Day 1 Arrival in Shanghai

Day 2 Shanghai

Your private Shanghai Suzhou Hangzhou tour will start from the Shanghai Museum. As one of the most prestigious museums in China, it will dazzle you with a vast storage of historical items, including bronzeware, chinaware, jade, Chinese paintings and calligraphy works, and even ethnic minority clothes and furniture of the Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) dynasties. Continue to Shanghai’s old town to visit the most famous ancient site in Shanghai, the Ming-era Yu Garden. Here, you will see what a typical Jiangnan-style Chinese garden looks and admire its ingenious layout and delicate architecture. Also learn from your guide how to appreciate Chinese rockery art like the treasure of the garden Yu Ling Long (literally “crispy sound of jade”), a curious naturally-eroded limestone considered as one of the three most well-known of its kind in South China. Out of the Yu Garden, you will have some free time to explore the Yuyuan Bazaar.

In the afternoon, you will be transferred to the Bund area to take a one-hour cruise on the Huangpu River to enjoy different iconic scenes on either bank. Look to the west and you will find 52 colonial-era edifices in varied western styles and turn to the east to look up to modern high-rise buildings, including the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, and Shanghai Tower. After disembarking, enjoy some free time to wander around the Bund and take beautiful pictures. Next is Tianzifang, a cultural block with boutiques, art studios and cafes juxtaposing traditional culture with modern creativity, evolved from a Shikumen residential complex that dates back to the 1920s.

► Recommended Dining Option for Dinner:
Try some Shanghai-style noodles to boost your energy after a long day’s trip! We recommend you visit Fu He Mian Guan · Fu He You, a famous noodle restaurant with a branch on Kunshan Huyuan Road that is only a 10-15 minutes’ taxi ride from your hotel. The restaurant specializes in rich and savory locally-flavored noodles, which are accompanied by an abundance of toppings and a separate seaweed soup, providing a noodle experience hardly found elsewhere. It is located in a residential area and frequented by locals. The only minus is that during peak dining hours, you will expect a wait time of around 30 minutes. Average cost per person: CNY 45 / USD 6.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Day 3 Shanghai to Suzhou by High Speed Train

Embark on a one-hour high-speed train ride to Suzhou. On arrival at Suzhou’s railway station, you will be transferred to the hotel. After a short rest, we will take you to the ancient Tongli Water Town. Imagine you walk in a landscape where there are paint-peeling buildings from ancient China, sampans on green canals, arch stone bridges and lively life scenes - this would be your experience of Tongli, whose origins can be traced to the Song Dynasty (960 -1279).

Next is our biggest highlight for today, the Humble Administrator's Garden in the northeast of Suzhou. Like the Yu Garden in Shanghai, it is also a Ming-dynasty heritage but twice larger. Although both represent Jiangnan-style gardens, the former enjoys more original Ming architectural style, while the latter incorporates elements from different eras as it was expanded several times through history. The overall landscape is centered upon water, around which you will visit corridors-connected pavilions and halls and discover fantastic views through perforated windows. Go on a rickshaw ride through Suzhou Old Town. You can keep an eye on the white-walled, grey-tiled low-rise architecture that characterizes the streetscape, which is made all the more charming by dense vegetation. Overnight in Suzhou.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Day 4 Suzhou to Hangzhou by High Speed Train