5 Days Shanghai Hangzhou Suzhou Highlights Tour

Airport/train station/port pick up

Ni Hao! Welcome to Shanghai - China's dazzling Magic City, where futuristic skylines meet timeless charm in a metropolis that never slows down!

Upon arrival, you will be met by a local tour guide at the arrival hall of the airport/train station/port and escorted to check in your hotel in downtown by a private comfortable vehicle. The rest of today is on your own to relax. If you want to explore nearby, feel free to get some practical suggestions from your tour guide.

Optional Activity - Attend an entertaining Acrobatic Show, including breathtaking “balls of death” acts, chair balancing, hula hoops, juggling of benches, walking in the air, and other breathtaking performances.

Arrival Ideas: At present, there are many international and many domestic flights to and from Shanghai. Also, you can arrive in Shanghai city by taking a high speed train from Beijing (4.5-6hrs), Xian (6-8hrs), Hangzhou (1hrs), Suzhou (30mins), Huangshan (2.5-4hrs), and so on.

Today's Highlights: Shanghai Tower, Shanghai Museum, Wukang Road, Nanjing Road, The Bund

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel to start your Shanghai exploration. Your will firstly visit Lujiazui and ride one of the world's fastest elevators to the 118th-floor observation deck (at 546 meters / 1,791 feet) of the Shanghai Tower — the tallest building in China and the third tallest in the world, standing at 632 meters (2,073 feet). From this incredible height, you'll enjoy a jaw-dropping 360° panoramic view of Shanghai's dynamic skyline, including the modern Pudong area, the historic Bund, and the winding Huangpu River.

Next, visit Shanghai Museum East, which collected many international-standard exhibits of bronzes, paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, ceramics, jade from more than 5,000 years ago to the Qing dynasty. An Audio Explanation Device will be prepared for you to help you learn about the history and facts about the relics in the museum easily.

After Lunch, take a leisurely walk on the charming Wukang Road which was a special premier living quarter and retail district for expats in early Shanghai (from 1849 AD until 1943 AD). You will browse hundreds of old European-style buildings, apartments, villas, boutique shops, restaurants of a wide range of culinary styles standing among the ultra-modern architecture complex. It is a significant window into the city’s up-and-down history.

Later, get to Nanjing Road, Shanghai’s earliest commercial street and one of the most popular current landmarks. Lots of big name brands, restaurants, cafés, souvenir shops and towering buildings can be seen when you stroll around this busy pedestrian mall. Continue your walk to the Bund, the No.1 attraction in Shanghai and the best viewing deck for the skyline of Lujiazui across the Huangpu River, a cluster of futuristic skyscrapers including Shanghai Tower, Jinmao Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, and Oriental Pearl Tower rising from what was once a fishing village. The view captures Shanghai's extraordinary transformation from a treaty port to a global financial hub and innovation powerhouse. Lined with 52 historic European-style buildings, the Bund is also often hailed as an open-air museum of world architecture. Take a pleasant stroll along the promenade, enjoying both the grandeur of the past and the futuristic skyline.

After the tour, drive back to your hotel. (If you want to spend free time at the Bund, Nanjing Road or somewhere else please let your tour guide know.)

Optional Activity - Take a relaxing Huangpu River night cruise to see the city’s most significant edifices and streets sparkling under the atmospheric cover of darkness (about 50 minutes).

Today’s highlights: West Lake, Cruise, Feilai Peak, Lingyin Temple, Meijiawu Longjing Tea Village

After breakfast, go to take an early morning high speed train to Hangzhou (1hr), the “Heavenly City on Earth” and capital city of Zhejiang Province. Upon your arrival, your private tour guide and driver will pick you up at the railway station, and then set out for today’s sightseeing.

First, make the symbolic visit to the picturesque West Lake, which is the iconic site of Hangzhou and a pretty UNESCO World Heritage. Just as the famous traveler Marco Polo did and wrote: “A voyage on this lake offers more refreshment and pleasure than any other experience on earth”, you will start with a leisure cruise (about 45 mins) to enjoy the tranquil lake views as well as the ancient pagodas, traditional arched bridges, tree-lined walkways, beautiful hills, green islands and lush gardens including visit to the beautiful Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon. After the cruise, visit West Lake's highlights like Su Causeway, Broken Bridge, and scenic parks by foot or included sightseeing vehicle. The lake's vastness makes full exploration impractical, but your guide will customize the itinerary based on your schedule and energy levels.

Next, go to Feilai Peak (Peak Flying from Afar), which flew to China to spread Buddhism from India according to the legend. It features in over 300 Buddhist carvings lining the riverbanks and hillsides and tucked away inside grottoes. With over 1,000 years, it is the precious fresco treasure in the whole regions south of Yangtze River. Continue to the adjacent Lingyin Temple of nearly 1,700 year, which is the oldest and one of the most popular temples in Hangzhou. Hidden in the luxurious forest, it offers charming and peaceful landscape mixed with the strong Buddhist atmosphere among the large scaled of magnificent and antique temple clusters.

Then, drive uphill to Meijiawu Longjing Tea Village, a refreshing wonderland surrounded by mountains with a large area of emerald Dragon Well tea plantations in neat lines and curves. Walk among the tea plantations with fun and take beautiful photos (Optional activity: you can pay a visit to the local tea farmer’s family and experience picking tea leaves, watching stir-drying tea leaves, enjoying tea ceremony, tasting Dragon Well tea, etc., which is usually only available in March or April.).

After Meijiawu visiting, be escorted to your hotel in Hangzhou downtown. Have a good sleep!

Lingyin Temple Feilai Peak Visiting Notice: The Lingyin Temple Feilai Peak Scenic Area operates with daily visitor quotas. We will make every effort to secure reservations, but during holidays and peak tourist seasons, we cannot guarantee entry. We will arrange alternative attractions dynamically based on the situation. Thank you for your understanding!

Evening Ideas: 1) watch a magnificent night show - Enduring Memories of Hangzhou, a live performance by Yimou Zhang with changing lights, music and dancing on the West Lake, which usually starts at 7pm, needs extra payment; 2) feast your eyes with an amazing Music Fountain Show at Third Park, near the eastern lakeside of West Lake. It's free.

Today’s highlights: Tiger Hill, Suzhou Silk Museum, Lingering Garden, Shantang Ancient Street

Today you are going to visit another Heavenly City - Suzhou which is famous for its classical gardens, silk and water towns. A fast high speed bullet train will transfer you to Suzhou within 1 hour.

First, you will go to explore the iconic historical site in Suzhou - Tiger Hill. The hill is only 36 meters in height, but covers about 3.5 acres areas with a number of historical sites some of which have history over 2,500 years. The most famous sites include the Yunyan Pagoda which is an over-1000-year-old pagoda with seven stories in height and famously leans much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Sword Pool where the King of Wu, He Lu, tested and buried his treasured swords about 2500 years ago. Apart from the history, the Tiger Hill is also an amazing place to go for a walk, enjoy natural scenery and experience local custom.

Next, you will transfer from Tiger Hill to Suzhou Silk Museum which is China’s first professional silk museum, established in 1989. The museum aims to promote silk culture, protect silk relics, preserve silk craftsmanship, and spread knowledge about silk. Suzhou, known as the "Capital of Silk and Land of Brocade," has a long history in silk production. As early as the Neolithic period, primitive silk weaving appeared, and during the Qin and Han dynasties, it became a major silk-producing region in southern China. In the Tang and Song dynasties, it was the silk production center of the country. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, silk production and trade flourished, with many of the royal high-quality silk fabrics being made by Suzhou weavers.

Then take an interesting visit to Lingering Garden, one of the Four Greatest Gardens in China as well as the perfect representative of traditional Suzhou Gardens. The Lingering Garden has synthesized almost all the classic features of Suzhou gardens. It is composed of residential areas, shrines, family temple and garden, making full use of the changes between big and small, bend and straight, bright and dark, tall and low, tight and disperse, with the surrounding landscapes, such as plants, lakes, sky, etc. as backgrounds to create an ingenious system of space. Stepping into the garden, you will find the architectures, rockeries, corridors, pavilions, ponds and trees in Lingering Garden are all standing in the best place, neither too crowded nor too sporadic. The most incredible thing is that, in the same place, looking from different angles, you can enjoy different scenery. Making a step, you will get another feeling of another kind of scenery.

After visiting Lingering Garden, move on to next site - Shantang Ancient Street, a wonderful watertown-like street. It used to be an important trade and culture center during Ming and Qing Dynasties, and now is famous as “the miniature of old Suzhou and the window of Wu culture”. Enjoy the ornate water-town style architectures, marvel at the bustling streets and savor at local snacks. (If you want to spend some free time at Shantang Street or enjoy the night view here please let your tour guide know.)

After the tour, go to check in your hotel. Have a good rest! 

Today’s highlights: Tongli Water Town (Retreat & Reflection Garden, Three Bridges…)

After breakfast, your driver and guide will escort you on the 25 km (approximately 40-minute) journey from downtown Suzhou to the renowned Tongli Water Town, which along with Zhouzhuang and Wuzhen, is one of China's most famous and beautiful ancient water towns. This charming water town, a quintessential example of China’s ancient canal settlements, boasts over 1,000 years of history and meticulously preserves its authentic architecture: weathered bridges, traditional homes, and time-honored folk customs.

Begin your Tongli exploration at the Retreat & Reflection Garden (Tuisi Garden), the crown jewel of the town and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is an absolute must-see. This exquisite Qing Dynasty garden offers a flawless showcase of classical Chinese landscape design. Next, take a poetic stroll across the iconic Three Bridges - Taiping, Jili, and Changqing - where locals still uphold the tradition of crossing them together for good fortune. Then wander down Ming-Qing Street to browse antique shops and sample local snacks, immersing yourself in the historic atmosphere.

Conclude your experience with a picturesque boat ride (optional/available for an extra fee) through Tongli’s zigzagging canal network. Glide past waterside homes and under arched stone bridges to capture the quintessential water-town perspective.

After Tongli exploration, you will be transferred to Shanghai to catch your flight/train to next destination. Tour ends.