• Shanghai & Nanjing: From Modern Skyline to Imperial History

    ★★★★★

    4.9/5 519 Latest reviews

    Tour Code: ODY-CN-2612

    Destination:Shanghai, Nanjing

Duration

6 Days

Tour Type

Private & Bespoke

Tour Style

Classic

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About This Trip

Shanghai and Nanjing both balance old and new, but they do it differently. Shanghai shows you history from a distance – modern skylines frame historic sites. Nanjing puts you inside it: You walk on Ming dynasty bricks, stand in the shadow of a memorial.

On this 6-day journey, you’ll see Shanghai’s version first with the Bund, Yu Garden, and Bugaoli, before a high-speed train takes you to Nanjing, where the tone shifts. There, Niushou Mountain, Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum, and a lantern-lit cruise on the Qinhuai River reveal a history that feels quieter, heavier, and harder to forget.

Itinerary Summary

DAYPLACEHIGHLIGHTS
1ShanghaiArrival
2ShanghaiThe Bund, Shanghai Tower, Yu Garden, Fuxing Park, Bugaoli Shikumen Lane
3Shanghai – NanjingSix Dynasties Museum, Taicheng City Wall
4NanjingNiushou Mountain, Zhonghua Gate, Laomendong, Qinhuai River Cruise
5NanjingSun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Meiling Palace, Jiming Temple
6NanjingDeparture
Quick Question

Itinerary

Upon landing in Shanghai, a private transfer will bring you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free, a chance to recover from the journey and begin soaking up the energy of one of the world’s most captivating cities.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

The day begins in Fuxing Park, a French-style garden in Shanghai. Its formal layout and shaded avenues set the tone, offering glimpses of everyday local life. Bugaoli follows, a well-maintained Shikumen residential lane of stone-gated houses and intimate courtyards once home to Shanghai’s early 20th century middle class.

The old city beckons next at Yu Garden, a classical Ming-era retreat of rockeries, pavilions, and goldfish ponds, with time in the surrounding Market of traditional shops, teahouses, and local snack stalls. A brief introduction to Chinese silk offers insight into one of the country’s enduring craft traditions.

At the Bund, a walk along the historic waterfront reveals grand architecture facing the river, set against the city’s modern skyline beyond. The day concludes at Shanghai Tower, with sweeping views over the metropolis from above.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

A high-speed train of approximately 1.5 hours carries you from Shanghai to Nanjing, a former imperial capital that holds its history with quiet confidence.

After arrival, start your visit at Six Dynasties Museum with clearly presented displays, which is easy for you to explore, and you’ll get a refined introduction to the era when the city was the cultural heart of China. The day concludes with a walk along Taicheng, a well-preserved stretch of the ancient city wall. There, you’ll get your first real sense of just how much history Nanjing carries.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

The day opens with a visit to Niushou Mountain, home to the remarkable Usnisa Palace, a vast Buddhist sanctuary that combines contemporary architecture, sacred art, and a deep silence.

Continue your journey to Zhonghua Gate, the largest surviving Ming fortress gate in China. Its massive walls and layered defensive architecture reflecting the strength of the ancient imperial capital.

Later, the pace softens in Laomendong, where old Nanjing’s character is well-preserved as you see restored courtyards and traditional shopfronts. The day concludes with an evening cruise on the Qinhuai River, as lantern light reflects on the water and the city shifts into night.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

A grand stairway lined with tall plane trees leads up to the Mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen – a tribute to the father of modern China that feels both monumental and personal.

Not far away, the Sacred Way to Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum winds through forested slopes, passing rows of stone animals and figures that have stood in place for more than 600 years.

Tucked among the wooded hills nearby, Meiling Palace is a graceful Art Deco residence with a layered history and a distinctive setting often described as a necklace resting in the forest. The journey concludes at Jiming Temple, one of the city’s most cherished ancient temples, its pagoda overlooking the city walls and rooftops in a peaceful final scene.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Bags packed and memories made, a transfer to the airport brings the journey to a close, leaving behind time in Shanghai and Nanjing, two cities that reveal very different yet equally rewarding sides of China.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Why Choose Inner Mongolia Jiuhong Travel Service Co., Ltd.

12-Year TripAdvisor Award

Travellers’ Choice winner every year since 2013

No Commission Shopping

Zero shopping stops, zero pressure, zero hidden agendas

100% Private

Every tour is exclusively yours — no strangers, no shared buses

Expert Local Guides

Licensed, English-speaking guides with deep local knowledge

Real reviews from real travellers

  • u003cemu003eu003cemu003eI highly recommend Inner Mongolia Jiuhong Travel Service Co., Ltd. The team is very easy to work with, has excellent ideas and the guides are knowledgeable and easy to be with. Very solid itineraries and execution — flexible, high quality, and great value for money.u003c/emu003eu003c/emu003e
    James T.
    Verified · TripAdvisor
  • u003cemu003eu003cemu003eWe visited both Xi’an and Shanghai under Jiuhong’s arrangement and received the same first-class service in both cities. The guides were knowledgeable, flexible, and happy to discuss all aspects of modern China — giving insights difficult to obtain elsewhere. Strongly recommended.u003c/emu003eu003c/emu003e
    Greenfly
    Couples · Verified · TripAdvisor
  • u003cemu003eu003cemu003eWe had a wonderful action-packed day. Fei Fei was amazing — her knowledge was very impressive and she was a real pleasure to be with. This was certainly the highlight of our stay in this beautiful city. Thanks so much.u003c/emu003eu003c/emu003e
    Ludovic V.
    Couples · London, UK · Verified · TripAdvisor

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