Shanghai Qibao Town
Shanghai Qibao Town
4
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience Shanghai Qibao Town
The area
Address
Neighborhood: Minhang
How to get there
- Qibao • 8 min walk
Best nearby
Restaurants
671 within 3 miles
Attractions
184 within 6 miles
Contribute
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.
4.0
389 reviews
Excellent
93
Very good
174
Average
97
Poor
19
Terrible
6
Birthe A
Stockholm, Sweden216 contributions
Sep 2024 • Solo
I went here as a solo traveler right before the sunset, it was very pretty when it got dark and all the lights were turned on. I walked around the alleyways for about an hour, lots of interesting food choices. It took me an 45 minutes and three changes on the subway to get here from my hotel, but it was well worth it. The Shanghai subway is very easy to navigate for an English speaking person. I used Apple Maps to find my ways around the city
Written September 11, 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.
putrisalat
Singapore59 contributions
May 2018 • Friends
Very commercialized, nothing old about it. All the buildings seem to have been renovated for new shops so I felt it lost much of its authenticity. The only good thing is that it's the closest "old town" to the city and the mall at qibao station is quite impressive.
Written May 26, 2018
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.
Nashboroguy
Zhangjiagang, China292 contributions
Jun 2016
This is not a true canal town. At least not by the standards that other canal towns promote. This sewage filled canal with refurbished buildings is just a way for local people to sell wares to people. Even the "temple" is a money profit center. The museums ticket for 30 rmb each is not even truly worth it. The museums are very small and not even worth the 5 rmb they charge for individual entry. I was extremely disappointed. Suzhou canal town area knows how to do a canal town properly. Shanghai, just looking to empty your pockets.
Written June 30, 2016
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.
wowcafe-shanghai
Shanghai Region, China76 contributions
Sep 2014
Small but, you get to see all those colorful and very old architectural wonders of China!
Take only a few hours of the day, and you will get the idea how those water canals were used as waterways 700 years ago. Unknown to most of the westerners, Qibao is a well kept secret in the modern Shanghai.
I read a real bad review from another traveler, and he should be ashamed of himself, just because he doesn’t know where to visit and how to order those wonderful local dishes, that does not give him the right to give a bad review to the old town of Qibao.
Its is very small, indeed ,but hey if one can find all needed as an tourist and enjoyed all those great food for less than 20 RMB (under $3US ) for most of them, what else can u say about it?
As for the food you will find here, they are too many to list, but here are some of my favorites:
Try the sweet rice ball, with stuffing inside of them, they are delicious, over ten different flavors to choose from, If you are the adventures type, then the stewed pork feet is another wonder, but it's messy, and one must eat with their hands, no two ways about it!
The sweet rice flour cake is one of my favorite,, eat it while it's still warm and sticky is the best!
Don't forget to try the lamb meat slowly steamed and sold in small quantities or the entire leg!
The crab meat steam dumplings are the best here, a tiny shop in the corner, but always full, most of the people just buy them and eat them while standing outside the shop, because there aren't enough seat inside the shop! i think it can seat only 10 at the most!
The Qibao temple, is the main reason, why the town is called Qibao, it translates : Seven Treasures in Chinese.
The name came from the seven treasures which are donated to the two brothers, whom after a life time doing the good deed to anyone who will need help, and by opening their own backyard temple to the locals with free food and drinks.
Eventually the fame grew, and the mass flooded into the temple, and the brothers had to move to a larger house so a larger temple could fit more pilgrims, and this action attracted more people , and eventually they moved 3 more time, until a very wealthy landowner donated a very nice size of land right at the intersection of the two waterways, here the brothers built the current temple with its pagoda standing high, so all the pilgrims can find their way to the temple, and the people just came from all over, and a new town was formed.
While the rich and famous came because the power of the temple, a Chinese believe, that when their wishes came truth, they in return must gave back to the temple some of their most loved treasure, as to complete the karma. So a total of seven items were donated to the brothers, and so the name of Qibao stuck with this name till now, 700 + year later, it’s a true gem not yet spoiled .
I loved here so much, I placed my private club house, more than 2 years ago, but due to high demand of friends, it is now open to the public as a very unique cafe-bar.
Look me up at Wow Cafe-Shanghai, when you visit Shanghai, and i will be gladly to show you around.
.
Take only a few hours of the day, and you will get the idea how those water canals were used as waterways 700 years ago. Unknown to most of the westerners, Qibao is a well kept secret in the modern Shanghai.
I read a real bad review from another traveler, and he should be ashamed of himself, just because he doesn’t know where to visit and how to order those wonderful local dishes, that does not give him the right to give a bad review to the old town of Qibao.
Its is very small, indeed ,but hey if one can find all needed as an tourist and enjoyed all those great food for less than 20 RMB (under $3US ) for most of them, what else can u say about it?
As for the food you will find here, they are too many to list, but here are some of my favorites:
Try the sweet rice ball, with stuffing inside of them, they are delicious, over ten different flavors to choose from, If you are the adventures type, then the stewed pork feet is another wonder, but it's messy, and one must eat with their hands, no two ways about it!
The sweet rice flour cake is one of my favorite,, eat it while it's still warm and sticky is the best!
Don't forget to try the lamb meat slowly steamed and sold in small quantities or the entire leg!
The crab meat steam dumplings are the best here, a tiny shop in the corner, but always full, most of the people just buy them and eat them while standing outside the shop, because there aren't enough seat inside the shop! i think it can seat only 10 at the most!
The Qibao temple, is the main reason, why the town is called Qibao, it translates : Seven Treasures in Chinese.
The name came from the seven treasures which are donated to the two brothers, whom after a life time doing the good deed to anyone who will need help, and by opening their own backyard temple to the locals with free food and drinks.
Eventually the fame grew, and the mass flooded into the temple, and the brothers had to move to a larger house so a larger temple could fit more pilgrims, and this action attracted more people , and eventually they moved 3 more time, until a very wealthy landowner donated a very nice size of land right at the intersection of the two waterways, here the brothers built the current temple with its pagoda standing high, so all the pilgrims can find their way to the temple, and the people just came from all over, and a new town was formed.
While the rich and famous came because the power of the temple, a Chinese believe, that when their wishes came truth, they in return must gave back to the temple some of their most loved treasure, as to complete the karma. So a total of seven items were donated to the brothers, and so the name of Qibao stuck with this name till now, 700 + year later, it’s a true gem not yet spoiled .
I loved here so much, I placed my private club house, more than 2 years ago, but due to high demand of friends, it is now open to the public as a very unique cafe-bar.
Look me up at Wow Cafe-Shanghai, when you visit Shanghai, and i will be gladly to show you around.
.
Written August 15, 2015
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.
lianchuan
Leonberg, Germany28 contributions
Apr 2018 • Friends
This gives a nice taste of a Chinese water town, with traditional buildings, waterways, lots of typical snack shops (from stinky tofu to roasted pig tail, pig nose, various veggie snacks, sweets and coconut), and hustle and bustle of visitors.
You can conveniently reach it by metro line 9, Qibao station, and just follow the brown and white signs.
We arrived on a Sunday at around 9.30 and it was not empty then... but really crowded at around 10.30. So if you don’t want it too crowded either visit during the week or early.
Must by nice in very early mornings or evenings when the lanterns are lit.
You can conveniently reach it by metro line 9, Qibao station, and just follow the brown and white signs.
We arrived on a Sunday at around 9.30 and it was not empty then... but really crowded at around 10.30. So if you don’t want it too crowded either visit during the week or early.
Must by nice in very early mornings or evenings when the lanterns are lit.
Written April 4, 2018
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.
jenifer5585
Fullerton, CA29 contributions
Jan 2018 • Friends
I came here with a friend and we really enjoyed ourselves :)
Best thing about this trip is that it is not far away and took us about 45 minutes to get there from Xuihui. Take Line 9 exit Qibao and you walk 10 minutes to get there. Lots of places to eat, snack and shop around. I would highly recommend you come here for a half day trip and walk around the area. It is a touristy area but I dont mind that.
Best thing we ate: Scallion pancakes and a candy glazed fruit kabob. You'll find these items everywhere.
Best thing about this trip is that it is not far away and took us about 45 minutes to get there from Xuihui. Take Line 9 exit Qibao and you walk 10 minutes to get there. Lots of places to eat, snack and shop around. I would highly recommend you come here for a half day trip and walk around the area. It is a touristy area but I dont mind that.
Best thing we ate: Scallion pancakes and a candy glazed fruit kabob. You'll find these items everywhere.
Written January 25, 2018
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.
jarborra
Stockholm, Sweden346 contributions
Nov 2017 • Solo
I had about a day and half to spend in Shanghai between business meetings and one cold Tuesday morning, I decided to take the subway west from Pudong 12 stops to Qibao to see an "authentic" side of Shanghai. So, maybe it isn't super authentic (what do I know) but I loved it.
It's a short 10 min walk from the subway station Qibao and not entirely obvious how to get there. I just sort of happened upon it from a tree-lined street, the Chinese arch is a dead give-away and the entrance is in the right-most corner.
Among mostly Chinese visitors (tourists?) you will enter a narrow, shop-lined street filled with people. The prices aren't exorbitant so if you're looking for knick-knacks or souvenirs (or even nice cashmere throws), this is the place to get them. After a while you will come to a canal and a bridge. Off to the right, there is a second bridge which is perfect for photographing the first. Make sure to do that for the best view.
Once across the bridge, you will enter the food part of Qibao and here the shops are replaced by hole-in-the-wall restaurants. I encourage you to explore: on a small side-street to the right, I found the best (and cheapest) noodles I've ever had in my life. After lunch, spy the temple tower in the distance and make your way to it on the way back to the subway.
The whole experience can be had in three hours. Highly recommended!
It's a short 10 min walk from the subway station Qibao and not entirely obvious how to get there. I just sort of happened upon it from a tree-lined street, the Chinese arch is a dead give-away and the entrance is in the right-most corner.
Among mostly Chinese visitors (tourists?) you will enter a narrow, shop-lined street filled with people. The prices aren't exorbitant so if you're looking for knick-knacks or souvenirs (or even nice cashmere throws), this is the place to get them. After a while you will come to a canal and a bridge. Off to the right, there is a second bridge which is perfect for photographing the first. Make sure to do that for the best view.
Once across the bridge, you will enter the food part of Qibao and here the shops are replaced by hole-in-the-wall restaurants. I encourage you to explore: on a small side-street to the right, I found the best (and cheapest) noodles I've ever had in my life. After lunch, spy the temple tower in the distance and make your way to it on the way back to the subway.
The whole experience can be had in three hours. Highly recommended!
Written December 22, 2017
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.
Alexandra300
Beijing, China31 contributions
Aug 2017 • Couples
if you visiting Shanghai or living here and want to see more of authentic, old part of Shanghai, you should visit Qibao old town, no need to pay entrance fee, lots of cafe and food around, local souvenirs, easy access from metro line 9(qibao station). There is a huge shopping mall just besides the town. Avoid national holidays or weekends... too crowded.
Written December 22, 2017
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.
Randy D
26 contributions
Jul 2017 • Solo
Has it's own Shanghai metro stop so it may not be the best of the Shanghai water towns but it's easy to get to via Line 9. Picturesque central canal with touristy shops on both sides, maybe just a half day trip.
Written August 9, 2017
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.
Colleen P
Quincy, MA294 contributions
Aug 2016
Qibao is an easy Day Trip from the heart of Shanghai.
Just hop on the metro and get off at the station labeled Qibao. It is a refreshingly traditional experience in the city. It is full of shops, restaurants, temples, small parks and bridged canals. There are even local shops where fish will clean your feet! It is a bit less touristy that other temples and towns in and around Shanghai. It is very much populated by locals.
It is very open so be aware of the weather. It drizzled a bit while we were there, which conveniently thinned out the population but also stirred up alot of mud on the street. Many of the shops and restaurants are small and tucked into nooks and crannies. WHich makes it very fun to explore but not helpful in protecting you from the rain while you walk.
Bring a camera. Its always a good idea to travel with a water bottle and some snacks, just in case none of the street food strikes your fancy. It is very much more local cuisine in Qibao.
Spend a day, get a little lost and enjoy the narrow alleys of Qibao.
Just hop on the metro and get off at the station labeled Qibao. It is a refreshingly traditional experience in the city. It is full of shops, restaurants, temples, small parks and bridged canals. There are even local shops where fish will clean your feet! It is a bit less touristy that other temples and towns in and around Shanghai. It is very much populated by locals.
It is very open so be aware of the weather. It drizzled a bit while we were there, which conveniently thinned out the population but also stirred up alot of mud on the street. Many of the shops and restaurants are small and tucked into nooks and crannies. WHich makes it very fun to explore but not helpful in protecting you from the rain while you walk.
Bring a camera. Its always a good idea to travel with a water bottle and some snacks, just in case none of the street food strikes your fancy. It is very much more local cuisine in Qibao.
Spend a day, get a little lost and enjoy the narrow alleys of Qibao.
Written December 20, 2016
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.
Je voudrais savoir si je me lève le matin très tôt et prends un taxi combien de temps ça me prendrait exactement en taxi. Je n'ai vraiment pas beaucoup de temps et je me meurs d'y aller. Je dois arriver pour midi à l'hotel.
merci
Written April 26, 2017
tks i have been twice since you are right better off by metro
Written January 11, 2019
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