Shanghai tour: Zhujiajiao, Xintiandi, Tower sunset

A boat through 1,700 years, then a sunset from the city's tallest building

A private guided tour of Shanghai starting with hotel pickup at 9 a.m., taking you by boat and foot through Zhujiajiao Ancient Town, then to Xintiandi's preserved Shikumen houses, the Bund's historic waterfront, and ending at Shanghai Tower's observation deck for sunset. The guide speaks your language, lunch is included, and the itinerary holds together across eight to nine hours without you arranging transport or entry between stops.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Zhujiajiao, Xintiandi, and Shanghai Tower

• Meet guide at hotel at 09:00 a.m.
• Transfer to Zhujiajiao Ancient Town
• Explore Zhujiajiao by boat and foot
• Visit Kezhi Garden, post office, temples
• Enjoy local specialty lunch in Zhujiajiao
• Transfer to Shanghai downtown
• Appreciate Shikumen style houses at Xintiandi
• Visit Shikumen Open House Museum
• Walk along the Bund and admire buildings
• Visit Shanghai Tower observation deck
• Admire sunset views from Shanghai Tower
• Return to hotel and end service

The Experience

Your guide meets you at your hotel at 9 a.m. and drives you to Zhujiajiao, the best preserved of Shanghai's four ancient water towns. Known as the "Venice of Shanghai," it has canals, small alleys, arched bridges and buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties—over 1,700 years of history compressed into a few square blocks. You explore on foot and by boat, passing landmarks like Kezhi Garden, the Qing-period post office (the earliest in east China and the only well-preserved one from that era), the City God Temple and Yuanjin Temple. The boat tour is the way to see it; walking alone misses the waterways that make the town what it is.

Lunch is local specialty food in Zhujiajiao itself, then you transfer to downtown Shanghai. Xintiandi comes next—a pedestrian district built from Shikumen, the distinctive narrow townhouses that housed Shanghai families in the 1920s. The north side preserves the original old buildings; the south side is modern architecture. Outdoor cafés, bars and restaurants fill the streets now, but the Shikumen Open House Museum lets you step inside a 1920s household, with seven rooms showing how a family actually lived: guest room, study, bedrooms, pavilion, kitchen. It is the architecture and the everyday life together that makes Xintiandi different from a shopping street.

You walk the Bund, the famous waterfront on the west bank of the Huangpu River, and see 26 buildings of different architectural styles—the Peace Hotel, Shanghai Customs House, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank and others. Then comes Shanghai Tower. At 632 meters, it is Shanghai's tallest building. The express elevator reaches the 118th floor in 55 seconds at 18 meters per second. The observation deck there is the world's highest indoor one. You have time to stand and look out over both sides of the Huangpu River, and if the weather holds, you catch the sunset from up there. After that, your guide drives you back to your hotel.

What’s included

• Private transportation from your hotel and back.
• a boat tour through Zhujiajiao Ancient Town.
• lunch with local specialties.
• entry to Shanghai Tower's 118th-floor observation deck.
• a professional guide in your chosen language.
• all fees and taxes.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomeNot for heart conditions

Operated by MoreFunAsia

Is this one for you?Book this if you want both Shanghai's oldest water town and its tallest landmark in one day—the private guide handles all transitions and timing, so you're not splitting your time between the two.

Top questions

What is Zhujiajiao Ancient Town actually like when you get there?

Zhujiajiao is a water town with canals, arched bridges, narrow alleys and buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties dating back over 1,700 years. You explore it by boat and on foot, visiting landmarks like Kezhi Garden, the Qing-period post office, the City God Temple and Yuanjin Temple. The boat tour is the core of the visit—the waterways are what make the town distinct.

How long does the whole tour take?

The tour runs eight to nine hours from hotel pickup at 9 a.m. through the return to your hotel after sunset at Shanghai Tower. It covers five main stops: Zhujiajiao, Xintiandi, the Shikumen Open House Museum, the Bund and Shanghai Tower.

Is lunch included, and where do you eat?

Yes, lunch is included and you eat local specialty food in Zhujiajiao itself, after the boat tour and before transferring to downtown Shanghai.

What languages does the guide speak?

The guide is available in English, Spanish, French, German and two additional languages. You choose your language when you book.

Do you go inside Shanghai Tower, or just see it from outside?

You go inside Shanghai Tower and take the express elevator to the 118th-floor observation deck, called the Top of Shanghai Observatory. It is the world's highest indoor observation deck. You have time to look out over the city and the Huangpu River, and if weather permits, you see the sunset from there.

What is the Shikumen Open House Museum?

The Shikumen Open House Museum is a 1920s townhouse that has been preserved and renovated to show how a Shanghai family lived then. It has seven rooms—guest room, study, bedrooms, pavilion and kitchen—that tell the story of one household and show the unique architectural culture and everyday lifestyle of Shanghai in that era.