2 Days Private Shanghai & Hangzhou Tour

In the morning, your guide and the driver will pick you up from your hotel in downtown Shanghai and then accompany you to Yu Garden first. It was a gift built by a Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 AD) official for his father, who hoped it could offer a spiritual refuge after a precarious official career. In addition to features like stone tables, winding corridors, and delicate rockeries designed for the owner’s leisurely activities, the garden’s exterior is also remarkable, which can be glimpsed through the Nine-turn Bridge and Mid-lake Pavilion. Someone joked that the zigzag bridge aims to keep zombies away since they would only jump straight; actually, it achieves changing the scene with different steps. As you walk towards the Mid-lake Pavilion, look down at the stone slabs at every bend, which are decorated with carved seasonal flowers, reflecting the pursuit of turning scenery into a poetic drawing.

Next, we’ll stroll along the Bund, a waterfront promenade that showcases the grandeur of 19th-century Shanghai. During the colonial era, the once-barren riverbanks were replaced by magnificent architectural displays from around the world, creating a bustling commercial hub filled with numerous banks, trading houses, and newspaper offices. The first generation of Shanghai’s wealthy elite stood out amid fierce commercial rivalry. Among many landmarks, the Fairmont Peace Hotel is noticeable with its emerald pyramid-shaped copper dome. This hotel has long been a social hub for Shanghai’s upper class, hosting glamorous banquets and balls. Both President Obama and Queen Elizabeth II stayed here during their visits to China, enjoying supreme hospitality and stunning night views from the suite balcony. Now, despite a suite costing at least CNY 10,000 (USD 1,404) per night, many local tourists are willing to pay for the nostalgic experience.
 Tips: Consider watching the drama series ‘Blossoms Shanghai’, directed by Wong Kar Wai, before your trip. It offers background information that epitomizes Shanghai’s golden age in the 1990s through startup stories and everyday routine.From there, let’s visit the world’s largest Huawei Flagship Store located on Nanjing Road to embrace a modern Shanghai. As a Chinese high-tech icon, Huawei shows its connection to the intelligent world here, and you can try quickly summoning a virtual keyboard by tipping with eight fingers on foldable laptops, discovering an assisted driving system in electric vehicles, wearing AI glasses to hear simultaneous interpretations… We assure you that this visit is all about an immersive experience of a connected lifestyle in the future world, without any shopping involved. Later, say goodbye to Shanghai with a 50-minute Huangpu River cruise, during which you’ll enjoy a comprehensive view of historical and futuristic buildings lining the riverbanks.

After that, you’ll be escorted to the railway station to board the 1-hour high-speed train to Hangzhou. Upon arrival, your Hangzhou guide and the driver will pick you up and convoy you to the hotel for check-in.

After a morning hotel pick-up, we’ll embark on a West Lake cruise for 1 to 2 hours. Originally a shallow bay, West Lake gradually transformed into an enclosed lagoon as sediment accumulated. In the 12th-13th centuries, when Hangzhou became the capital, the lake blossomed into a cultural heaven thanks to effective dredging and the increase of artificial landscapes like pavilions and pagodas. Each day, at least 100 boats could be seen dotting the waters. This scene was noted in the Venetian merchant and explorer Marco Polo (1254 - 1324 AD)’s travelogues: the city’s elites often gathered in elegant venues along the lakeshore to form tea and fishing clubs for socializing. Fast forward to the 18th century, West Lake got another fervent admirer, Emperor Qianlong (1711 - 1799 AD), who wrote over 630 poems about it during his six southern inspection tours. As we navigate on waters, you’ll encounter several of the top ten views that inspired his creations.

Continue our visit to the Meijiawu Tea Plantation, where the moist climate and mineral-rich soil foster the growth of high-quality Dragon Well Green Tea. The fresh leaves must be gently handpicked and placed into baskets swiftly - otherwise, the temperature of pickers’ fingertips can alter their colors and quality. Guess what? It takes 60,000 - 80,000 leaves just to produce 1kg, and the price is above CNY 3,000 (USD 422)! Of course, we won’t let you miss trying a cup of this refreshing liquid gold.Next, we’ll visit the Peak Flown from Afar, a limestone formation adorned with over 330 grotto Buddha statues and numerous inscriptions engraved by poets and scholars. In the largest cave, you’ll find a giant rock that resembles a bed, related to a local legend about a ‘crazy’ monk Jigong (1130 - 1209 AD) with supernatural powers. He believed that Buddhist precepts were not helpful for his enlightenment, so he broke the rules by drinking alcohol and eating meat. Consequently, other monks in the temple disliked him, forcing him to sleep on this rocky bed because no one would let him in. Nevertheless, he didn’t mind this and often snuck out to aid nearby villagers, earning the nickname ‘Honorable Helper’.

After taking in more exquisite Buddha statues and watching locals carrying their hopes into the ethereal incense at Lingyin Temple, your guide will accompany you to the Six Harmonies Pagoda. This structure features a masonry body and wooden eaves, and when the breeze blows from the opposite river, you’ll hear 104 iron bells on the eaves chiming harmoniously with the waves. A miniature replica of 100 famous ancient pagodas from across China also awaits your exploration behind the pagoda. 

As your 2 days Hangzhou tour from Shanghai comes to an end, your guide and the driver will see you off at the airport or railway station. If you want to continue traveling with us for worry-free arrangements at a competitive price, feel free to contact our travel consultants to unveil more cities in China!

Meals: Breakfast