Prices checked on Sep 11, 2026Things to do in Shanghai
This half-day tour is perfect for travelers with limited time to get a quick, but comprehensive view of Shanghai's history, culture, tastes and sounds. The major attractions in this tour include: The Yuyuan Garden, historic backstreets of Old Shanghai, Confucius Temple local dumpling tasting and much more, as well you'll enjoy the special Confucian's tea ceremony. All in just 3 and 1/2 hours! This tour uses the metro and taxis, and comes with an optional private car and driver. Please select when booking.
Your tour guide will meet you at your desired starting point in the city center, typically your hotel lobby, at your desired time. The start time is flexible, but note that itinerary will change if you desired to start your tour after 2:00PM since the Confucius Temple and Yuyuan Garden will close at 4:00. After your guide meets you, your 3 1/2 Amazing Highlights of Old Shanghai tour begins as you take a taxi or public transportation to the first stop. First, you will visit Yuyuan Garden, a famous classical garden in southern China which is over 400 years old built in Ming Dynasty, the area around the garden has been the downtown of the city for several hundred years. Walking around this area will also introduce you to traditional Chinese shops and homes. If you need some souvenirs, nearby you also find unique items such as pearls, jade, tea and silk as well as inexpensive Chinese ornamental items.
From here you'll take a short walk to the historic district of Old Shanghai. You'll see traditional homes that are over 100 years old including seeing homes that are boarded up and marked for destruction as Shanghai races to modernity. This is a must see unique area in this modern city! You can even talk to the locals with your tour guide as translator and peer inside homes. Along your walk we'll stop for delicious soup dumplings a favorite delicacy of both locals and foreigners. They overflow with juices as you bite into the specially seasoned filling of meats and vegetables.
Next, you'll visit the Confucius Temple, the top university in the history of Shanghai. It was built in 1291 and the only place to pay respects to Confucius in the city. Here you'll enjoy a relaxing Confucian Tea ceremony where you'll sample a variety of local tea flavors and learn the many benefits of various teas. Note that if your tour starts after 2:00, instead of visiting the Confucius Temple, you will visit the Bund Area where we will enjoy 100-year old architecture and enjoy exciting views of both east and west Shanghai while taking a cruise down the Huangpu Rivers. This area was controlled by the British during the concessions period. After your 3 1/2 hour tour, your guide will be send back to your hotel or somewhere in the city center you prefer.
Please note: Languages other than English and Mandarin will require an additional fee of USD 50 per day, payable in cash to the guide on the day of the tour. Please note: Public transportation is recommended for groups of up to 4 guests. For larger groups, we suggest selecting private transportation, as standard taxis have limited passenger capacity. Please note: Due to the limited availability of guides who speak languages other than English and Mandarin, the public transportation option is currently available only for tours conducted in English or Mandarin. Please note: Drop off and pickup outside of central Shanghai, such as the airport, cruise terminals, railway station, Shanghai Disney Area, Qinpu, Jiading, Chuansha, or Songjiang will incur extra USD40 for whole group include pickup and dropoff. You can pay in cash (USD or RMB) directly to your guide when meeting.
Private Half-Day Tour: Amazing Highlights of Old Shanghai lasts about 4 hours. The itinerary has 3 stops.
Prices start at $89 per person for this Shanghai experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There are 2 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Yes, pickup is offered. Please note: Languages other than English and Mandarin will require an additional fee of USD 50 per day, payable in cash to the guide on the day of the tour. Please note: Public transportation is recommended for groups of up to 4 guests. For larger groups, we suggest selecting private transportation, as standard taxis have limited passenger capacity. Please note: Due to the limited availability of guides who speak languages other than English and Mandarin, the public transportation option is currently available only for tours conducted in English or Mandarin. Please note: Drop off and pickup outside of central Shanghai, such as the airport, cruise terminals, railway station, Shanghai Disney Area, Qinpu, Jiading, Chuansha, or Songjiang will incur extra USD40 for whole group include pickup and dropoff. You can pay in cash (USD or RMB) directly to your guide when meeting. Pickup points include CONTACT_SUPPLIER_LATER, LOC-6eKJ+or5y8o99Qw0C8xWyB1ab3l7W/wbHCttJZ0cPZ0=, LOC-6eKJ+or5y8o99Qw0C8xWyF8zLtWdD389XHz7xScRZAk=.
The experience is available in DE, CMN, EN, IT, IT, FR, ES, ES.
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
Wheelchair accessible Transportation options are wheelchair accessible All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
What a lovely day we spent with Celine! Jenny ... the owner, was prompt with responses and very professional. We definitely will use her services next year when we return to China and go to another city that they provide services for. Celine made you feel like you were spending the day with a friend who was showing you the sites of the city through her eyes.
Very good experience ! All perfect and Peggy is kind and smart !
Peggy was a phenomenal guide, walking us through Yu yuan garden, she covered the history of Shanghai when it was built and how it translated into the design of the garden, the symbolism and showed the vision of the business man that built it. From beautiful scenery, to functional design and beautiful architecture and artwork, it showed how he incorporated lake rocks for mountains and two story buildings for views, while also having entertainment spaces and rooms to show off wealth to guests. We finished with a tea ceremony and then having a soup dumplings and pan fried dumplings in the old city and looking at all the beautiful buildings in the area. She came prepared and had napkins and sanitary wipes at the ready for food or the facilities. And gave us advice for other places to eat the best Shanghai dishes! Would absolutely love another tour from Peggy in the future!
I was picked up at my hotel by my guide, Peggy, who is very friendly and extremely helpful. We toured the Yu Gardens, Old Shanghai where I did some shopping, and she gave me an architectural tour of the Bund. She grew up in Shanghai and knew so many great details about everything we toured. She also also went the extra mile and helped me get a power adapter for my US laptop. She ordered it and had it delivered to a hotel where we picked it up - an absolute lifesaver. It was a very informative tour and I highly recommend Peggy as a guide..
We toured Yu garden and the old city market, walking along the bund to arrive. Peggy is super knowledgeable and extremely personable. She fielded a great range of questions we asked. Highly recommend to everyone!
Fantastic tour with Troy! He was very friendly, knowledgeable, and made the tour great! Was a great way to see parts of the city and learn a lot along the way!
Fantastic tour with Troy! Very knowledgeable and made the tour amazing. A great way to see parts of the city and learn a lot along the way!
A nice and relaxed tour of Yu Garden and Old Shanghai! Our guide was super cool, relaxed and humorous. We greatly enjoyed hanging out with her and seeing these fantastic spots while at the same time learning about the history and culture. Thank you!
After spending 2 full days in Shanghai, we almost canceled this tour. Our guide Alice was quick to adapt the tour to show us parts of Shanghai that we haven’t seen. We went to the Art district, a Jade store/museum, a shopping mall, the largest Starbucks and Shanghai Tianzifang (a quaint shopping district) and the 1000 tree street. She took us for lunch at a popular dim sum restaurant and back home again. Alice was so accommodating and had a charming personality. I would highly recommend this tour company because of our guide and her willingness to adapt to a new situation.
I just want to thank Peggy, our fantastic tour guide, for the most amazing tour. I love going on tours and seeing the world, and have to say, Peggy is one of the best tour guides we have ever had! She was so engaging, kind, knowledgeable and adaptable. We all had different things we wanted to do and see and she accommodated all of them. This is not easy with a teenager included! We saw everything we wanted to, and more! Peggy adapted our tour at the last minute without any difficulty. She was so knowledgeable and engaging. We loved learning from her. She has a true excitement in her voice when talking about Shanghai and its history that was contagious. We left our time with Peggy with more knowledge and smiles on our faces. The car and driver were perfect - the car was comfortable and our driver very kind, punctual polite and safe. We cannot thank you enough for the most amazing morning in Shanghai!
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private Half-Day Tour: Amazing Highlights of Old Shanghai | 4 hours | 5.0 (48) | $89 | |
 Shanghai Private Tour: Zhujiajiao Water Town and Boat Ride | 4–5 hours | 5.0 (769) | $148 | View |
 4-Hour Flexible Private Shanghai City Tour | 4 hours | 5.0 (307) | $115 | View |
 Private Shanghai Full Day City Tour with Old and New Highlights | 7–8 hours | 5.0 (1,293) | $115 | View |
| Zhujiajiao Water Town and Shanghai City Private Day Tour | 8 hours | 5.0 (1,103) | $246 | View |
 From Shanghai: Zhujiajiao Water Town Private Tour with Boat Ride | 4–5 hours | 5.0 (321) | $138 | View |
 4-Hour Private Shanghai City Tour with Old and New Highlights | 4–5 hours | 5.0 (306) | $93 | View |