7 Days Eastern China Tour, Shanghai-Suzhou-Hangzhou Tour

Tour Itinerary Expand All

Itinerary Expand All

Day 1Arrival Shanghai

Transfer service to hotel

Meals: No Meals
Recommended Hotel: SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund ★★★★

Arrive in Shanghai, the modern city of China. You will be met by TCT tour guide at the airport and transferred to your hotel. After check-in, free at leisure for the rest of the day

Shanghai City View

Day 2Shanghai

Jade Buddha Temple, the exterior of Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai Old Street, The Bund

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel:SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund ★★★★

[09:00-09:30] Our guide will meet you up at the hotel lobby and start to explore the Modern city of China.

[09:30-12:30] Drive to Shanghai People's Square, where we will visit Shanghai Museum, which is the largest museum of ancient Chinese art. With bronze ware, ceramics, and painting and calligraphy as its distinctive collections, the museum boasts 120,000 pieces of rare and precious cultural relics in 21 categories. Then you will have a shopping time at Shanghai Old Street, where you could look for some special souveniors and silk product and have a leisure walk along the Bund, famous for groups of buildings known as “ a Gallery of World Architecuture".

[12:30-13:30] Lunch time for the local special food, Dim Sum and Steamed Bun

[13:30-16:30] Visit Jade Buddha Temple, which is famous for the seated Buddha, encrusted with jewels, which is said to weigh 1,000 kg. Then visit the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the famous landmark of Shanghai. You could take a picture with the tower by walking on Riverside Promenade Bingjiang Da Dao

[16:30-17:30] Back to the hotel, en route you can plan for the night acrobatic show, especially the ERA show, which is one of the most popular evening entertainments in Shanghai.

The Bund

Day 3Shanghai - Suzhou

Drive to Suzhou by private vehicle, Tongli Water Town, Tiger Hill

Meals: Breakfast& Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Garden Hotel ★★★★

[09:00-09:30] Guide will meet you up at the hotel lobby

[09:30-12:30] drive to Tongli Water town, where are famous for the traditional residences including gardens, houses and temples, built in the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty. You will also experience Tongli Canal wooden boat through the waterways.

[12:30-13:30] Lunch time at local restaurant in Tongli water town

[13:30-16:30] Drive to Suzhou city after lunch and visit to Tiger Hill has been known as No. 1 Sight of Suzhou. It is 34 meters height and a must see for tourists, for its natural beauty as well as historical sites.

[16:30-17:30] Back to the hotel, rest of day at leisure. The Jinji Lake would be a good choice for night activities, where has the Asia No.1 sky wheel on water and the laser show.

Tongli Water Town

Day 4Suzhou

Lingering Garden, Suzhou Museum, Pingjiang Ancient Street, Silk Factory

Meals: Breakfast& Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Garden Hotel ★★★★

[09:00-09:30] Guide will meet you up at the hotel lobby in the morning.

[09:30-12:30] Start the tour to visit the real gardens in China. You will firstly have a sightseeing tour to Lingering Garden - which is one of the great four gardens. And then, take a short visit to Suzhou Museum - the masterpiece of I.M. Pei.

[12:30-13:30] Lunch time at local restaurant nearby Suzhou Museum

[13:30-16:30] You will have a leisure walk around the Pingjiang Ancient Street, an ancient cultural road which has been preserved for more than 800 years. Afterwards, visit Silk Factory, a site for you to find out how silk is being made.

[16:30-17:30] Back to the hotel, rest of day at leisure. We suggest you visit Shantang Old Street or stroll around the Grand Canal to appreciate the beauty of Suzhou at night.

Lingering Garden

Day 5Suzhou - Hangzhou

Take high speed train to Hangzhou, West Lake, Hu Qingyu Traditional Pharmacy

Meals: Breakfast
Recommended Hotel: Zhejiang International Hotel ★★★★

Our guide will meet you up in the morning and help you with the check-out from the hotel. Drive to Suzhou train station and take bullet train to Hangzhou about 2 hours. Your Hangzhou guide will meet you up at the train station on time and help you to transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon, go ahead for Su Causeway, one of the top 10 Scenes of West Lake. Explore the West Lake in-depth, while the local public bike or shuttle bus is also available at your disposal. Firstly, bike from Su Causeway to West Lake Colored Port View Fish Garden about half an hour. There are thousands of red carps in the fishpond here. Enjoy the pleasure for feeding the red carps and have fun. After that, get back to Su Causeway and enjoy orientation walk to Bai Causeway about 1 hour, while you will appreciate most of the famous scenes.

Then pay a visit to Hu Qingyu Traditional Pharmacy which presents to visitors a style of antique architecture besides a treasury of traditional Chinese medical science and technology. And you will also uncover the mystery of the traditional Chinese Medicine there.

West Lake

Day 6Hangzhou

Meijiawu Tea Plantation, Chenghuangge Pavilion, Lingyin Temple, Hefang Street

Meals: Breakfast& Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Zhejiang International Hotel ★★★★

[09:00-10:00] Guide will meet you up at the hotel lobby early in the morning.

[10:00-12:00] Discover the Meijiawu Tea Culture Village which is considered the best to return to the nature. With its idyllic beauty, the tea farmer will take you to the mountain area and you will be impressed by the tea terraces of high and low hill-slops. As a tea fan, you will not only see tea picking and tea processing, but also have a chance to experience as a tea expert, entering a tea plantation, picking the tea leaves, visiting the tea farmer’s house and enjoying the local tea ceremony.

[12:30-14:00] Snacks Banquet at Chenghuangge Pavilion. The Chenghuang Pavilion is one of the most iconic images of Hangzhou skyline. With a bird’s-eye view over the city and the lake, you will have a unique lunch-snacks banquet, including a cup of flower tea, lotus powder, Hangzhou cat’s ear noodle, crisp cakes and some other local snacks, while enjoying a traditional Chinese music instrumental performance during your snacks banquet

[14:00-17:00] visit the Lingyin Temple a site famous for not only as a Buddhism temple but also an attraction to catch beautiful scenery. Shopping time at Hefang Street, which is the most prosperous place in Hangzhou since the ancient time.

[17:00-17:30] Back to the hotel, en route you can plan for the night activities or watch Impression Show of West Lake.

Meijiawu Tea Plantation

Day 7Hangzhou - Shanghai PVG

Take bus to Shanghai Pudong airport directly

Meals: Breakfast

Free day at leisure and be transferred to Hangzhou bus station for direct coach to Shanghai Pudong airport about 3.5 hours. We will buy the bus ticket according to your departure flight timing.

Service Ends

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Tour Price (US$ per person)

Hotel Class	Group Size	Dec. ~ Feb.	Mar. ~ Nov.
Economy Hotel ★★★	2 ~ 5 pax	$ 1234	$ 1241
Economy Hotel ★★★	6 ~ 9 pax	$ 751	$ 758
Comfortable Hotel ★★★★	2 ~ 5 pax	$ 1339	$ 1361
Comfortable Hotel ★★★★	6 ~ 9 pax	$ 856	$ 878
Deluxe Hotel ★★★★★	2 ~ 5 pax	$ 1503	$ 1585
Deluxe Hotel ★★★★★	6 ~ 9 pax	$ 1020	$ 1102

Price includes:

♦ Domestic flight or high-speed train as specified
♦ Private transfer between the airport or railway station, attractions, and hotels
♦ Private licensed English-speaking guide and driver service
♦ Hotel accommodation with daily breakfast on sharing basis
♦ All attraction entrance fees as specified
♦ Meals mentioned in the itinerary, Chinese local food
♦ China Life Tourist Accident/Casualty Insurance

Price excludes:

* International Air tickets or Train Tickets to enter or leave China
* Tips to your tour guide and driver on your own discretion
* China Entry Visa Fees
* Personal expenses
* Optional tours, meals, activities and services

Remarks:

※ Prices are valid from Mar 1, 2023 to Feb 29, 2024, except Chinese public holidays, local fairs or events.
※ TCT reserves the right to adjust the price caused by exchange rate
※ No guide on the flight and Yangtze River cruise.
※ Recommended hotels are subject to change in actual booking
※ Special requirements should be advised to TCT in advance.
※ TCT reserves the right of final explanation for any change due to the reasons beyond our control.

Useful Information

Traveler Reviews Feedbacks & Photos >>Feedbacks

5.0

PunkNelson

5.0

Great Hotel stay Very Nice Tour guides Convenient planned daily trips Average selection of restaurant for food though

Kiwimac53

5.0

We were looking for a tour in SW China while in the area for work and found this one. While we wouldn't normally get a private tour but surprisingly it was actually cheaper than most of the group tours in the area and was great value. While I would usually rather keep one guide for the whole tour, as you get to know each other and they get to know what you are interested in, we changed guides 5 times during this trip (fortunately we had the same guide in Kunming at the start and end of the tour which was a real bonus as Murphy, our Kunming based guide, was excellent.) In this case changing guides had the advantage of local knowledge at each site so compensated for the change. Of the 4 guides we had 3 excellent and 1 very good with each of them working hard to look after us and make sure we enjoyed our trip. Vicky, our Dali based guide was also extremely good making our time there a highlight. The tour gives you 2 days at each base ie travel in the morning, have the afternoon and the next day touring the area then drive to the next base. We chose the driving tour as we feel it gives you a better experience of the area and you get to see the locals in action. All the drivers we had were great - they went out of their way to look after us and were very safe, which is saying something for driving in China. While all of the guides were very fluent in English none of the drivers could speak English which was a slight disadvantage as you didn't have the guides with you when traveling between bases but the friendliness and helpfulness of the drivers more than made up for this. The tour was very well organised and we knew what we were doing from the time we met our guide on arrival at the Kunming railway station to when we walked through security at the airport on our way out. The tour comes with 4,5 and 6 star accommodation choices and we went for the cheapest 4 star option. While the English at the hotels was limited the guides made sure we were checked in and out and took care of any issues (which were minimal). The 4 star option is largely "Chinese style" hotels ie designed for Chinese visitors with breakfast consisting of what many westeners would consider dinner style food but there was always eggs and toast for the less adventurous. The hotels were all clean and comfortable and generally very well located. The Hotel in Kunming (Jin Jang Inn) was a bonus as it seemed higher than 4 star and we stayed there both on our way in and out. As well as breakfast, lunch came with the tour which was enjoyable as the guides choose the restaurants so we got a variety. I got the feeling that most of the restaurants were owned by friends or family or there was some arrangement with the guide, but as you get to formally review each guide and the meals at the end of each stop they work hard to make sure you enjoy the meal and there was always an abundance of food. We tried a range of local cuisine and there was only one meal we didn't think was up to par. You get your own dinner which also suited us as there is invariably a range of restaurants or for the more adventurous there is the street vendors and you can choose what you want. The vehicles we were driven in were all very good- plenty of space and very comfortable. Being a private tour, while there was a set itinerary, which was diverse and very interesting with something for most people, the guides could tweak it to suit individual interests eg more time at one site and less at another. It is easy to get a bit templed out but overall the itinerary was a good mic of nature and culture. I would thoroughly recommend the tour and the company and we will be looking to the company if/when we go back - Guilin is next on the list as the guides were very happy to discus what they thought we would and wouldn't enjoy based on working with us on this tour,

N2265ZIinfo

5.0

Excellent guides, flexible and knowledgeable travel agent. They speak good English. Our trip was very well organized. We are 100% happy and I can recommend Top China Travel to everybody.

Wesley O

5.0

I contacted Top China travel for a 13 day China vacation (Beijing/Xian/Yangtze River cruise/Shanghai) and right from the start Bonnie provided me with great choices and package options. Throughout the entire planning and even during the trip Bonnie was there for us following up and making sure everything was perfect. Thank you Bonnie for making our China vacation unforgettable.

Johnf8958

5.0

From the minute I contacted Vicky at Top China Travel to book our holiday, to the time we were taken to Pudong airport for our flight home, the experience was perfect. My wife and I visited Beijing, Xian and Shanghai and all of our tour guides were fluent in English, very knowledgeable and very friendly. Thank you Vicky and all at TCT and I will definitely be in contact when I return to China.

lakazdi

5.0

I went on a Top China Travel group tour. Everything was so well organised that I never had to worry about anything. I really liked that the group was small and it felt like we were a big group of old-friends all travelling together, not just a passenger on the bus. Every hotel, guide, driver and restaurant was very well picked. I was very happy with how well-informed each guide was, how flexible they were to ensure we all had a great time, and their English was all very good. At every step of the way, guides had us fill in a Top China Travel feedback form which I am certain the company take very seriously since their service was so good. I will be passing on their details to all my friends and family who want to travel in China.

DEBORAH O

5.0

Thanks to Ms Raylene He we had a wonderful and well organised trip to 5 destinations which all went off without a hitch including being met by guides and drivers in each city and looked after very well. This all included several domestic flights a train trip and permits. I have no qualms in recommending this company to other travellers.

EBTraveler

5.0

With forty years of travel to the far corners of our world we have encountered many guides. Like most travelers some have not been very good, some decent and the rare few that are outstanding. During our three weeks in China last month we encountered just such a rare individual. Our guide in Guilin was a young women named Ping (I'll provide her email later). Ping demonstrated knowledge and command of the history, stories and culture all along the way. Beyond that, Ping exuded infectious enthusiasm not only for our touring, but for us personally as well. We had a serious medical issue occur suddenly, in fact one of us went into diabetic shock. It was four in the morning but no matter, after calling Ping she took command and arranged for the hotel to send us, with a car, driver, and assistant to a hospital. Upon our arrival there was Ping who obviously thru on some clothes, got on her motorbike and rushed to meet us. There she not only served as translator but as though a family member, she became invested in our proper care and recovery. Truly remarkable to have such a person supporting you. In small ways she flavored her guiding with a sense of our interests and preferences, like the day we mentioned our love of pomegranates and the next morning there she is smiling and with samples for us as a treat. When we left a jacket behind, once again was on it as Ping arranged for its shipment to out next stop and tracked it until it was in our hands. Beyond that, Ping was in frequent contact to make certain of our full medical recovery and to offer her help where or whenever it might be needed while in China. Amazing! Ping can be contacted at bellakanas@163.com Sheila Hertz, Howard Entin

ourview_11

5.0

From the first email to Top China Travel with Joyce to our wonderful Tour Guide Linda and our driver I can not say more happily what a wonderful trip we have had. Linda was very Kind and very informative with all your tours. The vehicle used was at very high standard and the Driver very safe. We had a private Tour for myself and my Husband we would totally recommend this company.

Geonannie

5.0

Top China Travel is the the tops! I booked an 21 day tour of China for my husband and I and from the very first contact with Lily Lui I was totally impressed. We communicated via e-mail and Lily was very quick and helpful with her responses. Because this was not our first trip to China, I wanted an itinerary that was different from the norm. Lily's recommendations were top notch. The hotels she used were top shelf as we requested. Our guides and drivers were fantastic. What impressed me the most was that when we were in China, Lily called to speak to me and make sure everything was going well. When I ran into some issues due to altitude sickness, I contacted her and she had the itinerary changes done and finalized within an hour. This was a private tour with guide and driver and I honestly can say there was not one thing I wished we had done differently. Thanks to Top China Travel and Lily our trip to China was perfect. I will definitely be contacting Lily when we return to China for yet another visit.

Allessandr0

5.0

I am a tour leader from Italy and this was my first cooperation with Janet and how lucky we met her!! We followed the trip with her to remote areas in China including some ethnic group area in Guizhou province and Sanjiang, Longsheng and Guilin, we enjoyed completely throughout the whole trip and some arrangement even out of our surprise, like we went to Janet’s home to learn how to pack Chinese Ravioli, she invited a Taichi teacher and we had a 1 hour Taichi class inside her home community. Everything was fine and our group members are all like her very much. We strongly recommend Janet Chan (janet@topchinatravel.com) as your China trip consultant! She is so considerate and carefully planned each detail of our trip. Guizhou is a very interesting and primitive place for visiting, you should include in your China trip as well! Thank you Janet! You are very professional!!

Salim A

5.0

When I planning our private trip to china I have read many trip adviser reviews and I have noticed Janet Chan’s name came up a number of times so i sent her an e-mail asked for the best two weeks private tour in China for 6 persons , whiten two days she replied me recommending 5 cities ( Zhangjiajie, hangzhuo , shanghai, Beijing , Guilin ) we went through the program which she sent to us it was excellent so we asked her to go ahead to arrange our journey . it was a great choice we made, The tour guides were knowledgeable and helpful. The hotels which reserved for us by TCT were excellent We can only say thanks for TCT and especially Janet Chan

Karan J

5.0

From the 1st point of contact till the end Joyce was great and helped plan a perfect trip which I was for a short time in Beijing. I was traveling alone and was recommended to join a small group of fellow travelers which was perfect. Great tour guide with a clean bus. Pick up on time and overall a great experience.

Ms Masha B

5.0

My husband and I booked a two week private tour of China with Top China Travel. It was an excellent experience. Vicky, a tour consultant, offered us a very good program visiting Beijing, Xian, Zhangjiajie, Shanghai and Nanjing. We really enjoyed every location. The tour guides were knowledgeable and helpful. In Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing me made our own hotel reservation and in Xian an Zhangjiajie TCT made the reservations for us. Lunch was included in the tour and the selection of the restaurants was excellent in most locations (except Xian). Overall great tour!

Chris W

5.0

When planning our China trip we read many trip advisor reviews and noticed Janet Chan’s name came up a number of times so we asked for her to arrange our journey across this fascinating land. What a great choice we made, she listened and responded to our questions and arranged all our trip that went off without any problems. We didn’t want shopping nor group travel and she responded brilliantly. Two days hiking on the wall with fabulous guide Miko, in fact all our guides and drivers were just excellent. High speed train meant we saw lots of China’s varied countryside and went to some out of the way places. We can only say great things about TCT and especially Janet Chan if you are planning a trip. Thank you Janet for an exciting and memorable trip! Chris n Jools Winstanley

Raghavan A

5.0

We signed up with TCT after reading reviews of Tibet tour agencies. Our trip included 4 days in Lhasa, two in Shigatse and one at the base camp. TCT made all the arrangements including the Tibet permit, hotels, tour guide, car and the driver for the entire trip. The arrangements were superb. The guide and the driver were very accommodating to our needs and made the entire trip very convenient. At the base camp, the guide even arranged for extra oxygen in case we need it. She was also very helpful in advising us as how to get acclimated to the altitude. The entire trip was smooth and enjoyable and we would highly recommend TCT for travel to Tibet.

karenilena

5.0

wonderful visit and wonderful guide Li. Li showed us all the charms of this great city together with our Li river tour. We fell in love with this place and Yangshou. Great place to visit and it was a favourite city in all the cities we visited. great guide

Natasha J

5.0

I can't recommend this company enough!! I started talking to Yocky via the chat system on their website, as we wanted to do a 2.5 week trip around China. Our itinerary was: Shenzhen-Beijing-Xian-Kunming-Dongchuan-Chengdu-Guilin-Sanya Here's how things went: 1) She was instant in her replies and responded to subsequent emails within the hour (and trust me, I sent A LOT of emails). She was always so thorough and efficient. 2) She made us a tailor made trip that covered everything we wanted, including some slightly more off the beaten track attractions. 3) She helped us keep to our budget and suggested reasonable things we could cut out when things were too expensive (not something many companies would do as they are trying to make a quick buck). 4) She listened to all of our requests for things such as early morning flights, vegetarian food, and readjusting itineraries. 5) All our drivers and guides were EXCELLENT; they were prompt, kind, spoke excellent English and had a wealth of knowledge about all the sites we saw. All the cars on our private tours were nice and comfortable and had water. 6) Despite asking for 3* hotels, all 7 hotels we stayed in seemed like 4* to us and all included breakfast. 7) With such a large and complicated trip there were bound to be a few hiccups (e.g. there was a marathon in Xian one day which meant a lot of roads were closed, so we couldn't access sites). Yocky was in touch with us the entire time and helped us rearrange our plans quickly and ordered complimentary tickets to a show to make up for the inconvenience. We were so nervous about our first trip to China as we speak no mandarin and are strict vegetarian but honestly this was one of the best trips of our life; this company made it so easy for us and I really can't imagine having been able to do it myself any better!

JrnyJunkie

5.0

The views are stunning and the boat that we were on had VIP seating for just our group with a private balcony to view the river.

Candi S

5.0

Raylene did a wonderful job organizing our tour to meet our time constraints. She answered all questions very efficiently. Our tour guide Rocco met us at the airport and the Driver was waiting near by. I have specific dietary restrictions and the guide was extremely helpful communicating that with the restaurants. The trip was so easy and we always felt safe. My husband and I are looking forward to booking a more extended trip in the future. There is so much to see and the food is wonderful!