9-Day Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou & Huangshan Private Tour

Morning: After breakfast, your private guide and driver will meet you at your hotel to begin today’s exploration of Shanghai. Your first stop is Yuyuan Garden, one of the finest examples of classical Chinese garden design in the city. Despite its location in the heart of bustling Shanghai, the garden offers a tranquil retreat, with elegant pavilions, decorative halls, winding corridors, rockeries, ponds, and intricate carvings.

As you stroll through the garden, each turn reveals a carefully composed scene, showcasing the harmony and aesthetic philosophy of traditional Chinese landscaping. Next, visit the nearby Chenghuang Temple, a Taoist temple with nearly 600 years of history. Here, you will experience a blend of religious atmosphere and traditional Chinese culture, gaining insight into local beliefs and customs that have shaped Shanghai’s history.

Afternoon: Continue to Nanjing Road, Shanghai’s most famous commercial street, renowned for its vibrant energy and historical significance. Stretching approximately 5.5 kilometers from The Bund to Jing’an Temple, it is often referred to as “China’s No.1 Shopping Street.” While walking along this iconic avenue, you will experience the dynamic contrast between modern urban life and the city’s rich heritage.

You will also have the opportunity to take photos with Shanghai’s newest landmark — the “Louis Vuitton Ship”, a striking boat-shaped building that combines retail, art, and dining spaces. This unique structure reflects the brand’s spirit of travel and exploration and has quickly become a must-see highlight in the city.

Evening: As one of Shanghai’s most iconic areas, The Bund is often lively and crowded. With your guide’s assistance, however, you can move through the area with ease while learning about its historic waterfront architecture and fascinating past. After dinner, enjoy a Huangpu River night cruise, offering breathtaking views of Shanghai’s illuminated skyline.

Along the river, you will see the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, the historic Bund buildings, and the Yangpu Bridge, all glowing against the night sky. During the cruise, your guide will share stories and insights behind these landmarks, bringing the city’s history and modern development to life.

Morning: After breakfast, travel by private vehicle to Tongli Water Town, one of the most beautiful and well-preserved water towns in the Jiangnan region. The town is laced with canals, crossed by more than forty ancient stone bridges. White-walled houses and dark-tiled roofs line the waterways, their reflections shimmering softly on the water, creating a scene that feels like a living Chinese ink painting slowly unfolding before you.

Glide through the narrow canals on a traditional hand-rowed boat, passing beneath elegant stone arch bridges and along banks shaded by gently swaying willows. Moving at an unhurried pace, you’ll experience the town from the water, where its quiet charm and timeless rhythm can be felt most clearly.

Afternoon: Continue exploring Tongli on foot, wandering through stone-paved lanes that lead to traditional residences, peaceful courtyard homes, and small local shops. As you stroll through the town, you’ll gradually absorb the atmosphere of this water village — its architecture, daily life, and the subtle details that give it its distinctive Jiangnan character.

If you wish to slow the pace, your guide may suggest stopping at a local teahouse along the canal, where you can sit for a while, watch people pass by, and observe traditional boats gliding quietly through the waterways — a simple yet authentic moment of water-town life. Later, depart Tongli and return to Suzhou city for the evening.

Evening: Overnight in Suzhou.

Morning: After breakfast, enjoy a short drive to Feilai Peak (Flying Peak), a scenic limestone hill famous for its ancient Buddhist stone carvings. According to local legend, the peak was believed to have “flown” from afar — a poetic expression reflecting the early spread of Buddhism to this region. Today, Feilai Peak is home to more than 300 Buddhist carvings carved into cliffs, riverbanks, and hidden grottoes.

Created over a period of more than a thousand years, these sculptures represent some of the most valuable examples of Buddhist stone art in southern China. Continue to the nearby Lingyin Temple, one of the oldest and most revered Buddhist temples in Hangzhou, with a history of nearly 1,700 years. Nestled deep within forested hills, the temple complex features grand yet understated halls surrounded by lush greenery.

The peaceful natural setting and solemn architecture together create a deeply spiritual atmosphere that has drawn pilgrims and visitors for centuries.

Afternoon: Later, drive to Meijiawu Tea Culture Village, a tranquil area surrounded by rolling hills and expansive Longjing (Dragon Well) tea plantations. Here, neatly arranged rows of tea bushes form gentle curves across the landscape, creating a refreshing and picturesque countryside scene. You may take a leisurely walk through the tea fields and enjoy time for photography.

Optional experience (at additional cost): If you wish, you may visit a local tea farmer’s home to learn about traditional tea picking and hand-roasting techniques, watch a tea ceremony, and taste freshly brewed Longjing tea. Continue to the China National Tea Museum, where you will gain a comprehensive understanding of Chinese tea culture — including its history, production methods, customs, and classifications.

The museum also displays a wide range of tea utensils, processing tools, and historical exhibits, offering deeper insight into tea’s role in Chinese daily life.

Evening: After the visits, return to your hotel in Hangzhou. The rest of the evening is at leisure.

Morning: This morning, travel by private vehicle to the Yungu Cable Car Station. Board the cable car and ascend smoothly into the misty heights of Huangshan, where the scenery gradually opens into a dramatic mountain world. After reaching the summit, begin an easy-paced walk to explore highlights such as Beginning-to-Believe Peak and the Beihai Scenic Area.

Along the way, admire Huangshan’s iconic granite peaks, sheer cliffs crowned with ancient pine trees, and ever-changing views shaped by drifting clouds and mountain mist.

Afternoon: Continue your exploration at a relaxed pace, allowing time to fully appreciate the unique landscape that has inspired painters and poets for centuries. As the day draws to a close, remain on the mountain for a chance to see one of Huangshan’s most magical moments — a sea of clouds or sunset, if weather conditions allow, unfolding across layers of peaks far below.

Evening: Tonight, you will stay on the mountain, a rare and memorable experience that sets Huangshan apart. After dinner, you may choose to step outside to enjoy stargazing under the clear high-altitude sky, or relax at the hotel with a soothing massage. Spending the night atop Huangshan allows you to fully embrace the tranquility and grandeur of the mountain after most day visitors have departed.