Shanghai Tours & Travel Guide
China's most cosmopolitan city: a colonial waterfront facing the future, plane-tree avenues, and the easiest international gateway in the country.
Why visit Shanghai
Shanghai is China's handshake with the world — and the perfect first or last stop. The Bund's 1920s stone facades face Pudong's towers across the Huangpu; behind them, the French Concession does leafy, café-paced Shanghai better than anywhere.
Top sights
The Bund at dusk
Arrive as the lights come on — both banks, two centuries apart, in one view.
Yu Garden & old city
Ming-dynasty rockeries and pavilions, then xiaolongbao at the source.
French Concession
Plane trees, art-deco lanes and shikumen stone-gate houses — Shanghai on foot.
Shanghai Tower
China's tallest building; the observation deck makes the city's scale click.
Sample itinerary — 3 days in Shanghai
This is a sample itinerary, so you can see what each day actually looks like — the scenery, the meals and where you sleep. On a private trip the order and pace are adjusted to your dates; your confirmed day-by-day plan, with named hotels, comes with your quote.
- Day 1
Arrive & the Bund at dusk
Check in, shake off the flight, and be on the Bund as the lights come on — colonial stone on your side of the Huangpu, Pudong's towers lighting up across the water. Dinner in the old city afterwards.
- Day 2
Yu Garden, the old city & the French Concession
Yu Garden's Ming-dynasty rockeries and pavilions in the morning, with xiaolongbao at the source. After lunch, the French Concession on foot — plane-tree avenues, art-deco lanes and shikumen stone-gate houses — then the Shanghai Tower observation deck, where the city's scale finally clicks.
- Day 3
Suzhou gardens day trip & departure
Thirty minutes by high-speed train to Suzhou: classical gardens where pavilions, ponds and rockeries are composed like paintings — the Master of the Nets Garden is the connoisseur's favourite. Back in Shanghai in time for your transfer out.
How many days?
Two full days, three if you add a water-town day trip (Zhujiajiao) or Suzhou's gardens by 30-minute train. Shanghai finishes the Golden Triangle and Classic China, and starts the Grand Tour.
Getting there & around
Pudong and Hongqiao airports plus China's busiest rail hub: Xi'an is about 6 hours by high-speed train, or 2 hours by air. The metro is superb; a car and driver covers sightseeing days.
Best time to visit
Spring and autumn. June brings plum rain; July–August is hot and humid. Details in the best-time guide.
What to eat in Shanghai
Start with xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) — Nanxiang, by Yu Garden, is the name everyone knows, but any busy local spot steaming them to order will do the dish justice. Then shengjianbao, the pan-fried cousins with crisp bottoms; scallion oil noodles for breakfast; and hairy crab in autumn, when the city goes quietly crab-mad. Your guide orders across the menu so you taste the range, not just the famous one.
Easy day trips from Shanghai
Suzhou — about 30 minutes by high-speed train: classical gardens, canals and silk, an easy half or full day. Zhujiajiao — a smaller water town about an hour by road, all bridges and snack streets. Hangzhou — roughly an hour by train: West Lake and Longjing tea fields, worth it if you have a third day. Tell us which sounds like you and we'll slot it into the itinerary.
Shanghai FAQ
Is Shanghai a good entry city for the 240-hour transit?
One of the best — major long-haul hub with eligible ports. Check the rules in the visa guide and let us verify your flights.
Day trip: Suzhou or Zhujiajiao?
Suzhou for classical gardens and canals at city scale; Zhujiajiao for a smaller, snack-street water town. Both easy — ask and we'll match it to your pace.