Yuyuan Bazar
Yuyuan Bazar
4
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
About
Yuyuan is a bustling marketplace set in an old Chinese neighborhood with traditional architecture and shops selling everything from dumplings to kitsch. A great place for people-watching and picking up Chinese souvenirs, and close to the nearby Yuyuan Gardens.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Xiaodongmen
How to get there
- Yuyuan Garden • 6 min walk
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Best nearby
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4,973 within 3 miles
Attractions
688 within 6 miles
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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
805 reviews
Excellent
226
Very good
378
Average
163
Poor
30
Terrible
8
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Jo-Ann
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia17,186 contributions
Nov 2020 • Couples
Always crowded. Such a happening place with shops of food and souvenirs. Yu Garden is here. City of God temple is nextdoor. There’s a fantastic tea house here. Must see for yourself!
Written November 12, 2020
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.
S L
6 contributions
Jun 2024 • Friends
Amazing market. Old city buildings authentic china. Food stalls are good and huge variety to choose from. Good quality gifts and other souvenirs. Enjoyed the old school atmosphere
Written June 23, 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.
Laurence R
Geneva, Switzerland86 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
The place where you can bring back lots of memories! Certainly we find better markets elsewhere but very convenient to buy lots of trinkets for colleagues! Lots of food stalls , it’s not really old Shanghai but it’s nice to do!
Automatically translated
Written September 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.
Colleen P
Quincy, MA294 contributions
Sep 2014 • Couples
Our main intent was to visit the gardens. However, the bazaar is huge and unavoidable if you want to visit anything in the area. There is the expensive and touristy center, around the temple and the gardens, that has grown into a rambling sprawl in all directions. It is very touristy and a bit hokey, and there are people there just to scam you. If you are street smart you can find some great deals. The center is very expensive and there are alot of hawkers. The further out you go in any direction generally brings you many of the same curio items, and at 1/4 of the cost. A good trick is to look for a lot of locals, particularly women, coming in and out of a shop, they knew where the best deals are and you will notice the huge price drop. Also, if you learn your basic chinese numbers, you will overhear the shop keepers telling the locals the real price (if it isnt already marked in english). For every 10 grossly over priced place there is one decent or even cheap on hidden away.
Be aware of scam artists. The tea scam is in full effect. There are also other scams, (I didn't wait to find out exactly what...) locals will wait by the corners and ask you to take their picture. They will try to strike up a conversation. However, if you are polite and just walk away, you can look back and see them just standing there, waiting for the next person. Sometimes they start to follow you down the street as well. Could be a set up for pick pocketing, of a tea-like scam. Be aware and be street smart. Keep a good eye and handle on your valuables.
Positives: Very visually interesting. Alot of fun curious such as jewelry, teapots, silk fans, silk painting, palm paintings, brush paintings, figurines, dolls, toys, clothes, antiques, lanterns, kites, Chinese masks, gems, and so on. Some rare finds like cheap natural pearls. Some places take cards (both foreign and chinese). There are plenty of food venders and there are some atms in the area such as ICBC. Local festivities, such as playing local instruments and dances.
Negative: Can be overwhelming. Very crowded. Somewhat pushy hawkers. Scam artists. Overpricing (for example, a silk fan next to the garden is '150' as you walk away it becomes '50', when you go to the outskirts of the bazaar, its '10'.") You can apply that rule to most of the curios you find.
Directions:
The gardens are off line 8 on the metro. You can connect to line 8 from line 10. Just follow the other foreigners to the right exit. The gardens are a bit of a walk away but the stroll is pleasant and there are English signs on every corner to lead you in the right direction. It gets a little confusing as you start to wind through the bazaar, but you can just find the nearest street corner and re-orient yourself.
*****REMEMBER: This is a Market, THERE ARE NO SET PRICES. BARGAIN!!!!!**********
*** Also, Remember to BRING CASH, for most of the cheap and outer stalls, you will need cash to run away with your new treasures."
Be aware of scam artists. The tea scam is in full effect. There are also other scams, (I didn't wait to find out exactly what...) locals will wait by the corners and ask you to take their picture. They will try to strike up a conversation. However, if you are polite and just walk away, you can look back and see them just standing there, waiting for the next person. Sometimes they start to follow you down the street as well. Could be a set up for pick pocketing, of a tea-like scam. Be aware and be street smart. Keep a good eye and handle on your valuables.
Positives: Very visually interesting. Alot of fun curious such as jewelry, teapots, silk fans, silk painting, palm paintings, brush paintings, figurines, dolls, toys, clothes, antiques, lanterns, kites, Chinese masks, gems, and so on. Some rare finds like cheap natural pearls. Some places take cards (both foreign and chinese). There are plenty of food venders and there are some atms in the area such as ICBC. Local festivities, such as playing local instruments and dances.
Negative: Can be overwhelming. Very crowded. Somewhat pushy hawkers. Scam artists. Overpricing (for example, a silk fan next to the garden is '150' as you walk away it becomes '50', when you go to the outskirts of the bazaar, its '10'.") You can apply that rule to most of the curios you find.
Directions:
The gardens are off line 8 on the metro. You can connect to line 8 from line 10. Just follow the other foreigners to the right exit. The gardens are a bit of a walk away but the stroll is pleasant and there are English signs on every corner to lead you in the right direction. It gets a little confusing as you start to wind through the bazaar, but you can just find the nearest street corner and re-orient yourself.
*****REMEMBER: This is a Market, THERE ARE NO SET PRICES. BARGAIN!!!!!**********
*** Also, Remember to BRING CASH, for most of the cheap and outer stalls, you will need cash to run away with your new treasures."
Written September 29, 2014
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.
Mikeview
Clayton, CA673 contributions
Apr 2013 • Couples
Although this large shopping complex can be extremely crowded, almost to the point that you wonder if you can move through the madding crowd, it adds a unique dimension to a visit to Shanghai. Even if you are not a buyer, there are a wide variety of boutique shops that are interesting to visit just to see the local handicrafts and sometimes demonstrations of how the items are made. If you are a potential buyer, make an offer for any item at about 1/3 of the stated price. If truly interested, be willing to come up a bit from there but never go above 50%. If you start to leave, the seller will usually meet your offer, but if not go elsewhere.
At the back of the complex is the 16th century Yu Yuan Garden. Created as a private garden, it has been opened to the public since 1961 and ranks as one of Shanghai's most popular attractions. It is both pretty and peaceful despite its many visitors. Well worth a visit if you enjoy beautiful garden settings. A fee is charged to enter.
At the back of the complex is the 16th century Yu Yuan Garden. Created as a private garden, it has been opened to the public since 1961 and ranks as one of Shanghai's most popular attractions. It is both pretty and peaceful despite its many visitors. Well worth a visit if you enjoy beautiful garden settings. A fee is charged to enter.
Written May 3, 2013
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.
Namtrof
Hamilton, Canada57 contributions
Feb 2015 • Business
The YuYuan Bazaar starts to shut down at about 8:30pm. I went on a Monday afternoon around 1pm and I was not really impressed. All the vendors are grabbing you, shoving items in your face, begging you to shop at their store. They all have the same laminated card showing purses, watches, etc.. There are food stores (dried fish, dried fruits, etc), a few toy stores, tons of touristy-style stores, a couple of McDonalds, a KFC, even a Starbucks and Haagen Daz. But when we went back on a Saturday night, even more Chinese-style shops had their doors open and the vibe is completely different. It's almost like a carnival or fall fair. Definitely keep an eye on your purse but our group had no problems with pickpockets.
A few things:
1. Watch out for the young teens who offer to take you to a tea ceremony. You can read about this scam all over the internet. I read about it, and experienced it first-hand (what's the point in going to China if you don't get scammed!). It was kinda funny and played true to the script you read online. Luckily I knew what was happening and didn't put out too much money.
2. Bargain and walk away. I bought a few items for my nephews, and someone else in my party bought the same thing from a different vendor for half the cost. I helped a friend buy some items and we were literally outside the store when they chased after us and agreed to our pricing.
3. WATCH YOUR MONEY. Another true scam - one of our party lost 100 yuan because the street vendor told him the bill was ripped and asked him for another one. My friend got the ripped bill back and it turned out to be counterfeit. I also got some sort of "fake" change from another vendor (it wasn't worth chasing him for $2 CAD). They will screw you out of every single cent that they can.
You can find tea, silk, clothing, food, toys, statuettes, glasswork, pearls, gold, medicines, pretty much anything you can think of.
A few things:
1. Watch out for the young teens who offer to take you to a tea ceremony. You can read about this scam all over the internet. I read about it, and experienced it first-hand (what's the point in going to China if you don't get scammed!). It was kinda funny and played true to the script you read online. Luckily I knew what was happening and didn't put out too much money.
2. Bargain and walk away. I bought a few items for my nephews, and someone else in my party bought the same thing from a different vendor for half the cost. I helped a friend buy some items and we were literally outside the store when they chased after us and agreed to our pricing.
3. WATCH YOUR MONEY. Another true scam - one of our party lost 100 yuan because the street vendor told him the bill was ripped and asked him for another one. My friend got the ripped bill back and it turned out to be counterfeit. I also got some sort of "fake" change from another vendor (it wasn't worth chasing him for $2 CAD). They will screw you out of every single cent that they can.
You can find tea, silk, clothing, food, toys, statuettes, glasswork, pearls, gold, medicines, pretty much anything you can think of.
Written February 24, 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.
Moisher
Hanoi35 contributions
Nov 2013 • Solo
They prowl around the Yuyuan subway station, waiting for a western, middle aged tourist or a couple. They are a young couple, with little backpacks. They are fluent in English, claim that they are students, visiting from Beijing. They approach you, start a very friendly benign conversation, then mention that they are heading to a “traditional minority tea ceremony” and ask if you would like to join them. As a wandering tourist, you seize the opportunity. They take you to a small alley; enter a small shop where a young woman dressed in a “traditional” red robe greets us. She claims that she comes from a small village in the mountains, where they grow teas. “There are over 3000 types of tea grown in China” she starts her narrative. We sample six different types of teas, served in little cups, not much bigger than a thumb nail. My “hosts” Wang Xi and Ji Beibei “translate” the Chinese stories associated with the various teas we sampled. Throughout the ceremony, my hosts were very friendly, took pictures and promised to e-mail them to me. I bought one bag of tea, and a neat ceramic tea kettle. Then the hostess came with the bill: my “share” of the bill came to 1,660 RMB (about $280). Wang Xi also “produced” an HSBC credit card, for his share of the bill, but he never signed any receipt, while I did.
As I heard more stories from tourists and experienced another scam like this in Beijing I am convinced that this is a well orchestrated and executed scam.
Advice: if you find yourself in this situation ask, up front, how much it is going to cost.
As I heard more stories from tourists and experienced another scam like this in Beijing I am convinced that this is a well orchestrated and executed scam.
Advice: if you find yourself in this situation ask, up front, how much it is going to cost.
Written December 24, 2013
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.
Bottomshelfhockey
Richmond, Canada8,773 contributions
May 2016 • Couples
We walked from a mall that sold rugs and embroidered pictures (life-like realism) to the Yuyuan Shopping Bazaar.
Our tour group entered through a main entrance – a corridor lined with retail outlets on both sides. Our tour guide’s first stop was the Fenghui Pearl store. It appears the tour company and the outlet has a working relationship – the tour company provides the prospective customers and the retail outlet provides tea samples (also sells tea), a washroom and a meeting place.
It took us awhile to get our bearing, but once we did we were able to navigate the bazaar and get back to our meeting place without a problem.
We were there on a sunny Monday afternoon and there were lots of people including tourists; maybe they were all tourists? In some places, like the big inner courtyard that had a huge fish filled pond, the people were shoulder to shoulder and you’re barely shuffling along. If you look up past the ground floor you’ll some beautiful Chinese architecture.
If you’re planning to shop and you have enough time, I would see “the lay of the land” to see what stores there are before going deciding on where to shop. There are many souvenir stores that have the same products. In addition, you may be approached by people asking you if you’re interested in buying a “Gucci” or a “Coach” handbag or something similar. If alarms don’t go off in your head you should be aware of course, they are trying to sell you fake brand name products.
As with any shopping in Asia, you can use your negotiating skills to get the best possible price. It helps, of course, to do your homework and knowing products and prices before buying.
In addition to shopping, this is a great place for foodies to try some new foods. There was even a place that sold Turkish snacks. Beside the outside food stalls, there was at least 1 or 2 buildings that housed numerous small food outlets along with tables and seating.
Being wary of the potential health issues with eating street food, my spouse and I went ahead and bought some battered shrimp; a bit disappointing – more batter than shrimp.
We spent somewhere between 2 – 3 hours in this shopping area.
If you don’t like shopping or crowds, stay away. I normally don’t like shopping abroad or crowds but the draw for me is the browsing, exploring and people watching.
If time was not a factor, someone could easily spend 3 – 4 hours or more here.
Given our limited time to tour the area, I would still rate it a 4 out of 5.
Notes and Tips
• The Yu Garden, another tourist attraction adjoins the bazaar.
• This was our last full day in Shanghai and prior to our Yuyuan bazaar visit, we went to the Tian Hou Silk store, the Bund and Nanjing Road. See my reviews.
• After dinner we took a taxi to the Jin Mao Tower. See my review.
• We were on a Sinorama Travel 15 day tour that included a 5 day, 4 night Yangtze River cruise. Review of the cruise and vessel “Gold 8” is already posted on Cruise Critic website.
Our tour group entered through a main entrance – a corridor lined with retail outlets on both sides. Our tour guide’s first stop was the Fenghui Pearl store. It appears the tour company and the outlet has a working relationship – the tour company provides the prospective customers and the retail outlet provides tea samples (also sells tea), a washroom and a meeting place.
It took us awhile to get our bearing, but once we did we were able to navigate the bazaar and get back to our meeting place without a problem.
We were there on a sunny Monday afternoon and there were lots of people including tourists; maybe they were all tourists? In some places, like the big inner courtyard that had a huge fish filled pond, the people were shoulder to shoulder and you’re barely shuffling along. If you look up past the ground floor you’ll some beautiful Chinese architecture.
If you’re planning to shop and you have enough time, I would see “the lay of the land” to see what stores there are before going deciding on where to shop. There are many souvenir stores that have the same products. In addition, you may be approached by people asking you if you’re interested in buying a “Gucci” or a “Coach” handbag or something similar. If alarms don’t go off in your head you should be aware of course, they are trying to sell you fake brand name products.
As with any shopping in Asia, you can use your negotiating skills to get the best possible price. It helps, of course, to do your homework and knowing products and prices before buying.
In addition to shopping, this is a great place for foodies to try some new foods. There was even a place that sold Turkish snacks. Beside the outside food stalls, there was at least 1 or 2 buildings that housed numerous small food outlets along with tables and seating.
Being wary of the potential health issues with eating street food, my spouse and I went ahead and bought some battered shrimp; a bit disappointing – more batter than shrimp.
We spent somewhere between 2 – 3 hours in this shopping area.
If you don’t like shopping or crowds, stay away. I normally don’t like shopping abroad or crowds but the draw for me is the browsing, exploring and people watching.
If time was not a factor, someone could easily spend 3 – 4 hours or more here.
Given our limited time to tour the area, I would still rate it a 4 out of 5.
Notes and Tips
• The Yu Garden, another tourist attraction adjoins the bazaar.
• This was our last full day in Shanghai and prior to our Yuyuan bazaar visit, we went to the Tian Hou Silk store, the Bund and Nanjing Road. See my reviews.
• After dinner we took a taxi to the Jin Mao Tower. See my review.
• We were on a Sinorama Travel 15 day tour that included a 5 day, 4 night Yangtze River cruise. Review of the cruise and vessel “Gold 8” is already posted on Cruise Critic website.
Written June 28, 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.
5exiles
Wine Coast Country California, CA30 contributions
Apr 2014 • Family
Awful place. It gets has some beautiful buildings and a lovely garden inside. It has however been completely ruined by commercialism. The stores all hawk the same kind of Tourist garbage on sale everywhere but these vendors take aggressiveness to a new level. If you enjoy haggling then this is the place for you. The initial price is always at least 95% over what the thing is actually worth but haggle away and you may be "lucky" and get it for 20% over, woohoo! I don't mind negotiating a little but this is just ridiculous and if you can understand a little Chinese you will understand all the unpleasant comments and insults that the vendors are throwing at their customers whilst smiling from ear to ear......Add to that the wall to wall crowds, the constant hassling by the people trying to persuade you to go off up side alleys to look at fake designer handbags and watches and the constant threat of pick-pockets and you have a truly hideous place. If only tour companies would stop bringing hoards of unsuspecting customers here to feed this madness.
Written April 7, 2014
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.
Clodruss
Singapore, Singapore547 contributions
Watch out for the kids trying to scam you, by trying to get you to go to a tea house with them to practice their English.
As you exit the Subway station to go to the bazaar, they will come up to you (2 boys and a girl) and ask if you can take their picture. After you took the picture they will all start to speak away in English saying that they are tourist here as well. Soon the topic will turn to their English lessons and then comes the question if you can help them learn. Here is the catch. They know of a tea house around the corner where you could have tea and speak. At the tea house you will be charged 3x or more for the tea and what ever else that they order. Leaving you with a huge bill that you have to pay. The owner of the tea house is in on the deal and wants an easy profit.
Save yourself the time and the money, say no thanks and walk away. The two times we went to the bazaar we were asked this trick three times.
As for the bazaar it is an experience to see and walk thru. With many little shops full souvenirs, the place is pacted with people and I would recommend going during the week day. Weekends and nights are quite full as well. Don't be afraid to bargain.
To see the real old city Shanghai, go south gate of the temple God. Head to the left side of the fashion mall, and walk down the street going south soon street market will appear on both sides of the road, with people selling meat and fish, vegetables, nuts, spices and every thing in between. Just walk back out the way you came.
As you exit the Subway station to go to the bazaar, they will come up to you (2 boys and a girl) and ask if you can take their picture. After you took the picture they will all start to speak away in English saying that they are tourist here as well. Soon the topic will turn to their English lessons and then comes the question if you can help them learn. Here is the catch. They know of a tea house around the corner where you could have tea and speak. At the tea house you will be charged 3x or more for the tea and what ever else that they order. Leaving you with a huge bill that you have to pay. The owner of the tea house is in on the deal and wants an easy profit.
Save yourself the time and the money, say no thanks and walk away. The two times we went to the bazaar we were asked this trick three times.
As for the bazaar it is an experience to see and walk thru. With many little shops full souvenirs, the place is pacted with people and I would recommend going during the week day. Weekends and nights are quite full as well. Don't be afraid to bargain.
To see the real old city Shanghai, go south gate of the temple God. Head to the left side of the fashion mall, and walk down the street going south soon street market will appear on both sides of the road, with people selling meat and fish, vegetables, nuts, spices and every thing in between. Just walk back out the way you came.
Written March 14, 2013
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.
I need to contact the jewelry SHI HUI ZHU BAO .
Would you be so kind to give me their e-mail ?
Written July 3, 2018
Taking the metro here, are signage sufficient so that I do not get lost with 2 kids with me? TIA!
Written October 13, 2017
Yes...just go ahead looking at them.
Written October 13, 2017
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