4 Days Shanghai & Poetic Suzhou Garden Tour
Shanghai / Suzhou / Shanghai
Highlights
- Visit:
- Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center
- Shanghai Museum
- The Bund
- Jade Buddha Temple
- Shanghai World Financial Center
- Humble Administrator’s Garden
- Zhouzhuang Water Town
- Experience:
- Have a bird's eye view of the metropolis Shanghai;
- Enjoy the beauty and tranquility in classic Suzhou gardens;
- Relax on a sculling boat to enjoy the ancient charm of Zhouzhuang 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, 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 third-tallest building in China - Shanghai World Financial Center in Pudong New District. Ascend to the 100th floor (474 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).
Day 3 Shanghai - Suzhou - Shanghai (B, L)
In this morning, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel and escort you to Suzhou (about 93km for 1.5 hours’ drive). “Suzhou Gardens are finest under heaven”. First, you’ll take an interesting trip to Humble Administrator’s Garden which is a representation of Jiangnan classical garden as well as the largest classical garden in Suzhou. Entering into the garden, you’ll enjoy water scenery, green hills, delicate buildings and pavilions, lush flowers and trees. You won’t miss beautiful scenery in every corner as you’ll follow the route to Eastern Garden, Central Garden and Western Garden.
After the classical Suzhou garden tour, you’ll drive about 43km (27miles) to the No.1 Water Town in China - Zhouzhuang. In this ancient town, you’ll explore 14 ancient particular stone bridges built in Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, multiple courtyards linking together on the winding water, more than 80 residents living by the river. Visit Double Bridge to feel the ancient charm of Zhouzhuang, Shen’s House to see the luxurious rooms, and Zhang’s House where you can know about the life an story of the very wealthy Shen Wansan. Enjoy the leisure moment to take a sculling boat to appreciate the hundred-year old houses passing by, verdant willow dancing in the wind and listen to the introduction through the boatman. If you like, you can also enjoy the Kun Opera performed at the Old Stage.
After the tour, drive to Shanghai City and stay overnight there.
Day 4 Shanghai Departure (B)
Good morning! After breakfast, you'll be picked up from your hotel for an interesting visit to Shanghai's evolution at Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center. Witness how a humble fishing village has transformed into a super modern metropolis. Engaging exhibits, including rare vintage photos of landmarks like the Bund, Nanjing Road, and Yu Garden from the international settlement era, coupled with interactive multimedia and intricate models, offer an entertaining and insightful experience. You won't miss the highlight - massive model showcasing Shanghai's detailed urban layout.
Next, go to Tianzifang which is a vibrant arts and crafts hub developed from a renovated traditional residential area. It is the typical place to appreciate the preserved Shikumen architecture and soak up the local lifestyle. You can leisurely stroll along the quaint alleys, observe Shanghai's daily routines, sip a drink at an outdoor café, and discover unique finds in trendy boutiques, blending international flair with authentic Shanghai culture.
After the visit, your guide and driver will escort you to the airport / train station for your flight to the next destination or home. Tour ends!
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.
Wonder,
1. My travel consultant always answers all my queries patiently and promptly and provides advice when appropriate.
2. We are happy with the tour arrangement. We wanted a more relaxing tour and we are happy that the tour was well arranged. It was not rushed but we were able to visit all the places we wanted without feeling tired. We were happy with the tour guide and driver. The guide was very friendly and helpful and made us feel like her friends. The driver was a careful driver and was helpful.
3. I am happy to recommend your company.
Teh
- Teh - January 11, 2025‚ ,
Dear Jack,
We have safely arrived Guangzhou in preparation for our homeward journey back to Australia. The Canadian pair have reached their destination of HK , they, seasoned traveller to China are like us are more than happy with your travel arrangement and the execution of the schedule , never once did we have minor hiccup in our whole journey . For this. I have to thank you specially for the most professional organisation .
The followings are my brief comment on
Hotel, on the whole no complaint ,clean comfortable , reasonably centrally located, the one in Xian is good , the one in Shanghai is too too small.
Meals were good and plentiful
Guides were satisfactory and good , one in Xian and Zhangjiajie were excellent.
Transport driver and car , good , punctual and certainly no complaint.
General impression of the whole journey: well designed , seamlessly executed . My highest recommendation for your organisation , assured a returned engagement.
Sincere thank for the memorable journey
David
- David - December 14, 2024‚ ,
Hi Elk
We had a great trip. While the boat is old and certainly needs some work, the excursions were good and the service was fantastic. The food was mostly Chinese but enough variety that we didn't go hungry at all. We would recommend it.
Thank you for organizing
- Elizabeth - December 30, 2024‚ ,
Dear Mrs. Zhu,
As you presumed, we are now back again at our home in Germany. We enjoyed the Yangtze Cruise and appreciated travelling with Yangtze River Cruises very much.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Peter and Karen
- Peter - December 23, 2024‚ ,
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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