The 15 Best City Tours in Shanghai, Side by Side

1.Zhujiajiao Water Town and Shanghai City Private Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,016 reviews · from $246Our pick

Spend about eight hours with a private guide and driver, combining Zhujiajiao’s canals, boat ride, local lunch, Yuyuan Garden, the Bund, and Shanghai Tower. Guides such as Snow, Caroline, Xin, Jane, and Queena have led this route. The schedule can be adjusted for your interests, with Jade Buddha Temple replacing Yuyuan Garden on Mondays.

“This was an exceptional tour of Shanghai and Zhujiajiao. We enjoyed the private tour and our friendly and safe driver. Most of all we enjoyed meeting Caroline. She’s a very bubbly, smart, funny and very informative tour Guide. Her English is Read more”

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2.Private Shanghai Full Day City Tour with Old and New Highlights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 995 reviews · from $115

Spend 7 to 8 hours exploring old and modern Shanghai with a private guide such as Annie, Sammy, or Fei Fei. Shape the day around your interests, from Yu Garden and the Bund to the Jade Buddha Temple and Shanghai Tower. Downtown pickup is offered, while lunch, transport, and entrance fees depend on the package you choose.

“Annie was an amazing tour guide! From the minute she picked us up at our hotel till the moment she dropped us off, she was professional, very knowledgeable, and funny. She also helped me navigate a food allergy with lunch so I could enjoy Read more”

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3.4-Hour Flexible Private Shanghai City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 235 reviews · from $115

This four-hour private Shanghai tour lets you choose two or three sights, with hotel pickup, an air-conditioned car, and a personal guide such as Snow, Kalvin, Kiki, or Jenny. Use a suggested route or shape the day around gardens, temples, old neighborhoods, food, shopping, or skyline views. Morning, afternoon, and evening departures are available.

“The best of care is taken. The vehicle is modern and clean, water provided. The driver was excellent. The guide I had was JUDY and she spoke perfect English and was so attentive and made sure I didn't miss anything! No hard sell and was happy for me to make my own choice to skip other things to go the new museum in Pudong and left me to enjoy myself at leisure there before getting me buns for lunch which were delicious!”

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4.8-Hour Private City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 230 reviews · 8 hours · from $135

This private eight-hour tour pairs a driver-guide with a flexible Shanghai route. Visit Yu Garden, Old Street, the French Concession, Jade Buddha Temple, the Bund, and Shanghai Tower, or adjust the day to suit your interests. Guides including Tom, Vicky, Mary, Patrick, and Jessie have led past tours, with English and Chinese available.

“Tom was an excellent guide and very thorough and knowledgeable. He was happy to show us around and be guided by what interested us, as well as making sure we saw all the best bits.”

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5.4-Hour Private Shanghai City Tour with Old and New Highlights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 199 reviews · from $93

Build your own four-hour Shanghai tour with a private guide such as Annie, Sammi, Lea, or Roy. Pair Old Town and Yu Garden with The Bund and Shanghai Tower, or swap in Jade Buddha Temple, Tianzifang, Xintiandi, or the Propaganda Art Poster Center. Choose car, Uber, or metro transport, with lunch or dinner available.

“The tour was absolutely fantastic. We had Claire as our guide and she was so informative and knowledgeable about Shanghai. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour today. Would highly recommend this tour.”

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6.Shanghai One Day City Private Tour by German-Speaking Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 180 reviews · 8 hours · from $158

You get an eight-hour private Shanghai tour with a German-speaking guide such as Sarah or Boris, a private air-conditioned vehicle, and hotel pickup in downtown Shanghai. Shape the day around the Bund, Yu Garden, Jade Buddha Temple, Pudong viewpoints, or add places such as Xintiandi and Tianzifang when time allows.

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7.Private Amazing Shanghai City Day Tour in Your Way

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 147 reviews · from $135

Spend about eight hours exploring Shanghai with a private guide and optional car service. Shape the day around Yu Garden, Shanghai Tower, the Bund, Tianzifang, the French Concession, Jade Buddha Temple, or your own requests. Guides such as Xin, Jenny, Judy, Mary, and Berlin are praised for clear English, local insight, and flexible planning.

“A fantastic overview of Shanghai. May our guide was exceptional, informative, really helpful and very friendly. We saw so many different aspects of this wonderful city. Alana her manager was also really helpful and upgraded our tour to add a free lunch (which was delicious) as the Yu gardens are closed on Mondays. Our driver was also excellent and the car very comfortable and air conditioned which helped a lot. I would thoroughly recommend this tour to anyone who has not visited Shanghai before. Probably our best Viator tour so far! Thank you May”

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8.Huangpu River Cruise and Bund City Lights Evening Tour of Shanghai

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 115 reviews · from $79

This 2.5-hour evening tour pairs a one-hour Huangpu River cruise with a Bund walk, a short visit to the Fairmont Peace Hotel, and a trolley ride along Nanjing Road. An English-speaking guide such as Tom or Frank handles city-center hotel pickup and return. It is a simple way to see Shanghai’s lights, though traffic, crowds, and weather can affect the pace.

“The boat cruise is very enjoyable it is a great way to see the glittering lights of Shangai city at night time. Unfortunately, we happened to take this tour during the Dragaon boat festival, we were not able to stop by to visit the Peace Hotel at night, due to the massive crowds in the Bund area in that evening. Nonetheless, we still enjoy the tour and recommend it to especially first time visitor to Shanghai.”

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9.4-Hour Private Customizable City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 99 reviews · 4 hours · from $91

This private four-hour tour pairs Shanghai’s old quarters with its futuristic towers. Your English-speaking guide, such as Annie, Sammi, Robert, or Sunny, collects you downtown and adjusts the route to your interests. Choose a car, Uber, or metro, then visit the Bund, Yu Garden, Old Town, Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai Tower, French Concession, or local food stops.

“We had a great experience in Shanghai with this tour! Our guide, Feifei, was right on time, spoke perfect English, and was extremely helpful with additional travel issues for us. She was flexible to what we wanted to do but also kept us on track to maximize our experience. It was a great itinerary and having a private driver with a nice new minivan taking us to each location was truly luxurious. It was very professionally managed and executed. 10/10 recommendation!”

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10.4-Hour Private Customized Shanghai City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 91 reviews · from $79

Meet a private Shanghai guide at your hotel and shape a four-hour outing around two or three priorities. Choose the Bund, Yu Garden, Jade Buddha Temple, Former French Concession, Shanghai Tower, a market, or a river cruise. Guides such as Penny, Kelly, Kathy, Judy, and Christina are praised for clear English, local insight, flexible pacing, and practical help with transport and food.

“The tour conducted by Penny was an amazing time. We enjoyed it! She had a wealth of knowledge to share, and was flexible customizing the tour based on our interests. I would highly recommend a tour with her and this agency.”

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11.4-Hour Guided City Highlights Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 70 reviews · 4 hours · from $96

See Shanghai’s main sights in a private, air-conditioned car with an English-speaking guide. Your guide can shape the four-hour route around the Bund, Yuyuan Garden, Jade Buddha Temple, French Concession, Old Street, or Pudong towers. Guides such as Kalvin, Jenny, Judy, and Snow are praised for personal stories, clear English, and flexible pacing.

“Alana arranged the tour for me, was super attentive of every detail and came pick me up at the hotel lobby with the driver. I felt super safe and comfortable, the car was amazing and it was great being able to just call him to move around the city. My guide was alice and she was so nice, she taught me everything she knew in detail and let me take lots of pictures and we took our time to see every spot. She also bought me dumplings and was so incredibly nice. I 100% recommend this tour, specially if you're traveling solo, you'll meet a lot of places in a…”

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12.All Inclusive Amazing Shanghai City Highlights Private Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 64 reviews · from $200

Spend about eight hours with a private guide and driver visiting Shanghai highlights such as Yu Garden, the French Concession, Shanghai Tower, Jade Buddha Temple, and the Bund. You can adjust the route to suit your interests. Guides including Mary, Alana, Xin, Snow, and Vicky have been praised for thoughtful pacing, local insight, and help with special requests.

“While in transit at Pudong Airport, we were able to visit Shanghai city's most popular sites as a family, thanks to our super knowledgeable and dedicated guide and driver. The day was very well organized, with a good meal included in the package. Well done and thank you again! I recommend.”

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13.Zhujiajiao Water Town and Shanghai City Flexible Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 63 reviews · from $170

Spend a private day with a guide such as Annie, Sammi, Freya, or Lily, combining Zhujiajiao’s canals and old stone bridges with Shanghai sights such as Yu Garden, the Bund, the Jade Buddha Temple, and Pudong. Hotel pickup, a private car, and flexible sightseeing make this a useful first look at the city.

“Sunny and Sammi were so helpful and communicative. We had a wonderful time in Zhujiajiao, and it was so interesting to talk to Sammi as she is a Shanghai native. The whole tour was extremely well done and incredible value for what we paid, would definitely recommend to friends!”

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14.Shanghai Airport Layover Tour with Amazing City Highlights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 58 reviews · 8 hours · from $165

Turn a Shanghai layover into a private city tour with an airport pickup, driver, and English- or German-speaking guide. Choose classic stops such as Old Town, Yu Garden, the Bund, People’s Square, and Pudong, then tailor the route to your flight schedule. Guides including Roy, Annie, Michael, and Sarah are praised for friendly, flexible service.

“The tour was excellent. It was really built on what I wanted to see, on the time we had available and spontaneously carried on moment by moment.”

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15.Private Pick-up From Shanghai Pudong Airport to Locations in City

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 49 reviews · from $35Best value

This private one-way ride takes you from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to your Shanghai hotel or chosen address. A driver meets you in arrivals with a name sign, helps with luggage, and provides an air-conditioned vehicle and bottled water. Jesse is one named contact associated with the service, though your assigned driver may differ.

“Great, simple service. Driver arrived on time and met us at the arrivals area of the airport. No stress!”

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