1 Day Shanghai Food Tour (Local Food & Tang-Style Feast)

Today, you will spend a full day exploring the street food, a specialty Tang Dynasty-style lunch, traditional Chinese gardens, modern skyscrapers of "The Paris of the East," Shanghai.

First, drive to Jiashan Road(嘉善路). This is a very popular spot where local life mixes with great food. We'll take you to taste authentic Shanghai street food like soup dumplings (Xiaolongbao), pan-fried buns (Shengjianbao), scallion oil noodles, and Shanghai braised pork (Hongshao Rou). You’ll enjoy the city's sweet, savory cuisine while walking through pretty, tree-lined streets—it’s a great area for photos!

For lunch, head to Xuyan Chang’an Fu (叙宴长安赋), an immersive restaurant celebrating the Tang Dynasty. The dining room looks like a Tang palace, and servers wear traditional Hanfu clothes, greeting guests and serving food using ancient customs. While you eat dishes inspired by Chinese history, you will watch Tang Dynasty music and dance performances. (Optional: You can dress up in Tang Dynasty clothes before the meal!)

After lunch, move to Yu Garden (Closed on Mondays), the most celebrated classical Chinese garden hidden in the bustling downtown area of Shanghai, where you can appreciate the beauty of a Jiangnan water town (江南水乡)! Yu Garden (Yuyuan Garden豫园) was a private garden of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) with a history of over 460 years. Nowadays, as a must-visit destination in Shanghai, it has always been praised as "the Best of Famous Gardens in Southeast China". Yu Garden was built in 1559 by Pan Yunduan (潘允端) for his father to enjoy his retired life. The Chinese character "Yu豫" in Yu Garden means "safe平安," expressing his filial piety towards his parents. Pan Yunduan spent 20 years creating exquisite pavilions, shaded corridors, pools churning with carp, carved beams, and painted rafters in the garden. You will see the winding paths and changing scenery, the plants and ponds, the brick carvings, stone carvings, clay sculptures, and wood carvings in the garden, all designed with great craftsmanship. According to research, the garden designer of both Yu Garden and Daguanyuan Garden (the famous garden described in the "Dream of the Red Chamber", one of the Four Great Classical Novels of China) is likely to be the same person - Zhang Nanyang (张南阳), a garden master from the late Ming dynasty and a native of Shanghai. On the way to Yu Garden, you will pass by the iconic Jiuqu Bridge (九曲桥Nine-Bend Bridge/Zigzag Causeway) and the Huxin Pavilion (湖心亭Mid-lake Pavilion, built in the Qing Dynasty, 1616-1912). According to Chinese Fengshui, the zigzag causeway is designed to thwart spirits, who can only journey in straight lines. Known as the "First Teahouse on the Sea" (over 160 years old), the Huxin Pavilion is a perfect spot to enjoy a distant view of Shanghai's Lujiazui Skyline (陆家嘴三件套). As you enter Yu Garden, you can explore various beautifully crafted dragons hidden in the buildings, count them, and learn more about the Chinese dragon totem from your guide. In Yu Garden, you can admire numerous architectures from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, as well as the collections of ancient calligraphy, paintings, and furniture. Don't forget to seek out the 21-meter-tall ginkgo tree that is said to have been planted by Pan Yunduan himself. After the Yuyuan Garden Tour, you will understand why it even received visits from international dignitaries, including former Estonian President Meri, former Canadian Prime Minister Chrétien, former Luxembourg Prime Minister Juncker, and former Greek Prime Minister Simitis.

Then you can take a hike from Nanjing Road to the Bund, which is less than a 2 km walk. Typically, when mentioning Nanjing Road, it refers to strolling from Nanjing Road West to Nanjing Road East (about 1.1 km), and then continuing from Nanjing Road East to the Bund (about 0.6km).

Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street is one of the iconic attractions of Shanghai, known as the "Number One Commercial Street in China". It has a history of more than 170 years, dating back to 1848, and showcases various architectural styles including European, Chinese, and modern designs. It serves as a window to Shanghai's openness to the world and a paradise for shoppers from both domestic and international locations. Nanjing Road is the perfect place to experience century-old Chinese time-honored shops, such as Wuliangcai Optical (吴良材眼镜店), founded in 1806; Hope Brother's & Co (亨达利钟表店), established in 1874; Duoyunxuan (朵云轩), the most famous calligraphy and painting store in Shanghai, founded in 1900; and Wang Kai Photograph(王开照相馆), the largest deluxe photography studio in Shanghai since 1923. You can also visit Shanghai Shimao Festival City (上海世茂广场) and explore the first flagship LEGO store in Asia, the flagship Nike store, and the exclusive flagship store of MM Chocolate in Asia. If you're interested, you can experience the famous curved escalator at the New World Daimaru Department Store (新世纪大丸百货), explore the Huawei Global Flagship Store (华为旗舰店), enjoy afternoon tea on the rooftop terrace of Shanghai Edition Hotel (上海艾迪逊酒店) while overlooking the Bund, and marvel at the century-old Gothic architecture of the Peace Hotel (和平饭店), where Einstein and Chaplin once stayed. At the Peace Hotel, you can capture a photo of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower standing in the middle of the street alley. Nanjing Road is also a paradise for food lovers, so don't miss a visit to Shanghai's first food store and Shen Dacheng Dim Sum Shop.

Walking from Nanjing Road East to the Bund, you will have the feeling of traveling back to the 1930s and 1940s. As the Top 1 Place to Visit on the Shanghai Bucket List, the Bund is the best spot to view the Oriental Pearl TV Tower (a symbol of Shanghai) and the three skyscrapers of Lujiazui that are famed as the "Kitchen Three Piece Set" (陆家嘴三件套) by locals due to their shapes: a syringe (Jin Mao Tower, 421m), bottle opener (Shanghai World Financial Center, 493m), and eggbeater (Shanghai Tower, 546m), respectively. Located on the bank of the Huangpu River and renowned as “An Exhibition of International Buildings”, the Bund is a collection of 52 buildings representing various international architectural styles. Since 1844 (Qing Dynasty), foreign banks, trading companies, clubs, and newspapers have gathered here, showcasing the former glory of the "Wall Street of the Far East" (远东华尔街).

You can hike in the core section of the Bund which stretches about 1.5 km from Waibaidu Bridge (外白渡桥) in the north to Jinling East Road (金陵东路) in the south, along Zhongshan East First Road (中山东一路), with Peace Hotel (near Nanjing East Road) in the middle. Starting from Nanjing East Road, you can begin your exploration by enjoying a cup of coffee on the Most Beautiful Balcony of Shanghai (上海最美露台) at the Somekh Building (沙美大楼) and catching a glimpse of the Peninsula Shanghai Hotel (上海半岛酒店) and Bund Source 33 (外滩源33) along the picturesque pathway of Yuanmingyuan Road (圆明园路). You will visit the Zhapu Road Bridge (乍浦路桥) to capture the "Shanghai Version of Seine River Scenery"(上海版塞纳河风光), followed by Waibaidu Bridge (外白渡桥Garden Bridge of Shanghai), where you can admire the Russian Consulate building (俄罗斯领事馆green roof) that combines Baroque and German Renaissance styles. At Huangpu Park (黄埔公园), established in 1886, you can pay tribute to the Monument to the People's Heroes (人民英雄纪念塔) and discover more about the history of the Bund. After passing the Peace Hotel, you won't miss the iconic Clock Tower at the Shanghai Customs House (江海关大楼), the HSBC Building (汇丰银行), the Golden Bull Plaza (金牛广场sculpture of a golden bull), and the Gutzlaff Signal Tower (外滩天文台), all of which are classic attractions of the Bund.

Then, it is time to end your 1 Day Shanghai Food Tour. Your guide will escort you to your hotel. Or head to the airport/train station for your flight or high speed train to your next destination.

Thank you for choosing Asia Odyssey Travel for your China tour, and we are always here working for you and hope to see you again for your next trip around China and Asia. Safe journey!