--- title: "Shanghai, by Water" description: "7 days from a walled garden pond to a ferry deck reading Shanghai by its water" type: "tour" route_id: "shanghai-water-towns-7-days" total_days: 7 price: 2190 highlights: ["Shanghai", "Suzhou", "Hangzhou"] url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/en-GB/tours/shanghai-water-towns-7-days" canonical_url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/en-GB/tours/shanghai-water-towns-7-days" locale: "en-GB" alternates: {"en-US":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/shanghai-water-towns-7-days","en-GB":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/en-GB/tours/shanghai-water-towns-7-days","zh-CN":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/zh-CN/tours/shanghai-water-towns-7-days","zh-TW":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/zh-TW/tours/shanghai-water-towns-7-days","de-DE":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/de-DE/tours/shanghai-water-towns-7-days","fr-FR":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/fr-FR/tours/shanghai-water-towns-7-days","es-ES":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/es-ES/tours/shanghai-water-towns-7-days","it-IT":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/it-IT/tours/shanghai-water-towns-7-days","x-default":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/shanghai-water-towns-7-days"} --- # Shanghai, by Water 7 days from a walled garden pond to a ferry deck, reading Shanghai by its water One base, four days out. The old city quarter, museum bronzes, a water town canal and the tower deck, with English-speaking guides. - Easy. Flat city walking, garden paths and the stone lanes and bridge steps of a canal town. One lift ride to an observation deck and one short boat. No climbs, no altitude, no early alarms. ## Overview Everyone photographs the Bund. Almost nobody asks why the city is standing there at all. It is standing there because of the water, so this plan follows the water rather than the skyline: a pond inside a Ming garden wall, a river that decided where every building went, a commuter ferry that crosses it for about the price of a bus ride, and a canal town an hour out where the water is the street itself. One hotel, three nights, no domestic flights, nothing before nine in the morning. Once you are home, you will catch yourself looking at your own city's river and asking what it was ever for. — LyrikTrip travel designers Every LyrikTrip journey begins with a conversation. Tell us your dates and who is coming, and we will tell you two things in writing: what these days cost, and which parts of the week are settled and which are not. If the seven-day version is not ready for your dates, we will say so and quote you the four days instead. First reply within four hours; a written statement of what is priced and what is open, within one business day. ## Summary - Route ID: shanghai-water-towns-7-days - Duration: 7 days / 6 nights - Starting price: $2,190 - Status: active - Highlights: Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou - Cover image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b3JL4qyN.webp ## Hero tags - private - From 1 guest - Max: no fixed limit ## Highlight notes - One base, four days out. The old city quarter, museum bronzes, a water town canal and the tower deck, with English-speaking guides. - 7 days from a walled garden pond to a public ferry deck. Understand a city through its water. ## Selling points - Cross the Huangpu on the public commuter ferry, standing on the open deck with people on their way to work, for the fare of a bus ride: you arrive on the far bank having done what the city does, not what visitors do. - Stand on the Bund at dusk with your guide beside you from start to finish: a century of stone banks on one side of the water, a skyline of towers on the other, and nobody interrupting you to practise their English. - Step into a Ming dynasty garden within the old city walls, where a pond, rockery and covered walkway transform a corner of the delta's liveliest city into a haven of tranquillity. - Take a hand-rowed boat down a canal in Zhujiajiao, where the doorsteps go down into the water and the lanes come up to meet the bridge, and stop talking without deciding to. - Unpack once. Three nights in one Shanghai hotel, with the water town as a half-day out and back, so nobody moves a suitcase to see it. ## City highlights - Shanghai (4 days): Arrival in Shanghai - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6yiRJSAP.webp - Shanghai (1 days): Departure day - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6yiRJSAP.webp - Suzhou (1 days): Jiangnan extension, Suzhou - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4RKYwLBi.webp - Hangzhou (1 days): Jiangnan extension, Hangzhou - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9EPzVQkJ.webp ## Experiences One base, four days out. The old city quarter, museum bronzes, a water town canal and the tower deck, with English-speaking guides. - Yu Garden & the Old City (Shanghai): pavilions, ponds, rockeries and covered corridors, laid out in the Ming dynasty as a private family garden: "Yu" means peace, chosen by the official who built it for his elderly father. A Chinese garden works like a scroll painting: you walk it one framed scene at a time. The lanes around it keep an earlier Shanghai of small shops and food stalls. - Subtitle: pavilions, ponds, rockeries and covered corridors, laid out in the Ming dynasty - Tags: Heritage - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture - Access: The lanes around it keep an earlier Shanghai of small shops and food stalls. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/58b0b1f762b9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3640847367f4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/aa7e4b7f18cb.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c3f4af921585.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7bc088a35094.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b4ff42f10f39.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8ab6fa3c88e9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/23b0b99117fe.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4c38a3352564.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/793d4d9ec24d.jpg - Shanghai Museum (Shanghai): bronzes, ceramics, painting and calligraphy, arranged so you can walk one material through three thousand years. About two hours. Entry is by timed reservation with limited English in the booking system, so your quote states in writing who books it and by when, and which branch your visit uses. Admission is in the base price. - Subtitle: bronzes, ceramics, painting and calligraphy, arranged so you can walk one material through three thousand years. - Tags: Museum - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture - Access: bronzes, ceramics, painting and calligraphy, arranged so you can walk one material through three thousand years. About two hours. Entry is by timed reservation with limited English in the booking system, so your quote states in writing who books it and by when, and which branch your visit uses. Admission is in the base price. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/553f9e5daffa.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/463009b942cf.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/09ed444fa597.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f449d01924e3.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1c391e422dd6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3062838f53d8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5fe4f8f934ce.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1ff4b8a733b8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1c6a0e2a66d2.jpg - The Bund (Shanghai): The Bund frames Shanghai's historic banks and modern Pudong skyline in one clear view. - Subtitle: Shanghai's iconic riverfront skyline - Tags: Riverfront - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture - Access: A signature Shanghai orientation stop for architecture and city contrast. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/59b1d2774a93.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/819f854bed70.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/494cee6c7aae.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/45251ad66040.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/eed1a59d8207.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/334c0bdef4be.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a2a8d5aca0bf.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2e92d8293a47.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/eb8770c3dfbd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5d861058a1f8.jpg - Former French Concession and Wukang Road (Shanghai): plane-tree streets, walled houses from the concession decades, and the independent shops that have taken over their ground floors. You walk it at street speed, and it is the loosest hour of the route — the low, relaxed counterweight to the skyline you looked at the night before: no ticket, no queue, no gate. About two hours on flat pavement. In the base price. - Subtitle: plane-tree streets, walled houses from the concession decades, and the independent shops in their ground floors — the loose, low-rise counterweight to the skyline. About two hours, no ticket, no queue, no gate. - Tags: City - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture - Access: plane-tree streets, walled houses from the concession decades, and the independent shops that have taken over their ground floors. You walk it at street speed, and it is the loosest hour of the route: no ticket, no queue, no gate. About two hours. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a469e3c35b36.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ff2e7b6f2ffc.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/769ee0838cac.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/664544b5b738.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/be6f02f8c66f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b1c8a477961a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/738425c31d43.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b5ee2850407d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dc30a72b34d4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7e7256ca585e.jpg - The Bund & the Huangpu Ferry (Shanghai): Shanghai's riverfront row of early-twentieth-century banking halls faces Pudong's towers across the water; the public ferry crosses between them, the same boats locals commute on, and mid-river is the one spot that holds both skylines at once. Walked at dusk on day two, and on arrival evening when time allows. - Subtitle: Shanghai's riverfront row of early-twentieth-century banking halls faces Pudong's towers across - Tags: City - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture - Access: Walked at dusk on day two, and on arrival evening when time allows. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e342e5515e52.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/94ac919c3f33.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b3b5bb6e77be.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c6c85a3776e5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/32d19f0a4d35.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a2a8d5aca0bf.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2bed2bf82423.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8b2b6a2b8939.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b74ea5dc32d6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2b6fbcc1c8fa.jpg - Shanghai Tower (Shanghai): Shanghai Tower offers travellers a vertical perspective on the city’s scale and skyline. - Subtitle: A high-rise view over modern Shanghai - Tags: Skyline - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture - Access: Observation-deck style city view from one of Shanghai's tallest landmarks. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5dde4280b724.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3926dbb2d526.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0ec29e0c5aab.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a9aeb2725a09.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/370459f57860.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d4a7737c435e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2caf6535e050.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/231735fc8416.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3ad3642b1302.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4523e1c1916a.jpg - Zhujiajiao by Boat (Shanghai): a historic Jiangnan water town of canals, stone bridges and narrow riverside lanes. A boat carries you through the old waterways, then you continue on foot through streets and bridges while your guide traces how canal transport, commerce and daily life once ran on the same water. - Subtitle: a historic Jiangnan water town of canals, stone bridges and narrow riverside lanes - Tags: Water - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture - Access: A boat carries you through the old waterways, then you continue on foot through streets and bridges while your guide traces how canal transport, commerce and daily life once ran on the same water. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8ba05d6f8eb0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8ffe06f75f24.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/94515b63e674.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f629bb733c60.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/86e92638b93a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d8764149356d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/005668320458.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d12a84430083.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5161eb4d04d1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1e1b78a762bf.jpg ### Capture banner - Label: Save this itinerary - Title: Send the full route to your inbox - Subtitle: We will include the latest hotels, hosts and pacing notes. - Placeholder: Email address - CTA: Send route - Sent label: Sent ## Itinerary ### Shanghai, by Water - 6 days Journey #### Shanghai (4 days) - Subtitle: Arrival in Shanghai - Recommendation: Land, and do nothing. The city can wait until tomorrow morning. - Transport: Private vehicle - Transport mode: car Airport pickup · The rest of the evening - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6yiRJSAP.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/13x1KtnS.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Q9afrZn.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Riqjj0n.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1VrlDwIi.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1vYpI6NZ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3PEjxTGx.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4EbDdFHb.webp ##### Day 1: Arrival in Shanghai - (transport) — your driver meets your flight at Pudong or Hongqiao in a private air-conditioned vehicle, timed to your actual arrival time, and takes you to the hotel. Nothing is scheduled after that. - (note) — yours. If you wish to go for a walk, ask the front desk for the streets around the hotel rather than heading to the Bund on your own: the Bund is tomorrow evening, and your guide will be with you when you go. - (accommodation) Bellagio by MGM Shanghai on the Bund — Hotel stay in Shanghai. ##### Day 2: Yu Garden, the museum, the Bund - (sight) — You start inside the Ming Garden, following covered walks between rockeries, ponds and pavilions, past the pitted limestone rock the garden is known for. Your guide shows you the trick the layout plays on you: you never see the whole garden at once, on purpose. Then the lanes outside the wall, snack shops and temple market, at whatever pace your morning has left. - (sight) — your reserved slot is booked before you land, so you walk in rather than queue for one. Bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphy, and the decorative arts: your guide takes one gallery properly rather than all of them at speed. - (sight) — you walk the embankment as the lights come on, stone banks at your back, towers across the water, and your guide beside you the whole way. Somewhere along the railing you will stop mid-sentence, because both sides of the river are asking you the same question. ##### Day 3: Plane trees, the ferry, the deck - (transport) — You walk under plane trees along Wukang Road and the streets off it, past 1920s and 1930s villas and apartment buildings that people still live in, with small shops on the ground floors. Your guide tells you who built what and who lives there now. - (transport) — you queue with the commuters, walk on with them, and stand at the rail while barges and container tugs pass. This is the working river, and the crossing costs about what a bus ride costs. By the middle of the river you will notice that you have not checked your phone once. - (sight) — the lift takes you up on the Pudong side, and the delta opens out below you: the bend of the river, the far bank you walked last night, the old city and its garden as a patch of dark roofs, and the creeks running west toward the water towns you meet tomorrow. ##### Day 4: Zhujiajiao - (sight) — an hour west of the city, a boatman rows you from the stern with a single oar. Doorsteps go straight down into the water; a woman rinses vegetables on the bottom step; the lanes climb to meet each bridge you pass under. - (sight) — you come up onto the town's high stone arch and look down the canal in both directions, then walk the lanes on foot, which in this town means walking along the water, because there is no other way for a street to go. - (sight) — A walled garden house built by a family with the means to create a private landscape in a town where water was already everywhere: the same instinct you encountered inside Yu Garden two days ago, at a quarter of the scale. - (sight) — the same vehicle brings you back into the city, and the priced part of this plan ends here. What happens after lunch, and where you sleep tonight, belongs to the Jiangnan extension, which is not settled: see Special Notes. #### Suzhou (1 days) - Subtitle: Jiangnan extension, Suzhou - Recommendation: Designed, not yet bought. We would rather say so here than after you have paid. - Transport: Private vehicle - Transport mode: car Where this day stands · What you get instead of a promise - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4RKYwLBi.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7oKrR17H.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a7UonlZW.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b3JL4qyN.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/fJENDOx7.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/giflYNIw.webp ##### Day 5: Jiangnan extension, Suzhou - (sight) — The plan takes you to Suzhou for one night. We do not yet have a contracted ground partner there, which means the hotel, the vehicle, the guide and the sights for this day are not priced on this page and are not promised to you. - (sight) — two versions of this trip are on the table. One is the full seven days, once the Jiangnan ground handling is placed and named. The other is a four-day Shanghai and Zhujiajiao plan, priced exactly as stated above. Tell us your dates and we will tell you in writing which one you are being quoted, before any payment. - (accommodation) Renaissance Suzhou Hotel — Hotel stay in Suzhou. #### Hangzhou (1 days) - Subtitle: Jiangnan extension, Hangzhou - Recommendation: Same answer as yesterday, and for the same reason. - Transport: Flight - Transport mode: airplane Where this day stands · When this changes - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9EPzVQkJ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1dvwDeAc.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2d82QCVy.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3kT1aNyQ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4udPDr4L.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5mkDrziB.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7O8Bisz3.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ekf7Yn0g.webp ##### Day 6: Jiangnan extension, Hangzhou - (sight) — the plan takes you to Hangzhou for two nights. There is no contracted ground partner there yet either, and the two experiences designed into these days have not been verified on our side, so we describe none of them here. Naming something we cannot yet deliver is how routes get sold badly, and we are not doing it. - (sight) — when the ground handling is signed and each item has a verified record, these days appear here in the same detail as days one to four, and they move into the price table rather than sitting beside it. - (accommodation) Hangzhou West Lake Liuyingli Hotel — Hotel stay in Hangzhou. ### Shanghai, by Water - 1 days Journey #### Shanghai (1 days) - Subtitle: Departure day - Recommendation: The last day is honest about itself. The way home is not settled yet. - Transport: Flight - Transport mode: airplane Where this day stands · On the four-day version - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6yiRJSAP.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/13x1KtnS.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Q9afrZn.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Riqjj0n.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1VrlDwIi.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1vYpI6NZ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3PEjxTGx.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4EbDdFHb.webp ##### Day 7: Departure day - (sight) — the planned itinerary has day seven in Hangzhou while the flight departs from Shanghai, and the leg between the two has not yet been incorporated into the route. Until it is, we cannot commit to a departure flight time, and the airport drop-off remains excluded from the price. - (sight) — If you are quoted the Shanghai and Zhujiajiao plan, the last morning is simple, an unhurried breakfast and a private transfer to the airport with time to spare, and it is written into your confirmation with the drop-off included. ## Daily plan ### Day 1 — Arrival in Shanghai Arrive on land, and do nothing. The city can wait until tomorrow morning. - Airport pickup: your driver meets your flight at Pudong or Hongqiao in a private air-conditioned vehicle, set against your actual arrival time, and takes you to the hotel. Nothing is scheduled after that. - The rest of the evening: yours. If you want to walk, ask the front desk for the streets around the hotel rather than heading to the Bund alone: the Bund is tomorrow evening, and your guide is with you when you go. - Stay: Shanghai - Meals: None on arrival day ### Day 2 — Yu Garden, the museum, the Bund Water inside a wall, then water as a border. Two versions of the same city, six hours apart. - Yu Garden and the old city: you start inside the Ming garden, following covered walks between rockery, pond and pavilions, past the pitted limestone rock the garden is known for. Your guide shows you the trick the layout plays on you: you never see the whole garden at once, on purpose. Then the lanes outside the wall, snack shops and temple market, at whatever pace your morning has left. - Shanghai Museum: your reserved slot is booked before you land, so you walk in rather than queue for one. Bronzes, ceramics, painting and calligraphy, and the decorative arts: your guide takes one gallery properly rather than all of them at speed. - The Bund at dusk: you walk the embankment as the lights come on, stone banks at your back, towers across the water, and your guide beside you the whole way. Somewhere along the railing you will stop mid-sentence, because both sides of the river are asking you the same question. - Stay: Shanghai - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ### Day 3 — Plane trees, the ferry, the deck The city at street level, at water level, and from the top. Find out which one tells you the most. - The former French Concession and Wukang Road on foot: you walk under plane trees along Wukang Road and the streets off it, past 1920s and 1930s villas and apartment buildings that people still live in, with small shops on the ground floors. Your guide tells you who built what and who lives there now. - Huangpu River ferry: you queue with the commuters, walk on with them, and stand at the rail while barges and container tugs pass. This is the working river, and the crossing costs about what a bus ride costs. By the middle of the river you will notice that you have not checked your phone once. - Shanghai Tower observation deck: the lift takes you up on the Pudong side, and the delta opens out below you: the bend of the river, the far bank you walked last night, the old city and its garden as a patch of dark roofs, and the creeks running west toward the water towns you meet tomorrow. - Stay: Shanghai - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ### Day 4 — Zhujiajiao The morning the street turns into water. Then the plan hands over to what is still being built. - Down the canal by hand-rowed boat: an hour west of the city, a boatman rows you from the stern with a single oar. Doorsteps go straight down into the water; a woman rinses vegetables on the bottom step; the lanes climb to meet each bridge you pass under. - Fangsheng Bridge and the stone lanes: you come up onto the town's high stone arch and look down the canal in both directions, then walk the lanes on foot, which in this town means walking along the water, because there is no other way for a street to go. - Kezhi Garden: a walled garden house built by a family with the money to make a private landscape in a town where water was already everywhere: the same instinct you met inside Yu Garden two days ago, at a quarter of the scale. - Back to Shanghai by lunchtime: the same vehicle brings you back into the city, and the priced part of this plan ends here. What happens after lunch, and where you sleep tonight, belongs to the Jiangnan extension, which is not settled: see Special Notes. - Stay: In final product review - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ### Day 5 — Jiangnan extension, Suzhou Designed, not yet bought. We would rather say so here than after you have paid. - Where this day stands: the plan takes you to Suzhou for one night. We do not yet have a contracted ground partner there, which means the hotel, the vehicle, the guide and the sights for this day are not priced on this page and are not promised to you. - What you get instead of a promise: Two versions of this trip are on the table. One is the full seven days, once the Jiangnan ground handling is placed and named. The other is a four-day Shanghai and Zhujiajiao plan, priced exactly as written above. Tell us your dates and we will tell you in writing which one you are being quoted, before any payment. - Stay: In final product review - Meals: Not priced on this page ### Day 6 — Jiangnan extension, Hangzhou Same answer as yesterday, and for the same reason. - Where this day stands: the plan takes you to Hangzhou for two nights. There is no contracted ground partner there yet either, and the two experiences designed into these days have not been verified on our side, so we describe none of them here. Naming something we cannot yet deliver is how routes get sold badly, and we are not doing it. - When this changes: when the ground handling is signed and each item has a verified record, these days appear here in the same detail as days one to four, and they move into the price table rather than sitting beside it. - Stay: In final product review - Meals: Not priced on this page ### Day 7 — Departure day The last day is honest about itself. The way home is not settled yet. - Where this day stands: The designed route spends day seven in Hangzhou while the plan flies out of Shanghai, and the leg between the two is not yet written into the route. Until it is, we commit to no departure flight time, and the airport drop-off remains outside the price. - On the four-day version: If you are quoted the Shanghai and Zhujiajiao plan, the last morning is simple: an unhurried breakfast and a private transfer to the airport with time to spare, and it is written into your confirmation with the drop-off included. - Stay: Trip ends - Meals: Not priced on this page ## Hotels ### Shanghai Royal Garden Hotel (Shanghai International Resort) - City: Shanghai - Description: Shanghai Royal Garden Hotel: a luxury garden hotel near Pudong Airport and Disneyland, with free shuttle service to both. - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a07e8f886100.jpg ### Rezen Meili Hotel (Shanghai City Centre, The Bund) - City: Shanghai - Description: Rezen Meili Hotel: classic European style in central Shanghai, steps from People's Square, the Bund and Nanjing Road. - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/842LWuH4.webp ### CitiGO Huan Ge Hotel, Jing'an Temple, West Nanjing Road, Shanghai - City: Shanghai - Description: CitiGO Huan Ge Hotel: a vibrant stay in Shanghai's Jing'an Temple district, three minutes from Metro Line 14. - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/lyfOP6lc.webp ### Four Seasons Hangzhou at West Lake - City: Hangzhou ### Pullman Suzhou Zhonghui - City: Suzhou - Description: International luxury hotel in Suzhou with modern facilities and polished service. - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b3yqHQBb.webp ### Pullman Shanghai Zhongganghui Hotel - City: Shanghai - Description: Pullman Shanghai Zhongganghui Hotel, in Dapuqiao near Tianzifang, steps from Metro Line 9 and the Expo site. - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5xOD9FRB.webp ### Hyatt Regency Hangzhou - City: Hangzhou ## Included / Excluded ### What's Included - Airport pickup: Private air-conditioned vehicle and Shanghai airport pickup on day one, timed to your arrival - Hotels: 3 nights in Shanghai, the nights of days one, two and three, breakfast included in the room rate - Meals: 3 hotel breakfasts, on the mornings of days two, three and four - Private vehicle: Air-conditioned private vehicle on day two and day three in Shanghai, and on day four to Zhujiajiao and back - Guide: Licensed English-speaking guide on days two, three and four, with the Bund evening accompanied from start to finish - Admissions and experiences: Yu Garden with the old city quarter · Shanghai Museum, admission and the timed reservation booked by us · the Bund and the Pudong skyline in the evening, guide accompanied, no admission charge · the former French Concession and Wukang Road on foot, no admission charge · the Huangpu River ferry, public commuter fare included · Shanghai Tower observation deck · Zhujiajiao, the hand-rowed boat fare, Kezhi Garden admission, and Fangsheng Bridge with the stone lanes - Also: Travel accident insurance ### Not Included - International flights: Flights into and out of Shanghai. Shanghai has nonstop service from all seven of our source markets, so no connecting leg is needed to reach it - Visas: Visa fees and processing for guests who require a Chinese visa, including all US guests on this route - The Jiangnan extension: Everything on days five, six and seven: the Suzhou night, the two Hangzhou nights, and the ground services, admissions and inter-city transport that go with them - Airport drop-off: Not priced today, as the departure day has not yet been confirmed. Once it is, it will appear in the table above - Meals: Beyond the three hotel breakfasts above: all lunches and all dinners, recommended and booked by your guide, on your own account - In-park and in-venue transport: Shuttles, electric carts and sightseeing boats where a site charges separately. This plan needs none of them: the only boat in the price is the Zhujiajiao hand-rowed boat - In-venue spending: Anything bought in the old town quarter, the museum shop, the water town lanes or the Wukang Road shops, with any shipping, customs or tax-refund cost it brings - Personal: Tips, single room supplement, personal expenses, and anything not listed in the table above ### Special Notes A few things on this route are still in flux. Here they are, told straight. - Days five to seven are in final product review: the Jiangnan extension through Suzhou and Hangzhou is designed but the ground handling is not yet in place, so it is not priced and not promised here. Bookings for the seven-day version are not open. Before you pay anything, we tell you in writing whether you are being quoted the seven days or the four-day Shanghai and Zhujiajiao plan. - Inter-city transport: the rail legs of the designed route carry no stated cabin class yet and have not been checked against this season's timetable, so none of them is in the price. They are quoted, with cabin class in writing, once the extension is settled. - Shanghai Museum: Entry runs on a timed reservation and the booking system carries limited English support, so we book your slot. We check the museum's opening status against your own departure dates before taking your booking; if it is closed on your day two, day two and day three swap over and the museum runs on day three. - The Bund evening: guide accompanied start to finish. Street approaches there work on visitors in their first nights in the city, so we never sell that evening as something you do alone. - Zhujiajiao: a half day out of Shanghai and back, in the same vehicle, with no change of hotel and no suitcase to move for it. The hand-rowed boat is open to the sky: in December, bring a warm layer and gloves for the morning on the water. - National holiday week: no departures between 1 October and 7 October. Yu Garden, the Bund and Zhujiajiao all run at peak crowd levels that week, and the plan does not read well in a crowd. - Confirmation and changes: these terms are being finalised with our ground partners. Until they are settled, your quote states its own confirmation deadline and its change and refund conditions in writing, and no booking is taken without them. - Hotels: named in your written confirmation; "or similar" always means the same class and a comparable location, never a quiet downgrade. ## Is Seven Days Your Length? Is seven days your length? ### Is seven days the right length for you? Tell us your dates and who is coming: we will shape the length around you. ## Good to Know - Group: Private, just your party. From 1 guest. No fixed maximum party size. - Arrival: Day one is the arrival day and includes no touring, so you do not need to arrive a day early. Airport pickup and that night's hotel are included in the price. - Ports: Shanghai in, Shanghai out. Shanghai has nonstop service from all seven of our source markets on both the arrival and the departure side - Language: English-speaking licensed guides on every touring day - Season: This page is written for departures from October to December 2026. Autumn here is clear and mild; December is cold and damp, and the outdoor items, the ferry deck and the canal boat, want a warm layer. - Visa window: The 30-day visa-free policy currently runs to 31 December 2026. Because this is a 7-day plan, departures on or before 25 December 2026 finish inside that window; later dates are quoted after the official renewal announcement - Payment: Bookings are not open yet. When this route opens, these are the terms. From 1 guest. A 10% deposit (minimum $399) locks your dates. The balance is due 14 days before departure. "Or similar" never means a quiet downgrade. - Flexibility: Walking distances adapt to your pace throughout, and the two Shanghai touring days can be swapped if a venue's opening day requires it. ## Your Private Concierge - Name: Jason Hu - Title: Private China Route Concierge - Tagline: A bilingual planning desk for tailor-made China journeys. - Bio: Our China team tailors the pacing, hotels and local hosts to suit each route style. - Avatar image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c0TBypRh.png ### Stats - 20+ Years - 300+ Trips designed - 24/7 On-trip care ### The Conversation Every LyrikTrip journey begins with a conversation. Tell us your dates and who's coming — and if this length isn't right for you, we'll say so and shape a shorter arc. First reply within four hours; a clear price for your dates within one business day. - CTA: Start the conversation ### Step 01: Tell us what excites you Not your dates and budget — your curiosity. Where have you always wanted to go? What do you want to feel? We start there. - 24h: First concept delivered ### Step 02: We design it around you Your specialist builds the itinerary from scratch — routes, hosts, hotels, and experiences you won't find anywhere else. - 100%: Bespoke, never off-the-shelf ### Step 03: Lock it in with 10% When the plan feels right, a 10% deposit holds your entire trip. Balance due 30 days before departure. - 10%: Deposit to secure everything ### Step 04: Travel. We handle the rest. Your Trip Pack arrives before you fly. On the road, your concierge is one message away — for the expected and everything you didn't plan for. - 24/7: Support throughout your journey - Free cancellation up to 30 days - English-speaking concierge - Secure payment via Stripe - CTA: Talk to Us ## Guest Reviews - Overall rating: 4.9 - Total reviews: 523 - Count label: from 523 verified reviews 4.9 / 5 ### Platforms - google: 4.9 (312 reviews) - tripadvisor: 5.0 (211 reviews) - Filter tabs: All, Google, TripAdvisor - Emily Carter (🇺🇸 Seattle, USA · 5★ · May 2026 · google): Perfect for couples - My partner and I had an amazing time in China. Everything was arranged for us — transfers, hotels, guides. No stress at all. - Claire Brooks (🇬🇧 London, UK · 5★ · Apr 2026 · tripadvisor): Great for families - Traveled with my two kids and had zero issues. The team made sure the pace wasn't too rushed and included things the kids would enjoy. Communication was easy throughout. Will definitely use them again for our next Asia trip. - Laura Bennett (🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada · 5★ · Mar 2026 · google): Alisa made the whole experience easy - Alisa was our point of contact throughout and she was brilliant — patient, knowledgeable, and always quick to reply. The trip itself was wonderful. Beijing and Guilin were highlights. - Mark Henderson (🇺🇸 Denver, USA · 4★ · Feb 2026 · tripadvisor): Good service, minor hiccup but sorted quickly - Really good service. There was a small mix-up with one of our restaurant bookings but it got sorted quickly. The rest of the trip was seamless. - Rebecca Miller (🇺🇸 Boston, USA · 5★ · Jan 2026 · google): Really listened to what we wanted - Really helpful team. They listened to what we wanted and delivered. Beijing and Xi'an were incredible. ## China Ready We've solved the hard parts. Here's everything a first-time Western traveller needs to know before arriving. ### VPN & Internet Access - Badge: Do this before you fly - What's blocked: Google, Gmail, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and most Western news sites are inaccessible in China without a VPN. - Download before you leave: It's nearly impossible to download a VPN once inside China. Install and test at home. Recommended: Astrill (most reliable), Mullvad, ExpressVPN — subscribe to at least two in case one stops working. - Hotel Wi-Fi tip: Some hotels block VPN connections on their Wi-Fi. Use your phone's mobile data as a hotspot if the VPN drops. - Good news: WhatsApp works perfectly through a VPN, so your messaging stays unchanged. Apple iMessage and Signal also work. ### Paying in China - Badge: Your concierge sets this up on Day 1 - China is cashless: Alipay and WeChat Pay are used for almost everything — restaurants, taxis, markets, tickets. Cash is rarely accepted in cities. - International cards now work: Foreign Visa/Mastercard can now link directly to Alipay (set up in minutes, $5,000 single transaction limit). Your concierge walks you through the setup on your first morning. - Carry some cash: We recommend ¥500–800 RMB in cash for the rare vendor that won't accept digital payment, and for small towns. - Booking this trip: Your deposit and balance are charged via Stripe — the same trusted platform used by Airbnb and Booking.com. USD billing, no surprise conversion fees. ### Visa & Entry - Badge: We handle the paperwork - Do you need a visa?: Most US, UK, EU, Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand passport holders need a tourist (L) visa for stays over 10 days. We provide a visa invitation letter with every booking — it significantly speeds up approval. - 240-hour visa-free transit: Citizens of 55+ countries (including USA, UK, most of EU, AUS, NZ, Canada) can enter China visa-free for up to 10 days if transiting through eligible ports. This covers our 12-day itinerary only if you have a confirmed onward flight. - Processing time: Apply 4–6 weeks before departure. Standard processing: 4–7 business days. Express (3 days) and same-day options available at most Chinese consulates. - What we provide: Visa invitation letter, hotel confirmation for all nights, suggested itinerary document — everything the consulate needs, formatted correctly. ### Safety & Practical Tips - Badge: Our responsibility, always - Is China safe?: China consistently ranks among the safest countries for foreign tourists. Violent crime against visitors is extremely rare. Cities have extensive CCTV coverage and a visible police presence. - Emergency numbers: Police: 110. Ambulance: 120. Your concierge is your first call for any non-emergency situation — she has local contacts for every city on the itinerary. - Health & medications: Bring a full supply of any prescription medication. International pharmacies exist in major cities but may not carry your brand. Travel insurance is required — we can recommend policies that cover China specifically. - Language: English fluency outside hotels and tourist sites is limited. Your guides all speak English. We provide a printed pocket card with essential Chinese phrases and emergency contacts for every traveller. ## Before You Book Everything worth knowing before you book. ### Seven days are listed, but only four are priced. What is going on? Four days are settled and three are not. The Shanghai and Zhujiajiao days have contracted suppliers, named admissions and a price. The Suzhou and Hangzhou days are designed but the ground handling there is not yet placed, so we will not price them and will not describe experiences we cannot yet deliver. You lose nothing by asking: we tell you in writing which version you are being quoted, and the four-day plan stands complete on its own. ### Do I need a visa? Most of our guests do not. These passports currently enter China visa-free for up to 30 days: British · French · German · Dutch · Belgian · Italian · Spanish · Portuguese · Greek · Nordic · Central European · Irish · Canadian · Australian · New Zealand. US passports do need a Chinese tourist or business visa for this route, and the fee and appointment are your own; a 10-year multiple-entry visa works. We check your entry permission against your dates before you pay anything. ### A commuter ferry instead of a river cruise? Really? Yes, and it is deliberate. The cruise shows you the skyline you already saw from the Bund, from further away, with a commentary. The ferry costs about a bus fare, runs all day, and puts you on an open deck among people going to work, with the barges and container tugs that are the whole reason this city exists passing close by. If you also want the cruise, we will book it separately and tell you the fare. ### Can you actually get us into the Shanghai Museum? We book the timed slot for you rather than leaving it to you, because the museum's own reservation system carries limited English support. We cannot guarantee any single date: slots are released on the museum's own schedule and popular days go. If your day two cannot be booked, we tell you before you pay and name the replacement in writing, and the two Shanghai touring days can swap over so the museum runs on day three instead. ### Why are lunches and dinners not included? On purpose. Shanghai is the wrong city in which to prepay set menus: the range runs from a bowl of noodles under a plane tree to a dining room with a view of the river, and tastes diverge by the second day. Breakfast is included at the hotel each morning; for the rest, your guide recommends and books around what you actually feel like eating, and you pay for it there.