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.
Tall Buildings in Pudong New District
Day 2 Shanghai (B, L)
After breakfast, you’ll take a full day to explore the west-meet-east, modern-blend-tradition culture of Shanghai. First, take an educational trip to Shanghai Museum, one of the Four Greatest Museums in China. From outside, you’ll appreciate the beautiful appearance in the style of “Ding” which symbolizes “a round heaven and a square earth”. While entering into the exhibition rooms, you’ll treat your eyes with large number of collections of historic relics from Bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphic works to jades, coins, furniture, seals, sculptures, etc.
Then, head to Yu Garden, a typical ancient Chinese garden in Jiangnan area similar to the classical Suzhou Gardens! This garden fully embodies the 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 mood and spirit. Adjacent to the garden is the Yuyuan Bazaar where you can savor tasteful local snacks and explore elaborate traditional Chinese handicrafts and art works.
Next, drive to Pudong New District to the third tallest building in China - Shanghai World Financial Center. Stand on the 100th floor (474 meters) to have panoramic view of Shanghai downtown, Huangpu River as well as nearby towering buildings. Later, take a wonderful stroll along the Bund with a rich collection of buildings and structures of various architectural styles. Feel the perfect fusion of Chinese and Western cultures while at the same time take in the stunning Shanghai skyline with your own eyes! (Note: If time and energy permits, you can have a nice walk along Nanjing Road to experience the modern atmosphere of Shanghai.)
Optional activities: 1) 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); 2) Enjoy an entertaining and breathtaking Acrobatic Show at Shanghai Circus World or other acrobatic theatres (usually performs during 19:30~21:00).
Have Panoramic View on the Top of Shanghai World Financial Center
Shanghai Museum on the People's Square
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.
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.
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.
(In 2024: Labor Day Holiday during May 1 ~ 5; National Day Holiday during October 1 ~ 7; Chinese Spring Festival during January 28 ~ February 3, 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, 2025.
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.
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 Rita,
Here are my answers to your questions:
1. How do you comment on your tour arrangements?
The arrangements were excellent, and everything went smoothly from start to finish.
2. Are you willing to recommend our service to others who are interested in visiting China?
Absolutely.
3. Do you have any suggestions on improving our services?
No, everything was just right.
4. Can we use your comments, photos, or other images from the tour for our website, brochures, marketing, and publicity? If yes, could you please send us some of your photos by email?
Just my first name will be posted, is this correct? If so, then yes you may! Photos are attached.
Additional Comments:
I had a fantastic experience on my Yangtze River cruise. The accommodations were clean, comfortable, and I especially loved the private balcony, where I spent much of my time relaxing and enjoying the incredible scenery. The food was good, with plenty of variety to suit all tastes. The excursions to the Lesser Three Gorges and Mini Three Gorges were wonderful, offering an up-close look at the stunning natural beauty of the area, from the lush forests to the towering mountains. Last but not least, I can’t say enough good things about the Three Kingdoms large-scale landscape performance—it was, without a doubt, the most spectacular live show I’ve ever seen. I highly recommend this cruise experience to anyone considering a visit to China.
The following photos were shared by our customer Gala:
Gala Enjoying Time in Chongqing in October 2024, tour made by Rita
Gala Enjoying Wu Gorge Scenery in October 2024, tour made by Rita
Gala Enjoying Time with Yangtze Gold 8 Cruise in October 2024, tour made by Rita
Gala Enjoying Feng Yan San Guo (War Fire of Three Kingdoms) Show in October 2024, tour made by Rita
Gala Enjoying Feng Yan San Guo (War Fire of Three Kingdoms) Show in October 2024, tour made by Rita
Gala Visited Shennv Stream in October 2024, tour made by Rita
Gala Visited Shennv Stream in October 2024, tour made by Rita
- Gala - November 13, 2024‚ ,
Thank you Tracy for the update.
Our trip has again been enjoyable this year, guided by Kimi (Xian) and Jamie (Chengdu). The train from Xian to Chengdu was comfortable. We look forward to the Yangtze cruise starting tomorrow on Thursday 24th October.
Regards,
Timothy
- Timothy - October 23, 2024‚ ,
Hi Rita,
Thank you for all your help! You’ve been amazing
Stefan
- Stefan - October 16, 2024‚ ,
Hi Juliet,
I am very happy during this cruise trip. The service is excellent. The staff is all the time and manger Stephen is very helpful. But I don't understand why the tips different between the local customers and the foreign customers.
Kenny
- Kenny - October 15, 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!
- Tall Buildings in Pudong New District
- Have Panoramic View on the Top of Shanghai World Financial Center
- Shanghai Museum on the People's Square
- 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
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