Shanghai Evening Tour: Huangpu River Cruise and Street Food

A night on the river by the Bund

Another excellent experience organised by Jenny’s China tours. Our guide (Kristy) picked us up at the hotel and made our evening special. Everything was organised perfectly, we had great seats on the boat, and Kristy was very knowledgeable about the Shanghai skyline. Highly recommend this tour for others!

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Fantastic Skyline!

I really enjoyed the boat ride and seeing The Bund via the river this way! First off, you can book a ticket for the river cruise near The Bund. There are booths down there that do it. I didn't really know that, so if you want to do this independently, you definitely could. The difference between that and hiring the guide is that they will optimize your experience for you--making sure you get a ticket, good spot, tell you about the buildings and help you along the way. The boat has a lot of people on it. I thought it was more exclusive since it's a tour, but it's not. I definitely enjoyed having the guide to explain all about the buildings to me and help me take pictures. The boat tour is at 7pm, and before then, they will take you to the Yuyuan Garden bazaar area to get some signature Shanghai snacks, so don't eat dinner before hand. I had the pork chops, crab soup dumpling, beef dumplings, beef on a stick and teas, and it was very good. My guide also took me to the French Concession area prior to the tour which I really enjoyed, especially all the history to the area. I also enjoyed seeing the Starbucks Rostery at the end. The guide will also help you negotiate and get any souvenirs you need. I would bring things for inclement weather, like a raincoat or poncho, as well as tissues for toilet paper and bug spray. You can definitely sit inside the boat for the views, but I like to feel the wind on my face and I don't like glass in front of my pictures. I wish I had known bugs would get me because I had all that stuff in my suitcase at the hotel, I just didn't know it was an issue. So don't forget! Overall, I thought the tour was good! I think it's really good to see the Bund this way and it's very refreshing. You can do it independently, but if you choose to do it with the guide, it does make it feel like a true Shanghai experience with their local knowledge. My guide was Grace and I think she was great if you want to do it with an excellent local guide.

Response from the operator: Dear Stephanie, Thank you so much for sharing such a thoughtful and detailed review. We are delighted that you enjoyed the Huangpu River cruise, the evening views of the Bund, and your time exploring Shanghai with Grace. We are especially pleased that Grace was able to make the evening feel fresh and memorable by combining the river cruise with local snacks in the Yuyuan Bazaar, the history and atmosphere of the French Concession, and a visit to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Even for guests who may have already seen parts of Shanghai independently or through other arrangements, our guides work hard to create a well-paced experience that adds new perspectives and meaningful local insight. The river cruise itself is a shared public experience, but having a knowledgeable guide helps make it smoother, more personal, and more enjoyable—from arranging tickets and finding a good viewing location to explaining the skyline, helping with photos, and sharing local recommendations. For guests planning a longer stay in Shanghai, we always recommend booking a complete, coordinated Shanghai itinerary with us. This allows us to thoughtfully design each day around their interests, avoid unnecessary repetition, and create a more seamless and rewarding overall experience. We also appreciate your practical suggestions about bringing rain protection, tissues, and insect repellent, particularly for guests who prefer to enjoy the open-air deck. Thank you again for your kind words about Grace. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you back for another wonderful China experience. Best regards, Jenny Liang

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A great evening in stunning Shanghai

This was a great tour to do. We had a very short time in Shanghai and so didn’t have time to see all of the sights on our own. We opted for a hotel pick up and private driver which was great and avoided the crowds at the Bunt area. We did the boat trip at 6:50 so that we saw all of the lights being switched on - a stunning sight to see. You can also opt to sit on the top deck for an extra ¥100pp which was worth it. Our guide Wing then took us on a tour of Shanghai Old Town where we tried many local dishes including fried bao, sweet black sesame dumplings and noodles. We also went to a tea merchant and tried many teas. Wing was a great guide. And her sweet enthusiasm for everything Shanghai was lovely to be around .

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Beautiful sunset on a full stomach

We did this evening tour after a full day Shanghai tour, and we were lucky enough to get Troy for both days. Street food can be an amazing but intimidating experience for a foreigner. Sure, if there’s a sign you can translate it, but small venders often don’t have a way to do more than guess what they’re selling. Troy was of course able to chat with the venders to find out what they were selling and guide us to what we were most interested in. We really loved taking the boat cruise at sunset. Would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone!

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Excellent Evening Out on the Town!

Kristy was AWESOME! Such an awesome evening out in Shanghai! She was already waiting for me in the hotel lobby right on time, and we promptly took a taxi to the River Boat Cruise. Kristy took care of the tickets, and this cruise was absolutely epic! Plenty of space on the big boat, took too many memorable photos of the Shanghai skyline. A visit to the Old Town followed afterwards, with an opportunity to try some Chinese street food, the Pancake and Skewers were so tasty, unfortunately I couldn't finish everything, but the taste was delicious! During the tour, it was great to find out more about the history of Shanghai, and once again, Kristy did a great job of explaining everything, with some great personal insights from her own memories. Highly recommend tour, have to commend Kristy's English ability..it definitely can't be easy dealing with a first-timer to China, but she made the trip memorable! Many thanks!

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