5-Day Shanghai Study Programme: Finance, Innovation & the Modern City

Shanghai is a case study in reinvention. In 1843 it was a county town on the tidal flats of the Huangpu; by the 1930s the Bund carried the densest row of bank headquarters in Asia; after 1990 the city rebuilt the opposite bank into a financial district in thirty years. This five-day programme works through that sequence in order and ends with the technology firms now moving in.

The programme is written for students of economics, business, urban studies and computer science. It begins with arrival and a briefing on the day of landing, spends the second day on the financial system and the third on the city itself and how it reuses its industrial buildings, and turns to technology on the fourth day before the departure transfer on the fifth. Each day is in Shanghai; there is no inter-city travel to plan around.

• Lujiazui and the Shanghai Stock Exchange, with the Shanghai Tower's observation level
• The Bund's colonial-era banking houses and the China Financial Information Center
• The French Concession and M50, on how a city reuses its industrial buildings
• China's AI industry, through a lecture and a visit to an AI company's research centre
• Shanghai's financial system and the internationalisation of the renminbi

• Accommodation for 4 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
• Interpreting beyond the sessions included is payable locally if required
• The Shanghai Tower observation deck is payable locally if you choose to go up

Please read these notes before booking. Company visits are arranged with the host firms and require a visitor list in advance. The Shanghai Stock Exchange visit is subject to its own schedule and may be replaced by the exchange museum if the trading floor is unavailable. Shanghai is hot and humid from June to September and cold and damp in winter; the best months are April, May, October and November. The programme is priced for groups of 16, 20 or 30 students, with two teacher places included free of charge.

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.