Private Tour: A Day in Zhujiajiao, Shanghai's Ancient Water Town

Immerse yourself in the traditional local lifestyle of Zhujiajiao, Shanghai’s ancient water town, on this customizable private tour. Discover its 1,700-year history through its people, food, alleys, bridges, buildings, and canals.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Fangsheng Bridge - Nestled just an hour away from Shanghai is a cozy, ancient water town characterized by winding canals, stone bridges, secluded cobblestone alleyways and several buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

On this private tour, take advantage of your local guide’s expert knowledge on Zhujiajiao’s hidden gems and popular spots to plan a day based on your own interests. No matter what you choose to see and do, your friendly guide will be at your side to help facilitate and enhance your discovery of this ancient water town by providing enlightening commentary and introducing you to the local people. Please note that any fees for activities, food and site visits are at your own expense.

After arriving in Zhujiajiao by private transfer from your Shanghai hotel, take a leisurely stroll over ancient stone bridges and see locals enjoying boat rides on the narrow waterways. Don’t miss Fangsheng Bridge (Setting-Fish-Free Bridge), where you can experience a curious tradition of purchasing live fish from street vendors and then releasing them into the water for good luck.

Walk along the town’s cobbled pathways and pass quaint houses with courtyards to witness the simplicity of daily life. Visit North Street, which boasts Zhujiajiao’s small-scale commercial lanes set to a backdrop of historical buildings and bridges.

Board a boat for a tranquil cruise along winding waterways. Glide under stone bridges and see what life is like beside a river. For lunch, you may enjoy a meal you pre-packaged for yourself or eat at one the town’s most popular restaurants, Maolin Hall, renowned for its eel noodle and mutton noodle specialties.

Visit Ke Zhi Yuan (Course Plant Garden), a large manorial garden home to one of the town’s tallest structures - a diametric pavilion called the Moon View Pavilion. If you feel like shopping, browse the various shops around town and peruse knick-knacks and nostalgic memorabilia that you may purchase as a keepsake of your unique experience.

What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Local English-speaking guide
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Expert guidance through Zhujiajiao
  • Private tour
  • Private transportation to Zhujiajiao
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drinks
  • Activities in Zhujiajiao
Additional Information

On this completely customizable, full-day private tour of Zhujiajiao, get an authentic experience of this small, ancient water town as you immerse yourself in the traditional local lifestyle. Discover the town’s 1,700-year history manifested in its people, its food, its narrow alleys and ancient bridges, its antiquated buildings and the creaking boats floating along the picturesque canals. Your knowledgeable private guide will assist you in planning your day to ensure that you have an unforgettable experience.

Location
Fangsheng Bridge
Xinfeng Road, Zhujiajiao Town, Qingpu District,
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.5
(8 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
Mandinkadell
Dec 13, 2019
Fantastic Tour!!! - This was a fantastic tour!!! Mary was our guide and was phenomenal. She is very knowledgeable, personable, and funny. My husband cracks jokes constantly and by mid morning,Mary was cracking them right back at him. We had a lot of fun with her. The private tour was the way to go. You could completely customize it to your liking at the beginning of the day and even change and request things as you went along. We were pretty zonked by the end of the tour as it was our last tour of our 3 week trip, so, Mary arranged a couple of semi relaxing activities for us and then even arranged for us to be dropped off in a little area where we could eat, shop, and bar hop instead of dropping us back at our hotel. She made sure we were completely comfortable with the location and how to get back to our hotel before leaving us, but gave us her number if we had any issues. This was a great tour experience and I highly recommend Mary as a guide!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thomas
Oct 18, 2016
We had an absolutely fabulous day... - <p>We had an absolutely fabulous day out with an extremely knowledgable guide who could not do enough for us.<br/> Very highly recommended!</p>
Review provided by Viator
Phillip
Dec 28, 2014
Mary was our tour guide. She picked... - <p>Mary was our tour guide. She picked us up at our hotel and travelled to the water town. We had a lovely time there. Mary told us lots of information about the town, she was super friendly and made the day lots of fun. We had lunch at a lovely restaurant looking out at the water. On the way back as we still had time so Mary took us to the Bund for a walk along and to a Confucius temple. A very enjoyable day!</p>
Review provided by Viator
Sowjanya
Apr 27, 2014
Our guide was very helpful and... - <p>Our guide was very helpful and friendly. She spoke good English. <br/> My children enjoyed several activities on this tour.<br/> 1. Releasing fishes and turtles into the river and praying for your wish to come true!!!<br/> 2. Aiming coins into the Tall Collection Bowl at the Goddess Temple.<br/> 3. The boat ride.<br/> 4. Feeding and taking photos alongside the Pet Macau birds.<br/> You can bargain and buy a few really artistic masks and trays from the street shops.<br/> If you have about four to five hours to spare, this trip is definitely worth the time. Our guide also told us some native stories and some local politics!!!!</p>
Review provided by Viator
Matthew
Oct 16, 2013
Our tour guide was a local girl who... - <p>Our tour guide was a local girl who was very knowledge of Shanghai. She showed me everything I wanted to see in Shanghai in 8 hours. Granted I did not have much time to shop, but I was able to see where I need to go back to and shop on my own. She was a lovely guide and took us to a local place for lunch which was excellent. She suggested for us not to eat the street food. I would recommend this private tour to anyone going to Shanghai for the first time. I wish I could of spent my whole time with her showing me around.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Sandra
Apr 8, 2013
was a brilliant day - our guide Mary... - <p>was a brilliant day - our guide Mary was superb, knowledgeable, had a great sense of humour brilliant English and went at our pace, nothing was too much trouble for her. Zhujiajiao is well worth a visit but Mary told us best to avoid the weekend when the Chinese go for a day out! we went on a Monday and it was easy to walk around. boat ride essential to get the feel of the town - lots of crafts to be seen and bought at reasonable prices - better than Shanghai.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Lynne
Nov 12, 2013
Thanks for the opportunity to get to... - <p>Thanks for the opportunity to get to visit this historical and interesting village. An amazing history and beautiful, gentle locals. Our guide Mary was excellent, particularly local knowledge. We had an amazing lunch and the travel to and from the village so perfectly arranged. Thanks Mary and Viator</p>
Review provided by Viator
John
Nov 27, 2013
Our tour guide Annie was great... - <p>Our tour guide Annie was great! </p> <p>There really wasn't much to see in the town, it was interesting, but very commercialized. Lots of souvenir vendors it you like that kind of thing. We were through the town and had lunch in a couple hours. By no means a full day tour, so when we got back to Shanghai, Annie took us into the Old Town district and a tour of the Yuyaun Garden. Great place and Annie knew it well. She made a 1 star tour into a 5 star and we got the full day we had paid for. Only givng this a 2 star rating, because that's how we felt about Zhujiajiao, but would highly reccomend Annie for tours in Shanghai.</p>
Review provided by Viator
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