Serica Journeys Day journeys in China
East China · 上海

Shanghai

A city best read as layers, in the right order.

Typical day
6–10 hours
Party size
1–6 guests
Guiding
English
Pick-up
Puxi and Pudong hotels

Shanghai is usually sold as a skyline. It is more interesting as a sequence: the walled county town, the treaty-port concessions, the socialist decades, and then the tower district that arrived in a single generation on land that was farm and dockside within living memory.

We walk the layers in order so that the last one means something. Most of a Shanghai day is on foot, with the vehicle moving between districts rather than driving past them.

Journeys

3 private day journeys in Shanghai.

Prices are quoted per party once we know your dates and numbers. Every itinerary below can be adjusted — they are how we run the day by default, not a fixed menu.

8 hours Private departureEnglish guide

The Bund, the Concessions and the Old City

Bund · Former French Concession · Yu Garden · Pudong outlook

Itinerary
08:00
Pick-up. The Bund from the north end, walking south with the light behind you.
09:30
Into the old walled city: Yu Garden and the bazaar lanes around it.
11:30
Lunch in the former French Concession.
13:00
Walking the Concession: Wukang Road, lane houses, Fuxing Park.
15:00
Cross to Pudong for the contrast, and an outlook over the river.
16:30
Back at your hotel.
Highlights
  • The Bund early, before the promenade fills
  • Concession backstreets on foot — plane trees, lane houses, art deco
  • Yu Garden's rockery and halls, entered ahead of the coach groups
  • The tower district read from across the river, then from inside it
Included
  • Private vehicle and driver between districts
  • English-speaking guide
  • Yu Garden entry
  • Lunch
  • Bottled water
Not included
  • Observation deck tickets, if you want to go up
  • Personal spending
  • Gratuities

Know before you go. This is a walking day with vehicle transfers. Comfortable shoes matter more than anything else.

8 hours Private departureEnglish guide

Zhujiajiao Water Town and the Return Skyline

Zhujiajiao canals · Boat · Kezhi Garden · Evening Bund

Itinerary
08:30
Pick-up. West out of the city, about an hour.
09:45
Zhujiajiao on foot: Fangsheng Bridge, the North Street lanes, the post house.
11:00
Boat through the canals.
12:00
Lunch by the water.
13:30
Kezhi Garden, then time at your own pace.
15:30
Return to Shanghai.
17:00
Drop-off, or the Bund at dusk if you would rather finish there.
Highlights
  • A Ming-era canal town an hour from the tower district
  • Hand-poled boat through the older stone bridges
  • The scholar's garden most day-trippers walk straight past
  • Back into the city as the Bund lights come on
Included
  • Private vehicle and driver
  • English-speaking guide
  • Town and garden entry
  • Canal boat
  • Lunch
  • Bottled water
Not included
  • Personal spending
  • Gratuities

Know before you go. Weekends are materially busier in the water towns. We will suggest a weekday if your dates allow it.

6 hours Private departureEnglish guide

Shanghai Eats: Markets, Breakfast Streets and a Wet Market

Breakfast street · Wet market · Xiaolongbao · Tea

Itinerary
08:00
Meet near your hotel. Breakfast street: youtiao, cifantuan, shengjian, doujiang.
09:30
Wet market — seasonal produce, river fish, the parts of the pig with names.
11:00
Xiaolongbao, and the difference between a good one and a famous one.
12:30
Tea house, and how to read a Chinese menu.
14:00
Finish in the centre.
Highlights
  • The four classic Shanghai breakfasts, eaten where locals queue for them
  • A working wet market with your guide translating as you go
  • Soup dumplings from a kitchen that folds them in front of you
  • Enough context to order confidently on your own for the rest of the trip
Included
  • English-speaking guide
  • All tastings and dishes listed
  • Tea
  • Metro or taxi between stops
Not included
  • Hotel pick-up by private vehicle (available on request)
  • Alcohol
  • Gratuities

Know before you go. Tell us about allergies and anything you do not eat when you enquire, not on the morning.

Other cities
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Xi'an
Chengdu
Hangzhou
Guilin & Yangshuo
Chongqing