Shanghai
Zhujiajiao Water Town Private Day Tour
Sixty minutes from Shanghai, a still-working canal town of 36 stone bridges — arrive before the coaches, boat the canal, eat river shrimp for lunch.
From US$129/per person
View tourDay tours & Yangtze Delta bases
One day in Shanghai: the Bund, a canal town, or the Concession
Asia's busiest intercontinental hub, plus a classical canal village 60 minutes from downtown.
The short version
Shanghai Pudong (PVG) and Hongqiao (SHA) handle daily international flights from New York, London, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Bangkok, which makes a layover here genuinely usable. One day buys the Bund and the old town, or a Jiangnan canal village — Zhujiajiao is 60 minutes away on metro Line 17, and early arrival beats the coach groups by two hours.
- PVG and SHA run daily international flights; the maglev covers the 30 km to Pudong in 8 minutes.
- Zhujiajiao is the closest classical water town — one hour by metro, no car needed.
- The Bund is worth twice: once in daylight for the masonry, once after dark for the skyline.
- Mondays close most museums, including the Shanghai Museum — plan around it.
- Hangzhou is 45 minutes away by train if you want two cities in one day trip.
Why take a day tour from Shanghai
Shanghai rewards a single day more than most megacities, because its best material is compressed. The Bund, Yu Garden, the old town and the former French Concession all sit within four kilometres of each other, and the metro between them costs under ¥7.
The other option is to leave town. The Jiangnan water country — canal villages of stone bridges and whitewashed houses — begins about an hour west. Zhujiajiao is the closest and still lived-in; Tongli and Zhouzhuang are prettier and correspondingly busier.
Either way the arithmetic favours you. Shanghai has the best English signage, the cleanest metro and the highest card acceptance in China, so a day here costs you very little friction.
- Zhujiajiao at 09:00 is a working town; at 14:00 it is a souvenir arcade. Timing is the whole trick.
- The Bund's 1920s banks read completely differently once the Lujiazui towers light up across the water.
- Yu Garden is a Ming scholar's garden — rockeries, koi, moon gates — five minutes from the city's best snack stalls.
- The French Concession is best on foot: plane trees, red-brick lanes, and courtyards that only open if you know the bell.
- 240-hour visa-free transit applies here too, so a US, UK or Schengen passport can often tour without a visa.
Choose your day
Day tours from Shanghai
Private departures, hotel pickup, an English-speaking guide, and no shopping stops.
Shanghai
The Bund & French Concession Day Tour
The 1920s riverfront in daylight, the old town at the middle of the day, and plane-tree streets in the Concession — ending on the promenade at blue hour.
From US$109/per person
View tour
Shanghai
Shanghai Museum & West Bund Art Day Tour
Bronzes and ceramics in the morning, a noodle lunch, then the riverside galleries of West Bund — China's best general museum plus the country's liveliest art district.
From US$99/per person
View tourLonger trips that start or finish here
China Highlights Express
The essential first-time itinerary: imperial Beijing, the Terracotta Army in Xi'an and futuristic Shanghai, linked by high-speed rail.
★★★★★4.9 218 reviews
From US$1,290 US$1,490/per person
Golden Triangle & Giant Panda
The three great capitals plus a morning with the pandas of Chengdu — the trip we recommend to seven out of ten first-time visitors.
★★★★★4.9 164 reviews
From US$1,690/per person
View tourShanghai Stopover Discovery
Designed around the 240-hour visa-free transit window: three days that actually work with your flight times rather than against them.
★★★★★4.8 143 reviews
From US$460/per person
View tour
Culinary China: Dumplings to Dim Sum
Nine days eating across four regional cuisines, with cooking classes, market walks and a Chengdu hotpot night that goes late.
★★★★★4.9 112 reviews
From US$1,780/per person
View tour
Family China Discovery
Twelve days built for children: panda mornings, dumpling classes, a Great Wall toboggan, karst rivers and no 5 a.m. wake-ups.
★★★★★4.9 97 reviews
From US$1,980/per person
View tourYangtze River Cruise Odyssey
Beijing, four nights afloat through the Three Gorges, and Shanghai — the classic river journey with shore excursions included.
★★★★★4.7 87 reviews
From US$2,190/per person
View tour
Grand China Odyssey
Five regions, one journey: imperial north, panda country, the karst rivers of Guilin and the skyline of Shanghai, with Hangzhou's West Lake.
★★★★★4.8 132 reviews
From US$2,580/per person
View tourGetting there and away
Pudong (PVG) is the long-haul gateway: maglev in 8 minutes, or metro Line 2 for about ¥8. Hongqiao (SHA) doubles as the main high-speed rail hub.
From Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing the trains run every 15–30 minutes — Shanghai works as a base as easily as a destination.
Guides meet you in the hotel lobby. If you are touring straight off a flight, tell us the flight number and we plan pickup around it.
Frequently asked questions
Is one day enough for Shanghai?
For the Bund, Yu Garden, the old town and a walk through the Concession, yes. That is a solid seven hours. Add a museum or a water town and you need nine. Two days is more comfortable, but a day is not a compromise.
Which water town should I visit?
Zhujiajiao if you have a morning — closest, canal-side, still residential. Tongli is better preserved and worth the extra 40 minutes if you have a full day. We avoid Zhouzhuang at weekends entirely.
Can I visit Shanghai without a visa?
Often yes. The 240-hour visa-free transit covers Shanghai for eligible nationalities arriving and departing with an onward ticket to a third country. Check your passport against the current list before booking.
Do I need cash?
Not really. Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly and carry ¥200–300 in notes as a fallback for street stalls. Cards work in hotels and larger restaurants.
What is the best time of day for the Bund?
Arrive about 45 minutes before sunset. You get the stone facades in daylight, the lights coming up across the river, and the blue hour between — all from the same railing.
Explore next
Other day-tour cities
Practical reading
- Do I Need a Visa for China? Requirements, Costs and How to Apply
- China's 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit: Who Qualifies and How It Works
- Paying in China: Alipay, WeChat Pay, Cards and Cash
- China's High-Speed Rail: How to Book, What It Costs, How Fast It Goes
- Is China Safe for Tourists? Honest Risks and How to Avoid Them
- Best Time to Visit China: Month by Month, Region by Region
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