Private Shanghai in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour
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September 2026
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Who is going?
Adults
Age 13 and over
Children
Age 12 and under
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Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Same price on Viator, Outty earns a commission.
Traveler rating
4.9/5
Based on 7 traveler reviews. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.
Quick answer
Is Private Shanghai in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour worth booking?
Private Shanghai in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour is a 8-hour experience in Shanghai, China, from $50 per person. It scores 70 out of 100 on the Outty Ranking, which we label “Strongly Recommended”, based on a 4.9/5 rating across 7 reviews. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start time. Same-day spots are currently showing.
- Outty Ranking
- 70 / 100
- Rating
- 4.9/5 (7)
- Duration
- 8 hours
- From
- $50 per person
For the first-timer, this private Shanghai day tour should be the top priority. Both traditional and modern sights of Shanghai are covered by visiting Shanghai Old Street, Yuyuan Garden, the Bund, People Square, Jade Bud
What you get
- Bottled water
- Driver/guide
- Chinese lunch
- Hotel or Port pickup and drop-off
About this experience
For the first-timer, this private Shanghai day tour should be the top priority. Both traditional and modern sights of Shanghai are covered by visiting Shanghai Old Street, Yuyuan Garden, the Bund, People Square, Jade Buddha Temple, Former French Concession at Xintiandi, and Pudong Lujiazui Financial and Business Center. Your Senior English-speaking guide will share his knowledge of Shanghai's cultures, architectural buildings, different religions, Shanghai's history, and way of life with you. Also, a special selected local Chinese restaurant will offer you a chance to try authentic Shanghai cuisine. The tour is only operates for your party. So it is more flexible to adapt to your pace.
What's included
Included
- Bottled water
- Driver/guide
- Chinese lunch
- Hotel or Port pickup and drop-off
Not included
- Gratuities
What you'll see and do
Yu Garden
Your first stop will be intricately designed Yu Yuan Garden, a classic creation of the Ming dynasty, and the ancient Shanghai Old Street, which is originated in the Qing dynasty. Then you can have a rest in an ancient Chinese tea house.
80 minutes here · Admission included
People’s Square
After the tea, you will be driven to the People Square where you can see the City Hall and surrounding buildings from outside. If you like museums, you can visit the Shanghai Museum there.
60 minutes here
Former French Concession
Traveling on, you will stroll along the Xintiandi in the Former French Concession, which is considered to be one of the most charming places in Shanghai for Chinese and foreigners.
20 minutes here
Jade Buddha Temple
In the afternoon, you will start from the Jade Buddha Temple, a sacred 19th-century structure built during the Qing Dynasty. Marvel at the majestic architecture of the temple and see the big one-piece jade Buddha.
40 minutes here · Admission included
The Bund
Then Bund, Shanghai’s picturesque waterfront, well known as the International Architecture Exhibition for its spectacular soaring skyline. From here, enjoy sweeping views of both sides of the Huangpu River.
20 minutes here
Pudong New Area
At last, we drive to Pudong Business and Financial Center where all the main skyscrapers locate. You will see the tallest building Shanghai Tower as well as the "Bottle Opener" and Jinmao Tower there.
20 minutes here
Where it starts and ends
Hotel pickup
Pickup is included for all travelers.
Before you book
- Cancellation
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- Languages
- en
- Ticket
- Mobile Only
- Runs on
- Every day
- Group size
- Up to 15 travelers per booking
- Operated by
- Shanghai Driver Guide
Know before you go
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Photos
What travelers are saying
Outty’s summary of the themes that recur across 7 traveler reviews. Written by us, not quoted from reviewers.
Knowledge and storytelling
4 mentionsReviewers describe the commentary as informative rather than scripted.
The guide
2 mentionsTravelers single out the guide as the reason the experience works.
Food and drink
2 mentionsThe tastings and food stops are a highlight for most reviewers.
Photo opportunities
1 mentionThe views and photo stops come up again and again.
Organization
1 mentionPickup, timing, and logistics are described as running smoothly.
Physical effort
1 mentionExpect real walking or climbing: reviewers mention the effort involved.
Traveler reviews
7 verified traveler reviews for Private Shanghai in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.
Best Tour of Shanghai
The personalized tour was the best part of my Shanghai trip - and that is all thanks to Tom! He planned the ideal tour for my group - hit every spot we wanted to see, every food we wanted to try - and his suggestions made the day better than I could have imagined. He is a wealth of knowledge and a joy to be around! He really cares that you enjoy yourself and accomplish all your vacation goals. I will book this every time I come to Shanghai- alone or with a group (and as a single female traveler that is priceless). My only complaint is that no other tour will ever measure up - so we need to clone Tom in every city!
via Tripadvisor
Best guide for Shanghai
Tom is a great guide. He was showing us around with his brand-new car, was very friendly, and he knew anything and everything about Shanghai and the Chinese culture. he was very flexible with his tour, and we could tell him our wishes for the tour. His English is fluent and he is very cooperative.
via Viator
Excellent Multifaceted Services
Our group of 4 included one person with mobility issues, so we decided to do two private tours prior to boarding the cruise ship, Westerdam in Shanghai plus utilizing the same company for the airport transfer to our Bund hotel in downtown Shanghai. I was delighted that Tom Zhang agreed to take on all three of our requests, so we just enjoyed his services and just one company for all our needs, while in Shanghai. We were picked up at the Shanghai airport by a delightful young man who was prompt ,had easy to find signage, informative and delivered us to our hotel. Exactly what we wanted to start our late night arrival to Shanghai. The next day was spent with Tom Zhang (the owner) and our all day tour of Shanghai was done in a comfortable vehicle with a tailor made itinerary, keeping in mind mobility issues. Tom speaks very understandable English, is very kind, and a patience gentleman. The tour was well paced, interesting sights and included a delightful lunch where we could relax and learn about Shanghai in depth. We were also taken to a tea house, learned all about the ceremony which was fun. A small annoyance was the pressure by the tea shop personal to purchase items after the enjoyable presentation, but nothing to do with Tom. We enjoyed the tour immensely and all this pampering was less expensive than taking the cruise ship's tour. On day three in Shanghai we visited Zhujianial Watertown with Tom on a half day tour. This was a difficult destination for a person with mobility challenges and to compound the problem it was the weekend and very crowded! Lots of uneven steps, bridges to go up and down plus many temples require stepping over an high entry way. We spent most of our time visiting the private home and gardens which was easier. The tour included a leisurely boat ride of the delightful water town and this was the best way to get around for our group, so we paid for the second leg of the boat tour to avoid the crowded areas. We did enjoy the trip and Tom pointed out some bazaar stores, services and goods for sale as we exited the crowded town for our pick-up. Be sure to see all the roasted insects in sticks! OMG! We were due onboard the ship, so Tom agreed to transfer us from Zhujianiao Watertown to our cruise ship which was a considerable distance out of Shanghai. This was a perfect solution to departing our Bund hotel, touring for the half day and ending up onboard the cruise ship by 5pm. Excellent services at a very reasonable price and a definite savings over HAL's very expensive shore excursions! If you are planning on visiting Shanghai or some of the other destinations that Tom Zhang services, I can recommend his services without hesitation! He was the best private guide we had throughout our time in Asia. Many thanks TOM!
via Tripadvisor
EXCELLENT TRIP WITH TOM
To be honest I was very apprehensive about our visit to Shanghai at the start. Didn’t know where to start or what to do there because of the language barrier. We were sitting in our hotel and sulking because we couldn’t talk to anyone in English in the hotel! Everything was dispelled when Tom picked us up from our hotel. What a marvellous guy! Fluent in English with a very good knowledge of the city and China in general. He made our day. He was kind, gentle and very helpful. My wife had problem walking with a stick due to a recent leg injury but Tom was so attentive and kind and made sure she was ok. He took us around the city and explained everything. We felt we had seen the entire China! Brilliant. Please everyone, if you are in Shanghai try out Tom and you will at once notice the pleasant difference. Thank you Tom.
via Tripadvisor
Sensational Shanghai
We felt overwhelmed travelling in China as few people speak English and the only maps we had are of huge areas and hard to make out, (there is no Google or Facebook access). So, we booked two days of touring with Tom and were delighted. He picked us up at the Port as we came of a cruise ship, so a seamless transition for us. He showed us old and new Shanghai, he has a huge knowledge of history and culture and was happy to share his knowledge. Water town was fascinating, the gardens stunning and the boat night tour amazing. We enjoyed every part of it and it was great to be able to start and finish at the times we wished. Tom was also fantastic at helping us work out how to get to the airport - I highly recommend the maglev, we took a taxi to the main station and then the maglev. The taxi was about 50 CNY and the maglev 50 CNY each, quicker and also heaps cheaper than the 500 our hotel charges for a taxi to the airport. Be aware though, that we had to pay cash as neither accepted a mastercard credit card. You can get to the station via the subway but there are no down escalators or lifts and lots of stairs and I was concerned about managing luggage. The main station (I've forgotten the name) does have escalators and it was easy to find the maglev.
via Tripadvisor
Good to know
- Duration
- 8 hours
- Free cancellation
- Up to 24h before
- Minimum age to book
- All ages
- Availability
- Bookable today
- Runs on
- Every day
- Price range
- $50 to $298
- Hotel pickup
- Included for all travelers
- Booked in 30 days
- 2
- Verdict
- Strongly Recommended
Why this scores 70
The Outty Ranking is a weighted composite. Here is how this experience performed on each component.
Private Shanghai in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour: questions travelers ask
Practical detail on this experience, plus the wider planning questions for Shanghai.
How much does Private Shanghai in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour cost?
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Prices start at $50 per person. The final price depends on the date, the time slot and the number of travelers, and peak weekends in Shanghai usually price higher than midweek mornings. Live pricing and remaining availability are confirmed on the booking screen before you pay.
How long does Private Shanghai in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour take?
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Plan for about 8 hours from start to finish, not counting travel to the meeting point. Most travelers leave another 30 minutes on either side so the rest of the day in Shanghai is not rushed.
Is Private Shanghai in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour worth it?
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It holds an Outty Ranking of 70 out of 100, which we label "Strongly Recommended". That score blends traveler sentiment (4.9/5 across 7 reviews), the depth of that review evidence, recent booking momentum, value for money against comparable last minute in Shanghai, and how flexible the cancellation terms are.
Can I cancel or reschedule Private Shanghai in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour?
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Yes. Cancel free up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Inside that window the booking is non-refundable, and no-shows are not refunded.
Is Private Shanghai in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour suitable for kids and families?
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Yes, all ages are welcome. Families should still weigh the 8-hour running time, and strollers are easier on the earlier, quieter departures.
How far in advance should I book Private Shanghai in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour?
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Around 2 people booked this in the last 30 days, so popular slots go early. Two to three weeks ahead is comfortable in shoulder season, while summer weekends and holidays in Shanghai can sell out a month out. Same-day spots do open up when other travelers cancel, so it is worth checking if you are already in town.
What should I bring or wear?
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Bring photo ID, your booking confirmation on your phone, a refillable water bottle and comfortable shoes. Dress for the weather in Shanghai and add a light layer if any part of the 8-hour experience runs outdoors or after sunset.
Where does Private Shanghai in One Day Guided Sightseeing Tour start and how do I get there?
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The exact meeting point and directions are on your voucher once you book, and they sit in central Shanghai within reach of public transport. Arrive 15 minutes early: late arrivals are treated as no-shows by most operators.
What are the best things to do in Shanghai?
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On Outty we rank every Shanghai experience on the same 0 to 100 scale, and alongside this one the highest scorers right now include Private Shanghai Full Day City Tour with Old and New Highlights, Suzhou Private Day Trip from Shanghai with Bullet Train Option, 4-Hour Flexible Private Shanghai City Tour. The city page groups everything into most popular, highest reviewed, last minute and family-friendly so you can build a day around what actually delivers.
When is the best time to visit Shanghai?
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Booking patterns follow the same curve: prices and queues climb in peak weeks, while shoulder season gives you better availability on the top-ranked experiences and more room to change plans.
How many days do you need in Shanghai?
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Three full days covers the headline sights without sprinting. A workable rhythm is one anchor experience each morning, such as this one, an unhurried afternoon in a single neighborhood, then a food or nightlife booking in the evening. Five days lets you add a day trip outside the city.
Do I book through Outty or through the operator?
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Outty ranks and explains the experiences, then hands you to Viator to complete the booking with the operator directly. The price is the same as booking on Viator yourself, and Outty earns an affiliate commission on the referral, which is how the rankings stay free to read.
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