Shanghai-cum-Suzhou Itinerary

27 March 11 (Sun)

1:15 am Depart Changi Airport on SQ xxx.

6:35 am Arrive @ Pudong Int'l Airport, Shanghai.

7:00 am Board Meglav (磁浮列车) to Longyang Road Station in town. Take a cab to hotel.

Meglav is the fastest commercially operating train in the world. With a top speed of 268 mph (431 km/h), the German-built magnetic levitation train takes less than 8 minutes to cover the 19 miles (30 kilometers) between its only 2 stations.

8:00 am Arrive @ Grand Hyatt Hotel at Jin Mao Tower (金茂大厦).

Jin Mao is the second tallest building in China (the tallest being its neighbour, the Shanghai World Financial Center), and houses the Grand Hyatt Hotel (59th to 87th floor) and offices (below 58th floor). The highest 88th floor is an observation deck. "Cloud 9" on the 87th floor is supposedly the world's highest bar.

8:30 am Freshen up and look for breakfast.

11:00 pm Meet Liu Shifu at AP Mall to tailor make cheongsam.

1:30 pm Yuyuan Garden (豫园).

This classical Chinese garden was built in 1577 during the Ming dynasty. It is made up of six scenic areas: The Grand Rockery (features peaks, cliffs and gorges), Heralding Spring Hall, Inner Garden (ornamental ponds and pavilions), Jade Magnificence Hall, Lotus Pool and the Ten Thousand Flowers Tower.

2:30 pm Temple of the Town God (城隍庙).

This temple was built about 600 years ago, but much of the area was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. It was completely rebuilt and restored in the 1990s, so it looks relatively new. Don't miss the large surrounding marketplace and snack street. There are many interesting eats to discover in the traditional Ming and Qing dynasty-style buildings that house numerous food stalls.

6:00 pm Dinner at 蝶园Restaurant. Die Die Must Try dish is 外婆红烧肉

70 Tai Cang Road
Tel: 021-53837338

269 WuJiang Road 3F
Tel: 021-61361398

28 March 11 (Mon)

7:00 am Breakfast.

8:30 am If the weather is favourable, plan to make a trip up to the 3 observatory decks of the Shanghai World Financial Centre (环球金融中心). The are located on the 94th, 97th and 101st floors.

The Shanghai World Financial Centre was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, and is the tallest building in China. It's most distinctive feature is the trapezoidal hole at the top of the building. The original design was supposed to be a circular hole, but was changed when some people (including the mayor of Shanghai) thought the circular hole was too similar to the rising sun in the Japanese flag.

11:00 am Cross the Huang Pu river by ferry over to The Bund, then take a random walk down Nanjing Road (南京路).

Nanjing Road is the longest and busiest shopping street in Shanghai. It is about 6 kim long.

6:00 pm Dinner at one of the many restaurants at 大拇指广场.


8:00 pm Night shoot from Pudong side of The Bund (外滩) and The Oriental Pearl (东方明珠).

29 March 11 (Tue)

7:00 am Breakfast.

11:00 am 50 Moganshan Art District (莫干山路艺术区).

This former industrial area is now home to numerous art galleries, graphic design firms, architectural workshops and cafes.

2:00 pm Taikang Road (泰康路田子坊).

This charming cluster of art + fashion boutique shops and trendy cafes is nestled in an old traditional Shanghainese Shikumen neighbourhood - think of it as the more down to earth, real and genuine sister of superlative Xintiandi. Many locals still live in the area and you will encounter many of them going about their daily lives.

6:30 pm Dinner at mall next to hotel.

30 March 11 (Wed)

Day trip to Suzhou by train. Travel time is about 30 - 40 minutes.

31 March 11 (Thu)

6.30 pm Collect cheong sam from Liu Shifu.

1 April 11 (Fri)

2 April 11 (Sat)

1:00 pm Check out

4:35 pm Depart Shanghai.

9:45 pm Arrive @ Changi Airport.