15 Boat Tours in Shanghai Worth Booking

1.Shanghai Private Tour: Zhujiajiao Water Town and Boat Ride

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 661 reviews · from $148Our pick

Escape Shanghai for Zhujiajiao’s old streets, Ming and Qing bridges, canals, and a private boat ride with hotel pickup included.

“Our guide, Xin was super informative, friendly and very enthusiastic lady. My family had a wonderful time at Zhujiajiao water town, which is a beautiful site that can rival Venice. The town folks are very friendly, and there are loads of things to experience and food to try out during the walkabout.”

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2.Huangpu Night Cruise: Cozy Vibe & Modern Shanghai Glow

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 520 reviews · 1 day · from $21Best value

Review of Shanghai’s Huangpu Night Cruise, with Bund and Pudong views, ticket tips, deck choices, holiday sights, and honest value advice.

“The cruise was very nice. Instructions to find the place for the tickets were a little hard to follow, but we managed. The lines to get to the boat were long, but orderly and everything was efficient. Totally worth paying the extra $15 each for the seated area on the 3rd floor.”

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3.Zhujiajiao Private Tour w/ Boat Ride & Garden

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 460 reviews · 5 hours · from $139

Explore Zhujiajiao from Shanghai with a private guide, canal boat ride, Kezhi Garden, local markets, and comfortable hotel transfers.

“Our tour with Clair was fantastic. The transportation to the water village was smooth and very comfortable. We walked through the various shops, toured the private garden, and took a boat ride. Clair shared so much information with us about history and culture, she was an excellent guide.”

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4.Private Zhujiajiao Tour with Boat Ride

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 334 reviews · 5 hours · from $171

Explore Zhujiajiao from Shanghai with a private guide, Ming-Qing bridges, canal boat ride, local food, and hotel transfers.

“Our private tour to Zhujiajiao was an absolute highlight of our trip. The experience was perfectly organized and offered a wonderful balance of history, culture, and relaxation. A very special thank you goes to our guide Kiki, who truly made the day unforgettable. She shared an incredible amount of knowledge with us in an engaging and insightful way, and at the same time, her humor and warm personality made the tour so much fun. We learned a lot, laughed a lot, and felt completely taken care of from start to finish. I would highly recommend this tour, especially with Kiki as a guide.”

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5.Shanghai Night River Cruise Tour with Xinjiang Style Dining Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 324 reviews · from $155

Cruise Shanghai’s glowing skyline, then enjoy halal Xinjiang dishes with a private guide, driver, and hotel pickup in one easy evening.

“We really loved our boat cruise. All the buildings lit up were spectacular! Our guide Caroline told us about all the build and then took us for a great meal. Definitely a must do!”

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6.Night River Cruise Tour with Xinjiang Style Dining

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 210 reviews · 3 hours · from $153

Shanghai by night: cruise the Huangpu River, see the Bund and Pudong skyline, then enjoy Xinjiang halal food with a private guide.

“Queena was a fantastic tour guide. She is very knowledgeable and energetic. Very friendly and accommodating. I recommend her to anyone. I will book her again. The boat trip was fantastic. Shanghai is a very beautiful city. The night scene is a must see, with VIP style transport. The restaurant had a beautiful view of Shanghai. The food was fresh and tasty. Queena is a delightful person to have dinner with.”

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7.Zhujiajiao Water Town Private Tour with Boat Ride

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 173 reviews · from $139

Review of a private Zhujiajiao tour from Shanghai with hotel pickup, English guide, Kezhi Garden, temple visit, and canal boat ride.

“We had a fantastic tour of the water town with our guide Cassie. She spoke excellent English and was very knowledgeable about Chinese history. She took very nice photos of my wife and I during our tour, and knew all of the best locations and angles. Highly recommend this service if you’re looking for an English speaking tour guide.”

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8.Private Evening Tour: VIP Huangpu River Cruise and Shanghai Lights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 150 reviews · from $128

See Shanghai after dark on a private tour with a VIP Huangpu River cruise, Yuyuan Old Street, Pudong, Xintiandi, and hotel transfers.

“Tom was a great tour guide with vast knowledge of Shanghai history and provided a meaningful tour. We both enjoyed this cruise and private tour and recommend it to anyone wanting to see Shanghai!”

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9.Half-Day Private Zhujiajiao Water Town Tour with Boat Ride from Shanghai

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 144 reviews · from $160

Review of a private Zhujiajiao tour from Shanghai, with canal boat ride, Kezhi Garden, private transport, guide tips, costs, and drawbacks.

“We had an amazing day with our tour guide David visiting the historical Water Town including a boat ride and visiting the local shops and learning about local customs, food and the history of the area. David was so knowledgeable about Shanghai and all areas and we had a fantastic time. We sampled foods and did a little shopping. It was a perfect half day tour with beautiful weather and if you are looking for a fantastic tour guide, request David!”

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10.Private Shanghai Evening Street Food Walking and Cruise Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 123 reviews · from $133

Sample Shanghai street food with a private guide, then see the Bund and glowing skyline on a one-hour Huangpu River cruise.

“Our tour of Shanghai with Shirley was fantastic! She guided us on an exquisite food tour, introducing us to a variety of delicious local dishes. Each stop offered unique flavors and a true taste of the city's culinary scene. Shirley's knowledge of the cuisine and her ability to share its cultural significance made the experience even more enjoyable. After our culinary adventure, we embarked on a serene river tour of the Bund. The views were spectacular, and Shirley provided insightful commentary on the history and architecture of the area. Her enthusiasm and expertise made the tour unforgettable. We highly recommend Shirley for an engaging and delightful exploration of Shanghai!”

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11.Heaven on Earth Day Trip from Shanghai including West Lake Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 115 reviews · from $169

Review of Hangzhou from Shanghai, with West Lake cruise, tea ceremony, Six Harmonies Pagoda, lunch, and practical advice on value.

“Excellent tour. Very beautiful lake, boat tour was stunning, pagoda was interesting and miss joy was very informative. Would be good if the tour was slightly longer as its a 3 hour drive each way but worthwhile nonetheless.”

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12.Huangpu River Cruise and Bund City Lights Evening Tour of Shanghai

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 115 reviews · from $79

See Shanghai by night on a Huangpu River cruise, a Bund walk, Peace Hotel visit, and Nanjing Road trolley ride with hotel pickup.

“When we booked our tour via phone for 5/3/2019, we were not told that our booking date was scheduled on a Chinese holiday. Upon our arrival at our hotel in Shanghai we received a call from Viator stating that a major part of the tour was cRead more”

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13.Private Night Tour-VIP River Cruise and Shanghai Tower Option

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 104 reviews · from $143

See Shanghai lit up on a VIP Huangpu River cruise, with hotel pickup and an optional Shanghai Tower visit and local dinner.

“The tour guide and driver were very nice. There are crowds for the river cruise so it was nice to be seated in VIP. While the tour guide seemed knowledgeable, the local meal was not enjoyable (a lot of food wasted) and she seemed very tired.”

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14.Shanghai Night River Cruise VIP Seating with Private Transfer and Dinner Option

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 64 reviews · from $139

See Shanghai’s glowing skyline from a VIP Huangpu River cruise, with private hotel transfers, an expert guide, and an optional local dinner.

“We did the cruise with two families and it was fantastic. The dinner was at a restaurant and not the boat but it wasn’t a problem as it allowed us to eat before cruise. The restaurant was really good and probably some of the best food we had in Shanghai. Afterwards the company organised VIP tickets on the boat and we got really great views of all the buildings. Our host was Sammy and she was very good company, informative and friendly and looked after us really well. Lastly the whole process of booking and communication was really good , the company were very easy to deal with and even…”

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15.Zoo and Zhujiajiao Water Town Tour with Boat Ride

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 56 reviews · 7 hours · from $190

See pandas at Shanghai Zoo, explore 1,700-year-old Zhujiajiao, shop local markets, and cruise ancient canals with a private guide.

“We enjoyed the trip very much. Our guide Robert was very friendly & helpfull. We spent very nice day.”

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