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Small-Group Shanghai's Former French Concession Walking Tour

5.04 reviews

  • 3 hours
  • Free cancellation up to 24h before
  • Guided in English
  • Instant confirmation

Highlights

The Former French Concession of Shanghai is a large area in the city center that was, almost 100 years ago, ruled by the French. Follow our Tour Leader for a 3-hour walk through these streets lined with plane trees and discover incredible stories about this part of the city! Visit gardens and buildings, enjoy local life, and discover outstanding architecture. You will learn everything about the history of this former concession: its origins, its development, its population, and even some secrets Shanghainese people don't know!

Inclusions

What's included

  • Bottled water
  • Gift Bag
  • Snacks
  • Coffee and/or Tea

What's not

  • Other personal expenses

Itinerary

  1. You will meet with our Tour Leader and other guests at our office in a traditional Shanghainese Lane. After a little introduction and a cup of tea or coffee, the walk will start!

    15 min

  2. Your first stop will be one of the most beautiful Park in town: Fuxing Park. This garden was designed more than 100 years ago. In the morning, many local people come here to exercise, sing, or just social. You will enjoy the “happy retirement” vibes, and our Tour Leader will share with you many stories about this park and the Former French Concession.

    30 min

  3. You will then exit the park to walk through our favorite street in the neighborhood: Nanchang Road. This road is the perfect example of a typical street of the Former French Concession. You will see there a mix of Western and Chinese architecture, small shops, and plane trees on both sides of the street. Our Tour Leader will share with you stories about typical Shanghainese architecture, and the population of this area 100 years ago.

    20 min

  4. After discovering the traditional Shanghainese architecture on Nanchang Road, you will reach a quiet street called Gaolan Road, where you will visit a Former Russian Orthodox Church. Our Tour Leader will explain to you the history of Russian people and Shanghai, and why this area was once nicknamed “Little Moscow”.

    20 min

  5. You will then cross a traditional Shanghainese neighborhood called “lilong”. You will leave the hustle and bustle of the megalopolis to enter a village in the middle of Shanghai. There you won’t feel like in a city of 26 million inhabitants at all! Our Tour Leader will explain to you the history of these lanes and stories about urbanism in Shanghai.

    15 min

  6. You will then reach one of the Former French Concession’s main roads: Huaihai Road. This street was once nicknamed Shanghai’s “Champs Elysees”. You will see there outstanding Art Deco architecture and our Tour Leader will tell you the history of Art Deco style in Shanghai, and stories about the Cathay Theater, an iconic building on Huaihai Road. You will also try some traditional Shanghainese snacks in a local bakery.

    20 min

  7. Our last stop will for sure blow your mind! It is the Okura Graden Hotel, which used to be the French Club 100 years ago. You will enter the building, discover beautiful Art Deco designs, listen to the crazy stories that happened in this building and end with beautiful view on the entire area.

    30 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

5.0

  • 54
  • 40
  • 30
  • 20
  • 10

Ratings come from 4 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

Meeting point
Meeting at 9:00 am Address in English: House 1, Alley 18, Xiangshan Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Pickup
Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
Ticket type
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group size
Up to 10 travellers
Operated by
Arcade Experiences
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

How it compares in Shanghai

  • Its from-price is 66% below the median of the 2099 experiences we list in Shanghai.
  • It is shorter than most of them.
  • By number of reviews it ranks 319 of 2099.
  • The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Shanghai

Shanghai is China's dazzling financial city on the Huangpu River, where a colonial-era waterfront faces a futuristic skyline and old lanes hide teahouses.

The Bund, a riverside promenade lined with grand banks and hotels from the early twentieth century, faces the towers of Pudong across the water, among them the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Tower and the twisting Shanghai Tower. The view is at its most dramatic after dark, when both banks light up and river boats glide between them.

Top-ranked sights in Shanghai: The Bund (Waitan), Yu Garden (Yuyuan), Shanghai French Concession.

See all 2099 experiences in Shanghai

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Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.

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