If you are thinking of where to go on a day trip near Shanghai either with friends or visitors – look no further, Zhujiajiao is the place to go! This ancient water town can now easily be reached within about 1-1.5 hours on the new metro line 17’s penultimate stop.

I have to admit, walking along the canal really reminded me of Suzhou, so if you only have a few days to spend in Shanghai, I would recommend to visit just one of the two. Zhujiajiao is not as big and commercial as Suzhou’s canal streets yet and of course, as with all popular places in China, it’s best to go here on a week day.

You can purchase tickets to go inside little temples and museums, but we were just happy walking around the area and exploring the little cute cafés and handicraft shops. Overall, most shops offer quite unique and high-quality products, opposed to most other Chinese tourist streets, which I really liked.

I visited Zhujiajiao together with my friends from Thailand, who came and visited me in Shanghai for 3 days, and we all loved it. Even if your time visiting Shanghai is limited, I think it’s worth trekking out here to discover a part of ancient China.

– Her