5 Days Shanghai Hangzhou Tour with West Lake
Shanghai / Hangzhou / Shanghai
Highlights
- Visit:
- Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center
- Yu Garden & Bazaar
- Shanghai Museum
- The Bund
- Shanghai World Financial Center
- West Lake
- Linyin Temple
- Dragon Well Tea Plantation
- Wuzhen Water Town
- Jade Buddha Temple
- Experience:
- Have a bird's eye view of the metropolis Shanghai;
- Walk along the Bund to explore the west-meet-east culture;
- Take a boat on West Lake and enjoy some leisure time;
- Explore the traditional life in a water town with 2000 years' history.
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 in downtown area by a private, comfortable and non-smoking vehicle. The rest of today is on your own to explore the “Pearl of the Orient”.
Arrival Ideas: Shanghai has airlines connecting with 282 cities and regions, linking almost every part of the world and China. Also, travelers can take high speed trains to Shanghai from Beijing (about 5~5.5hrs), Xian (about 6~7.5hrs), Suzhou (about 0.5hr), Hangzhou (about 1hr), Huangshan (about 4hrs), etc.
Shanghai Skyline - Tall Buildings in Pudong New District
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, one of the Four Greatest Museums in China. Admire its stunning "Ding"-style exterior which symbolizes “a round heaven and a square earth”. Enter to treat your eyes with an extensive collection of international-standard historical relics from over 5,000 years ago to the Qing Dynasty, including bronzes, ceramics, paintings, jades, coins, furniture, seals, sculptures, etc. (An Audio Explanation Device will be prepared for your better understanding of the history and technology.)
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 - Hangzhou (B, L)
In this morning, you’ll be escorted to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station for a high speed train to Hangzhou (about 1hr). Upon arrival, the local guide will meet you at Hangzhou East Railway Station and take you for today’s sightseeing. Firstly, enjoy the merry time at the iconic and World Heritage Site - West Lake. You can choose to take a 45-minute leisure cruise on the tranquil lake, cycle around the famous Bai Causeway and Su Causeway, or take a relaxing walk to enjoy the lake views as well as the ancient pagodas, traditional arched bridges, tree-lined walkways, beautiful hills, green islands and lush gardens.
Later, move to Lingyin Temple which is about 3km from the West Lake. Getting into this 1700-year-old temple, you’ll see cloud-wrapped mountains, massive trees, ancient temples, religious grottoes, delicate rock carvings. Visit Lingyin Temple and its halls like Hall of Heavenly Kings, Grand Hall of Great Sage, Palace of Medicine Buddha, Jigong Hall, etc. If your energy permits, climb up to the nearby Feilai Peak which features in uncountable Buddhist carvings.
Next will be a trip to explore the tea culture at Meijiawu Dragon Well Tea Village. Wander among the green tea plantations with the refreshing fragrance of the wide range of tea, and sit down in a local villager’s house and sip a cup of Longjing tea to smooth your mood.
After the tour, drive to your hotel in Hangzhou downtown.
West Lake in Hangzhou
Lingyin Temple
Day 4 Hangzhou - Wuzhen Water Town - Shanghai (B, L)
After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. Today, you’ll drive 80km (50miles) to Wuzhen Water Town, one of the top six ancient towns in South China. Little rivers, houses on the two banks, little bridges connecting streets, stone paved alleys, all these compose the most typical Jiangnan style water town.
You’ll first take a trip to the Eastern Scenic Zone to enjoy all kinds of traditional folk customs, including Ancient Bed Museum, Folk Customs Museum, Shadow Play Theater and Former Residence of Mao Dun, etc. Later, move to the West Scenic Zone which is more tranquil, spacious and beautifully-decorated. You’ll explore Chinese Foot-binding Culture Museum, Yadi Silk Workshop and Water Market. Of course, you can enjoy the leisure time on a traditionally-decorated boat to appreciate the beautiful scenery passing by either at Eastern Scenic Zone or Western Scenic Zone.
After the tour, drive 128km to Shanghai and stay overnight there.
Wuzhen Water Town
Day 5 Shanghai Departure (B)
Want to deeply know the past, today and future of Shanghai? This morning’s visit to Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center will show you everything about Shanghai. You will see the amazing transformation of Shanghai that was originally a small fishing village and now surprisingly a super modern world metropolis. Different usages of photography, models and interactive multimedia displays make your visit enjoyable and entertaining. The best features are the old rare photos of landmarks, such as the Bund, Nanjing Road, Yu Garden, during the international settlement, and the large scale model showing the detailed layout of Shanghai.
Then you will be followed a trip to Jade Buddha Temple, a famous Buddhist Temple peacefully situated in the bustling Shanghai downtown. It is famous for the two pieces of Jade Buddha - one is the sitting Jade Buddha of 1.95 meters tall and the other is the smaller reclining Jade Buddha of 0.96 meters tall. Besides appreciating the Jade Buddha, you can have a basic understanding about Chinese Buddhism by visiting the Buddhist halls.
After the tour, your guide will escort you the airport / train station for your flight to next destination or home.
Jade Buddha Temple
See the Future of Shanghai in Urban Planning Exhibition Center
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 2025)
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, 2026.
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.
Dear Mr Jack Li
This is my feedback on the Yangtze cruise Century Oasis.
We travelled in a group of 6 booked on the Century Oasis for the Yangtze river cruise from Chongqing to Yichang. We thank Mr Jack Li who provided excellent service and support in booking and making payments.
We enjoyed the cruise and found the facilities, amenities and rooms very much to expectations. The services were well orchestrated and coordinated by the Captain and his crew. Attention to detail, comfort, convenience and safety of the passengers were paramount and emphasized throughout our 4 day stay. Compliments to the Chef for the wide variety of food options. Each meal offers some dishes which are new and provides variety and taste.
The off-shore excursions are a must. They are thoroughly well planned and executed in small groups of 12-15 persons. The 3 Kingdom performance show is spectacular. We are very impressed. The cruise offered excellent central seating for the performance. The Ghost city and upstream excursions were very enjoyable. We heard there was a lot of walking but it was at an easy pace and not troubling at all (my group are in their sixties & seventies)
We had one hiccup which was beyond the control of the cruise operator. In early April the tide at the Chongqing Chao Tien Men terminal was too low, and the ship could not embank there. We were given 2 days advance notice to go to a different meeting venue in the city and were driven by coach to the next embarkation point. We felt that this hiccup was well managed and together with other travellers felt we were well taken care of.
We highly recommend this cruise and recommend booking through the yangtze-river-cruise.com website is an excellent choice.
Thank you, Jack.
Sincerely
Mr Kwong
- Mr Kwong - May 26, 2025‚ ,
Elk
我们对此行非常满意，三餐可供选择的食品种类多，味道可口；船上有表演、有互动，中途还有观景游玩，活动形式灵活多样；房间干净、零食和饮用水的提供到位；船上的工作人员态度和蔼耐心，服务周到，特别是我们在六楼11号餐桌用餐时为我们提供服务的女生服务员做事积极、周到又细致……。总之，感谢长江2号游轮带给了我们一个愉快的旅行！
John
- John - May 27, 2025‚ ,
Dear Reya,
We are back from our cruise and would like to sincerely thank you for the perfect organization of the trip! Everything went wonderfully—the journey was a complete success, and we enjoyed every minute. We will gladly reach out to you again as soon as our next vacation planning begins.
Warm regards,
Birgit and Michael
亲爱的Reya，
我们已结束邮轮旅行归来，衷心感谢您对这次行程的完美安排！一切都非常顺利，旅行十分圆满，我们享受了每一刻。下一次计划度假时，我们一定再来麻烦您！
谨致问候，
Birgit和Michael
The following photos were shared by our customer Birgit:
Birgit Enjoying Captain's Welcome Party on Victoria Sabrina in May 2025, tour made by Reya
Birgit Enjoying Captain's Welcome Party on Victoria Sabrina in May 2025, tour made by Reya
Victoria Sabrina Photo by Birgit in May 2025, tour made by Reya
- Birgit - May 25, 2025‚ ,
Dear Karina,
Thank you for the pleasant communication. You have helped and informed us very well.
The cruise was lovely too!
How did you find your overall cruise experience? Was there anything that stood out to you?
The food was great, all staff was lovely. Good entertainment for children.
Do you have any suggestions for improvement—whether regarding the itinerary, onboard facilities, or other aspects of the service?
The announcements were made unexpectedly and loudly in our room. We could not turn them off or lower the volume. Some announcements were even after 22:00, with a sleeping baby. Would be good to have an option to turn off the announcements in the room.
We also value your honest opinion about our travel consultant’s service. Was there anything I could have done better to make your experience more enjoyable?
Service was really good, you answered all of our questions very clearly and quickly. Thank you for that!!
Kind regards,
Ariana and Miran
- Ariana - May 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!
- Shanghai Skyline - Tall Buildings in Pudong New District
- 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
- West Lake in Hangzhou
- Lingyin Temple
- Wuzhen Water Town
- See the Future of Shanghai in Urban Planning Exhibition Center
- Jade Buddha Temple
Recommended Add-on Options
+ 1~2 more day to appreciate classical gardens & exquisite water town - Suzhou
With over 2,500 years’ history, Suzhou is super famous for its typical elegant Suzhou gardens most of which are listed as World Heritage Site, like the Administrator's Garden, Lingering Garden, etc. Besides, the poetic, quiet and picturesque water towns like Zhouzhuang and Tongli are the best places to appreciate Jiangnan feature and enjoy some leisure moments.
+ 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.
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Not easy to find the right cruise ship/itinerary for you? Please contact one of our Yangtze cruise specialists to save your time and money. Click the right button to send an online inquiry and we will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hours.
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