Picturesque South China Towns Tour

This morning, your private guide will first accompany you to explore the 400-year-old Yu Garden, the only well-preserved Suzhou-style garden in Shanghai, featuring intricate rockeries, koi-filled pools, towers with upturned eaves, belt-like bridges, and winding corridors. Everything is meticulously crafted, and every step reveals a new scene! Some must-sees include the slender Exquisite Jade Rock with interconnected holes, and the undulating Dragon Walls, where five giant tile-made dragons with imposing heads are vividly carved on top of the white walls. The adventure continues at Yuyuan Bazaar just outside the garden, where you’ll dive into a world of local snacks, souvenirs, and traditional crafts.

Afterward, we’ll head to the Shanghai Museum, one of the most prestigious museums in China, especially renowned for its ancient bronzeware, jade, Chinese paintings and calligraphy works. The museum’s sophisticated lighting and non-reflective glass displays ensure a completely unimpeded viewing experience.

Next, let’s catch a glimpse of the city’s 20th-century character by ambling around the Former French Concession. The plane tree-lined atmospheric quarter, once dubbed “the Paris of the East”, boasts a lot of Classical, Renaissance, and Art Deco villas and mansions along Wukang Road and its surrounding neighborhoods. Capture the iconic Wukang Building, a ship-shaped Art Deco-style structure, and browse fragrance shops, art galleries, cafes, and boutiques housed within converted historic Stone Gate Townhouses (Shikumen).

The tour continues to the city’s icon, the Bund. Believe it or not, it was once a muddy expanse where locals rowed small boats and cultivated crops. In 1842, Shanghai became a treaty port, and the first British consulate was established here, with foreign firms and banks quickly following suit. Gradually, this former mudflat was transformed into Asia's premier financial center, hailed as the "Wall Street of the East." Today, the 52 colonial-era edifices with different styles standing along the Bund quietly tell the city’s tumultuous past and glory. To see it all, we’ll treat you to a 1-hour Huangpu River Cruise. Want to capture close-up photos of Lujiazui skyscrapers? Stand on the side with your back to the Oriental Pearl Tower upon departure, as the boat will turn around shortly after heading out, giving you the perfect angle. Afterward, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.

► Nighttime Inspiration: (at your own expense) 
Alternatively, you can stay longer to enjoy the night views and finally return on your own via a 10-20 minutes’ taxi ride. The gorgeous neon lights of the Bund begin to blaze at around 18:00-19:00, depending on the season, when you can enjoy the historical Western-style buildings bathed in a warm yellow glow, and gaze across the towering skyscrapers shimmering against the dark-blue sky. As the night deepens, go west to Nanjing Road, brimming with colorful shop signs and billboards that shine brilliantly. The food stalls and night markets also come alive, with aromas of local treats filling the air.

Meal: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Ocean Hotel Shanghai - Business Room (4 stars) or Renaissance Shanghai Yu Garden Hotel (5 stars)

This morning, your guide and the driver will escort you to Shanghai train station, where you’ll experience China’s high-speed train to neighboring Suzhou, which takes only about 30 minutes to an hour. Convenient transportation has inspired many young people to choose a "dual-city" lifestyle - working in Shanghai for its high-growth careers, while living in Suzhou to enjoy a more relaxed pace and a significantly lower cost of living, where housing prices are only one-third of those in Shanghai. Upon arrival, your Suzhou guide will greet you at the train station and escort you to your hotel. Then let's savor Suzhou’s leisurely atmosphere, starting with one of its peaceful water towns.

★ Unwind at Tongli Water Town with Full-on Southern Charm

National Geographic once described Tongli as “the most authentic water town south of the Yangtze River”. Follow your guide to explore the exquisite Retreat & Reflection Garden that seems to float on the water, cross the historical Three Bridges for good blessings, and take in the nostalgic design of Gengle Hall. Roam freely along the bridges and canals, see locals washing clothes and mops by the river, and perhaps catch the sounds of Pingtan, a traditional Suzhou singing and storytelling performance. If interested, ladies may try wearing cheongsams, iconic Chinese traditional dresses, at their own expense.

Our next stop is the famous Humble Administrator's Garden, a 500-year-old masterpiece that tops southern China, boasting a poetic rural charm with corridor-connected pavilions, clear ponds, as well as seasonal flowers and trees. A highlight of its design is the ingenious “borrowed scenery” technique, which cleverly frames a pagoda one kilometer away to the north, reflecting it on the garden’s vast expanse of water to make the distant pagoda appear as if it were part of the garden itself! After that, take a rickshaw ride through Suzhou Old Town. Pass through the maze-like alleys lined with white-walled, grey-tiled low buildings, and see the old town leap to life with local scenes: clothes are hung at doorways, products are displayed outside small shops, and the old cheongsam shops buzz with locals. In the end, your guide will convoy you back to your hotel in Suzhou.

► After-hours Recommendation: (at your own expense)
The fetching Shantang Old Street, a 15-minute taxi ride from your hotel, is a romantic place to wind down the day, with a beautiful water lane winding through! In the late afternoon, you’ll be rewarded with great night views when the red lanterns are lit up at about 19:00 in summer and 17:30 in winter. Take a boat to float slowly costing CNY 50 (USD 7) per person, order a pot of tea at a riverside teahouse while enjoying local folk tunes, or sample local snacks like crab roe noodles, plum blossom cakes, and sweet rice porridge.

Meal: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Mercure Suzhou Pingjiang Wanda Plaza (4 stars)

A famous Chinese saying goes that ‘Above is heaven; below are Suzhou and Hangzhou.’ After breakfast, your guide will escort you to the train station for a 1.5-hour train to Hangzhou, a city that blends natural beauty with human ingenuity harmoniously. Upon arrival, your Hangzhou guide and driver will meet you at the train station and escort you to your hotel.

Your exploration will begin at the UNESCO-listed West Lake, the name card of Hangzhou since ancient times, boasting shimmering waters against the backdrop of verdant hills. Chinese cultural giants Bai Juyi (772-864 AD) and Su Dongpo (1037-1101 AD) were once governors of Hangzhou, leaving their marks on this beautiful lake: the Bai and Su Causeways. Despite witnessing the historical vicissitudes, West Lake is also a pinnacle of Eastern aesthetics, which has even influenced the garden art of Japan and Korea. Enjoy the serenity by boat and take in "Ten Scenes of West Lake", where willow-lined banks, elegant bridges, and ancient pagodas create a truly poetic atmosphere.

After that, explore one of China’s most sacred Buddhist temples, the 1,000-year-old Lingyin Temple, also the place where Ji Gong became a monk. This eccentric monk is a household legendary figure in China, who drinks alcohol and eats meat, without regard to Buddhist precepts. Despite his tattered shoes and hat, he always stepped forward to help the poor and was widely considered a "living Buddha" in traditional folk tales. Today, you can find his typical image in Lingyin Temple: holding a broken fan in his right hand, prayer beads in his left hand, and his right foot on a wine barrel. Afterward, explore the Peak Flown from Afar opposite the temple, and you’ll marvel at over 340 Buddhist grotto statues carved in mossy rocks dating from the mid-10th century. Among them, the " Maitreya Buddha statue " is the highlight. At the end of the day, your guide will escort you back to your hotel in Hangzhou.

► Local Flavors for Your Information:
Your hotel is perfectly situated in a vibrant business district, offering easy access to the best local cuisine. Don’t miss Hangzhou’s most famous dish: West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy. While it has sparked viral discussions online, and many people imply that its unexpected taste is challenging, the traditional recipe is a culinary art, using fresh-caught fish and maintaining a perfect balance of sweet and sour flavors. Dare to sample it? Get a taste at time-honored restaurants like Lou Wai Lou. Other famous local dishes include the sweet, tender Dongpo Pork and fresh Shrimps with Longjing Tea.

Meal: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Zhongwei Sunny Hotel (4 stars) or Wyndham Grand Plaza Royale Hangzhou (5 stars)

Today, your private tour to Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou is just finishing up! Your guide and the driver will wait for you at your hotel lobby and escort you to the airport or train station according to your schedule. Wishing you a pleasant journey! 

► Free-time Activities Recommendation: 
If your flight departs in the late afternoon, consider visiting by yourself to the China National Silk Museum by West Lake, with a free on-site reservation. Get an insight into the 5,000 years of Chinese silk history and culture, focusing on the development of silk and various techniques. Special exhibitions of exquisite costumes, ranging from European gowns to modern designs, are unmissable. In addition, you can try weaving, dyeing, embroidery, and knitting yourself in the handicraft workshop at the museum.

Meal: Western buffet breakfast