Zhujiajiao Water Town Is The Best Day Trip From Shanghai

Don’t get me wrong; I’m a city girl at heart, and Shanghai is one of my favorite cities in the whole world. Clean, beautiful, and stylish, with that trendy cosmopolitan vibe and contemporary-meets-history aura—there are endless things to do in Shanghai. But sometimes, you just want to get out of the city and experience a slice of cultural history. Zhujiajiao Water Town is exactly the place to do that—on an easy day trip from Shanghai, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back into living history.

Walking through the narrow streets of Zhujiajiao on either side of a flowing turquoise canal lined with willow trees, I couldn’t believe we were still technically in Shanghai. Shop owners leisurely invited us in to try floral lychee tea, and we paused lazily to watch a street vendor dance with paper fish streamers next to his traditional cart on the cobblestones. Especially dressed in my flowing hanfu, I felt like I was in a romantic version of what life in China’s water towns might have been like 500 years ago.

What Is a Water Town, Exactly?

In China, ancient water towns are a part of the country’s cultural history. Especially in areas like Jiangnan, the region south of the Yangtze River, these towns sprung up around canals, rivers, and lakes to utilize water as the main transportation network.

Because many parts of Eastern China feature pretty flat topography and abundant waterways, this was a natural course of development. These kinds of towns also became bustling trade and commerce hubs because water was functional, a source of life, and the fastest way to move goods.

These days, water towns are more famous for their classical Chinese aesthetics that represent a slower, more poetic version of Chinese life. Unlike the hyper-modern cities in China that industrialized rapidly after the dynastic eras, many ancient water towns were restored with their traditional look and are still maintained to this day—though with the convenient trappings of modern life like milk tea shops and mobile pay!

🎍 You can find many water towns in this region of China—the most famous of which are in Suzhou, often called the romantic “Venice of the East.” Suzhou is a must-visit in China because of its elegant canals, delicate regional food, and luxurious silk industry.

What Is Zhujiajiao Water Town Specifically?

Zhujiajiao (朱家角) is a historic water town, located just outside of Shanghai. It’s over 1,700 years old and is considered one of the best-preserved ancient water towns in the region! Unlike some water towns in Jiangnan that were artificially created specially for tourism, Zhujiajiao is a real historic water town that was a merchant hub during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Today, Zhujiajiao is still very popular for its pretty canals, curved stone bridges, and traditional teahouses and street food stalls. Many people, including me, consider Zhujiajiao one of the best day trips from Shanghai!

Where is Zhujiajiao?

Zhujiajiao is located on the western edge bordering Shanghai, around 30 miles from the city center (or 45-50 kilometers). It’s far enough away to feel like a completely different world from Shanghai’s glass skyscrapers and Concession-era brick architecture—in fact, visiting Zhujiajiao feels like stepping back in dynastic Chinese history.

But the great news is that Zhujiajiao is conveniently connected to Shanghai by public metro, making it easy to reach and a perfect half-day or full day trip from Shanghai.

 🀄 Read more: What to Do in Shanghai: A Trendy & Cosmopolitan Travel Guide

Is It Worth Going to Zhujiajiao If I’m Already Going to Suzhou?

This is actually a question that I didn’t hear much about while I was researching my own trip. Even though Zhujiajiao is connected to Shanghai by metro, it technically takes longer to get here than it does to go from Shanghai to Suzhou by high-speed rail. (Did you know it only takes about half an hour to get from Shanghai to Suzhou?)

Suzhou is one of the most famous cities in China for its water town architecture. So, I was left wondering whether visiting Zhujiajiao would still be worthwhile if I was already planning on visiting Suzhou on my Yangtze River Delta circuit (hitting Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Suzhou in one week).

After taking the plunge and visiting Zhujiajiao, I’m going to give a resounding yes as the answer! It is still very much worth going to Zhujiajiao on a day trip from Shanghai even if you are planning to visit Suzhou. For one thing, Zhujiajiao is much more compact than Suzhou, which means you can see it all in one day—unlike Suzhou where I recommend setting aside at least 3 days to visit. It’s also much less busy than Suzhou, which can get really packed on the main streets. I believe you should definitely visit both Zhujiajiao and Suzhou on your trip to China!

🍵 Read more: Your Guide to Suzhou, China: Beautiful “Venice of the East”

How to Visit Zhujiajiao as a Day Trip From Shanghai

Getting to Zhujiajiao from Shanghai is quite straightforward. You can either use public transportation and arrange the trip yourself, or take an organized tour.

To reach Zhujiajiao via the metro, you’ll first want to reach Hongqiao Railway Station, which is the easternmost point on the metro line that runs to Zhujiajiao. From Hongqiao Railway Station, take Shanghai Metro Line 17 westbound and get off at Zhujiajiao Station.

From the metro station, you still need to walk about 15-20 minutes towards Zhujiajiao Water Town or call a short Didi to the water town entrance. We walked and it was quite easy to find—there’s a yellow stripe laid out on the ground that you simply follow—but if you’re pressed for time, Didi is convenient and affordable.

Entry to Zhujiajiao Water Town is free, so don’t be put off by ticket counters or turnstiles! Those are for special packages or tour groups. You can walk right in if you’re visiting on your own.

If you don’t want the hassle of figuring out all the transfers and logistics, you can also join a tour from Shanghai:

What to Do in Zhujiajiao Water Town

Zhujiajiao is a relatively small town and easily explored on foot. I really recommend coming here with no real plans and just wandering up and down the canals, checking out shops as you go! Definitely take some time to admire the traditional boats making their way through the water, and queue up to take a traditional boat ride if you’d like to experience it yourself. I love soaking in the serene atmosphere and the classical Chinese architecture along the canals.

We opted to spend most of our time trying the street food and tea stalls. If you’re not familiar with Chinese street foods, I recommend exploring Zhujiajiao “food tour” style and just trying a little bit of everything that looks interesting! You can find all kinds of goodies like floral and fruit teas, dried persimmons and seasonal fruits, and the ever-popular tanghulu, candied hawthorn encased in hard glassy sugar.

One of my favorite things we ate in Zhujiajiao was zongzi, glutinous rice dumplings that usually have meat and nuts inside. These zongzi in particular were stuffed with giant pieces of silky, fatty pork—the juiciest I’ve ever had in my life!

And of course, if you’re interested in experiencing a little slice of cultural history, you can do a hanfu photoshoot in Zhujiajiao! Hanfu is a type of traditional Chinese dress and there are many versions, but the ones you tend to see in photo studios are fantasy versions of Tang-dynasty hanfu. Most hanfu rental studios offer multiple packages ranging from only dress rental to hair and makeup to full service, including a photographer to take pictures for you.

I actually think the hanfu rental that we did in Zhujiajiao was my favorite out of all the ones I tried in China on this trip, because they really spent a great deal of time on the hair ornaments and making sure I looked like a fairy princess! Plus, it’s more affordable than the experience you would get in neighboring Shanghai.

So…Should You Visit Zhujiajiao as a Day Trip From Shanghai?

Yes, absolutely—I believe Zhujiajiao is the best day trip from Shanghai! If you can manage to set aside even just the majority of one day, I would definitely make the trek out to enjoy Zhujiajiao. Once you’re there, I can guarantee you’ll fall in love with the romantic, slow pace of Chinese water town life!