Private Zhujiajiao Water Town Tour From Shanghai

I booked this tour for our team summit, and it was an excellent experience. Tom was very patient while we got everyone gathered, and he provided a comfortable, air-conditioned bus for all of us. On the way to the city and throughout the tour, he shared many interesting insights about Chinese culture and the local community. He also made sure to drop us off at the restaurant we requested right on time. Our whole team had a wonderful time. Highly recommended!

Our guide, Tom, was professional, knowledgeable, very approachable & knows Zhujiajiao at the tips of his fingers. We had an interesting morning wandering around the Watertown with Tom giving us background info for each place we visited & during our boat ride along the canal.

This was our last day activity in Shanghai before heading back home. Tom was a fantastic driver and guide. The car was lovely and spacious, he drove really well, and we really enjoyed talking to him about life in Shanghai and China. The water town was great and a fun way to spend half a day.

Wow! Patrick was one of the best guides I ever had. He was knowledgeable, accessible and even accommodated a last minute request. Simply amazing! I would do it again if I could.

1- Hidden cost , I paid the driver 350 for the airport pick up, this wasn't mentioned during my booking even though I have selected the airport as the pick up point. 2- The airport offers a similar trip free of charge for long flight connections. 3- Few places were meant to be visited but cancelled because there was a ticket needed. Poor planning. 4- I have spent half the time in traffic.

Vicky was an amazing guide! Being a local makes a huge difference to help give context to things and she provided insights we wouldnt have had otherwise. The village was all we were expecting and Vicky was very friendly, patient and helped with tips and tricks.

Very great experience to walk around the ancient town! We could not do the boat ride but overall it was a great experience!

We had Linda + a driver pick us up from our residence and the tour and information provided was excellent and lovely. Linda was excellent and showed us through Zhujiajiao, a river town that is very picturesque. Being on a national holiday it was very busy and crowded towards the afternoon, and so getting there early morning was welcome and advised. Would highly recommend if you have a spare morning and lunch. The driving was a bit chaotic so please advise the driver to be a bit more relaxed.

Roy was our guide and he was informative and pleasant throughout. Zhujiajiao is a charming water town which I'm glad has retained it's culture and traditions. Certainly worth a visit.

The place is so beautiful and after 45mins you feel transported back to history in in modern Shanghai. Worth a trip definitely! Our guide Roy added played a huge part to the overall positive experience. Effectively bilingual, he very patiently explained the history and context of the place and even helped us to bargain for a better price when shopping. It was a seamless and safe ride in the car with him. No hiccups whatsoever. I will recommend doing this and if Roy is your guide, 6 out of 5 stars!

Our guide Jamie took us on an incredibly beautiful journey through the town. We tried local street food, took a boat ride and discovered beautiful places (garden, cafe,...) with her. She told us a lot about the history and the people there. And watching the boats pass by gives you a very calming and pleasant feeling. It was a fantastic day! 🤩

The tour was well worth it. Tom made it so easy, we just needed to turn up. The Water Town looked very pretty, we took many beautiful photos there. The architecture and street stalls were very interesting too. Tom was very knowledgeable and was giving us a lot of background information of the Water Town which made our visit much more enjoyable. Our car ride was super comfortable too. Definitely recommend.

Our tour guide Tom was was very friendly, and knowledgeable about the area and its history. He also had plenty of insight about the area of Shanghai where we were staying I.e…restaurants, attractions etc.. I would highly recommend this tour to anybody. Thanks Tom!

I went early in the morning on a Friday which meant the streets were still quite empty. The guide was flexible and took me to see a small private garden. Then we took a boat through the main canal and a smaller canals. The smell from the restaurants made my mouth water! The guide was ready to make safe and sensible suggestions on what to eat. I ate a rice cake with pork inside and it was delicious but very filling. Walking through the private residential area was very peaceful.

We took this tour in December and were extremely satisfied. Tom was a Very knowledgeable and easy going guide. Highly recommend!

Most tours have pick up in downtown Shanghai. For a nominal extra, we were picked up at the Cruise Terminal which is 17 miles out of town. David, our guide, met us at the ship terminal and provided a wonderful excursion for us. His English was very good and he was knowledgeable and enthused as he explained local customs and information about the sites we visited. He took us to a local eatery for lunch and the food was excellent. This tour can be highly recommended.

My family and I went to Shanghai during the new year time. I contacted Tom for booking. He is really kind to me. I desired the car to pick me up at the airport and then go to Zhujiajiao. Although the way from airport to zhujiajiao is farther than from the downtown. Tom gave us the same price as the trip from downtown. On the tour day, David was our guide. He and the driver came to airport on time. David can speak English fluently and he explained the historical knowledge about Zhujiajiao excellently. My family had the great fun and happy for this tour.

We had an excellent tour of Zhujiajiao Water Town with David. I highly recommend his tours - he has excellent knowledge of the area, as a Shanghai native, and is a friendly and personable guy.

This tour was well planned, informative and fun! Mark picked us up from our hotel and off we went. Mark shared much of the City’s history on our drive. My family is in real estate so learning about the relocation of families into new multi family communities, the construction of several exhibition centers focused on imports and exports and the river and highway system was intriguing to us. The garden we visited was beautiful and we saw structures that housed a library, opera, eating quarters, sporting fields and living/sleeping quarters. We learned about the Buddha temple and the interesting facts on the lions with balls in their mouths in a pavilion, the history and beauty of silk art and more. We walked through the old streets with literally dozens of shops with exotic foods, restaurants and tea cafes. The boat ride was fun and educational too. Lunch at a quaint restaurant with ‘Chinese’ pizza and dumpling soap added to the tour. We highly recommend Mark and this 1/2 day tour! Mark’s medium sized SUV was very comfortable too- he is a great guide, extremely humble and knowledgeable.

David was our designated tour guide and he was early before our scheduled time! he speaks fluent english although we could converse in mandarin. David was very detailed and specific as well as knowledgeable on everything we needed to know during the tour and even some chinese history. The transport could be better though as it was a little musky. Overall it was a pleasant tour and I would recommend to all my friends.

Our guide was David, he and the driver were very prompt in picking us up as well as being helpful throughout the day. in addition to facts about Zhujiajiao, David also provided interesting tidbits on Shanghai during the ride (which can be a bit long due to traffic but the driver was experienced at navigating it). The boat ride was good too and all in all Zhujijiao has a nice combination of history and things to see/do. Thanks David and our driver for an interesting and enjoyable tour

Better than expected. Guide David was very pleasant and clever, very good english. Talked a lot about various topics about china. I would reccomend this to a friend. Nice car also :)

A fascinating juxtaposition with modern Shanghai. Tom’s service was top notch. He was early for pickup at our hotel, was very personable and had great insights. Recommended without reservation.

Tom had to attend to his daughter's event that day so he sent Vicky as our tour guide instead. Zhujiajiao is an endearing town! I went with 4 friends and we found it to be truly interesting, especially the bodies of water which we traversed via boat rides. But what made the trip a really experience was our tour guide, Vicky. She shared a ton of history about the place, about Shanghai, and how people lived then. You'll learn about how much of Shanghai before was made of water towns, the gender hierarchies, the importance of agriculture in the minds of the people, the vital role that post offices played, and so much more! And she even got us a secret menu item from the restaurant! It was great to learn from Vicky and we could only hope that, through our exchanges, she also learned about our culture as well. I would definitely recommend this tour to those who want an out-of-the-city tour and most especially to those who want to see and learn about how people in Shanghai lived before!

Hi Tom The tour was amazing.David was just awesome .He is a gentleman. He is intelligent and very informative.He added to my general knowledge. And yes Tom the complete drive was very comfortable...I would recommend David to many more tourist whom I know.Thank u ..Tom..and David.

Fantastic tour to Zhujiajiao Water Town with our very friendly and knowledgeable guide Tom. We really got a feel of how life in Shanghai was in the past Very efficient and well organised tour.

David was our tour guide. He is helpful and friendly, providing interesting information about China and Zhujiajiao. We had 2 young kids with us and he is patient and accomodating. We had a great time. Thanks

Zhujiajiao Water Town was a fantastic tour. Our tour guide, Tom gave us all the information related that we asked and precise and interesting tales of each point visited. Additional, his car was spacious and comfortable

Our guide Vicky was excellent and really made the tour a very positive experience. She’s very informative and knows the town inside and out. Zhoujiajiao is a must see in Shanghai! The atmosphere is peaceful compared to the big city and the local food is delicious! The shopping is great and the prices are lower than you will find in the downtown.

Really enjoyed this half day drip to the water village, which showed us another, more traditional side to the Shanghai. The garden we visited was beautiful and my three girls (ages 12, 8 and 5) all enjoyed playing there. Despite the cold and drizzly day, we enjoyed the boat ride on the canal and and a cozy, inexpensive restaurant recommended by our wonderful guide, Vicky. I highly recommend Vicky for her knowledge, friendliness and patience. A perfect fit for our family (I had requested a female guide since my husband couldn’t join us). For a reasonable fee the driver provided round trip transport from our Disneyland hotel (which was further than the hotel pickups included in the standard rate). My only complaint is that the vehicle, while clean, smelled strongly of cigarette smoke. Overall, I highly recommend Vicky and this tour.

David, our tour guide was terrific. He was very knowledgeable and informative. We highly recommend him and the tour. Going to the Water Town was very interesting, and showed us a side of Shanghai that was quite different.

Thank u Tom and Vicky... What a beautiful experience it was to be comfortably picked up in a spacious car and be escorted by the most lovely and humble Vicky. The water town is an excellent choice if one wants to take it easy. Beautifully laid out - with loads of local experiences - almost like one of those south of France villages. Thank u Tom for organizing this at such short notice for us. Me and my friends had such a lovely day out.

Collecting us earlier than scheduled to avoid holiday crowds, Vicky gave us a most informative & delightful introduction to China & the Water Town of Zhujiajiao. Being our first time in China we didn't know what to expect but Vicky had the Half-day tour mapped out to perfection. We didn't have to queue as she had all the tickets in advance & was very generous with her answers to all our questions & was full of good advice for the rest of our time in China. We hope to visit again!

Very professional. Well organized. On time. Very informative. Beautiful place to visit outside of Shanghai for half a day. David the guide was fantastic and Tom the tour operator was very professional.

Highly recommend visiting Zhujiajiao if you want to see how the Chinese people lived in the past. Our guide, Tom, was polite, helpful, and very knowledgeable. Tom was able to provide the background on everything we were seeing - e.g., the fung shui elements in the gardens, the traditional tea service for business meetings, how the Chinese postal system worked in its early years, etc. His knowledge really helped enrich our visit. The door-to-door service was so convenient and Tom was prepared with all the admittance tickets that we needed to enter Zhujiajiao, visit the gardens, go on a boat ride, etc. He also recommended good spots to grab a bite (and places to avoid). It would have taken us much more time to arrange everything ourselves.

Could not have been more perfect. We had 1 day on a business trip to see something outside the city of more traditional china. Wonderful blend of history but also village life. David our guide was amazing, so informative about China and their traditions as well as the specifics of the tour. Walking around the busy tourist area as well as the quiet back allys gave a great perspective of the area. The gardens were similar to Yu gardens in the city but much more peaceful and less people so you could appreciate more what it would be like to live there. Length of trip (5 hours) meant it wasn't such a long day, (1 hour drive each way but you cant get out of city in less. car v nice and driver was safe). We didn't stop for lunch but that worked well for us as we got to take more time seeing things.

Having explored the amazing tourist spots of cosmopolitan Shanghai the day before, this day trip to Zhujiajiao offered a completely different perspective upon traditional Chinese culture and lifestyles. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and articulate and provided our group with a wealth of information about the history of regional trade and commerce and social dynamics in earlier eras. The beauty of the waterways is breathtaking and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to weave in and out of the streets and alleys linking the shops,cafes and domestic areas of the town. A magical and memorable experience - thank you.

This is an excellent way to spend a half day after you have visited Shanghai's main attractions. The tour was very beautiful and interesting. Our guide Mark was wonderful and took us to a local restaurant for lunch which was one of the best meals during my whole trip to China.

There is a long ride to get to the location (and a long ride back). We had plenty of time to visit the city, have a nice lunch, and shop in the local stores. Our guide was great and modified the trip as we wanted. Recommend if you have time and want to see "the old ways"

Pickup promptly on time.Our Guide, Vicky was excellent. Spoke very good English, was knowlegeably on all aspects of out trip, had excellent people skills. Transport clean & comfortable. Booking very easy The town itself was interesting and something I'm glad we visited, never realising Venice does not have a monopoly on water towns. Would definitly recommend Shanghai Driver Guide and in particular Vicky as she made it such a enjoyable experience

We were a little tentative booking through Trip Adviser but it was easy and any emailed questions were responded to. Very good half day tour, Vicky our guide was very informative and helpful. We enjoyed being able to sample the local foods with the good advice from Vicky while enjoying the tour of Water Town. Trip to and from our hotel was very comfortable and efficient. Thank you for a great day

Thanks for a great tour! Informative, interesting, and flexible. We enjoyed the combination of boat tour, small street walking and garden!

The water town was awesome. Highly recommend. Went with family of 6 and everyone enjoyed it. The tour was good. Ride there and back was comfortable. Tom is a nice guide, knowledgeable. Only constructive feedback is he was quite distracted with his phone (texting and calls) during the tour. Needless to say, the water town spoke for itself.

My sister and I visited Shanghai during the last days of the national holidays, Tom guided two tours for us and he was amazing! His knowledge and good will made everything better and more interesting! I truly recommend his services.

Our tour guide was fantastic great English and very organised was good to be there early to miss a lot of the crowds.

If you are interested in visiting this ancient water town, I recommend this private tour. Tom arrived at our hotel on time. We had been in Shanghai a day-and-a-half and saw some of the sites there on our own, but it was good to learn more about the history of specific Shanghai buildings on our way out to Zhujiajiao. We went on a weekday and it was very quiet. Lots of shops and restaurants. We went through a traditional Chinese home. Tom explained the significance of the way the rooms and furniture are laid out (feng shui). The gardens and bridges here are lovely. Went through the historic post office and museum. Even walked through the neighborhood to get a good sense of how the people live. We've been to Venice and this town definitely should be described as "a Venice of the East." On the drive there and back from Shanghai, Tom told us about life in Shanghai today. Very informative. And he gave us tips on a great soup dumpling restaurant near our hotel and where we could purchase moon cakes (we were there the week before the Mid-Autumn Festival and moon cakes are pretty popular at that time). Thanks Tom. We enjoyed the drive and tour.

Highly recommended as the tour guide (Tom) is able to communicate in English. He is very helpful and friendly to chat with, Knows his stuff and even other places/attractions in China. Had a good time chatting with him, and know how to plan our next trip in China.

We took a half day trip to Zhujiajiao (pronounced Zhoo-jar-jow) which was excellent. It comprised a short boat trip round the town’s canals, a wander through a shopping and residential area, and finally a garden tour. Zhujiajiao was a charming place, and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Transport there and back was by private car, taking about an hour and a quarter each way, through Shanghai’s thick traffic. David was a really excellent guide with first class English and a great enthusiasm for Chinese history and events. Highly recommended

Good communication with both owner and guide the day before. David is a good guide and we had comfortable car. And not at least a very nice and informative tour in Zhujiajiao.