Enjoy tips to visit Shanghai and call us to develop your perfect tour +86 186 2171 9434

I often get the question, "How many Jenny's are there?" I always take this as a complement since this question usually comes up when I respond super fast or at weird hours and the customer is surprised. I just thought I'd take a minute to let you, our dear visitor, know that there is just one Jenny (I'm the one in the center of the picture on one of my first tours :). I do work long hours since as an entrepreneur, you must stay on top of things. But it's OK, I love what I do and always happy to help visitors have the perfect tour in China. 

So if you're wondering who is answering the phone or answering your emails... it's little 'ol me... the one and only Jenny :) 

A question that many travelers ask is, "Why do I need a tour guide?" Especially with all of the online tools and map applications, you could just design your own tour and enjoy the sites. That's true for some travelers, especially if you're on a super tight budget. But here are five reasons a tour guide may be a good idea in China. 

1. The language barrier - The most obvious reason to use a guide is that we speak Chinese! This will help you get around around easily, talk with people, read signs and you can even learn some Chinese.
2. Secret sites - Ok. There are not really "secret sites" in Shanghai, but there are many very interesting places, restaurants and activities that only tour guides know about. Especially if you have unique interests, such as do you want to see an historic European home? A post-cultural revolution schoolhouse? A unique, local toy store? The best place to buy low cost pearls? We can help.
3. Efficiency - It takes time to find things when you're not familiar with the area, especially when many signs are in Chinese and maps are not complete. You can usually see twice as many things with a guide than without one.
4. Saves money - You may be paying a bit to have a guide, but an experienced guide knows the best places to shop and eat without paying the "tourist taxes" that many places charge in the most visited areas. 
5. Real culture - Even though you may be seeing popular spots, a tour guide can give you the insider's scoop on everything from politics to daily living. They often will take you authentic homes or other local places where you can see how the real Chinese live. 
6. See what YOU want to see - With a private guide, you can create a custom itinerary that's perfect for you! We have had customers focus on history, modern Shanghai, Jewish sites, coin shops, silk shopping or just daily living. Everyone is different. We love meeting specific interests because you love it. 

These are just a few of the reasons to use a tour guide! We hope to see you in Shanghai soon. If you'd like to get a quote, book a tour or just learn more about us, contact us. While we love comments, we don't see these fast enough to respond to you quicklyl! 

​Jenny

When we provide tours to customers visiting Shanghai, we strive to make everything as smooth as possible. Many of the things we do such as scope out restaurants, plan the best routes to sites and order cars in advance are not even seen by the customer. But regardless of how much we plan, there are some things that are out of our control. This is especially true when you consider that one goal we have for customers (and they usually desire) is to provide as authentic of a local experience as possible. 

When you visit, here are some that may seem unexpected to you, but something that we see regularly and ask you to plan for: 

1. Your credit card won't always work - Many shops and restaurants will take Western credit cards with no problem, especially the larger ones and those targeting westerners. But many of the smaller shops and local, authentic restaurants will only accept cash or a local credit card. While ATMS are very common, scrambling to find one at the last minute is no fun. To avoid any problems, you should always have at least 1000RMB (about 150USD) in cash. You never know when you want to buy something or just pay for a meal. 
2. You may not get a sit-down toilet (or one at all) - The sit-down toilet has become more common in Shanghai, but the traditional Chinese toilet is basically a porcelain hole in the ground. Many Westerners find this uncomfortable (to say it nicely.)  Many of the more authentic restaurants, public toilets and even train stations will only have traditional toilets. Our only advice is to use the bathroom whenever the toilet of your choice presents itself. And if nature does call when one is not available, keep an open mind and go local :) 
3. Taxis are getting (MUCH) harder to flag down - With the growing popularity of Didi and other taxi-APPs, it's getting very hard to find a Taxi on the street that you can just raise your arm and flag them down. This is especially true when it rains since everyone wants a taxi at once! This can be very frustrating since using the apps is not easy for westerners since most drivers don't speak English and GPS is never perfect. When you need a car, always order one from the hotel in advance or of course, our guides can help. 
4. Traffic and crowds are part of Shanghai life - Popular Shanghai sites can have a wide range of crowd sizes depending on the time of year and particularly during holidays when the Chinese have time to travel. Traffic in Shanghai can also be difficult during peak hours. We will always try travel at the best times and to warn you if large crowds are expected, but just expect that sometimes there will be large crowds. We just ask visitors to accept that crowds, traffic and the associated delays are a fact of life in large cities such as Shanghai.
5. Seeing everything in one day is not a good idea - We recently received one a tour request that had (literally) ten different sites listed from all over Shanghai... all in one day. We know you have limited time, but trying to see too much in a day just makes you (and your tour guide) too tired to enjoy it! We will need to rush you from site to site and not even have time to go inside many sites. We try to fill the day with you as best as possible to see the most you can, but also ensure we have time to rest, share interesting information or have a snack. 

Working with a tour guide is two-way relationship. Our guides are super-flexible and are happy to change itineraries at any moment, but we also ask that visitors understand that not everything is in our control. We hope to see you in Shanghai soon!