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3 Days Classic Shanghai Tour with Zhujiajiao Water Town

Shanghai / Zhujiajiao / Shanghai

Highlights

Visit:
Shanghai World Financial Center
Yu Garden
Yuyuan Bazaar
 
Zhujiajiao Water Town
Shanghai Museum
The Bund
Experience:
Have a bird's eye view of the metropolis Shanghai;
Get away the bustling city and enjoy some quite time in Zhujiajiao Water Town;
Walk along the Bund to explore the west-meet-east culture.

Sampling Itinerary Day by Day

Day 1 Shanghai Arrival

Ni Hao! Welcome to Shanghai, the largest and the most developed metropolis in the Chinese mainland! You’ll be met by our local guide at the arrival hall of Shanghai airport / train station and escorted to your hotel at downtown area by a private, comfortable and non-smoking vehicle. The rest of today is on your own to explore this city.

Optional Activity - Enjoy an entertaining Acrobatic Show to see the breathtaking “balls of death” acts, chair balancing, juggling of benches, walking in the air, and other breathtaking performances (usually 19:30~21:00).

Arrival Ideas: At present, Shanghai has many international and domestic flights. Besides, you can take high speed trains from Beijing (about 5~5.5hrs), Xian (about 6~7.5hrs), Suzhou (about 0.5hr), Hangzhou (about 1hr), Huangshan (about 4hrs), etc.

Day 2 Shanghai (B, L)

After breakfast, enjoy your full-day exploration of the Magic Shanghai with west-meet-east, modern-blend-tradition culture. Let's start with Shanghai Museum East, which collected many international-standard exhibits of bronzes, paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, ceramics, jade from more than 5,000 years ago to the Qing dynasty. An Audio Explanation Device will be prepared for you to help you learn about the history and facts about the relics in the museum easily.

Next, have an interesting walk at Yu Garden, a typical ancient Chinese garden in Jiangnan area similar to the classical Suzhou Gardens! This garden boasts traditional design of Chinese architecture with jagged pavilions with elegant decorations, glittering pools with roving fish, and pine trees sprouting to the sky, all designed to refresh your spirit. Adjacent to the garden is the Yuyuan Bazaar where you can savor local snacks and explore exquisite traditional handicrafts and artworks.

Continue to the No.1 tallest building in China - Shanghai Tower in Pudong New District. Ascend to the 118th floor (546 meters) for a breathtaking panoramic view of Shanghai's downtown, the Huangpu River, and neighboring skyscrapers. Later, go to Nanjing Road, another landmark of Shanghai, a shopping paradise as well as a great place for a nice walk to feel the modern vibes of Shanghai. Finally, take a delight stroll along The Bund with a rich array of buildings of diverse architectural styles. Soak in the perfect fusion of Chinese and Western cultures while appreciating the stunning Shanghai skyline!

Optional activities: Take a relaxing Huangpu River night cruise to see the city’s most significant edifices and streets sparkling under the atmospheric cover of darkness (about 50 minutes).

The Bund - Best Place to See Shanghai Skyline

Shanghai Museum

Walk through the Zigzag Bridge of Yu Garden

Have Panoramic View on the Top of Shanghai Tower

The Bund - An Exhibition of International Buildings

Day 3 Shanghai - Zhujiajiao & Shanghai Departure (B, L)

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. Today, drive about 48km (30 miles) from downtown area to Zhujiajiao Water Town. Reputed as the Venice of Shanghai, Zhujiajiao is a 1700-year-old town with old bridges, old streets, Ming-Qing dynasty architectures, old Buddhist and Taoist sites, etc. You’ll get impressed by the concept of life in Kezhi Garden, enjoy leisurely walk to Fangsheng Bridge and take some great pictures, stroll along the old North Street, visit Yuanjin Buddhist Temple and climb up Qinghua Pavilion to have a panoramic view of Zhujiajiao…Of course, you won’t miss the tranquil time to relax on the lovely water with a traditionally-decorated boat to enjoy fascinating scenery passing by.

After the tour, your guide will escort you the airport / train station for your flight to next destination or home.

Zhujiajiao Water Town

1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in a comfortable-class hotel and traveling with our private tour package in low seasons. The price will be much lower if your group has 4 or more members.

2. This price is subject to change according to your traveling season, month, and date. There may be huge price increasing during the public Chinese holidays, school summer holidays (usually 2 months, July ~ August), peak tourist seasons or some special dates. (Chinese Public Holidays 2026)

3. Other factors that may change the final tour price include your group size, hotel class, tour activities, real-time exchange rate, and so on.

4. This price is based on the exchange rate USD 1= RMB 7.00. The final price will be based on the exchange rate in effect at the time of agreement with our quotation.

5. This price is only valid from now to March 31, 2027.

6. This price is not the final price until the Confirmation Letter is sent.

7. The items included and excluded in this price are for reference only. The final services included, please refer to the Confirmation Letter sent to you by the travel consultant.

Price Includes:

  • English-speaking guide with the professional license as listed in the itinerary.
  • Entrance fees and other fees of the scenic spots as listed in the itinerary.
  • Yangtze River Cruise ticket as listed in the itinerary.
  • Accommodation (comfortable-class) based on two persons sharing one room with twin beds or a double bed.
  • Meals as specified with “B” (for breakfast), “L” (for lunch) or “D” (for dinner) in the itinerary.
  • Private Transfers between airports, hotels and scenic spots while sightseeing in each city or area by private air-conditioned vehicle with a licensed driver as listed in the itinerary.
  • Transportation: Domestic flights (economy class) or trains (second-class seat) as listed in the itinerary.
  • Airport / train station pick-up and drop-off service as listed in the itinerary.
  • Luggage Transfers between airports, train station and hotels.
  • Travel Service Charge of our travel consultant, including the planning, handling, operational and communication charges, etc.

Price Excludes:

  • China Visa (We do not offer any visa service or charge any visa-related fee.)
  • Scenic spots not listed in the itinerary.
  • Optional activities or other sightseeing.
  • Accommodation not as listed in the itinerary.
  • Meals not listed in the itinerary.
  • Flights or trains not as listed in the itinerary.
  • Excess Baggage Charges.
  • Personal expenses of a purely personal nature such as room service, laundry, drink, Internet charge, WI-FI, fax, telephone call, etc.
  • Gratuities or optional tips to guides, drivers, bellboys, etc.
  • Travel insurance. Please kindly note that the full coverage travel insurance from your country of origin should be purchased in advance on your own.

Read what other travelers think about this China trip / Yangtze cruise trip. We only accept reviews from actual, confirmed travelers who purchased the tour / activity from us, so you can be sure the reviews are unbiased and authentic.

Hi Elk,

"Yangtze River Cruises and more specifically Elk has been helping us organise a very good tour in China: we were aiming to visit Chongqing, and observing that this could be combined with a crude on the Yangtze River, we opted for this, and given that this cruise at this time of the year was only 4 days, I searched extension options on the company website, found 2 extensions of interest for me and my husband, namely in Chengdu (where the tour organiser is based) and in Zhangjiajie. 

1. Organisation

Booking the tour, I was a little uncertain: there are so many scams online, that I was afraid we pay for that tour and end up with nothing... but it was not the case :-)

A few days before the start of our tour in Chengdu, Elk sent me the mobile numbers of the 3 guides that would be taking us through each station of our tour, and to my great pleasure, each of them was waiting for us at the agreed meeting point. All these scheduling and organisation elements were super well defined.

Elk also asked me which category of housing I wanted and booked for us hotels and cruise bedroom in the relevant category. I was pleasantly surprised in each location.

2. Comfort

Another special comment: the hotels and cruise ship have aircond, which is as expected, and also heating systems (which in December and January was very helpful as we visited Zhanjiajie under the snow). I specify this because some people told me before the trip that in these regions, considered South China, there is usually no heating system. It's true that in some restaurants and coffee shops, there was no heating, but al our hotels had some.

3. Food

In each location we had usually at least a breakfast and lunch included, plus dinner during the cruise. All was very good and to our taste: the guides asked us ahead what kind of food we can / cannot eat and esp. for us, it was "not spicy please" and we got it alright all the time.

4. Sightseeing and Guides

In each location we had a guide speaking well to very well our language and a driver; full comfort! 

In Chengdu guide Ben took us to the panda reserve and visiting it has been great fun: they are so cute. Then we went for lunch in the old city in a delicious restaurant, and visited and old temple, the touristic area, and park... and he was also kind enough to propose to us to join the local theater show (not included in the tour), which was amazing... The following morning he took us to the train station from which we would join Chongqing. He insisted to take us up to the last passport check before the train platform... that's very useful for overseas tourists not familiar with Chinese trains. Many thanks to Ben!

Then in Chongqing, Jacques took us through the city museum and main places of interest before dropping us at the gate of the ship; here also, no chance to get lost :-)

During the cruise, the staff and guides speaking our language were taking care of us onboard and during the excursions. We also took the ship lift add-on at the 3 gorges dam, which I can also recommend, what an experience! 

Finally in YiChang, our guide for Zhangjiajie was waiting for us at the cruise terminal to take us to Zhangjiajie. There she took us to the 2 famous parks there, the one with Avatar peaks, great even with overcast and rain, and then to the park of the Tianmen mountain, with the glass bridges and and the 999 steps... We visited that one under the snow and walking on snow, and it was amazing, even if we could not take as many glass bridges as planned, for safety reasons. Each day, we finished with delicious lunches, too much food actually, thus we did dabao. 

Thus only one summary: fantastic tour, great organisation, we are looking forward to the next one! 

The only thing that was a little less good was our guide in Chongqing, Jacques: he was always speaking very loud, like if speaking to a group of 20 people while we were only two. Otherwise, nothing to improve really, it was excellent!

Best regards,

Valerie

The following photos were shared by our customer Valerie:

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Chengdu City Tour | Late December 2025 | Curated by Elk

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Valerie - January 8, 2026‚ , 

Hi,

Thank you for your email. The trip to China was great. I will update you when I get back to Spain. All the best to you.

Regards,

David

David - December 25, 2025‚ , 

Hi Elk,

We had a wonderful experience booking our Yangtze River cruise through Yangtze River Cruise Company. Elk was especially helpful throughout the entire process - extremely communicative, responsive, and patient in answering all our questions, which made the booking smooth and stress-free for our family.

The cruise itself on Century Paragon was excellent. Everything was well organized, the facilities were comfortable,and we truly had a great time. Overall, it was a fantastic experience from booking to the actual cruise, and we would highly recommend both the company and Elk's services to others planning a Yangtze River cruise.

Chen

Chen - December 22, 2025‚ , 

Thank you Rita,

The Cruise has been wonderful, everyone involved has been very helpful. My wife and I are having a good time.

Thanks again for the arrangements.

Joseph

Joseph - December 22, 2025‚ , 

Here are recent candid photos of this China trip / Yangtze cruise trip. If you want to share your own tour photos, simply email your photos to info@yangtze-river-cruises.com with your Booking ID Number. Thanks in advance for sharing!

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Have Panoramic View on the Top of Shanghai Tower
The Bund - Best Place to See Shanghai Skyline
Shanghai Museum
Walk through the Zigzag Bridge of Yu Garden
The Bund - An Exhibition of International Buildings
Zhujiajiao Water Town

Recommended Add-on Options

+ 3~4 more days to explore the capital city of China - Beijing

Get into the imperial capital city whose story goes back at least 3000 years.

Beijing’s opulent royal palaces, temples and magnificent walls and gates make it the first tourist destination in China. A wealth of history, both ancient (Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace) and more recent (Tiananmen Square, Bird’s Nest & Water Cube) will inspire your imagination. A visit to the Great Wall, the longest manmade structure in the world, is absolutely essential.

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests of Temple of Heaven

+ 3 more days to feel a real Chinese white & black painting - Mt.Huang

“No mountain is worth seeing after a trip to Mount Huang”. It features the “Four Wonders” - beautifully-shaped pines trees, fantastic rock peaks, sea of clouds and hot springs. Besides, the poetic Hongcun and Xidi old villages are also extremely popular for its ancient Hui style structures, local culture and peaceful sceneries, which makes them the favorite of photographers home and abroad.

Yellow Mountain

+ 4~5 more days to cruise on the magnificent Yangtze River

Taking a relaxing cruise sailing on the Yangtze River is a popular way to get a short break during your China tour. You’ll not only enjoy many colorful cultural activities and entertainment programs onboard, but also enjoy three to four shore excursions to deeply know the authentic life along Three Gorges and witness the world-famous Three Gorges Dam.

You can take: 1) 4 Days & 3 Night Downstream Cruise from Chongqing to Yichang; 2) 5 Days & 4 Nights Upstream Cruise from Yichang to Chongqing.

Our Customer Visiting Magnificent Qutang Gorge

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