We were a family of 6 adults in Shanghai for two and a half day. Cindy proved to be professional, punctual, knowledgeable, accommodating, cooperative. She was more than willing to adjust her original plans to accommodate our personal needs and wishes, providing us with the most enjoyable two and a half day tour of Shanghai that left us with nothing but terrific things to say about her and the city itself.
Our guide will meet you at your hotel lobby/apartment in the morning at 8:30am. Then you will take subway/public bus to the first destination: South Gate of the ancient City Wall. You can walk on top of the wall or rent a bike and ride along the wall.
After the Nanmen visit, we will walk into the city downtown area from South Avenue (Nan Da Jie) to Bell Tower. This area is the most busiest street for local people go shopping and have fun, you can find different stores, shopping malls, cinemas as well as local restaurants around. If you have interest, you can go up to the Bell Tower for a great view of the city center.
Then we will turn west and walk to the Drum Tower area nearby. After passing through the base of the tower, turn left down a small side street called Hua Jue Xiang. The street is lined with shops selling souvenirs. When you reach a small intersection, go left to the entrance for the Great Mosque. Wander the lushly landscaped courtyard and note the detail on the mosque doors and gates, but only Muslims can enter the Prayer Hall.
Xian Ancient Capital Walking TourFind a local restaurant at Muslim street and have a quick lunch at noon. Then you will go back to the Bell Tower Subway station and take the subway to our afternoon destination: Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Get off the subway at Xiaozhai Station and go east from Xiaozhai Dong Road. On your way, you will pass the Shaanxi History Museum on your left side. The museum is free of charge, if there are not many people line in queue for entrance, you can go for a visit. If the waiting time is too long, you can go east directly to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. (10minutes waking)
After the Big Wild Goose Pagoda visit, our guide will send you back to your hotel/apartment by subway/public bus. Service completes.
If you have 6 hours available, this 6 hours sightseeing tour in Beijing is a great way to explore the city. To start with we will explore the Red Building of the old Peking University, from where the University students went out to Tian'anmen Square for demonstrations and initiated the famous 5.4 Movement.
Then we will stroll along the old cultural Wusi & Wenjin Street, one of the most beautiful street of Beijing. We pass the corner tower of the forbidden city wall and moat, a bridge which divided Beihai Park and Zhongnanhai Lakes, till arriving at the old palaces of Beijing library, which is one of the five biggest libraries in the world. It is a spectacular palace courtyard with historical stone lions and pillars moved from the "old Summer Palace".
Hereafter, we will visit the Northern Cathedra , the oldest and largest catholic church of Beijing. It is a beautiful historical church with a combination of Chinese and Western architecture. In front of the church is a Chinese pavilion and balustrades with stone lion carvings on the top. Inside the church, you will find the big portrait of the Virgin Mary and Jesus in Ming and Qing Royal robes.
In the end, we will stroll around the authentic neighborhood in the famous hutong alleys and visit some courtyard houses. Then finally take public bus or subway back to your hotel.
Discover some of Shanghai's old districts and lanes. Walk through areas which used to be bustling with interesting popular places and residences of important people. Go back in time to rediscover the history of the lanes and get a glimpse of the authentic atmosphere of old Shanghai. Meet long-time, elderly residents and interesting characters, learn their stories of the streets and neighbourhoods, and of China in the past century.
Architecture, design, artwork of the courtyards, and other cultural aspects will be discussed as well. By visiting some of the oldest and very soon disappearing backstreets in Shanghai, you will get a true feeling of the city development in Shanghai and the local Chinese people's life, experience the local food market, and even get a chance to try some interesting Chinese street food.
We will start our walk at the entrance of one of the oldest local Chinese parks (built in 1914). Every day, performers, artists, and martial arts performers descend on the park. Each area bustles with different types of activities such as Tai Chi, ballroom dancing, calisthenics, and music performances. After our walk in the park, we will go to a 4 storey wholesale tea market which targets area re-sellers, so the prices are very good. Here, we will have a brief discussion of tea’s history and health benefits. Learn how experts judge good quality tea by examining its leaves, and then compare and contrast Long Jing tea by sight, smell, and taste.
We also sample a special white tea, some lesser-known green tea, red tea, black tea, and flower tea, different store owners will tell us about the products and provide tips in finding the best tea and tea wares. We will have plenty of time to wander through the many tea shops and sample teas. Sampling is the best way to learn about the tea, so sit, ask questions and sip away great tea.
Shanghai Archives Museum has only recently been made accessible to the public and offers a unique way in which to learn about this city's fascinating history. The museum houses a large number of important historical documents concerning the city's development from a small fishing village into the modern city we now know today.
The Archives Museum has a record of Shanghai's most notable citizens and companies. Our tour, led by Janny Chyn, an Archive's expert, will cover historical time periods and events from the 18th century, including the Japanese invasion, the rise of the Communist Party, the Cultural Revolution, and the rapid economic growth that has taken place in China since the 1980's. A tour of this unique venue is not to be missed!
Within the past decade, contemporary Chinese art has exploded onto the global arena. We will tour Moganshan Lu M50 - the center of Shanghai's modern art scene - and its trendy art colony. Once a small lane filled with vacant warehouses along Suzhou Creek, it's now home to a thriving contemporary artist community. About 100 artists in residence in the former factories and warehouses on the banks of Suzhou Creek including some of Shanghai's best known artists like Zhou Tiehai, Ding Yi, Xu Zhen and the media art collective Liu Dao. It hosts over 120 galleries and art studios. Galleries include Shangh Art, EastLink, Island6, Pantocrator and Biz Art. As we tour the area, we will meet the artists, gallery owners and discuss the major styles seen in today's Chinese art, with a focus on new trends.