As a charming water town in the south of the Yangtze River in Shanghai, Zhujiajiao Ancient Town can not only enjoy the scenery of small bridges and flowing water, but also taste authentic water town cuisine, and also experience non-heritage culture and slow life.
I. Basic and practical information
• Open and tickets: The ancient town block is open for free all day; the internal paid scenic spots (such as Kezhiyuan, Daqing Post Office, etc.) are mostly open from 8:30 to 17:00. The joint ticket of scenic spots is 60 yuan, covering 6 scenic spots such as Kezhiyuan and Chenghuang Temple. You can also buy tickets separately, of which Kezhiyuan is 20 yuan, and you can choose to play alone according to your needs.
• Transportation Guide: The subway is the best choice. Take Line 17 to "Zhujiajiao Station", walk for 15 minutes after exiting the station or transfer to the Zhuxu Line bus directly to the ancient town; self-driving takes about 1 hour from Shanghai, navigate to the "Zhujiajiao Ancient Town Parking Lot", convenient parking; short-distance can also be in the ancient town Choose a man-powered tricycle, and you can reach the near-range scenic spot for about 15 yuan.
• The best time: from March to May, the willows are fragrant, and from September to November, the climate is suitable and the scenery is good; at 6 to 7 o'clock in the morning every day, you can encounter the morning fog of the release bridge, just like an ink painting. After the lanterns are lit in the evening, the atmosphere of the river at night is full.
II. Travel route
Classic travel routes
• One-day leisure line (suitable for first-time play): Release Bridge → North Street → Course Garden → Daqing Post Office → Rocking Boat Tour. First, go to the release bridge to see the panoramic view of the water town, and take photos in the morning or at dusk; then go to the North Street to eat snacks and buy gifts; in the afternoon, go to the Kezhi Garden to visit the Jiangnan Garden, climb the Wangyue Building to overlook the whole town; go to the Qing Post Office to send postcards with the postmark of the water town; finally, take a row boat to shuttle the water lane and listen to the boat girl sing Wu minor.
• Humanities depth line (suitable for cultural lovers): Yuanjin Zen Temple → Quanhua Watercolor Art Museum → Non-heritage handmade experience → Handalong Sauce Garden. First, go to the Yuanjin Zen Temple to pray for blessings and taste Zen tea, and then go to the Watercolor Art Museum to see the exhibition; then experience bamboo carving, blue printed cloth and other non-heritage handicrafts; finally, go to the century-old store Han Dalong Sauce Garden to try handmade soy sauce and feel the fireworks of the old brand.
III. List of must-eat delicacies
• Must-try the signboard: the filling of Grandma's zongzi on North Street is solid, and the egg yolk and fresh meat zongzi are popular; the meat is bundled with zongzi leaves or straw, which is crispy and flavorful, and the sauce is fragrant; and there are also fat but not greasy sauce hooves, which are excellent with rice.
• Special snacks: begonia cake, bean paste, orange cake Q elastic and cool, all of which are glutinous and delicious; oil dunzi and radish shredded cake are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, which can be used for about 8 yuan to relieve your taste; seasonal snacks such as malt collapse cake in Qingming Festival and wine cake in Lixia, you can also feel the seasonal limited flavor.
• Drinks and gifts: You can try the local Apo tea, which tastes better with nine-made Chenpi; the handmade soy sauce, smoked green beans, and Zhuangyuan cake from Handalong Sauce Garden are all suitable gifts to take back.
• Straw pork: This is a famous dish of Zhujiajiao. It is made of fat and lean meat, tied with zongzi leaves or straw, and stewed in brine. Oriental Green Boat Resort Hotel's fermented milk juice straw meat is added to the traditional recipe with rose fermented milk, which has a unique flavor.
• Steamed white silk fish: White silk fish is a specialty of Dianshan Lake, and the meat is tender. The method of steaming can preserve the original taste of the fish to the greatest extent. After serving, sprinkle hot oil to stimulate the fragrance, which is very delicious.
• Tianluo stuffed meat: Chop the pork and stuff it into the Tianluo, add soy sauce and other seasonings to cook, thick oil red sauce, the firmness of the Tianluo meat is combined with the freshness of the pork, and the taste is rich.
• Dianshan Lake eel lion's head: This is the Qingpu water town version of Huaiyang's traditional "sunflower cut meat". It is made of fresh eel, river shrimp and fat lobster from Dianshan Lake as the main ingredients, and stewed in chicken soup. The delicious taste is unforgettable.
• Mushroom noodles: The mushroom noodles of the first teahouse in the south of the Yangtze River are made of dragon beard noodles with tea tree mushrooms, white jade mushrooms and crab-flavored mushrooms. It is fresh and not greasy. You can taste it in front of the carved window and have a special flavor.
• Eel noodles: The eel noodles of Defa Noodle Restaurant are quite famous. The eel is stir-fried, soft and tender, and the noodles are chewy and full of sauce. It is a classic noodle in the ancient town.
• Spicy meat noodles: The spicy meat noodles in Jiang Yimin's snack shop are the choice of many Zhujiajiao people for breakfast. The spicy meat topping is bright in color, salty and slightly spicy, and the sauce can wrap the noodles evenly.
• Grandma Zongzi: Zhujiajiao's Grandma Zongzi is famous. The glutinous rice is soaked and seasoned for a long time, wrapped in pork belly and other fillings, wrapped in zongzi leaves and cooked. It is soft and delicious, and the meat fragrance and glutinous rice fragrance are perfectly integrated.
• Stinky tofu: Wuzifang stinky tofu is famous in the ancient town. The outer skin is golden and crispy, and the inside is soft and juicy. With sweet noodle sauce and hot sauce, it tastes excellent.
• Begonia cake: The skin is soft, glutinous and sweet, wrapped in full of bean paste fillings. The freshly baked begonia cake is steaming, and the bean paste is sweet and fragrant.
• Orange cake: made of original ecological ingredients, soft and glutinous, is a popular dessert in the ancient town.
IV. Special experience projects
• Rocking boat night tour: the cruise ticket price is 30-40 yuan/person, and the route is mostly from the release bridge to the garden. At night, the lights reflect the river, and the boat is accompanied by the Wu minor tune, which has a different charm of the south of the Yangtze River.
• Non-heritage and handicrafts: The handicraft exhibition hall on North Street can experience bamboo carvings and wood carvings. Some venues also have Jinshan peasant paintings and silk screen printmaking projects. The finished products can be taken away as a souvenir.
• How to play the niche: 7:00 - 9:00 Go to the morning market near Zhuxi Garden, where you can buy fresh river fresh and local vegetables and fruits, and feel the atmosphere of the market; you can also participate in the "treasure hunt" script killing on North Street, and learn about the history of the ancient town under the guidance of the old NPC.
V. Accommodation recommendation
Homestay
• Jingting Homestay: Located at No. 54 and 56 Xijing Street, it is a Jiangnan courtyard renovated by an old house in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is surrounded by the river and the water, and the courtyard is elegant. You can walk to the core scenic spots of the ancient town. The Ctrip rating is five stars, and the service and quality are guaranteed.
• Mandu Xiaoju: Located at No. 29 Donghu Street, it will open in 2023. The guest rooms are decorated in a modern style, warm and comfortable. Some rooms have terraces, where you can enjoy the night view of the ancient town. They also provide services such as making tea around the stove.
• Caoxi Bieyuan: Located at No. 149 Caohe Street, it is a house with two courtyards, with a new Chinese design style, gray tile brick building, brick carving gate building, full of the charm of the water town, the exit is the corridor bridge, near the release bridge.
• Huazhu Heyuan: Located at No. 38 Donghu Street, including riverside detached houses, Mijia Shiguang, Yiban courtyards, etc. The riverside detached houses are equipped with riverside LOFT suites and double rooms. There is a super-large garden terrace on the second floor, where you can dine and watch movies outdoors.
• Ledao Xintian Mingxinju: Located at No. 273, Zhoujiagang Village, it is a simple and style detached courtyard, surrounded by rice fields and Zhuqi River. With a superior ecological environment, it is suitable for cycling teams or family and friends to gather. There are also billiards, board games and other entertainment facilities in the homestay.
Pub
• Shanghai Zhujiajiao Chenmao Resort Hotel: Located in the tourist area of Zhujiajiao Ancient Town, it is a high-end hotel. The hotel building is in garden style, with river view rooms and beautiful night views. It is also equipped with charging piles, buffet breakfast and other facilities.
• Yunting Hotel (Shanghai Qingpu Zhujiajiao Ancient Town Branch): Located in the ancient town tourist area, close to the entrance of the ancient town, free parking service, chess and card room, conference room, children's swimming pool and other facilities, some rooms are duplex loft rooms, suitable for family travel.
• Orange Hotel (Shanghai Qingpu Zhujiajiao Branch): Close to Zhujiajiao Subway Station and Bus Station, with convenient transportation, newly opened in 2025, the hotel provides robot services, fitness rooms, free laundry services, etc., and breakfast is also well received.
VI. Tips for playing
• The ticket price is half price after 18:00, and the garden light and shadow show during the night tour is worth watching.
• Some alleys of the ancient town, such as the "first line of sky" on the north street, the narrowest part is only 0.7 meters, which looks thin when taking photos. It is suitable for punching in, but you need to pay attention to safety when walking.
• Be careful when buying silverware and other valuables, and give priority to old-name stores; cruise ships can try to bargain to avoid high-priced consumption.
• The bluestone road is slippery on rainy days, so it is recommended to wear comfortable flat shoes; there are many mosquitoes in summer, so you can carry mosquito-proof supplies.