Water Town Excursion from Shanghai, No Shopping

At around 09:00 in the morning, your professional tour guide and driver will wait for you at your hotel in Shanghai. After a warm greeting, we will set out on this one day private Wuzhen tour from Shanghai. It takes about 2 hours with a comfortable private vehicle. On the way, your guide will give you a brief introduction of the water town, and you can enjoy the suburb view along the way.

►  Friendly Tip: For transit travelers, we could pick you up from the airport and customize a Shanghai layover tour for you. Please contact us in advance.

Dubbed one of the most beautiful water towns in China, Wuzhen won’t disappoint you with its ancient buildings, intricate layout, arched stone bridges, interlinking waterways, and the original lifestyle of the locals. Some old traditions are also well preserved in this China’s idyllic fantasy. The crisscrossing waterways divide the town into four parts. Today, you will be accompanied to visit Wuzhen’s most popular and splendid area, Xizha. Let’s step back in time and walk into the beautiful ancient water town.It takes around 3 to 4 hours for touring around Xizha, which is composed of 12 islands and linked by more than 70 old bridges. Strolling around the ancient paths along the canal, you will be amazed by its pretty whitewashed houses, most of which can be dated back to the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD). A lot of cultural and traditional sights are also worth your careful exploration. Here we just list some top attractions.

The most eye-catching one is a hand-dyeing workshop, Hong Yuan Tai Fabric Workshop, where you can see many long pieces of indigo textiles hanging from the high wooden poles and waving in the air. Your informative guide will introduce the traditional printing and dyeing process passed down for thousands of years and you may also witness the cloth printing by yourself. Wuzhen Old Post Office is another highlight, founded in the late Qing Dynasty, but still in service today in accordance with the old way of mail. You may also try to mail a letter or postcard to your friends or family but a longer time may be needed. Besides that, Xuchang Sauce Workshop established in the 19th century features traditional Chinese sauce making while Yida Silk Workshop showcases a complete silk-making process from mulberry planting, sericulture, and cocoon harvesting to silk reeling and tapestry weaving.

Apart from the traditional handicrafts, some old folk traditions in Wuzhen are unmissable. Accompanied by your private guide, you will visit the Joy Hall, a joyfully red building, to have a glimpse of the marriage traditions, auspicious red wedding clothes, and classic ceremonies in old South China.

It's impressive to wander around the cobbled-stone streets to linger over all kinds of cultural workshops. Nevertheless, the most amazing views are from the boat. We have especially arranged a boat trip down the canal for you. Sitting on the boat, you will escape from the hustle and bustle of Shanghai while soaking up the tranquility and classic beauty of the water town with ancient architecture and quaint stone-arched bridges. ► Dining Suggestion:
Lunch is not included in our tour, as we think you’d wish to explore Wuzhen for yourself which offers myriads of tasty snacks and local food, making you spoiled for your choice. The lotus-shaped Dingsheng Steamed Rice Cake is the most famous one, characterized by a soft and white outer layer made of glutinous rice powder and bean paste for filling, with a light sweetness. Gusao Baked Roll, Braised Mutton, Steamed Fish and Stewed Duck in Brown Sauce are also worth a try. Your guide will also offer local specialties suggestions according to your tastes. If you want to well seat yourself at a nice restaurant, perhaps visit Si Fang Cai Guan No.75 (Xizha Scenic Area branch). It beautifully sits by a canal, allowing diners to enjoy the stunning views of Wuzhen over savoring delicious local cuisine. The environment exudes elegance and tranquility from the traditional Chinese folk architectural design, which features a light well  (Tian Jing in Chinese) rarely seen elsewhere. Tian Jing is an enclosed space formed between buildings and walls, primarily serving to invite sunlight in and facilitate airflow just like a natural air conditioning system. Step inside and feel the refreshing coolness to believe it! A person would spend CNY 90 / USD 12 on average.

Here comes to the end of your sightseeing trip. Your guide and driver will escort you back to hotel in downtown Shanghai. We hope you will enjoy this day trip. If you need a see-off service at the airport, railway station or port, please contact your travel consultant for the arrangement.