2 Days Classic Shanghai City Tour (Most Time-Efficient)

Day 1 Shanghai Arrival & Tour (L)

Today's Highlights: Pick up, Yu Garden, Nanjing Road, The Bund, Shanghai World Financial Center

Welcome to Shanghai! Meet your private tour guide and driver at the airport, railway station, cruise port or your hotel in Shanghai, then start your Shanghai exploration! (Note: the number and order of attractions can be adjusted based on your schedule and interests.)

You will firstly transfer to Shanghai old town to visit Yu Garden (Yuyuan), a famous Southern China classical garden which was originally built about 450 years ago. Walk around to view the ancient pavilions, halls, towers with jagged carved cornices and decorations, grotesque rockeries, glittering ponds filled with swimming kois and many old plants. These buildings, laid out in an asymmetry, fully embody impressive Chinese architectural style, art and skills, from which you can imagine an ancient living scene and find a magic harmony between human and nature. Yuyuan Bazaar outside the garden is an interesting place for shopping traditional Chinese handicrafts and artworks and tasting a variety of local snacks.

Next, you will visit Nanjing Road, Shanghai’s earliest commercial street and one of the most popular current landmarks as a warm-up for your Shanghai modern city tour. Lots of big name brands, restaurants, cafés, souvenir shops and towering buildings can be seen when you stroll around this long busy pedestrian mall. Continue your walk to the Bund, the most iconic place of Shanghai. Stretching along the west bank of the Huangpu River, this 1.5km-long road was a simple towpath for transporting good but developed to the early “East Wall Street” in late 19th century. Most known as a perfect blend of the East meeting the West, the Bund mainly features 52 various European-style architectures praised to the Exhibition of World’s Architecture. Make a pleasant walk to see those western classical and modern style buildings and amazing skyscrapers of Lujiazui across the river.

The last stop is the Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC), “the Eye of Shanghai”, one of the most incredible skyscrapers in Lujiazui. With a height of 492 meters (1,614 ft), the tower is the second tallest building after the nearby Shanghai Tower (632 meter/2,073 ft). Ascend up to the 474 meter-high 100th floor observation deck, try a thrilling skywalk on the transparent glass walkway and enjoy a breathtaking bird’s eye view of the entire city, including the Bund, neighboring Shanghai Tower, Jinmao Tower and many surrounding attractions. Feel Shanghai lying under your feet and blue sky hanging above your head.

After visiting the Shanghai World Financial Center, you’ll be escorted back to your hotel. (If you want to be dropped off at the Bund, Nanjing Road or somewhere else please let your tour guide know.)

Recommended Night Activities (optional): 1) Watch an entertaining Acrobatic Show, including breathtaking “balls of death” acts, chair balancing, hula hoops, juggling of benches, walking in the air, and other breathtaking performances (usually performed during 19:30~21:00); 2) Take a relaxing Huangpu River cruise to see the city’s most significant edifices and streets ablaze with colorful lights (about 50 minutes).

• Yu Garden: A Chinese Classical Garden Built in 16th Century
• 474 M High Glass Walkway in World Financial Center
• The Bund: Famous “Exhibition of the World's Architecture”

Day 2 Shanghai Tour & Shanghai Departure (B, L)

Today's Highlights: Shanghai Museum, Tianzifang, Former French Concession

After breakfast, you will visit Shanghai Museum, one of the best museums in China. Conveniently located near the People’s Square, this large museum is designed and built with a round top and a square base which symbolize the ancient Chinese perception of the world as “round sky, square earth”, and mainly focus on Chinese ancient history and art. Over one billion cultural relics are exhibited inside, including precious bronzes, paintings, calligraphy, ceramics, jade, sculptures, traditional furniture, seals and old coins from more than 5,000 years ago to the Qing Dynasty. Da Ke Ding (bronze food vessel in over 3000 years ago), Bianzhong of Marquis Su of Jin (ancient musical instruments) are top treasures to visit. An Audio Explanation Device will help you better learn the facts and knowledge of the exhibitions.

Afterwards, you’ll be transferred to Tianzifang and Former French Concession to make a delightful contrast walking tour of local traditional houses and western style architectures. First, visit Tianzifang, a unique popular tourist enclave remolded from a traditional residential block in the French Concession area of Shanghai. Intertwined narrow alleys are filled with small creative shops selling lovely souvenirs and plenty of cafés, bars and restaurants. It’s great fun to ramble through the maze-like area to appreciate the well-preserved traditional Shanghainese Shikumen (Stone Warehouse Gate) houses, see interesting novel art and handicrafts, savor a lazy open-air coffee time and try some local street food and feel the original Shanghai life vibe.

Finally, you will take a leisurely walk in the charming Former French Concession which was a special premier living quarter and retail district for expats in early Shanghai (from 1849 AD until 1943 AD). You will browse hundreds of beautiful old French and European style buildings, apartments, villas, boutique shops, restaurants of a wide range of culinary styles standing at tree-lined avenues. Located among the ultra-modern architecture complex, the Former French Concession is a heritage treasury, a significant window into the city’s up-and-down history and an excellent witness of the culture fusion of the East and Europe.

After the tour, your guide and driver will escort you to the airport, railway station or cruise port for your flight / train / cruise to your next destination.

• Da Ke Ding in Shanghai Museum
• Wukang Mansion - Iconic Landmark of Former French Concession
• Exquisite Chinese Artifacts Shop in Tianzifang