Songjiang Guided Tour with Transfers

Great experience. Anna was friendly and informative. The underwater museum was unlike anything I'd seen. The Deep Pit Hotel was jaw-dropping. The astronomy village with the 65m telescope was a perfect finale. 8 hours well spent.

SHANGHAI HAS A WHOLE OTHER SIDE!! 😍✨ Forget the Bund — Songjiang is where the magic is! Kevin was INCREDIBLE! 6,000-year-old relics, a hotel built INTO a quarry, and a 65m telescope listening to SPACE! The contrast was INSANE! Guangfulin's floating pavilions = PURE ART! Best tour ever!! 🏛️🔭🔥

Really enjoyed this. Sophia was professional and engaging. The underwater museum at Guangfulin was a highlight — walking through 6,000 years of history. The Deep Pit Hotel architecture is genius. The Sky Village cafes were charming. Worth the full day.

Solo traveler here — I'd already done the standard Shanghai sights (Bund, Yu Garden, French Concession) and wanted something different. This was perfect. Kevin picked me up from my hotel and the small group (5 people) felt intimate. The drive to Songjiang was comfortable and Kevin used the time to explain why this district is called the 'Roots of Shanghai.' Guangfulin was my favorite stop. The underwater museum is architecturally stunning — you descend through layers of earth and history, from 6,000-year-old Neolithic tools to Ming Dynasty ceramics. Kevin pointed out details I'd have missed: the construction techniques of ancient pottery, the meaning behind specific artifacts, how the archaeological site was discovered. The floating roof pavilions on the lake are genuinely beautiful. The Deep Pit Hotel was the adrenaline stop — descending 88 meters into a former rock quarry. The viewing platform gives you this vertigo-inducing view of the hotel clinging to the cliff face with a waterfall thundering below. Kevin shared the story of how the quarry was repurposed — it's an incredible example of adaptive reuse. Lunch at the hotel was good (own expense) and the setting was unbeatable. Tianshan Sky Village was the perfect wind-down. The 65m radio telescope is enormous and the astronomy-themed cafes in converted farmhouses were charming. I had coffee while looking at the telescope — surreal experience. Kevin explained the science in an accessible way and connected it to the broader theme of looking from the past (archaeology) to the future (space). The whole tour had this narrative arc: 6,000 years underground, 88 meters into a pit, then looking at the stars. Brilliant. Back by 5pm. Highly recommend for solo travelers who want depth over surface-level tourism.

This was the most surprising tour we did in Shanghai. Most tourists never leave the city center, but Master Wang showed us the 'Roots of Shanghai' in Songjiang and it was incredible. The private car picked us up at 9am and we drove about 50 minutes west. First stop: Guangfulin Archaeological Park. This place is stunning — nine roof-shaped pavilions that appear to float on the lake's surface. The centerpiece is the Underwater Museum, where you walk through layers of history from the Neolithic Age (6,000 years ago) through the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Master Wang explained how Songjiang was the original settlement before Shanghai even existed. The artifacts are displayed in this water-bound architectural setting that's genuinely breathtaking. The contrast of ancient town charm and modern design is brilliant. Second stop: the Deep Pit Hotel (InterContinental). This is the world's first 'groundscraper' — a hotel built INTO a decommissioned rock quarry, descending 88 meters below ground level. From the viewing platform, you overlook a massive man-made waterfall cascading down rugged rock faces. The engineering is mind-boggling. We had lunch at the hotel restaurant (own expense) with a surreal canyon backdrop — best meal view of our trip. Master Wang explained the construction challenges and how they stabilized the cliff walls. Final stop: Tianshan Sky Village and the Tianma Radio Telescope. A 65-meter radio telescope rising from quiet countryside — it's like a sci-fi movie set. The village around it has been transformed — traditional farmhouses are now art studios and astronomy-themed cafes. Master Wang explained how scientists use the telescope to 'listen' to deep space. The contrast of this cutting-edge technology with a thousand-year-old pagoda visible in the distance was striking. Back in Shanghai by 5pm. Tips: bring a camera (every stop is photogenic), wear comfortable shoes, and budget for lunch at the Deep Pit Hotel — it's worth it. Master Wang was outstanding. This tour is perfect for anyone who's already seen the Bund and wants the real origin story of Shanghai.