Zhujiajiao Water Town and Shanghai Highlights: Private Tour

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Free cancellation

1/28

Duration8h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · ZH

PickupAt your hotel

Zhujiajiao's canals and bridges date back seven centuries before you ever see Shanghai's skyline.

A private tour of Shanghai and Zhujiajiao water village with hotel pickup, air-conditioned transport and your choice of English-speaking driver or English-speaking guide accompanying the whole day. The itinerary covers the 1700-year-old water town's canals and Dian Shan Lake, then moves to Shanghai's Yu Garden (a Ming dynasty creation) and the Bund's 50 historic buildings along the Huangpu River. The tour runs eight hours; airport pickup is available as an add-on option.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Zhujiajiao and Shanghai highlights

Meet driver at hotel lobby
Drive one hour to Zhujiajiao water village
Explore canals, rivers, and Dian Shan Lake
Shop and stroll in the village
Take a relaxing boat ride
Try local snacks or have lunch by canal
Visit Yuyuan Garden and Shanghai Old Street
Visit the Bund waterfront and enjoy skyline views

The Experience

Your driver meets you at your hotel and drives roughly an hour to Zhujiajiao, a water village that has stood for seventeen centuries. Once there, you walk the picturesque canals and bridges, explore the riverside shops and local restaurants, and take a boat ride across Dian Shan Lake—the kind of moment where the phone comes out and stays out. You can browse the vendors' stalls and practice bargaining if you want, or simply sit by the water and eat local snacks before heading back to the car.

The afternoon shifts to Shanghai proper. Yu Garden comes first—a Ming dynasty private garden that took one man almost twenty years and his entire savings to build, meant as a refuge for his aging parents in the heart of the old city. The garden sits in the heart of Shanghai's Old City, surrounded by the bazaar's small streets and lanes where vendors sell everything from souvenirs to food. The entrance fee runs 30 RMB in low season, 40 RMB in high season. After that, you move to the Bund, Shanghai's waterfront lined with roughly fifty buildings in Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Classicism and Renaissance styles—the "International Architecture Exhibition" that defines the city's skyline. From the water's edge, you see both banks of the Huangpu River.

You choose between a driver who speaks English and provides background information as you go, or an English-speaking guide who walks with you through the whole day and explains what you're standing in front of. Either way, the car is air-conditioned, water is included, and the day ends with drop-off at your hotel. If you're flying in, airport pickup and return are available to add at checkout.

What’s included

Hotel or port pickup and drop-off.
air-conditioned car or minivan transport.
bottled water.
English-speaking driver or English-speaking guide for the full day (your choice at checkout).
access to Zhujiajiao's canals, boat ride and local shops.
entry to Yu Garden (fee paid separately).
and views of the Bund's historic waterfront.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Tom's Tour

Is this one for you?Choose the guide option if you want context and explanation as you move through each site; the driver option works better if you prefer to explore at your own pace and don't need narration. Either way, the private car means no group waits, no fixed departure time from your hotel, and the route stays flexible if you want to linger in the water village or spend more time at the Bund.