Zhujiajiao Water Town and Shanghai City Private Day Tour
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Zhujiajiao Water Town and Shanghai City Private Day Tour

By Amazing Shanghai Trip
Recommended by 99% of travelers
99% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
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With its picturesque waterways, traditional houses, and dozens of stone bridges, the ancient town of Zhujiajiao has been nicknamed the “Venice of Shanghai.” With a private guide, stroll through centuries of history on a leisurely boat tour of this delightful water town. The visit also covers the highlights of Shanghai city, including the Bund and Yuyuan Garden, along with a restaurant lunch. Your guide won't let you miss any important sights and is open to customizing your tour, which includes door-to-door transportation.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation

Ages 0-80
Duration: 8h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: Chinese, English
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Highlights
  • Comprehensive day tour of Zhujiajiao water town and Shanghai city highlights
  • Includes a private guide, boat ride, authentic local lunch, and more
  • See top Shanghai highlights in a day
  • Includes hotel transfers: Upgrade for airport or cruise port pickup

  • Private guide
  • Private transportation
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Local Style Lunch
  • Dinner in Shanghai city (only if option is selected)
  • Bottled water
  • Zhujiaojiao,Yu Garden,Shanghai Tower Admission tickets(only if all-inclusive option is selected)
  • Airport or cruise port pickup and drop-off (if outskirt departure option is selected)
  • Visa waiver assistance for small groups from the cruise port for cruise passengers
  • Entry/Admission - Zhujiajiao Ancient Town
  • Entry/Admission - Yu Garden (Yuyuan)
  • Entry/Admission - Shanghai
What's not included
  • Additional food and drinks
  • Gratuities
  • Airport or cruise port pickup and drop-off (if city departure option is selected)

Your tour begins with a front-door pickup in your hotel lobby (or at the airport or the cruise port if you' ve selected that option). It's an hour or so's drive to Zhujiajiao, one of China’s best-preserved water towns.  A private guide will lead you on a leisurely stroll down winding lanes and over picturesque stone bridges as you listen to commentary about the historic village. Get your camera ready: Next, you’ll hop aboard a boat for a relaxing canal ride, where you’ll have a front-row view of the town’s quaint traditional houses. Enjoy a break for lunch in a local restaurant for the chance to sample authentic regional delicacies. Most other tours end there, but you’ll continue the day with a visit to Shanghai city highlights, beginning with the 400-year-old pavilions of Yuyuan Garden. The action-packed tour concludes with the beautiful Bund and the soaring Shanghai Tower, home to a high-rise observatory with panoramic views of the city. As this is a private tour, you can opt to swap out activities, substituting Jade Buddha Temple, the Shanghai Museum, home to an extensive collection of ancient Chinese art, or another skyscraper. Finally, your guide will drop you back.

Start:Multiple pickup locations offered.
    Pickup details
    • Your centrally located hotel, outskirt hotel, airport , cruise port or train station
    Hotel pickup offered
    During checkout you will be able to select from the list of included hotels.
      Airport pickup offered
      During checkout you will be able to select from the list of included airports.
      • Pu Dong Airport, Shanghai China
      • Hongqiao Airport, 2550 Hong Qiao Lu, Changning, Shanghai China
      Port pickup offered
      During checkout you will be able to select from the list of included ports.
      • Wusongkou Wharf International Youlun Gangfazhan Co., Ltd. (South Gate), 1 Bao Yang Lu, Bao Shan Qu, Shang Hai Shi, China, 200940
      • Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, 500 Dong Da Ming Lu, Hong Kou Qu, Shang Hai Shi, China, 200086
      End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

        • Not wheelchair accessible
        • Stroller accessible
        • Service animals allowed
        • Infant seats available
        If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 32073P49

        • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
        • Most travelers can participate
        • Children must be accompanied by an adult
        • Vegetarian or halal option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
        • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
        • Please wear comfortable walking shoes
        • Visa Waiver for small groups from cruise port for cruise passengers can be provided. Please contact at least 5 days in advance
        • For airport/cruise layover or outskirt area travelers, please choose Outskirts Departure
        • Please note that Yuyuan Garden is closed on every Monday, and you will visit Jade Buddha Temple instead
        • For Spanish guide service, please book at least 3 days in advance
        • Tour end time can be modified to accommodate your schedule, please advise at the time of booking
        • For city hotel departure travelers, airport/cruise port drop off service is available (extra 25usd per vehicle), please advise at the time of booking
        • If you opt for the guide+car+lunch option, please note that entrance tickets are not included. Here are the prices for the entrance tickets: Yu Garden (40 yuan), Shanghai Tower (180 yuan), Kezhi Garden (20 yuan), and boat ride (200 yuan per boat)
        • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
        • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

        • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

        If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 32073P49

        From
        $229.00
        per adult (price varies by group size)
        Select date and travelers

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        About the operator
        Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
        • Amazing Shanghai Trip
          5.0 of 5 bubbles1,579
          China
          Joined in June 2016
        • hanyg902
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Private tour to old city
          Linda was insightful, flexible and patient with us. Did not rush us and explained everything in the level of detail we wanted
          Written March 16, 2025
        • janelQ7783EC
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Amazing day trip to Hangzhou !
          We have an amazing trip to Hangzhou with our tour guide, Caroline. She is very passionate and responsive to our needs. She provides us with many interesting insights about Hangzhou and that makes our trip very enriching. As it is a rainy day, she is very caring towards us as we are a group of seniors.
          Written March 15, 2025
        • louisk443
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Highly Recommend
          Mary our guide was fantastic! Very attentive and knowledgeable. Highly recommend! She was able to answer all our questions we had. The tour operators were also very good with communication in terms of pick up and schedule.
          Written March 14, 2025
        • nicolemF486YG
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Thanks Snow for the best day!!
          We had the most incredible day with Snow. She not only was so informative, she made are each of us got to enjoy everything we wanted in our excursion. She was kind & fun. Her English was great & she helped us purchase items. We had the best time & I cannot recommend Snow enough— she made our day so special. She also took so many photos for us! This was our favorite day of the trip!
          Written March 8, 2025
        • JanetteB919
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Shanghai your way with tour guide Jenny.
          I booked this trip through Viator and can honestly say it was the best value trip I’ve ever had!! Our tour guide was Jenny and she met us at our hotel reception. Our driver followed soon after. Jenny took us to the temple of the Jade Buddha to get our trip started . She explained that visiting the temple first would ensure that the rest of our trip would be blessed and it certainly was!! We spent a while at the temple. There was plenty to see and lot’s to learn about the Bhuddist religion and the importance of Jade in China. Jenny spoke perfect English. She was very knowledgeable and was happy to answer all of our questions ( we had lots of them) From the temple we went to the Bund . Jenny pointed out all the buildings of significance and when I told her I used to work for an international bank she showed me the building that it was once in and the new building it had moved to across the river. As we had been blessed with sunny weather we had a walk along the river side before visiting the main shopping area in Shanghai where all the major stores were located . Our driver then picked us up and we went to the old city. The architecture was stunning! Jenny advised us how old the city was and we were able to marvel at how the new mixed with the old city in Shanghai. Jenny took us into a shop in the old city to look at the jade and fresh water pearls. She taught us that we should barter with the shopkeepers if we wanted to buy anything so I gave it a go and bought myself some jade earrings . I will cherish them always. Next stop was a visit to a traditional Tea House , the Yu Garden Bazaar. Jenny had been telling us about how Chinese people love to drink tea and that the many teas have different health benefits so this visit brought that to life . We tried 6 different teas and had a detailed explanation of what each one’s health giving properties were. We bought some tea to give as a gift while we were there. From the tea house we went to Yu Gardens . It was very busy but we walked around at our leisure while Jenny told us the story of the garden’s origins and pointed out all the points of interest in the gardens . Throughout the trip we never felt that we were rushed and we had ample time to take photos. We had by this time spent 6 hours with Jenny who was keen to take us anywhere else we wanted to see in her city before we ate. We were happy with what we had managed to see and decided it was time to eat. Jenny gave us a choice of whether we would like to sample fried dumplings or go for some Chinese food. We opted for the latter . The driver picked us up again and we went to a restaurant where Jenny asked us what we liked to eat and ordered a selection from the menu for us. The food was amazing !!! by this time it was 5:00pm . A full day’s sightseeing making memories , eating delicious food and having the pleasure of excellent company in the form of Jenny who started the day as our tour guide and by the end became like a friend . I highly recommend her and the trip . Who better to show you around than somebody who loves the city she lives in ? .
          Written March 8, 2025
        • Sightseer15125
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Highly recommended great trip
          Superb service,would highly recommend,the driver was patient & accomplished in what he did. Our guide jenny was absolutely fantastic,great English & a lovely person 🥰 lots of love for her ❤️
          Written March 7, 2025
        • marn1105
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Great experience using Alana to book this activity.
          Nanjing was very interesting. The entire experience was made so easy by Alana. She is very helpful and communication was excellent. Would definitely recommend booking a tour with her.
          Written March 5, 2025
        • Nicksteiner
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Amazing Shanghai
          Berlin was a great tour guide. She showed us so many places, I particularly liked the Bund with its colonial era heritage buildings. We had a great lunch of Chinese food.
          Written March 3, 2025
        • 143jonathonh
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Excellent service and communication
          Excellent seats and fantastic communication. Our driver was right on time to pick us up from our hotel and had our name on a sign. Communication through Whatsapp from organiser was excellent with instructions and details of car. Seats organised were fantastic and in very good location in the theatre, easy to get to with pre-sent QR code. Show was brilliant!! Full of lights, effects and amazing tricks! Pick up after was very fast with the driver arriving within 2 minutes of us messaging to say we were ready. Felt very safe and looked after and loved the show, highly recommend.
          Written March 1, 2025
        • DM B
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Brilliant day tour to Suzhou
          Caroline was a wonderful guide to Suzhou, energetic, knowledgeable and full of fun. She and the driver in Suzhou, who knew every road and shortcut, made sure I saw so much more than I would have done if I had travelled without a guide. At the end, we chased the setting sun setting by the leaning pagoda, and just about caught it. She also had great advice about the best photo opportunities. A really enjoyable day.
          Written March 1, 2025
        • Klaus H
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Private guided visit of Shanghai
          A very interesting city trip with a Chinese lunch.Kimi was a competent guide.In just 4 hours we visited The Bund,city temple,yu garden and the French concession quarter.Great experience!
          Written February 21, 2025
        • R7175QKlb
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Great tour offering a variety of sights in a beautiful region close to Shanghai.
          Very complete tour. It offers a variety of great sights in Hangzhou (scenic, cultural , and religious) plus the opportunity of experiencing first hand the impressive rail travel in China in a convenient way.
          Written February 21, 2025
        • Karen-lee P
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Amazing sights of Shanghai
          We had a wonderful night enjoying the sights of Shanghai at night with Queena . The food was amazing and I can’t recommend the tour enough we were really looked after well 😊
          Written February 20, 2025
        • 432SusanP
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          A wonderful day with ‘Snow’ at the Venice of Shanghai
          Our guide Snow was amazing. She spoke excellent English and was very knowledgeable. The transportation provided was very comfortable and we had an excellent driver We would highly recommend her services
          Written February 19, 2025
        • yap86
          0 contributions
          5.0 of 5 bubbles
          Amazing Suzhou day trip from Shanghai!
          Booked this Suzhou day trip tour from Shanghai and the experience from start to finish was amazing. We were picked up at our downtown Shanghai hotel by our friendly guide, Kimi, who then accompanied us on the train to Suzhou. Prior to the tour, Alana had liaised with us regarding the meeting time and also provided us much needed information and reminders - greatly appreciated! Kimi was such an excellent guide! He was enthusiastic about sharing knowledge and was super informative! He was so kind and considerate too as we were travelling with 2 young kids. We wanted to do a Hanfu photoshoot at the Humble Administrator Garden last minute and he accommodated us and helped arranged for a later train timing back to Shanghai. The tour itself was also well-paced and well thought-out and was interesting even to our kids. Sightseeing points were customisable. Clean and comfortable private MPV with driver was provided in Shanghai for the transfers and also in Suzhou to travel from site to site. All in all, a highly recommended day trip tour from Shanghai. Would definitely do this again with this company, to visit the other gardens we did not cover today! Big thanks to the wonderful Kimi and Alana!
          Written February 19, 2025
        See all 1,579 reviews
        These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

        Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

        Popular mentions

        5.0
        5.0 of 5 bubbles527 reviews
        Excellent
        516
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        These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
        This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.

        Bruno H
        Zagreb, Croatia27 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Nov 2024 • Family
        My wife, daughter and myself took the tour during week stay in Shanghai. Our guide Snow was exceptionally friendly, well educated with all possible info about Shanghai (and wider), spoke excellent English and was very agile to accommodate all our needs. I highly recommend tour to anyone visiting the city for first time as it will open new horizons, equip you with lot of information to later be able to explore on your own and make you get best quick knowledge about local culture and living. Not to mention you will get best advices where to take most memorable photos. We also enjoyed most authentic lunch thnx to our wonderful guide.
        Written November 14, 2024
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        Santiering
        Sopron, Hungary27 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Feb 2025 • Friends
        Beata is a highly trained German-speaking tour guide. She speaks accent-free perfect German. We were picked up on time from the agreed meeting place and drove with her at the beginning to the French quarter, where she introduced us to the life of the locals in the park. then we visited the water city, with excellent lunch and also off the tourist streams gives us insights into the life of the locals. The crowning achievement was a short-term program change, due to the long queue at the tower. Beate recommended us instead the rooftop bar in the Grand Hyat with sensational views of Shanghai from above. the walk to the radiotowet and bund was a worthy conclusion to a perfect day. thank you to Beate for allowing us this experience
        Automatically translated
        Written February 3, 2025
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        Michael C
        San Jose, CA38 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        My wife and I had a fantastic day touring all over Shanghai with Caroline as our guide and Mr. Shen as our driver. Caroline was incredibly kind, knowledgeable, and accommodating as our guide. They made sure that we were able to do everything that we wanted to do, and as our minds changed they were flexible with us. Having Caroline help us with the language barrier was crucial for us to be able to buy what we wanted and order what we wanted at our local style lunch. We got to try so many signature Shanghainese dishes, and the ancient water town was so beautiful. She was so patient with helping take pictures at every scenic spot. Having Caroline and Mr. Shen made for such a smooth day as they knew exactly where to go and navigate easily. We highly recommend this private tour for anyone wanting to see amazing sites and views in Shanghai. They make it so easy and fun for you. We would definitely book again if we are ever back. Thank you so much Caroline and Mr. Shen!
        Written November 30, 2024
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        Mari S
        11 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        A must for Shanghai, this full day private tour is really worth every penny! This was an absolutely spectacular experience. Our guide was local-born Mary and she was so knowledgeable, welcoming and nice, she made sure the entire day was seamless and did everything she could for us to enjoy ourselves.

        We got a really nice Tesla and our driver was great too, he was efficient and safe in traffic. There are so many highlights on this trips I really don’t even know where to begin - but the water town with all its highlights was definitely on top. Mary took us to an amazing local restaurant there and we had many dishes, it was honestly the best food we ate in our entire China trip.

        The best part of this trip is how much time it saves. We saw SO much in a day, everything was explained to us by someone who knows a lot. It was so interesting when Mary told us about her family’s history in China and tied it up to things we saw. Also, in such a bustling city like Shanghai were never stressed, just relaxed as we were picked up everywhere and drove around comfortably from place to place. Thanks to Alana for arranging everything for us, she really went out of her way to make the experience a top one.
        Written November 20, 2024
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        Benjamin C
        13 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Had a fantastic day out with Mary and our driver. Mary gave excellent information about the different locations and was super accommodating to my requests. For example, I asked if we could please see the French area after we finished the old city and she and the driver arranged an impromptu stop off and walk around the area. The tour company also arranged the itinery with me the night before and accommodated my request to see the sunset at Shanghai tower. I never felt rushed and saw so much more than I was expecting. An excellent tour and one I highly recommend.
        Written September 4, 2024
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        Craig F
        Rancho Santa Margarita, CA15 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        We loved this tour and highly recommend it. Our guide Snow was excellent and taught us many things about China and their local culture. Snow is very knowledgeable about Chinese history as well as the sites we visited. The tour was private, which was nice as it was just us, Snow and our driver. Lunch is included and because the tour is private Snow gave us options as to where to eat. We let her choose the restaurant and we also let her choose the food we ordered. Lunch was excellent. This was our first visit to China, so this tour was a great way to learn about Shanghai and China.
        Written August 26, 2024
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        LuNaTours
        Zurich, Switzerland28 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Nov 2023 • Solo
        I was picked up from the hotel in a limousine by a chauffeur and Snow as a guide. First, a detailed introduction to the history of Shanghai was given during the drive to the city's great garden. Then we went to the water village with local food and cultural elements including a boat ride. On the way back to the city we visited the temple, which is a highlight of my tour. Finally, we visited the Shanghai Tower.
        The tour was very professional with all the details. Snow knew everything and was able to answer every question in fluent English.
        All entrance fees and food are included in the price, you don't have to worry about anything.
        A great day with lots of impressions. And yet, because of a lot of traffic, the tour was over 9 hours, but the chauffeur and Snow made a lot of effort without stress and time pressure. I can recommend the tour with Snow to everyone.
        We will come again and book with you.
        Thank you to everyone, very flexible and accommodating.
        Google
        Written November 18, 2023
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        Ethan V
        2 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Jun 2024 • Business
        The tour was a good time. We went to Shanghai tower, followed by Yu garden, then we drove to the water town, road a boat, had lunch then went to a temple and another garden along with souvenir shopping, then finished with driving back to the Bund and walking along the water. May was great at providing fun historical facts throughout and the process from start to finish was very seamless.
        Written June 8, 2024
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        UTASVU L
        6 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        The day started with the garden and the temple.
        Jin was the perfect host and companion. She was well versed on all the sites. And the place she chose for lunch was perfect.
        In the afternoon we went to the water town and were able to do a boat ride, walk, shop, eat snacks.
        She always had great suggestions and helped when buying at the souvenir shops to get the best quality and price.
        Finally we visited Shanghai center and enjoyed the sunset and the magnificent skyscrapers.
        Jin had always topics to talk about and truly enjoyed showing me around Shanghai
        I recommend this tour to solo travelers as well as families. You get a lot of Shanghai with very knowledgeable people
        Alana was always in touch making sure everything was good and running to perfection
        Written March 3, 2024
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        594sheila
        Oxford, UK6 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Jan 2024 • Couples
        An excellent trip which went smoothly from start to finish. Alana was so helpful with the booking and provided a wealth of information to ensure we knew exactly what to do when we landed at Shanghai airport. The service she provided truly exceeded all our expectations. Our flight was delayed but our driver was waiting for us exactly where Alana had said he would be. The car was very new and spotless. We felt very safe with our driver, his driving was excellent and he was very reliable - always there to collect us after each stop. Our guide for the day was Snow. She was good company, very friendly, cheerful and extremely knowledgeable about the places we visited, also Chinese culture, religion, food, history, so many topics! Snow took care of all the entrance tickets and the purchasing of food, which made everything so easy for us. She was fun to be with and made a real effort to ensure the day was interesting and enjoyable. We would have no hesitation in recommending this tour. It was good value for money and a great way of seeing the best attractions in Shanghai. Definitely ask for Snow, you won't be disappointed!
        Written January 20, 2024
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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        *Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

        Zhujiajiao Water Town and Shanghai City Private Day Tour provided by Amazing Shanghai Trip

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