Private Half-Day Tour: Exploration of Historic Highlights in Old Shanghai
5.0
34 Ratings
Shanghai
Discover the historic highlights of Old Shanghai in just 3 and 1/2 hours with this private half-day tour. Explore the Yuyuan Garden, wander through the historic backstreets, indulge in local dumpling tasting, and experience a special Confucian's tea ceremony.
Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Yu Garden (Yuyuan) - 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.

  • Old Town (Nanshi) - 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.

  • Shanghai Confucian Temple - 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.

What's Included
  • Personal tour guide services
  • Confucian Tea Ceremony experience
  • Option to book a Private Car with driver
  • Convenient hotel pickup and drop-off included
  • Metro fares for travel between hotel and visited sites
  • Taste authentic soup dumplings
What's Not Included
  • Personal expenses
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

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.

  • Dress comfortably and for the season
  • Please wear comfortable shoes
  • If you choose a departure time after 2:00PM, note the change in itinerary (but equally awesome tour!
  • To secure your Yuyuan Garden Ticket and bypass queues, please provide your full name along with your passport number.
Location
Yu Garden (Yuyuan)
No.218 Anren Street, Huangpu District
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(34 Ratings)
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Odyssey35537233831
Apr 6, 2024
Relaxing and informative - I had a wonderful time with Grace yesterday. Thank you for pairing me with such a warm guide. I appreciate spending time with her very much. Grace was very knowledgeable about Shanghai and we walked through the gardens and temple at a nice leisurely pace.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
748filipac
Jan 16, 2024
perfect tour in between connecting flights - I had a perfect day with Apple. She picked me up from the airport and showed me the highlights I liked to see. I really enjoyed her company and explanation of the surroundings and the places we visited. Apple dropped me of back at the airport right in time for my connecting flight. For anyone who has an 8 hour stopover I can really recommend Jenny's!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hszeljover
Dec 29, 2023
Fun and interesting short day trip in Shanghai - Jenny was prompt, easy to talk to and very polite. She answered all questions thoroughly and left us with zero doubts. Our guide Apple was knowledgeable and fun to be with. She and our driver waited patiently for over 2 hours for us as we took a long time clearing customs. I'm so glad they didn't leave and give up on us. We had a fun, albeit short, visit in Shanghai.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jessica_a
Nov 9, 2023
Perfect afternoon with Grace! - We had a great tour of Old Shanghai with Grace who was warm and knowledgeable. She took us to see the Gods, had a tea ceremony and a lovely vegetarian dim sum lunch! We highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
D1004kumichelleh
Jan 20, 2020
Great tour - Great 1/2 day tour. Seriously you have to ask for Peggy. She took us to the Yu Garden and Bazzar which was beautiful. Then followed by the Confucius Temple and tea ceremony. Topped of by the amazing dumplings. When finished driven back to our hotel in an air condition new vehicle. Thank you Peggy and Jenny
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dominic
Dec 28, 2019
Great 1/2 day tour - We were a family of 5 with 2 older young adults and a teenage son. We spent a lovely 1/2 day with Peggy- her knowledge, experience and humour made for a really engaging time! The Temple and tea ceremony were fascinating, the dumplings delicious and her inside knowledge of the places on The Bund second to none. I would highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting the personal touch and flexibility.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rachel
Dec 3, 2019
Great personalized tour! - I recently went on Jenny's Old Shanghai Half day tour as well as the evening tour and had a great time. We were picked up in a private car at our hotel (which was near the airport) for a small fee and taken directly to the city center to meet our tour guide, Alice, who was great! She was very knowledgeable and friendly and took us to see all the places we wanted to see, including the Shanghai Tower, and took us to get DELICIOUS local food! She was also super helpful in translating for us with our hotel to help coordinator the shuttle back to the airport after our layover. She showed us around all the areas of Shanghai and we had a great time. Then for our final layover day, we met with Marco who picked us up with the driver from our hotel as well (so glad we didn't have to figure out how to get to downtown!) and it is so worth it to order the car. Shanghai at night is so beautiful and I definitely recommend doing both day and night tours if you have the time, because it looks VERY different at night. We took the river cruise and that was a great view of all the lit up buildings. Marco was also very nice and took us to a lot of great spots. We wanted to do some shopping because we didn't have time our first day, and he took us to a great souvenir store that had AMAZINGLY low prices and we were able to buy everything we wanted for a great price! He also took us to a local place to get some dinner prior to going on the river cruise. I really love Jenny's tours because they are a great way to get a lot in in a little bit of time and she is VERY accommodating to your needs! The times are flexible based on your schedule and I was very happy we chose Jenny's Tours! Plus, the tour is a private tour and guides are great!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Duesibs
Dec 3, 2019
Wonderful insights into the history of old Shanghai - We spent a wonderful half day with Portia. We really enjoyed the time with her. Thanks for taking care for us!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Edye
Nov 18, 2019
Wonderful 1/2 Day tour Old Shanghai - Peggy was the perfect guide for our 1/2 day tour of Old Shanghai. We spent 4 hours together with convenient private car pick up at our hotel in Jingan on Saturday morning traveling to Yu Garden for first tours upon reopening after 2 months closure. Interesting to learn about early culture and how much the city has changed. Enjoyed tasting snacks from market as we walked to garden area. From there to Confucius Temple and tea ceremony, delicious and informative. Last highlight was dumpling stop in busy Shanghai. Peggy speaks perfect English band was very open to answer questions about every topic related to life in Shanghai and her travels abroad. 1/2 day tour on first full day allowed me to sleep in and enjoy the city without pressure of full day length. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
551kyled
Sep 20, 2019
Shanghai Half-Day Guide is a MUST - My wife and I booked the half day tour of Shanghai highlights, and it exceeded all of our expectations. We were interested in the local religions and our guide, Peggy, did not disappoint. She and Jenny handled all of the arrangements with clear and concise communication. Peggy provided a wealth of knowledge, interesting local customs and information. She provides the history of Shanghai from a longtime resident’s perspective and comedic stories to make us feel very comfortable. We got to see the Jade Buddha and engaged in an informative tea ceremony at the Confucian Temple. Peggy was instrumental in helping us with dietary restrictions and helping us order local food (all of which was delicious). Peggy was very flexible and went out of her way to accommodate. We wish we could have had Peggy with us for all of our travels in China. We highly recommend anyone doing a day-trip in Shanghai to us Jenny’s company, especially if Peggy is available!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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