Historic Shanghai walking tours

Historic Shanghai is a long-running organisation that shares the city's past through walking tours and articles on its website. It says it has developed more than 150 walking tours over the years, and its programme is aimed at visitors and residents who want more context than a standard sightseeing tour can give.

The classic walks cover the main chapters of the city's story. Bubbling Well Road follows the historic buildings along what is now West Nanjing Road. Old City Temples explores nunneries, Taoist and Buddhist temples and the lanes around them. A Tale of Three Cities links the old Chinese city, the Bund and the former French Concession. Discover Shanghai Art Deco looks at the city's Art Deco mansions, apartments and lane houses. Shanghai's Jewish Ghetto tells the story of the city's Jewish refugees and includes the Jewish Refugee Museum, with an extended version also offered. Other routes cover The Bund and Beyond, the former French Concession and the former Jesuit enclave of Siccawei, now Xujiahui.

Themed walks add variety. There is a scavenger hunt in the former French Concession, vintage cocktail and wine walks that begin with a historic cocktail, an Empire of the Sun walk visiting sites from the J. G. Ballard novel and the Spielberg film, a vintage bakeries walk with pastry tastings and an early-morning walk combining street food, parks and French Concession stories.

The walks suit history lovers, architecture fans, repeat visitors and families with older children. Private tours run for two and a half to three hours and can be built around a chosen route or a custom theme, and the organisation also arranges tours for schools, universities, consulates, chambers of commerce, book clubs and companies. Scheduled public walks are announced through its WeChat account rather than on a fixed timetable, so check there for upcoming dates.

The website also publishes articles on the city's history, including a piece on the 1972 Shanghai Communiqué.

To book a private tour, choose a date, a route and your group size and contact the team by email. Comfortable shoes are essential. Meeting points depend on the route and are confirmed when you book.