Welcome to Shanghai! This private layover tour is 100% customized based on your needs. The pick up point can be either from your airport or hotel in Shanghai (same as drop-off). Don't miss out the opportunity to see this amazing city and enjoy some tasty local food or a relaxing SPA treatment during your short stay here. During this tour, you will have a chance to visit top city attractions such as Yuyuan bazaar, The Bund, Shanghai Tower, French concession and more! Feel free to discuss with your friendly guide upon pickup time. Please note: • This layover tour requires at least 8 to 10 hours between two connecting flights. • The latest tour departure time is 6:30PM • If you wish to be picked from your hotel, please advise your desired tour start time upon booking • If you wish to be picked/dropped from/to your hotel, please choose One Way Airport Transfer tour option
Prices change with the date; the lowest is shown.
Prices are per person when two book together; a solo traveller pays $285.
Larger groups pay less per person.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 8.
Your professional guide will greet you with your name sign at the Arrival Hall of Airport (PVG or SHA) or Shanghai/Wusongkou cruise terminal port and you will be transferred by the private vehicle to center city (about 40 to 60 minutes). Feel free to discuss with your guide for the things to do list and customize an itinerary based on your interest and layover time. Below is a sample itinerary. Typically, you will visit Lujiazui financial center first, see the amazing city landmarks such as pearl TV Tower, shanghai tower and world financial center. Marvel at the stunning view of skyscrapers and learn about China opening policy in the 1990th from your guide.
Visit Yuyuan garden, a very ancient and well-preserved garden with the history of 400 years old where to see the stylish Chinese pavilion and authentic old architecture. (Yuyuan garden close at 4:15pm and every Monday, in this case, you will visit yuyuan bazaar instead, which is the old Ming and Qing dynasty architecture market with various of souvenir shops and restaurants).
Head to French concession, the old center of colonial life. See the impressive French style architecture, learn the history of Shanghai during 1840th and take a nice stroll along the walkways with lush trees.
Continue your visit to the famous Bund, admire the splendid views of old and new Shanghai. Take a stunning shot of the city skyline on the bund.
If your layover time is long enough, choose to Jade buddha temple. Take a stroll at the beautiful old temple with multiple chambers and impressive buddha statues. See the local worshipers and learn the fascinating religion culture from your guide (Jade buddha temple close at 4:30pm). Based on your interests, you can choose other attractions besides the sample itinerary, such as Tianzifang (old alleyways with small shops), Shanghai Museum(ancient bronze ,furniture and paintings), Shanghai tower (2nd tallest building in the world), Maglev train (fastest train in the world, can take back to airport). Your private layover tour ends with return transport to the airport (PVG or SHA), cruise terminal or drop-off at your Shanghai city hotel.
Shanghai airport (PVG/SHA), Cruise terminal (Wusongkou/ Dongdaming) or your hotel in Shanghai
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For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Flexible Private Shanghai Layover Tour lasts about 6–8 hours. The itinerary has 5 stops.
Prices start at $152 per person for this Shanghai experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. That is the per-person price when two book together; a solo traveller pays $285. There are 2 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, with 12 departures a day between 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM.
Children aged 3–8 pay from $45, adults from $152. Infants go free.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Yes, pickup is offered. Shanghai airport (PVG/SHA), Cruise terminal (Wusongkou/ Dongdaming) or your hotel in Shanghai Pickup points include Ji Hotel Shanghai Zhangjiang, Jinbalan Hotel Shanghai Shenzhuang Baochun Road.
The experience is available in CMN, EN.
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 15 travellers can book together.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller Specialized infant seats are available Children must be accompanied by an adult
Wheelchair accessible Transportation options are wheelchair accessible All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
This was such a great tour. Snow did amazing at educating me, making me feel safe and making sure I had a good time as a solo black girl. Mr Chu was also a great driver and so hospitable despite minimal interactions. And thank you to Alana too for arranging this for me. So glad I used my layover for this and can’t wait to come back and do Shanghai properly!!
Totally recommended. The driver was super friendly. And the guide Xin was like a family member showing us the city. Very attentive and pleasant.
Great experience to see a lot of Shanghai, picked up from the airport with private car to drive around and meet you. Lin was very knowledgeable about all the history and sights and they did a great job catering to my needs and schedule
We had a 15-hour layover at PVG and decided to visit Shanghai. We chose this tour based on the great reviews, and I have to say, they went above and beyond! From the very beginning, Alana was incredibly helpful and considerate. Our tour leader, Jane, was knowledgeable, friendly, and made the whole experience enjoyable. Mr. Chi, who drove us around the city, was also extremely kind, patient, and accommodating. Everyone made us feel welcome and took great care of us throughout the tour. Even with our limited time in Shanghai, we were able to see and experience so much. I would give them more than 5 stars if I could! Highly recommended. Keep up the great work!
Keeping in mind that this is a layover city tour - we managed to not get too much sleep on our overnight flight arriving at 5am to Shanghai. We secured our visas on arrival on our phones, managed to get through immigration, took the maglev to the city and met the tour guide at a hotel reception. It all worked great, she was friendly and knowledgable, great English. We quickly realised we weren't prepared for the heat in Shanghai (38C, 80% humidity) so pivoted to indoors programs, which the guide was happy to do. At the end of the tour, the driver took us back to the airport, making it very easy and convenient. Quick pass through emigration and security, no dramas. All in all, I would easily recommend this tour, if you are deep into summer, consider changing the recommended options to indoor attractions, there are plenty of those as well!
Everything went perfectly. The driver picked me up right on time. My guides name was "Snow" and she was fantastic! It was a perfect sampling of the city
Shanghai has so much to offer, my daughter and I had a 12hr layover and this was an excellent way to see some city highlights. It started a couple of days before our tour was due to begin with communication from Alana the tour coordinator, she was incredibly informative and helpful, she even sent us photos of exactly where our driver would meet us at the airport. Mr Shen was our driver for the day and although he didn't speak English, he was very friendly and it made a big difference having the same car and driver for the whole day. We were able to leave our bags in the car and not have to carry them everywhere with us, he also kept the air-conditioning on in the car which was very welcome especially in the hot & humid weather Shanghai has in July-August. Kalvin was our tour guide and he was very knowledgeable. Kalvin is a Shanghai local and knows the best routes the best spots to go to, he has great historical and geological knowledge of the city, I noticed that others would stop and listen to what he was telling us. Overall we couldn't fault our tour, it was everything we wanted it to be!! Thank you Kalvin, Alana & Mr Shen for an amazing day!!
Fantastic personalised experience with knowledgeable guide. Very well organised and I'd highly recommend this tour.
I had a 12 hour layover in Shanghai and desperately wanted to see the City but was nervous to head out on my own as a solo Australian girl so I booked a tour and was guided by Snow. Her English was brilliant. The driver had a nice car and drove safe safely. We had traditional Chinese food and went shopping and saw the sites of Shanghai. Highly recommend. I also booked the pick up and return to airport so I didn’t have to worry about travel in and out on my own.
I had an 11 hour layover so decided to get out and see the city. Had an amazing time. I got the pick up and drop off from the airport. My driver was waiting right on time and drove me into the city where my guide Kalvin joined. He'd grown up in Shanghai and was able to add so much more to the experience. I couldn't believe how much it had changed over the last 30 years and seeing it through his stories from his childhood until now really helped me to connect more with the city. I was able to see so much in a short time, I loved having the private car and tour. The guide even stopped off at an amazing little dumping place — somewhere I'd have never found on my own. We went to the Jade Buddha Temple, old town and the Yu Yuan Gardens, and the Bund. Absolutely recommend!
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flexible Private Shanghai Layover Tour | 6–8 hours | 5.0 (124) | $152 | |
 4-Hour Flexible Private Shanghai City Tour | 4 hours | 5.0 (321) | $115 | View |
 Flexible Hangzhou Private Tour from Shanghai by Bullet Train | 10–11 hours | 5.0 (247) | $331 | View |
 Wuxi Private Flexible Day Tour from Shanghai by Bullet Train | 9–10 hours | 5.0 (2) | $217 | View |
 Authentic Local Food Tour in Central Shanghai | 3 hours | 5.0 (1,660) | $79 | View |
 Private Shanghai Full Day City Tour with Old and New Highlights | 7–8 hours | 5.0 (1,342) | $115 | View |
 Zhujiajiao Water Town and Shanghai City Private Day Tour | 8 hours | 5.0 (1,108) | $246 | View |