Day 1
Shanghai
The Bund + French Concession.
Day: Yu Garden, the Bund, Pudong skyline. Evening: French Concession dinner + jazz.
6 days · balanced pace
East China Golden Triangle 6-Day
Shanghai, Suzhou gardens, Hangzhou's West Lake, and Nanjing's history — the classic Yangtze Delta loop by bullet train.
First-time friendlyclassicalfirst-timefood
Day 2
Suzhou
Classical gardens, 30 min by rail.
Morning: G-train to Suzhou (30 min). Humble Administrator's Garden + Lion Grove. Afternoon: Pingjiang Road canal lanes + silk museum. Evening: Overnight Suzhou or return.
Day 3
Hangzhou
West Lake and tea hills.
Morning: Rail to Hangzhou. Bike the Su Causeway around West Lake. Afternoon: Longjing tea village tasting. Evening: 'Impression West Lake' show (seasonal).
Day 4
Hangzhou → Nanjing
Old capital on the Yangtze.
Morning: Rail to Nanjing (~1 hr). Afternoon: Purple Mountain — Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum + Ming Xiaoling. Evening: Confucius Temple + Qinhuai River boat.
Day 5
Nanjing
Walls and memory.
Morning: Nanjing Massacre Memorial (closed Mon). Afternoon: Ming city wall + Presidential Palace. Evening: Return to Shanghai (1.5 hr) or overnight.
Day 6
Shanghai wrap-up
Last bites + departure.
Morning: Tianzifang / M50 art warehouses, last xiaolongbao. Afternoon: Depart from Pudong (PVG).
Destinations on this trip
Shanghai
Modern, cosmopolitan, the easiest Chinese megacity to navigate without speaking Chinese.
Suzhou
Classical gardens, water canals, and silk traditions — China's elegant counterweight to Shanghai.
Hangzhou
West Lake, tea plantations, and old canal towns — the most refined classical Chinese city.
Nanjing
Six-dynasty ancient capital on the Yangtze — Ming city walls, Confucius Temple canals, and a sobering WWII memorial.