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Shanghai + Hangzhou in 2 Days

An hour on the high-speed train separates Shanghai's skyline from West Lake's causeways, and the contrast is the point of this route. Day one is city — waterfront, garden, dumplings, the Bund at night. Day two is water, tea terraces and a pagoda at sunset.

Length
2 days
Cities
Shanghai · Hangzhou
Best for
Travellers who want one big city and one classic Chinese landscape.
Getting between cities
About 1 hour by high-speed rail from Shanghai Hongqiao, or 3 hours by car.

Before you set the days

Walking and access

The second day crosses from Lingyin to the tea villages and West Lake. Use a car between those zones and save the walking for the temple, causeway and lakeshore.

Rain

Keep the temple and city meal in rain, but move the tea slopes, lake boat and sunset stop to the clearest available hours. Low cloud can remove the view before rain becomes heavy.

Closures

Lake boats and some evening activities change with weather and season. Check their current notice before taking an early train around a connection that may not operate.

If the plan changes

If the lake crossing stops, stay on one shore and continue on foot for a selected section. Do not replace it with a cross-city detour that makes the return train uncertain.

Day 1 — Shanghai: Concession Streets & Art Deco

  1. 09:00

    The Bund Promenade

    The waterfront in daylight first — the banking houses and trading offices read very differently before the lights go on

    Instead of this

    • Shanghai Museum — Bronze, jade and calligraphy in a striking building
    • Lujiazui Skyline Walk — Walk among the Pudong supertalls from ground level
  2. 10:30

    French Concession Walk

    Tree-lined avenues of plane trees, art deco apartment blocks and garden villas — the quietest part of central Shanghai

    Instead of this

    • Fuxing Park — French-style garden with afternoon leisure and plane-tree shade
    • Wukang Road Citywalk — Shanghai's most photogenic street, starting at the iconic Wukang Mansion
  3. 12:30

    Jiashan Market & Tianzifang Area

    Lunch in the artsy lane houses — craft coffee, small studios, and the city's café culture at its densest

    Instead of this

    • Yang's Fried Dumplings — Crispy-bottomed shengjianbao — Shanghai's other dumpling star
    • Huxinting Teahouse — Iconic zigzag-bridge teahouse in the heart of Old City
  4. 15:00

    Wukang Road & Wukang Mansion

    The flat-iron building at the fork and the villa-lined streets behind it — the concession at its most photographed

    Instead of this

    • Jade Buddha Temple — One of Shanghai's most active Buddhist temples, featuring exquisite jade statues
    • M50 Art District — Converted textile factories housing contemporary galleries
  5. 17:30

    Hengshan Road Aperitif

    Classic bar street under the plane trees, in the historical villas — a short early drink before the walk

    Instead of this

    • Xintiandi Evening — Dining and nightlife in restored Shikumen lane houses
    • Fuxing Park — French-style garden with afternoon leisure and plane-tree shade
  6. 19:30

    Bund Night Walk

    A local guide walks you along the Bund after dark — the lit-up Pudong skyline, the historic waterfront façades, and the stories behind them. English-led, max 8 guests. The natural close to a day spent on the city's architecture.

    Tue · Thu · Sun · 19:30–20:30

    Instead of this

    • Jazz at the Peace Hotel — Live jazz in the legendary 1920s Art Deco ballroom on the Bund
    • Huangpu River Night Cruise — A separate option: a boat cruise along the Huangpu River, with the lit skylines of the Bund and Pudong on both banks.

Day 2 — 🚅 Shanghai → Hangzhou (1 hr HSR)

  1. 08:00

    High-Speed Rail to Hangzhou

    About 1 hour from Shanghai Hongqiao

  2. 10:30

    West Lake Cruise

    Boat ride past Three Pools Mirroring the Moon and Su Causeway

    Instead of this

    • Bai Causeway Walk — Lakeside promenade with weeping willows and lotus ponds
    • Flower Harbor Park — Peaceful garden with koi ponds and seasonal blooms
  3. 14:00

    Longjing Tea Village & Lunch

    Tour tea plantations, taste Dragon Well green tea and dine

    Instead of this

    • Nine Creeks Trail — Scenic hiking path through tea terraces and bamboo groves
    • Bamboo-Lined Path at Yunqi — Serene bamboo forest walk near the tea villages
  4. 17:00

    Leifeng Pagoda Sunset

    Panoramic West Lake views from the legendary pagoda

    Instead of this

    • Broken Bridge at Dusk — West Lake's most romantic spot — where the legend of White Snake began
    • Xiaoying Island — Boat to the Three Pools islet — the scene on the 1 RMB coin

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