After morning pickup from your Shanghai hotel, head to the delightful Yuyuan Gardens to begin your small-group walking tour. After exploring one of China’s finest imperial gardens, known for its attention to minute detail and classic landscape architecture, browse for various crafted goods at the bazaar of Old Shanghai. Here, your guide offers insight on Chinese traditions while you have the opportunity to chat and bargain with local merchants in this coastal city. To balance the bustle of the modern city, your small group will seek solace in the Chenghuangmiao (Temple of the town God), the central shrine for Taoist worship in China. Dating back to 1403, the temple's main courtyard is still active with worshippers. Next, take a unique approach to the Xintiandi district, which retains the antique charms of Old Shanghai while gentrified to international levels of chic with an impressive number of galleries, bars, cafes, boutiques and restaurants. Reminiscent of the decadent Shanghai of the 1920s, this area reflects the present-day lifestyle of its resident urbanites. Then, switch gears with a visit to the historical French Concession. Founded in 1862 in southwest Shanghai as a result of the Treaty of Nanking, the Concession is a pleasant mix of wide tree-lined streets and European-styled architecture. Discover a gateway to the past as you follow your guide on a walk past the old shikumen-style townhouses, noted for their courtyard residences.

Meet your guide at the lobby of your hotel in Shanghai city center to start a unique experience around one of Shanghai’s most historical sites, the Shanghai Ghetto. The buildings in this area served as a refuge for a large number of Jewish refugees during World War II. Start the tour by visiting the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, the commemorative site of the former Ohel Moishe Synagogue, where refugees once gathered for religious activities despite being threatened with prison. The museum features documents, photographs, films and other personal items documenting people’s day-to-day lives at the time. Afterwards, see the site of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the world’s leading Jewish humanitarian assistance organization, which oversaw a large relief program for over 20,000 refugees to Shanghai. Then, walking through Huoshan Park to see the memorial tablet created in honor of these refugees. The memorial statue in this park is the only one created for the Shanghainese Jewish community. Then you will be able to go to a local neighborhood to meet residents of the area who have spent most of their life living in this area. See how they live their lives today, and with the help of our English-speaking guide, feel free to ask the residents any questions you might have following today’s tour. Finally, visit Xiahai Temple, aimed at worshiping the city god, located in a remote location very few tourists visit but which is full of local worshipers. Here, you’ll have the amazing opportunity to learn about the role this Buddhist temple plays within the previously largely Jewish Shanghai Ghetto. After this the tour ends you will be transferred back to your centrally located hotel in Shanghai or a place to enjoy your lunch/dinner in the city center.

Unlike any other city in China, or in all of Asia for that matter, Shanghai is an intoxicating blend of ancient culture and a modern, progressive city. Depending on your preferences you can choose from a morning or an afternoon half-day city sightseeing tour. Both tours concentrate on the can't-miss highlights that all visitors to Shanghai must experience. Morning Tour highlights (this tour is the morning part of Best of Shanghai Full Day City Tour):

• Jade Buddha Temple
• Fresh Water Pearl Gallery
• People Square
• Shanghai Museum

Afternoon Tour highlights (this tour is the afternoon part of Best of Shanghai Full Day City Tour):

• Yuyuan Garden
• Shanghai Old Street
• Bund
• Silk Factory
• Xin Tian Di (entertainment district)