The old Hongqiao airport is 18km from the city; depending on traffic it’s a 30 - 60 minute drive. Most international flights arrive at Pudong, a new airport an hour away from the city.

After you collect your baggage, one of our representatives will be waiting for you in the arrival hall. He or she will have your name on a sign and your Shanghai travel tours will begin.

You’ll stay in a colonial hotel on this Shanghai travel tour. The historic atmosphere has been maintained by keeping the wooden floors and the cables that help support the roof. The location is ideal at Suzhou Creek at only a stone throw distance from the Bund. In the evening simply exit the hotel and you’ll be on Shanghai boulevard, the Bund.

The hotel has a restaurant and an Internet café (this is convenient if your trip ends here and you’d like to reconfirm your return flight). All rooms have been renovated and have air conditioning, TV and high ceilings. You may want to prepare yourself for the hard beds; unfortunately this is quite common in China. Transportation into the city is best done by taxi cab, you’ll never spend more than 15 Yuan (£1.50). You can also take the metro (there are two metro lines), however it’s best to avoid the chaotic city busses. A taxi cab can quickly take you to the old city centre, however you may be drawn to the river boulevard, the Bund, first. There is bar/restaurant terrace near your hotel with a spectacular view of the Bund (which is illuminated until 23:00) and the Pudong skyline.

Walking past the large classic colonial buildings, which you’ll be doing along with quite a few Chinese, you’ll get an impression of 18th and 19th century. In those days Shanghai traded with the French, Portuguese and Dutch free harbours (concessions), but trade was bound to very strict rules.

These days there are few rules and trade is booming. International fashion stores and yuppie bars are found side by side in beautifully renovated buildings, such as the famous Peace hotel. You can find watches here worth a Chinese mid-size car or you can buy the latest popular versions for about £3.

Across from the Bund, Pudong’s skyscrapers shoot into the sky. This is Shanghai’s Manhattan, where buildings shoot into the sky in a fury of building rage. The motto here is: "To become rich is glorious". The old Chinese street lanterns in the Bund now compete in the unfair struggle against the small bundled laser lights coming from Pudong’s business district.

Take the psychedelic Bund Tourist tunnel (approx. 30 RMB) to Pudong and you can admire the Bund from the other side of the river. You can take a cheaper ferry ride back after you’re done sight-seeing.