One Day Shanghai Tour to Zhouzhuang and Jinxi Water Town

Visit the most beautiful water towns of Zhouzhuang and Jinxi from Shanghai in one day tour with China Top Trip expert tour guide.

The first port of call is Zhouzhuang, a beautiful and ancient Chinese water town. You will take a leisurely boat ride to take some great photos on the romantic stone bridge and take in the quaint buildings on the river side, grab a bite of some freshly prepared and delicious dishes, then rejoin the car for a short journey to see Zhouzhuang’s younger cousin but no less photogenic water town: Jinxi. There, you will visit 3 ancient museums and take the opportunity to photograph the picturesque scenery, then be driven back to your hotel in Shanghai.

8:00 AM -11:30 AM: Hotel Pick-Up and Journey to Zhouzhuang Water Town.
Your guide will be waiting for you in the lobby in the morning at around 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM. A comfortable car will transfer you and your guide to Zhouzhuang: a water town built amid canals, ponds, and lakes. There are many old buildings and bridges, boat rides, crafts, framed by the quaint water town scenery. Feel free to take many photos and capture the beautiful views as seen in “Shanghai Triad”. You will take a gondola and witness the way of life of people living by the canals, first hand. This medieval water town has a history dating back more than 900 years, and has houses and bridges built in both the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing dynasties (1644–1911).

China Top Trip has tailored the 3 most representative old houses into our itineraries to ensure you will not leave here without knowing of their provenance and history.

Shen’s House is southeast of Fu’an Bridge on Nanshi Street. Shen Benren built it in 1742. The compound has seven courtyards, five archways, and more than 100 rooms. It covers an area of 2,000 square meters. There is a gate and wharf for mooring boats.

Zhang’s House is south of the Twin Bridges on Beishi Street. It was built between 1436 and 1449 and covers 1,800 square meters or about half an acre. The house has six courtyards and more than 70 rooms. A square pool was built in the middle section. It is an important historical building.

Ye Chucang’s Residence: Ye Chucang (1887–1946) was a poet and a statesman. He was known for organizing a group of young people to publicize against gambling and opium and steer people away it. It is on Xiwan Street and has five courtyards. The Main Hall was his studio, and the Rear Hall was a place where he received friends.

Your group will be 4 to 6 people, offering good flexibility. If you want some more time for taking photos, or you have more questions about the history and architecture, just let your guide know.

Good to Know:

• On the morning of your tour, your guide will be waiting for you in the lobby, holding a placard with China Highlights logo and your name on it. Show our confirmation letter and you will be guided to our vehicle. (Note: The hotel pick-up and drop-off area should be within the middle ring road of Shanghai. For further distance there might be an extra cost for the transfer. Your travel advisor will give you a notification about this.)
• If you plan to leave Shanghai after your day tour, please check out from your hotel before departure. Normally it will take 10 to 20 minutes for hotel staff to complete the procedure. You may leave your luggage in our vehicle. We can transfer you to the Shanghai Hongqiao Airport (not Pudong Airport) or any train stations straight after the tour (for free!) to make best use of your time. You will need 1 hour to be transferred from the city center to airport, and you will need to be at the airport 1½ hours before a domestic flight, or 2½ hours before an international flight. Tell us about your departure time when booking, and remind our guide, and we will make arrangements accordingly.

11:30 AM – 12:30 AM: Have lunch at a restaurant by the side of water way.
Stop at a China highlights designated restaurant by the side of water way, have some nicely made local food on the second floor where you could view the best part of water village.

Good to Know:

• We will take you to a nice local restaurant in the water village for lunch to save your precious time (other group goes to the restaurant in Shanghai), the menu has been carefully selected by our product manager based on the taste of customers from different corner in the world to ensure the unique gourmet experience. We would be very pleased to hear from you and make a special arrangement if you have any particular requests on food. The restaurant is located by the waterway, you will enjoy your food in an independent room on the second floor, open the window you will have a nice view on the willow trees weeping in the wind, gondolas transfer on the water way, local people hanging clothes at home etc.

12:30 AM – 5:00 PM: Visit Jinxi Ancient Water Town.
In the afternoon, our guide will take you to Jinxi ancient water town for a visit, compared with other ancient towns in China, Jinxi Ancient Town is simpler, less sophisticated, and quiet. It is a small town (only one square kilometer in area) that has 16 lakes and 238 rivers. The town also has 36 ancient bridges spanning the rivers. The bridges represent various styles and were built during different periods in history.

The town has many museums, such as the first museum of antique tiles and bricks in China, the “red porcelain products museum” and the “root caving museum of China.” and our guide will take you to see all of them.

Besides, Jinxi water town is famous for its picturesque sceneries, it’s enjoy history for over 2000 years, and most of the architectures there are still keep its original looks, photo on them would be definitely a “must do” on your travel schedule, you will have sufficient time to taking photos.

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Transport to Your Hotel or Onward Transport.
We will transfer you to your hotel at the end of the tour, or, if you need to catch a flight or a train after the tour, we are more than happy to help you arrange it. Please let us know.

Going back to your hotel in Shanghai will normally take about 2 hours. Likewise for a Shanghai train station. Going to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport directly normally takes about 1½ hours, and 2 hours is needed for going to Pudong Airport

You will need to be at the train station 1 hour before a train, or at the airport 1½ hours before a domestic flight, or 2½ hours before you’re an international flight. Tell us about your departure time when booking, and remind our guide, and we will make arrangements accordingly.