No other skyline in the world  compares to Shanghai's. Slip into a world rooted in history yet decades ahead of its time, add a great gay-friendly hotel, one of Purple Dragon's renowned private tour guides, throw in a little nightlife and you have a holiday in China's futuristic window on the galaxy.

Includes
private airport transportation; accommodation with tax and service, nightlife guide on one night during stay, free plan day tour with private guide. Not included: airfare, local transportation, admissions, meals or beverages, gratuities, features not specifically mentioned in the itinerary, or items of a purely personal nature. Please buy lunch for your day guides and soft drinks for your night guide at clubs you visit.

Private transfer from the airport to your hotel. If you arrive early in the day, take a stroll in any direction and encounter a cross-section of Shanghai's history, from European-style tree-lined avenues and Russian-influenced merchant shophouse architecture, to hyper-modern shopping avenues where gray communist clothing shops are gradually giving up the ghost for Big Mac outlets. Our local guide is available to join you for dinner and introduce you to the local gay scene tonight or on another night during your stay (Friday or Saturday nights are busiest). Don't miss a chance to stroll along the spectacular Bund, China's former Wall Street in anything-goes pre-communist days, with beautiful old flapper-era banks and hotels lining the riverfront and new Shanghai rising like a futuristic space port on the opposite side of the river.

Breakfast at your leisure. At 10am your guide will collect you. Your tour is free-plan, so your guide can suggest sightseeing to match your personal interests, but we recommend that first-time visitors see the following places at some time during their stay...

Longhua Ta is the most colorful temple in Shanghai (give the Jade Buddha temple a skip) and morning, when the monks are most active, is a great time to visit. It's in the suburbs, a short ride by elevated super highway (a great way to get a sense of Shanghai's spaceage sprawl). You should also visit the beautifully maintained Ming dynasty pleasure garden at Yu Yuan and afterwards stroll around the kitschy Lao Jie shopping avenue -- a sort of Disney version of old China for the modern masses (but don't buy the overpriced souvenirs being hawked here). A better place to bargain for gifts and antiquey items is Dongtai Road, which retains its original Shanghainese ambience of crumbling merchant tenements and old curio shops (visit now before this place gets an official scrub-up like the Duolun walking avenue). Streetside noodle shops offer one of Shanghai's most delicious pleasures: fried and steamed dumplings. Careful, these pleasure bombs have a tendency to explode when bitten into (to the delight of laughing locals who know to bend low over their plates while noshing). For those shop-a-holics craving cheap faux-brand goods, we know a local market specializing in well-made knock-offs (or "copywrong" products as your guide will joke). People's Square is home to more spectacular architecture, including the fabulous Shanghai Museum with its must-see collections of superb Chinese traditional arts. Late afternoon and evenings are a good time to visit Xintiandi, a trendy complex of boutique shops and restaurants housed in restored heritage buildings. Our favorite way to cap off the day is sipping a cappuccino at Starbucks over on the Pudong side of the river while taking in the sunset over the Bund.

Free time until your private transfer to the airport to discover more delights in nearby Beijing, Xian, or Hong Kong and Macau.

PRICE PER PERSON FOR ALL INCLUSIVE PACKAGE
in DOLLARS/EURO/POUNDS/BAHT BASED ON YOUR
CHOICE OF HOTEL

Value: The Metropole, Deluxe Room All year 2008 Double 320 207 159 10,591 Single 614 398 305 20,311 Superior: The Metropole, Suite Through December 2008 Double 368 238 183 12,175 Single 709 460 352 23,479 Deluxe: Sofitel Hyland, Superior Room July 2008 Double 374 243 186 12,396 Single 723 469 359 23,949 August through November 2008 Double 448 290 222 14,832 Single 871 564 432 28,821 December 08 through February 09 Double 374 243 186 12,396 Single 723 469 359 23,949 March 2009 Double 448 290 222 14,832 Single 871 564 432 28,821 Faaabulous: Radisson Plaza March through June 08 Double 512 332 254 16,955 Single 927 601 461 30,701 July & August 08 Double 477 310 237 15,806 Single 858 556 426 28,404 September through December 08 Double 512 332 254 16,955 Single 927 601 461 30,701 January & February 09 Double 477 310 237 15,806 Single 858 556 426 28,404 VIP: Sofitel Hyland, Club Floor Deluxe Room August through November 2008 Double 486 315 241 16,077 Single 948 614 471 31,370 December 08 through February 09 Double 417 270 207 13,809 Single 811 525 403 26,834 March 2009 Double 486 315 241 16,077 Single 948 614 471 31,370 Ultimate: Four Seasons Shanghai Minimum 2008* Double 713 462 354 23,594 Single 1,402 909 696 46,403 Maximum 2008* Double 785 509 390 25,996 Single 1,548 1,003 769 51,237 *The hotel decides the rate when they confirm reservations. We do not normally know in advance.

choose from these SHANGHAI HOTELS Value: The Metropole Superior: The Metropole Deluxe: Sofitel Hyland Faaabulous: Radisson Plaza VIP: Sofitel Hyland Ultimate: Four Seasons Shanghai      Where We Shine: Purple Dragon is Asia's most famous gay and lesbian information resource and we save our guests precious time by recommending the best, newest, and most popular venues in the city. Your tour is private and you have the undivided attention of our local guides. You'll never be herded around on a bus with 40 strangers. Our guests often remark that the highlight of their holiday was the charming company of our guides and their unique insights into local culture. Club Sanook Members who use our packages in China can use a Club Sanook mobile phone free during your trip if you make arrangements with me in advance. We will give you the number before you depart so you can leave it with friends and family. There are a few rules, of course, but we will send you details before your trip. Please make your arrangements in advance. All prices are based on exchange rates in effect on 25 July 2008 and are subject to change without notice.   Convert to Other Currencies