Shanghai Shore Excursion: Half-Day Private City Sightseeing Tour Including Jade Buddha Temple

When your cruise ship docks in Shanghai, your guide will accompany you by private vehicle to a few handpicked sights in this fabulous city – a blend of ancient Asian port and modern metropolis. Drive past the fashionable streets of Shanghai, full of glamorous shops, restaurants, galleries and museums that reflect its history from royal dynasties to present day.

Start your tour at the Jade Buddha Temple to view its precious collection of jade statues from Myanmar (Burma). Constructed during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, the temple was actually built in the architectural style of the Song Dynasty. Learn about the Shanghai Buddhist Institute, currently housed at the temple, as well as the community of monks who live there.

Next, your guide will drive you to the Fresh Water Pearl Gallery to observe the interesting process of pearl cultivation. If you’re lucky, you may be the one participant chosen to receive the complimentary gift of a single pearl!

Continue to the heart of the city and get out of your vehicle at People’s Square, a large public square filled with plants and trees. This central city park, including the Shanghai Grand Theatre and Shanghai Art Museum, is part of a former horseracing track. Here, it is common to pray for world peace while feeding the lovely doves.

You can walk to the nearby Shanghai Museum, whose exterior resembles a Chinese cooking pot and whose interior design follows Feng Shui principles. View the permanent collection and other exhibitions with your guide, who will show you objects from 5,000 years of Chinese history. Admire bronze ware, ceramics, paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, ancient Chinese coins, jade carvings and furniture before your guide returns you by private vehicle to the Shanghai cruise port.