4-Day Shanghai: Zhujiajiao Water Town, the Old City & the Jade Buddha Temple

Shanghai is usually sold as a skyline, but the older city is still there and is easier to see than the modern one. The walled old town around Yu Garden predates the foreign concessions by three hundred years; the Jade Buddha Temple has been a working monastery since 1882; and Zhujiajiao, an hour from the centre, is a Ming and Qing canal town with its own bridges, lanes and gardens still in use.

This four-day programme keeps to that older and quieter Shanghai. It is arranged for travellers who want to understand how the city was made rather than only how it looks now, and it includes the museum and the riverside so that the modern city is not left out of the picture.

• Zhujiajiao, a Ming and Qing canal town on the Cao Gang river, with its stone bridges and the Kezhi Garden
• The Jade Buddha Temple, founded in 1882 and still a working monastery, with its two Burmese jade Buddhas
• Yu Garden and the City God Temple quarter, the walled old city that predates the foreign concessions
• Xintiandi and the shikumen lanes, the restored tenement blocks of the old French Concession
• The Bund and its 1920s banking houses, seen from the river side
• The Shanghai Museum's bronzes, ceramics and painting galleries
• Shanghai's own food: soup dumplings at the counter, and the old-town snack shops around the garden

• Accommodation for 3 nights at a 4-star or equivalent hotel, twin share, with daily breakfast
• Meals as listed in the daily itinerary (breakfasts and lunches as shown)
• Private air-conditioned vehicle with professional driver throughout
• English-speaking local guide (Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian or Japanese on request)
• All entrance fees for the sites listed, including shuttle buses, eco-buses and cable cars where the site requires them
• Local handling and coordination service throughout the programme
• Bottled water (2 bottles per person per day) and audio headsets where group size requires them
• Travel accident insurance for the duration of the tour

• International air tickets and any domestic flights not listed in the itinerary
• China visa or visa-free entry documentation fees
• Meals not specified in the daily itinerary and all beverages/alcohol
• Tips for guides, drivers and hotel staff (suggested USD 8-12 per person per day)
• Personal expenses: laundry, telephone, minibar, shopping
• Optional activities and any item not listed under Price Includes
• Single-room supplement if a traveller requires a room alone
• The boat ride on the Cao Gang river at Zhujiajiao is optional and is payable locally

Please read these notes before booking. The Jade Buddha Temple is an active monastery: shoulders and knees should be covered, and photography is restricted in the prayer halls. Zhujiajiao is busy at weekends and on public holidays, so we recommend a weekday visit. Yu Garden closes on Mondays. Shanghai is hot and humid in July and August and damp and cold in winter, though the gardens are at their best in spring and autumn.

Q: Is this tour private or shared?
A: It is a private tour for your own party, with a dedicated English-speaking guide and vehicle.

Q: Are airport transfers included?
A: Yes. Arrival and departure transfers in Shanghai are included, and your guide meets you with a name sign at the airport or rail station.

Q: Can the itinerary be customised?
A: Yes. Days can be added, removed or swapped, hotel categories upgraded, and business or school visits arranged, all before you confirm.

Q: How do we book and pay?
A: Send us your dates and group size for a same-day quotation. A deposit confirms the booking, the balance is due before arrival, and prices are guaranteed for 7 days.