Tour Code: IFH-S-03
Tour days: 7 Days
Stimulate your senses with this magical private guided tour of Shanghai and Harbin. Featuring the must-sees in Shanghai and all the theme parks of Harbin Ice Festival and the main attractions in Harbin.
Transfer via: flight - your arrangement
Activities for today: Airport to hotel transfer (Shanghai)
Our local guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel.
Transfer via: private vehicle
Activities for today: Shanghai Museum, Yu Garden, Yuyuan Bazaar, Shanghai World Financial Center, Nanjing Road, the Bund
Today, your first stop is Shanghai Museum, one of the Best Four Museums in China. This modern museum, with a round top and a square base which symbolizing the ancient Chinese perception of the world as "round sky, square earth", has collected many international-standard exhibits of bronzes, paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, ceramics, jade from more than 5,000 years ago to the Qing dynasty. Then you will take an interesting visit to Yu Garden, a shining star among all the ancient Chinese gardens in Jiangnan. This garden fully embodies the traditional design of Chinese architecture with jagged pavilions with elegant decorations, glittering pools with roving fish, and pine trees sprouting to the sky, all designed to refresh your mood and spirit. Adjacent to the garden is the Yuyuan Bazaar where you can savor tasteful local snacks and explore elaborate traditional Chinese handicrafts and art works.
Next, you will drive several kilometers to enjoy a panoramic view of the modern face of Shanghai from the 100th floor (474m) of “the Eye of Shanghai” Shanghai World Financial Center.
You will then be transferred to another popular landmark of Shanghai, Nanjing Road, a shopping paradise as well as a great place to take a wonderful walk to experience the modern atmosphere of the City. Lastly, you will stop at the Bund, originally a simple towpath for transporting goods but now transformed into a feverish trading district. You will stroll along the Bund, seeing and feeling the perfect fusion of Chinese and Western cultures while at the same time taking in the stunning Shanghai skyline with your own eyes!
Optional Activity - Take a relaxing Huangpu River night cruise to see the city’s most significant edifices and streets sparkling under the atmospheric cover of darkness (about 50 minutes).
Transfer via: private vehicle
Activities for today: Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center,Jade Buddha Temple, Tianzifang
After breakfast, our to Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, which will give you an overview of the city’s ambitious plans for future. The center is a fashionably designed modern museum, themed with “City, Citizens, Environment and Development”. Different usages of photography, models and interactive multimedia displays make your visit enjoyable and entertaining. The best features are the old rare photos of landmarks, such as the Bund, Nanjing Road, Yu Garden, during the international settlement, and the large scale model showing the detailed layout of Shanghai.
Next is a wonderful visit to the Jade Buddha Temple, the site of the largest jade Buddha in the world and numerous religious artifacts, ancient statues and Buddhist scriptures. This peaceful kingdom of Buddhism hidden among modern blocks and dominating mansions is a great place for a nice break in this very busy city.
Later, pay a visit to Tianzifang, an artsy area housing bars, cafes, crafts shops, design studios, galleries and boutiques. It is ardently supported by crowds of yuppies, trend setters, designers and expatriates, who fall for temptation of old Shikumen houses (stone-framed-door houses) and lanes with infinite novelties.
Transfer via: flight for economy class – our arrangement
Activities for today: Zhujiajiao Water Town, airport transfer (Shanghai, Harbin)
Shanghai Tour Guide & Driver Service:
Today make an excursion to Zhujiajiao. Known as the “Venice of Shanghai”, Zhujiajiao has a history of 1,700 years and is a well-preserved waterside ancient town. You’ll stroll along Hundred-year-old North Street, take some awesome pictures on the Fangsheng Bridge, have a panoramic view of Zhujiao by climbing up to Yuanjin Buddhist Temple, enjoy some leisure time on the traditionally decorated boat, cruise along the canals and see the old residences, shops and bridges which are filled with classic architectural style in Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 AD - 1911 AD).
After the water town tour, your guide and driver will escort you to the airport for the flight to Harbin.
Harbin Driver Service: Upon your arrival at Harbin Taiping International Airport, our driver will meet you at the arrival hall of the airport.
Transfer via: private vehicle
Activities for today: St. Sofia Church, Central Street, Stalin Park, Flood Control Monument, Songhua River, Jile Temple, Ice Lantern Fair
Today, start your tour in St. Sophia Church, which connected Vladivostok to northeast China. It is the perfect example of Neo-Byzantine architecture.
Then have walk along the historical Central Street - one of the main business streets in Harbin, is a remnant of the bustling international business activities at the turn of the 20th century. First built in 1898, The 1.4 km long street is now a veritable museum of European architectural styles: Baroque and Byzantine facades, little Russian bakeries and French fashion houses, as well as non European architectural styles: American eateries, and Japanese restaurants.
Poceed to visit Stalin Park. The park is the evidence of the friendship between Russia and China at that time. The park is characterized by Russian style flowers and a series of statues placed along the park. Being right on the southern banks of the Songhua River, the visitors get a close up view of the river, which serves as an ideal place and a natural swimming place for both natives and tourist. The Flood Control Monument is the central attraction of the Stalin Park to commemorate the tremendous feat of the Harbin people in control the massive flood of 1957. The Monument is about 13 meters tall and consists of a Roman style cylinder column with statues of heroes of the flood standing on top of it.
Make a brief stop on the Songhua River to take some photos or you can choose to stay longer to do some optional winter activities. The weather in winter in Harbin is extremely cold. Sometimes the temperature falls to minus 30 degrees Celsius. And the ice period of Songhua River lasts up to five months in a year. There are a lot of winter activities that you can do on the freezing river, ice skating, playing snow tank, dog sledding, ice biking, watch winter swimming, etc.. There is a lot of fun on the river in winter.
Transfer to admire Jile Temple (aka Temple of Bliss). It is the biggest Buddhist building complex in Heilongjiang and was constructed between 1921 and 1924. The temple is considered as the standard model for visitors to understand and appreciate the art of Chinese temple buildings.
After dinner, pay a visit to the Ice Lantern Fair in Zhaolin Park. The fair is the earliest and biggest open-air artistic exhibition of the ice lantern in the world. It gathers multiple subjects such as gardening, architecture, sculpture, theatrics, Chinese painting, Chinese literature and Chinese music, which causes great influence both at home and abroad. Meanwhile, modern science and technology of optics, mechanics and acoustics are applied to show us the multicolored and exquisitely carved ice lanterns.
Transfer via: private vehicle
Activities for today: Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo, Siberian Tiger Park, Harbin Ice and Snow World
Drive to the Sun Island Park, the venue of the Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo. You will see all kinds of beaufitul snow sculptures featured different cultural background. Then move on to the Siberian Tiger Park, where you will be caged in a bus to visit the tigers and lions. Later, transfer to explore the most important theme park of the Harbin ice festival - Ice and Snow World. The park features illuminated full size ice buildings, lighted ice and snow sculptures, wonderful shows, interesting winter activites...you can find a lot of fun in this wonderland.
Transfer via: flight - your arrangement
Activities for today: airport transfer (Harbin)
Driver Service: No tour guide service for today. Our driver will escort you to Harbin Taiping International Airport.