Shanghai | urban explorations

Our Urban Explorations take you to some of Shanghai's least visited districts or to destinations just beyond the city limits, still relatively untouched by mass tourism and the origins of little-known stories worth telling.

DISUNITY, CONFLICT & SPECULATION (half day)

> When the Capital of Capital Digs in for a Fight

Did you know thousands of bunkers had been built in Shanghai between the 1930s and 1960s? While most of them have been removed in recent decades, hundreds can still be found scattered across town, yet very little is recorded about these fortications. Hop on a (BYO or shared) bicycle and visit three different bunkers while we give you an insight into the what, when, who and why.

• Available daily all year | duration 2.5 hrs.
• Includes water & snack | (shared) bicycle NOT provided,
• +-9km of cycling w. limited walking | in Jing'an & Hongkou districts,
• 4 to 8 people (12+) | 250 RMB per person, 
• Not recommended for kids under 12.

REFUGEES, CATTLE PATHS & LIFE RELEASE (half day)

> Changing Fortunes in Sin City

Unravel the unlikely history of Suzhou Creek’s most prominent apartment building, as you wander its corridors and staircases. Continue via (BYO or shared) bicycle to Shanghai’s former slaughterhouse, an Art Deco & Feng Shui masterpiece, and discover its fascinating inner workings before finishing at a lesser-known Buddhist nunnery, once a seafaring folks’ favourite to pray for a safe maritime voyage.

• Available daily all year | duration 2.5 hrs.,
• Includes water & entrance fee | (shared) bicycle NOT provided,
• +-5km of cycling w. some walking | in Hongkou district,
• 4 to 8 people (12+) | 250 RMB per person, 
• Kids aged 6-12 get 10% discount | kids aged < 6 free of charge.

COBBLESTONES, GOD & URBAN YOUTH (full day)

> The Forgotten History of Magic City

Catch a glimpse of post Liberation Shanghai and witness a way of life once common in the downtown areas. Wander cobblestone alleyways flanked by communist era buildings, visit the Catholic’s first regional foothold, learn about the Japanese offensive that nearly wiped out the town and finish with a farmer’s lunch near the former countryside homes of ‘sent-down youths’.

• Available daily all year | duration 5.5 hrs.,
• Includes lunch with non-alcoholic drinks & private transportation by car from/to downtown,
• +-3km of walking | in Jiading district,
• 2-8 people (12+) | 900 - 450 RMB per person, 
• Kids aged 6-12 get 10% discount | kids aged < 6 free of charge.

CANALSIDE HERITAGE & REVOLUTION (full day)

> Beyond the Venice of the East

Experience canal-side life free from mass tourism and discover the imperial origins and revolutionary past of a working water town. Better understand its quest to stay relevant in contemporary China through visiting a private arts centre, dedicated to documenting and preserving traditional arts and handicrafts.

• Available daily all year | duration 7 hrs.,
• +- 3km of walking | in Qingpu district,
• Includes lunch with non-alcoholic drinks, private transportation by car from/to downtown & curated tour of arts & handicraft collections,
• 2-8 people (12+) | 1,250 - 650 RMB per person,
• Kids aged 6-12 get 10% discount | kids aged < 6 free of charge.

GREAT GREEN ESCAPE (full day)

> Mini adventures for little explorers

Let loose your little explorers in some of Shanghai’s last bits of unmanicured nature. Trail the unmarked paths of bamboo shoot harvesters to a mountain top, venture into secret caves with glow sticks, stroll (or ride) woodland tracks and cast a line in a creek or pond while a picnic lunch is set up. 

• Available daily all year | duration 7 hrs.,
• +- 3km of walking, climbing, caving & cycling | in Songjiang district,
• Includes lunch w. non-alcoholic drinks, private transportation by car from/to downtown, entrance fees & exploration materials, 
• 3 to 8 people | 1,750 - 2,750 RMB per group,