Jiaxing: Old Town, Cathedral & Lake Private Day Trip

Take an easy, picturesque day to discover Jiaxing, a historic Zhejiang town where ancient China meets European architecture, on a private day trip from Shanghai. Your English-speaking guide and private car pick you up at your hotel and drive you south into the waterways of northern Zhejiang.

You begin at Zicheng Heritage Park, the very origin point and central axis of old Jiaxing, dating back to the Three Kingdoms era. Strolling the old yamen pathways you can feel layers of history, while the nearby Zicheng market hums with everyday life. Just across the street stands the Cathedral of the Apparition of Our Lady, the third-largest church in the Far East and a rare large-scale Gothic building in eastern China, an atmospheric spot to sit on the lawn and take photos.

From there you walk along Shaonian Road to the Yuehe Historic District, a charming maze of narrow canals, stone-paved lanes and old houses lined with shops, snack stalls and markets. Your guide helps you taste local specialties, including the famous Jiaxing zongzi (sticky-rice dumplings), and you can visit the Zongzi Museum.

In the afternoon you head to Shenxian Lake, a hidden former quarry near Haiyan whose scenery resembles a coastal fjord. A gentle, mature walking path with almost no climb loops the lake, passing more than a dozen viewpoints; it is friendly for all ages and entirely free of hiking difficulty. You can wander the shore and watch the sun set over the water before heading back.

This tour is deliberately relaxed, with easy walking only and no hiking. When the day ends, your private car returns you comfortably to your Shanghai hotel.

A gentle day trip from Shanghai to Jiaxing. Explore the ancient Zicheng site and a Gothic cathedral, stroll Yuehe historic street for local food, then relax by the fjord-like Shenxian Lake.