--- title: "Made Here" description: "10 days from a rowing boat to a car with no driver meeting who builds it" type: "tour" route_id: "china-made-here-10-days" total_days: 10 price: 3270 highlights: ["Shanghai", "Suzhou", "Hangzhou", "Shenzhen"] url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/china-made-here-10-days" canonical_url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/china-made-here-10-days" locale: "en-US" alternates: {"en-US":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/china-made-here-10-days","en-GB":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/en-GB/tours/china-made-here-10-days","zh-CN":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/zh-CN/tours/china-made-here-10-days","zh-TW":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/zh-TW/tours/china-made-here-10-days","de-DE":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/de-DE/tours/china-made-here-10-days","fr-FR":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/fr-FR/tours/china-made-here-10-days","es-ES":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/es-ES/tours/china-made-here-10-days","it-IT":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/it-IT/tours/china-made-here-10-days","x-default":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/china-made-here-10-days"} --- # Made Here 10 days from a rowing boat to a car with no driver meeting who builds it The country at work. Bund towers, a commuter ferry, an electronics market, a drone showroom, with English-speaking guides city by city. - Level ground throughout, no altitude and no climbs. The load is walking: market floors, old lanes, a museum afternoon, a canal town on foot. ## Overview Most China routes put the new part at the end, as a coda. This one gives it three nights and a whole city. You start in Shanghai, where the old walled quarter, the plane-tree streets of the former concession and the towers across the water are all within one afternoon of each other. Then the route runs down the delta by rail, and finishes in Shenzhen: a market sorted floor by floor into components, prototypes and finished machines, a car that drives itself along a real operator's route, a hall where the city keeps the record of its own forty years. By the last morning you'll notice you have stopped calling any of it futuristic, because you watched people make it. — LyrikTrip travel designers Every LyrikTrip journey begins with a conversation. Tell us your dates, who is coming and which passports you hold, and we check the visa window and the Shenzhen departure timetable for those dates before anything else. First reply within four hours; a clear price for your dates within one business day. On this route we will also tell you plainly where the Suzhou and Hangzhou ground handling stands, before you are asked for anything. ## Summary - Route ID: china-made-here-10-days - Duration: 10 days / 9 nights - Starting price: $3,270 - Status: active - Highlights: Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen - Cover image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/giflYNIw.webp ## Hero tags - private - From 1 guest - Max: no fixed limit ## Highlight notes - The country at work. Bund towers, a commuter ferry, an electronics market, a drone showroom, with English-speaking guides city by city. - 10 days from a rowing boat on a canal to a car with no driver. See who builds it. ## Selling points - Ride a rowing boat through a canal town on the last Shanghai morning, then walk over the arched stone bridge you passed under: the water and the bridge were the whole transport system here, and both still work. - Stand on the Bund after dark with your guide beside you: the old waterfront buildings hold one bank, the Pudong towers hold the other, and the city is looking at itself across the water. - Cross the Huangpu on the boat people take to work, standing at the rail with commuters and their scooters instead of on a sightseeing deck. - Get into a car in Shenzhen with nobody in the driver's seat and watch the wheel turn itself through traffic. The ride is in your price; the operator, not us, decides whether the service runs that day, and if it does not, the amount comes off your quote. - Walk Huaqiangbei floor by floor with a guide who reads the building for you: loose components on one level, prototype boards on the next, finished machines above that. - Read a city's own account of itself at the Shenzhen planning hall, in models and maps, on the ground the account is about. - Unpack twice in ten days: three nights in Shanghai at the start, three nights in Shenzhen at the end, with the middle of the route moving by high-speed rail rather than by airport. ## City highlights - Shanghai (3 days): Land in Shanghai - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/gI41taAr.webp - Suzhou (1 days): A canal town, then the train - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/giflYNIw.webp - Hangzhou (2 days): Down the delta - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7O8Bisz3.webp - Shenzhen (4 days): South to Shenzhen - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/j3OhqX9B.webp ## Experiences The country at work. Bund towers, a commuter ferry, an electronics market, a drone showroom, with English-speaking guides city by city. - 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 aging 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 - Wukang Road: A Loose Walk (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 - 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 - 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 - Shenzhen Self-Driving Car Experience (Shenzhen): This moment introduces China's autonomous driving development through Shenzhen's urban innovation scene. - Subtitle: A future mobility experience in Shenzhen - Tags: Self-driving - Host: Shenzhen, Shenzhen Lens — Drones and future mobility - Access: A hands-on style technology moment focused on future transport. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e5244acfc1e1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6638e114cfcc.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/664627200a07.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/968fce5767a5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/850e604d29dd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9f6aabb3ac1c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/92c50a687090.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/abd65b64dad5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0aa303e167f0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0c2c8d0d16f0.jpg - Huaqiangbei Electronics Market (Shenzhen): Huaqiangbei Electronics Market shows the speed scale and density of China's hardware ecosystem. - Subtitle: Shenzhen's legendary electronics district - Tags: Electronics - Host: Shenzhen, Shenzhen Lens — Drones and future mobility - Access: A street-level look at Shenzhen's maker and electronics culture. - Images: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Huaqiangbei_walking_street.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8a25e1e49329.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/48a3076950e9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d6e8cf38ea06.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/87375a9720fa.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7b098456d4ee.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7015fe72256b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6ae7699e7cef.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e85c085378d9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/499337ce1b97.jpg - DJI Flagship Visit (Shenzhen): drones, gimbals and imaging gear in a Shenzhen flagship store or technology showroom, with the story of how research and engineering here become products on shelves worldwide. - Subtitle: drones, gimbals and imaging gear in a Shenzhen flagship store or technology - Tags: Tech - Host: Shenzhen, Shenzhen Lens — Drones and future mobility - Access: drones, gimbals and imaging gear in a Shenzhen flagship store or technology showroom, with the story of how research and engineering here become products on shelves worldwide. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d0bbe1fc4cd5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8d862e73a11c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/76daeb9e8394.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ad929d5749de.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4b1f75911213.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6216b1a8b87c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3ae80730f099.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0d0a642abbfa.jpg - Urban Planning Exhibition (Shenzhen): scale models, architectural displays and development plans that lay out how a small border town grew into a major metropolis within living memory. Twenty minutes here reframes everything else you see in the city. - Subtitle: scale models, architectural displays and development plans that lay out how a - Tags: City - Host: Shenzhen, Shenzhen Lens — Drones and future mobility - Access: Twenty minutes here reframes everything else you see in the city. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0cb198f8a49d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4ba54eb84471.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/009bf8a44425.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8c27862fb181.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/699fd01ecc67.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e2a1a6331692.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d05c249a3e39.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2ebecbe69dba.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e0e571633d3d.jpg - Shekou or Nantou (Shenzhen): the departure-day choice, sized to your flight: Shekou, where the story of China's economic reform meets a modern waterfront, or Nantou Ancient Town, where historic lanes and contemporary creative studios share the same blocks. Either way, you leave with one more Shenzhen than you arrived with. - Subtitle: the departure-day choice, sized to your flight: Shekou, where the story of - Tags: City - Host: Shenzhen, Shenzhen Lens — Drones and future mobility - Access: Either way, you leave with one more Shenzhen than you arrived with. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0540e86e5dd0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/24cfb51611ba.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6a3d6358e6cc.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d611105bca0e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/21a863e8cba1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8cd57b420cf9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ba1b0f9300a8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/01c07d442af3.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/783f9d0fe378.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d0b2dd4ecb27.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 ### Made Here - 10 days Journey #### Shanghai (3 days) - Subtitle: Land in Shanghai - Recommendation: Your driver meets your flight, whatever time it lands. Nothing else is asked of you today. - Transport: High-speed rail - Transport mode: train Airport pickup · Shanghai through the window · Evening - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/gI41taAr.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: Land in Shanghai - (transport) — your driver and vehicle are waiting for the flight number on your confirmation, and the run into the city is yours to sleep through. - (sight) — the elevated road comes in over the roofs, and the towers on the far bank show up before you have unpacked anything. The city you flew to arrives first as a shape at the end of a ramp. - (note) — nothing is scheduled. Your guide is reachable, and dinner near the hotel is recommended and booked for you if you want it, on your account. - (accommodation) Bellagio by MGM Shanghai on the Bund — Hotel stay in Shanghai. ##### Day 2: The old city, the objects, the river - (sight) — pavilions, rockery, ponds and a path that never runs straight, dropped inside the oldest quarter of Shanghai. Stand in front of the Yu Ling Long, the perforated limestone the garden was arranged around, and look through it: the holes line up, and the pond shows up on the other side. - (sight) — your timed slot is booked ahead by us, so you walk in on schedule. Inside, the collection is laid out by material: bronzes, ceramics, painting and calligraphy, decorative crafts. Take the bronze gallery first and follow one vessel shape along the wall: the same object gets thinner, then plainer, then decorative, across several centuries in twenty paces. - (sight) — the old bank and customs buildings hold the west bank, the towers of Pudong hold the east, and the two look straight at each other across the water. Your guide is with you the whole evening. Stand at the rail on the west bank and film fifteen seconds across the river: that shot is the whole trip in one frame. Looking at the two banks at once, you'll feel the ten days line up into a single argument. ##### Day 3: Under the plane trees, then across the water - (transport) — plane trees closing over the street, historic residences behind their gates, small shops at ground level. Look up at the corner of Wukang Road where the building comes to a point like a ship's bow, then look back down the street: the whole block stayed the height it was built at. - (transport) — you cross the river on the public boat the city takes to work, at the rail with commuters and their scooters, not on a narrated deck. The crossing is short, and the far bank comes up fast: the towers you were looking at from the Bund last night are suddenly directly overhead. - (sight) — kept light on purpose, with the vehicle and guide staying with you. The Shanghai Tower observation deck sits on the Pudong bank if you want to add it; it is quoted separately when you choose it and is not part of your base plan. #### Suzhou (1 days) - Subtitle: A canal town, then the train - Recommendation: The last Shanghai morning goes to the water it was built on. By mid-afternoon the delta is running past the window. - Transport: High-speed rail - Transport mode: train Zhujiajiao by rowing boat · Kezhi Garden and Fangsheng Bridge · High-speed train to Suzhou · Arriving in Suzhou - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/giflYNIw.webp, 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 ##### Day 4: A canal town, then the train - (sight) — an hour west of the center, a canal town of stone bridges and lanes that stop at the water's edge. You sit low in a rowed boat while the boatman works a single oar over the stern, and the bridges pass over your head one at a time. - (sight) — Kezhi Garden is one of the town's private gardens, built for a family that wanted to study and farm on the same plot, which is what its name says. Then you walk up Fangsheng Bridge, the town's high arched crossing, and stand at the top: the canal runs off in both directions under the roofline. - (transport) — your vehicle takes you to the Shanghai station in the early afternoon and your guide sees you onto the train. Second class seats are in the base price, and the cabin class for your order is written into your quote before you pay. It is a short leg: the delta outside the window is flat, wet and worked, water in every field. - (sight) — the Suzhou ground arrangements are not contracted on our side yet, so the transfer, the guide, the admissions and the hotel night here are not part of this plan and not in your price. This is one of the two reasons the route is not open for booking. - (accommodation) Renaissance Suzhou Hotel — Hotel stay in Suzhou. #### Hangzhou (2 days) - Subtitle: Down the delta - Recommendation: A rail day through the country that grew rice and silk before it grew anything else. The two cities in the middle of this route are the reason its two ends make sense. - Transport: Flight - Transport mode: airplane Suzhou and Hangzhou, day plan not contracted · High-speed train to Hangzhou · What is fixed today - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7O8Bisz3.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/9EPzVQkJ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ekf7Yn0g.webp ##### Day 5: Down the delta - (sight) — told straight, neither city has contracted ground handling on our side today. Nothing here is named as an experience, sold as a highlight or priced into a quote. The route structure holds the two cities because the delta they sit in is where the wealth that built old Shanghai came from, and because the way this region has always dealt with water is the same instinct that later filled in a coastline to make Shenzhen. - (transport) — the second of the two rail legs, second class, in the base price. The cabin class for your order is written into your quote before you pay. - (sight) — the rail leg itself and the seat on it. Everything else on this day is named in your written itinerary only once the ground handling here is contracted, and until then we do not sell it to you. - (accommodation) Hangzhou West Lake Liuyingli Hotel — Hotel stay in Hangzhou. ##### Day 6: A day in Hangzhou - (sight) — Hangzhou ground handling is not contracted, so this day carries no named experience, no admission and no priced item. It is named in your written itinerary before you book, and not before. - (sight) — ten days with two intercity moves and a flight need one day that does not move at all, and this is it. The structure is not going to change when the ground handling lands; the contents will be filled in. #### Shenzhen (4 days) - Subtitle: South to Shenzhen - Recommendation: A flight afternoon, and the day the route changes its subject. You go to sleep in a city that is forty years old. - Transport: Flight - Transport mode: airplane The Hangzhou morning · Flight to Shenzhen · Airport pickup in Shenzhen - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/j3OhqX9B.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8AH70UD0.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/h4WopDz7.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0540e86e5dd0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/09971fb8ed55.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0cb198f8a49d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1dabf6d8d82e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4ba54eb84471.jpg ##### Day 7: South to Shenzhen - (sight) — not contracted, so not named and not priced, on the same terms as day six. Your onward flight is what is fixed about today. - (transport) — one internal flight, economy class, in the base price; the flight number, time and cabin class for your order are written into your quote. The delta below you on the way down is a different one from the one you left: this water is the mouth of the Pearl River, and the ground beside it is worked at a different scale. - (transport) — your Shenzhen driver and guide take over at the terminal, and the run into the city is on elevated road most of the way. Look right on the way in: the towers do not thin out toward the edge of town the way older cities do, because there is no older town underneath them. - (accommodation) Kempinski Hotel Shenzhen — Hotel stay in Shenzhen. ##### Day 8: Nobody in the driver's seat - (sight) — you hail it on a screen and it pulls up with the driver's seat empty. Inside, the sensors and cameras are reading the street and the wheel corrects itself through traffic, a few degrees at a time. It runs on a real operator's public route, which is why it is booked against your dates ahead of time. - (sight) — your guide walks the market with you and reads the building floor by floor: loose components at the bottom, prototype boards and modules above them, finished machines higher still. Stop at a counter on the components floor and look at the drawers behind the seller: that is the same catalog a factory buys from. - (sight) — one of the world's best-known electronics markets, and still a working wholesale one rather than a display floor. Your guide explains who buys here and in what quantity, which is how the assembling gets explained without a factory visit. ##### Day 9: The maker and the map - (sight) — an in-store visit to the flagship of the drone maker headquartered here. Drones, camera and imaging equipment sit on the shelves in the order the company built them, and you can see how research, engineering and the consumer product live in the same building. Ask the staff what the newest shelf does that last year's did not. - (sight) — the reservation and admission are booked by us. Inside are the scale models, maps and phased plans the city keeps of how it was drawn and built, including the ground under the hall itself. Find the district you slept in on the big model and then find it out of the window: the model is not a proposal, it is a record. - (sight) — the hall is the steady half of the Shenzhen days. Nothing about it depends on an operator or the weather, which is why it sits next to the ride that does. ##### Day 10: Older than the city - (sight) — the district on the water at the south edge of the city, where the container terminals and the residential blocks share the same shoreline. From here Hong Kong is a shape across the water, roughly forty to sixty minutes away overland. - (sight) — a walled settlement that stood here long before the city around it existed, and is still lived in: lanes, gates, houses built up against the old wall line. Stand in the main lane and look up past the roof tiles at the towers behind them. You'll feel the whole "built in forty years" story quietly correct itself. - (transport) — your driver takes you to Shenzhen airport, timed to your flight with room to spare. Where your order leaves China through Hong Kong or Guangzhou instead, that crossing is arranged on request and quoted separately, and it is not part of your base price. ## Daily plan ### Day 1 — Land in Shanghai Your driver meets your flight, whatever time it lands. Nothing else is asked of you today. - Airport pickup: your driver and vehicle are waiting for the flight number on your confirmation, and the run into the city is yours to sleep through. - Shanghai through the window: the elevated road comes in over the roofs, and the towers on the far bank show up before you have unpacked anything. The city you flew to arrives first as a shape at the end of a ramp. - Evening: nothing is scheduled. Your guide is reachable, and dinner near the hotel is recommended and booked for you if you want it, on your account. - Stay: Shanghai - Meals: None included today ### Day 2 — The old city, the objects, the river A Ming garden in the morning, a floor of bronzes after lunch, two skylines after dark. Day two puts four hundred years of the city in order before you have to think about it. - Yu Garden and the old city: pavilions, rockery, ponds and a path that never runs straight, dropped inside the oldest quarter of Shanghai. Stand in front of the Yu Ling Long, the perforated limestone the garden was arranged around, and look through it: the holes line up, and the pond shows up on the other side. - Shanghai Museum: your timed slot is booked ahead by us, so you walk in on schedule. Inside, the collection is laid out by material: bronzes, ceramics, painting and calligraphy, decorative crafts. Take the bronze gallery first and follow one vessel shape along the wall: the same object gets thinner, then plainer, then decorative, across several centuries in twenty paces. - The Bund after dark: the old bank and customs buildings hold the west bank, the towers of Pudong hold the east, and the two look straight at each other across the water. Your guide is with you the whole evening. Stand at the rail on the west bank and film fifteen seconds across the river: that shot is the whole trip in one frame. Looking at the two banks at once, you'll feel the ten days line up into a single argument. - Stay: Shanghai - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ### Day 3 — Under the plane trees, then across the water A low, quiet morning in the streets the towers never reached. The afternoon crossing is the one every local makes. - Former French Concession and Wukang Road: plane trees closing over the street, historic residences behind their gates, small shops at ground level. Look up at the corner of Wukang Road where the building comes to a point like a ship's bow, then look back down the street: the whole block stayed the height it was built at. - Huangpu River ferry: you cross the river on the public boat the city takes to work, at the rail with commuters and their scooters, not on a narrated deck. The crossing is short, and the far bank comes up fast: the towers you were looking at from the Bund last night are suddenly directly overhead. - The rest of the afternoon: kept light on purpose, with the vehicle and guide staying with you. The Shanghai Tower observation deck sits on the Pudong bank if you want to add it; it is quoted separately when you choose it and is not part of your base plan. - Stay: Shanghai - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ### Day 4 — A canal town, then the train The last Shanghai morning goes to the water it was built on. By mid-afternoon the delta is running past the window. - Zhujiajiao by rowing boat: an hour west of the center, a canal town of stone bridges and lanes that stop at the water's edge. You sit low in a rowed boat while the boatman works a single oar over the stern, and the bridges pass over your head one at a time. - Kezhi Garden and Fangsheng Bridge: Kezhi Garden is one of the town's private gardens, built for a family that wanted to study and farm on the same plot, which is what its name says. Then you walk up Fangsheng Bridge, the town's high arched crossing, and stand at the top: the canal runs off in both directions under the roofline. - High-speed train to Suzhou: your vehicle takes you to the Shanghai station in the early afternoon and your guide sees you onto the train. Second class seats are in the base price, and the cabin class for your order is written into your quote before you pay. It is a short leg: the delta outside the window is flat, wet and worked, water in every field. - Arriving in Suzhou: the Suzhou ground arrangements are not contracted on our side yet, so the transfer, the guide, the admissions and the hotel night here are not part of this plan and not in your price. This is one of the two reasons the route is not open for booking. - Stay: Suzhou - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel in Shanghai ### Day 5 — Down the delta A rail day through the country that grew rice and silk before it grew anything else. The two cities in the middle of this route are the reason its two ends make sense. - Suzhou and Hangzhou, day plan not contracted: told straight, neither city has contracted ground handling on our side today. Nothing here is named as an experience, sold as a highlight or priced into a quote. The route structure holds the two cities because the delta they sit in is where the wealth that built old Shanghai came from, and because the way this region has always dealt with water is the same instinct that later filled in a coastline to make Shenzhen. - High-speed train to Hangzhou: the second of the two rail legs, second class, in the base price. The cabin class for your order is written into your quote before you pay. - What is fixed today: the rail leg itself and the seat on it. Everything else on this day is named in your written itinerary only once the ground handling here is contracted, and until then we do not sell it to you. - Stay: Hangzhou - Meals: None included today ### Day 6 — A day in Hangzhou The slowest day of the ten, and the one still being built on our side. What sits here is honest about itself. - Hangzhou day plan not contracted: Hangzhou ground handling is not contracted, so this day carries no named experience, no admission and no priced item. It is named in your written itinerary before you book, and not before. - Why the day is here: ten days with two intercity moves and a flight need one day that does not move at all, and this is it. The structure is not going to change when the ground handling lands; the contents will be filled in. - Stay: Hangzhou - Meals: None included today ### Day 7 — South to Shenzhen A flight afternoon, and the day the route changes its subject. You go to sleep in a city that is forty years old. - The Hangzhou morning: not contracted, so not named and not priced, on the same terms as day six. Your onward flight is what is fixed about today. - Flight to Shenzhen: one internal flight, economy class, in the base price; the flight number, time and cabin class for your order are written into your quote. The delta below you on the way down is a different one from the one you left: this water is the mouth of the Pearl River, and the ground beside it is worked at a different scale. - Airport pickup in Shenzhen: your Shenzhen driver and guide take over at the terminal, and the run into the city is on elevated road most of the way. Look right on the way in: the towers do not thin out toward the edge of town the way older cities do, because there is no older town underneath them. - Stay: Shenzhen - Meals: None included today ### Day 8 — Nobody in the driver's seat One car with no driver in the morning, one market with everything in it after lunch. Today is the day the word "made" stops being an abstraction. - Robotaxi ride: you hail it on a screen and it pulls up with the driver's seat empty. Inside, the sensors and cameras are reading the street and the wheel corrects itself through traffic, a few degrees at a time. It runs on a real operator's public route, which is why it is booked against your dates ahead of time. - Huaqiangbei: your guide walks the market with you and reads the building floor by floor: loose components at the bottom, prototype boards and modules above them, finished machines higher still. Stop at a counter on the components floor and look at the drawers behind the seller: that is the same catalog a factory buys from. - What the market is: one of the world's best-known electronics markets, and still a working wholesale one rather than a display floor. Your guide explains who buys here and in what quantity, which is how the assembling gets explained without a factory visit. - Stay: Shenzhen - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ### Day 9 — The maker and the map A company's own shop floor in the morning, a city's own account of itself after lunch. One of them is the product, the other is the plan that made room for it. - DJI flagship store: an in-store visit to the flagship of the drone maker headquartered here. Drones, camera and imaging equipment sit on the shelves in the order the company built them, and you can see how research, engineering and the consumer product live in the same building. Ask the staff what the newest shelf does that last year's did not. - Shenzhen urban planning exhibition hall: the reservation and admission are booked by us. Inside are the scale models, maps and phased plans the city keeps of how it was drawn and built, including the ground under the hall itself. Find the district you slept in on the big model and then find it out of the window: the model is not a proposal, it is a record. - The pairing: the hall is the steady half of the Shenzhen days. Nothing about it depends on an operator or the weather, which is why it sits next to the ride that does. - Stay: Shenzhen - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ### Day 10 — Older than the city The last morning goes to the one part of Shenzhen that was here first. Then your driver takes you to the airport. - Shekou: the district on the water at the south edge of the city, where the container terminals and the residential blocks share the same shoreline. From here Hong Kong is a shape across the water, roughly forty to sixty minutes away overland. - Nantou Old Town: a walled settlement that stood here long before the city around it existed, and is still lived in: lanes, gates, houses built up against the old wall line. Stand in the main lane and look up past the roof tiles at the towers behind them. You'll feel the whole "built in forty years" story quietly correct itself. - Airport drop-off: your driver takes you to Shenzhen airport, timed to your flight with room to spare. Where your order leaves China through Hong Kong or Guangzhou instead, that crossing is arranged on request and quoted separately, and it is not part of your base price. - Stay: Trip ends - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ## 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 ### Four Seasons Hangzhou at West Lake - City: Hangzhou ### 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 ### Pullman Suzhou Zhonghui - City: Suzhou - Description: International high-end 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 ### Futian Shangri-La, Shenzhen - City: Shenzhen - Description: Located in Futian CBD, close to major landmarks and metro lines. Featuring 500+ elegant rooms and suites with exclusive Horizon Club services. - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/lNzYq6FP.webp ### Hyatt Regency Hangzhou - City: Hangzhou ### Wyndham Garden Suzhou - City: Suzhou - Description: International hotel in Suzhou offering reliable comfort and convenient access. - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/tMvnft8e.webp ### Atour S Hotel Shanghai Hongqiao Centre Aegean - City: Shanghai - Description: Atour S Hotel in Hongqiao: steps from Aegean Place and Metro Line 10, six km from the National Exhibition and Convention Center. - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ciHY2Qvs.webp ## Included / Excluded ### What's Included - Private vehicle: Air-conditioned private vehicle for all listed touring in Shanghai and in Shenzhen, including fuel, road tolls, parking and the driver's service allowance. Shanghai airport pickup on day one; Shanghai railway station drop-off on day four; Shenzhen airport pickup on day seven; Shenzhen airport drop-off on day ten - Intercity transport: Three legs, all in the base price: Shanghai to Suzhou by high-speed train, second class, on day four · Suzhou to Hangzhou by high-speed train, second class, on day five · Hangzhou to Shenzhen by one-way domestic flight, economy class, on day seven. Standard checked baggage per the selected airline's policy. The cabin basis is the standing written standard across this supplier's current itineraries and is not yet signed back for this route, so every quote states the cabin class for that order in writing, and no order is taken without it - Hotels: 6 nights: Shanghai 3, on the nights of days one, two and three; Shenzhen 3, on the nights of days seven, eight and nine. Four-star, five-star or quality boutique at your chosen level, breakfast included, named in your written confirmation. The Suzhou night and the two Hangzhou nights are not in this line - Guide: Licensed English-speaking guide on all listed touring days in Shanghai and in Shenzhen, including the whole day-two Bund evening from start to finish - Tickets & experiences, Shanghai: Yu Garden with the old city, admission · Shanghai Museum, with the timed reservation booked by us · Former French Concession with Wukang Road, walking, no admission · Huangpu River ferry, fare · the Bund with the Pudong skyline in the evening, guide accompanied, no admission · Zhujiajiao on the day-four morning: the rowing boat ride, Kezhi Garden admission and the Fangsheng Bridge walk - Tickets & experiences, Shenzhen: One robotaxi ride on day eight, fare · Huaqiangbei electronics market, guided walk, no admission · DJI flagship store, in-store visit, no admission · Shenzhen urban planning exhibition hall, admission and reservation booked by us · Shekou with Nantou Old Town, walking, no admission - Robotaxi availability: The ride is in the base price, and the operator, not us, decides whether the service runs on the day. Each order is rechecked before departure and the result is given to you in writing. Where the recheck shows the service will not run, the ride is removed from the plan and its amount is deducted from that order; no substitute and no rebooking are promised in advance - Meals: 6 hotel breakfasts: Shanghai on the mornings of days two, three and four; Shenzhen on the mornings of days eight, nine and ten - Other services: Bottled drinking water on listed touring days. Travel accident insurance for the duration of the journey ### Not Included - International flights: Flights into Shanghai and out of Shenzhen - Suzhou and Hangzhou ground services: Ground handling, guiding, vehicles and admissions on days four to seven, and the three Jiangnan hotel nights - Departure connection from Shenzhen: Where your order leaves China through Hong Kong or Guangzhou instead of Shenzhen, the cross-boundary vehicle, the crossing formalities and the onward ticket are on your account - Visas: Visa fees and processing for guests who need a Chinese visa - Meals: Beyond the 6 breakfasts listed above: all lunches and dinners are recommended and booked by your guide, on your account - Cabin upgrades: Rail first class or business class and premium cabin air, priced separately when you choose them - Optional add-ons: Priced separately when you choose them; nothing optional is added into the base plan. The Shanghai Tower observation deck is the one optional item on this route at present - Personal: Gratuities, single or extra-room difference, personal spending ### Special Notes A few things on this route follow a contract, a calendar or an operator's confirmation. Here they are, told straight. - Bookings are not open yet: Suzhou and Hangzhou must each hold contracted, bookable ground handling first, meaning vehicle, guide, admissions and hotel, and both cities must then be named in the inclusions above. Until that is done we take no orders and no deposits. Tell us your dates and we will write to you on the day it opens. - Days four to seven: the two rail legs through those cities are in your price, because rail ticketing is contracted separately from ground handling. The ground itself is not. Nothing in Suzhou or Hangzhou is named as an experience, sold as a highlight, or priced into a quote on this page. - The robotaxi ride: in your price, and not a promise about the day. The operator decides whether the service runs. Your order is rechecked before departure and you get the result in writing; if it will not run, the ride comes out of the plan and its amount comes off your order. We do not promise a substitute or a rebooking in advance. - Cabin class: second-class rail and economy air is the standing written standard across this supplier's current itineraries and is not yet signed back for this route. Until it is, every quote states in writing the cabin class for that order, and no order is taken without it. Upgrades are priced separately when you choose them. - This route is not sold to the United States market: Shenzhen currently has no direct air service to the United States, so the departure gateway of this plan does not stand for US guests. A version on a different departure gateway would be a different product and would go through compliance review again; nothing is promised here. - Leaving from Shenzhen: Shenzhen has full direct service to France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, and to Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece. Direct points are limited for the UK, the Nordic countries with Central Europe and Ireland, Canada, and Australia with New Zealand, so each order is checked against the timetable for that departure date. Where no suitable direct service exists, the order leaves China through Hong Kong or Guangzhou instead; the overland crossing to Hong Kong runs about 40 to 60 minutes. That connection is not in your base price. We book it on request and quote it separately. - Visa window: the 30-day visa-free policy currently runs through December 31, 2026. Because this is a 10-day plan, departures on or before December 22, 2026 finish inside that window; later departure dates are quoted only after the official renewal is announced. - The national holiday week: no blackout month and no blocked date is on file for this route, but the scheduling rule for the October 1 to 7 holiday week is being settled together with the Jiangnan ground handling. We take no order for that week before it is settled. - Shanghai Museum reservation: entry is by timed slot and the booking system carries limited English, so we book your slot with the details on your confirmation. - On the Bund after dark: people do approach visitors on the waterfront with invitations to practice English or to go for tea, and those invitations end at a bill. Your guide is with you for the whole evening, which is the simplest answer to it. - Confirmation and changes: the confirmation-time commitment and the change and refund terms are being finalized with our ground partners. Until they are settled, each quote states in writing its own confirmation deadline and its change and refund conditions, and no order is taken without them. This route holds two rail legs and one domestic flight, so a date change touches rail, air and hotel inventory at once. ## Is Ten Days Your Length? Fewer than ten days? ### Fewer than ten days? The two ends come apart cleanly. Shanghai with Zhujiajiao stands on its own, and so does the Shenzhen half; the delta in the middle is the part that shortens. Tell us your dates and who is coming, and we cut days rather than cut the pace. ## Good to Know - Group: Private, just your party. From 1 guest. No fixed maximum party size. - Pace: Four cities in 10 days: Shanghai 3 nights, Suzhou 1, Hangzhou 2, Shenzhen 3. Two rail legs and one flight, with one day in Hangzhou that does not move at all - Effort: Level ground throughout, no altitude and no climbs. The walking days are the market floors, the old lanes and the canal town - Ports: Shanghai in, Shenzhen out; airport pickup on day one and drop-off on day ten. Where no suitable direct service exists out of Shenzhen, the order leaves through Hong Kong or Guangzhou, arranged on request and quoted separately - Visas: Most European and UK passports enter visa free for days, as do Canadian, Australian and New Zealand ones, checked order by order against your dates. This route is not sold to the United States market - Language: Licensed English-speaking local guides on all listed touring days in Shanghai and Shenzhen - Payment: When this route opens for booking: 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 - Season: Selling window October to December 2026. No order is taken for the October 1 to 7 holiday week until its scheduling rule is settled; departures on or before December 22, 2026 finish inside the current visa-free window ## 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 tunes pacing, hotels and local hosts around 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 traveler 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 traveler. ## Before You Book Everything worth knowing before you book. ### Why can't I book this yet? Because three of the ten days are not contracted. Suzhou and Hangzhou have no ground handling on our side: no vehicle, no guide, no admissions, no hotel. We are not going to sell you four days we cannot deliver, so the route takes no orders and no deposits until both cities hold contracted, bookable ground handling and are named in the inclusions. Everything in Shanghai and Shenzhen, and all three intercity legs, are settled and written out above. Tell us your dates now and we will write to you on the day the route opens. ### Will the driverless taxi actually run on my day? It is a public service run by an operator on real city routes, and we book it against your date in advance. We cannot guarantee it, because whether the service runs that day is the operator's decision, not ours. So we recheck your order before you travel and tell you the result in writing; if it will not run, the ride comes out of the plan and its amount comes off your order. What holds either way: the Huaqiangbei walk the same day, with your guide reading the market floor by floor, and the planning hall the next day, neither of which depends on an operator. ### I hold a US passport. Can I do this route? Not this one. Shenzhen currently has no direct air service to the United States, so a route that ends in Shenzhen does not stand for US guests, and we do not sell it to the US market rather than quietly leaving you to solve the flight home. If you want this subject matter, tell us and we will say plainly what a version on a different departure gateway would take: it would be a different product and would go through compliance review again. ### There's no Great Wall on this. Is it worth ten days? It depends on what you came for. This route is built for looking at how the country works now, so it spends its time on the things that are actually running: a market that supplies factories, a car on a public driverless route, a company's own shop floor, a hall that keeps the record of a city's plan. Behind all four sits the older Shanghai the money for it came through. If what you want is the first-trip set, the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors and the pandas, say so and we will point you at the routes that carry them. ### How do I get home from Shenzhen? Shenzhen has full direct service to France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. It has full direct service to Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece as well. If that is your way home, the airport drop-off on day ten is in your price. Direct points out of Shenzhen are limited for the UK. The same holds for the Nordic countries with Central Europe and Ireland, and for Canada with Australia and New Zealand, so we check the timetable for your exact departure date before you book. Where nothing suitable flies, your order leaves China through Hong Kong or Guangzhou instead: the overland crossing to Hong Kong runs about 40 to 60 minutes, we book it on request, and it is quoted separately rather than folded into your base price.