheng Bridge and spend time in the streets where locals live and work. If you book the option with a boat ride, you can take a gondola across the water — a quieter way to see how the town sits on its canals. If you choose the lunch option, you'll eat at a local restaurant during the tour.

The whole day runs 6 to 8 hours depending on how long you linger at each stop. Your guide speaks English or Chinese and knows the history and customs of both places well enough to answer questions as you go. At the end, the driver takes you back to your hotel or another downtown location you request.

What’s included

Your guide in English or Chinese.
entrance fee to Shanghai Zoo.
driver with air-conditioned car and hotel pickup.
local lunch if you book the lunch option.
gondola ride in Zhujiajiao if you book the boat ride option.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Sunny Private Tours

Is this one for you?Book the "Tour Only" option if you want to move between both places without stopping for a meal, keeping the day shorter and the focus on sightseeing. Choose "Tour with Lunch and Boat Ride" if you have a full morning and want to slow down — the meal and the gondola turn the water town into a more complete experience instead of a quick walk-through.