Register
To register your interest in the tour, email us on: textileloverstravel@gmail.comCosts
Your experience in Shanghai will cost A$1500 ($1350 for early birds who have committed to the trip by 29 February 2016). This excludes airfares and personal purchases but covers all accommodation, food, and travel within Shanghai by taxi, bus and train. It also includes a ½ day walking tour with a Chinese travel guide.Flights
We have typically flown Air China direct from Melbourne to Shanghai, flying on the Friday morning to arrive in Shanghai on the Friday evening, and then on the return leg taking an overnight flight from Shanghai on the Friday evening to arrive in Melbourne on the Saturday morning. Once numbers are confirmed a group booking will be organised for the air travel. As a guide the flights in May 2015 were around $750 return.Visa
China requires a visa, this cost around $150 and is not covered in the fee. This can be organised by the travel agent.Itinerary
The trip has a set itinerary but allows for some flexibility. Our most recent trip there was a lot of walking, we spent a lot of time at the fabric markets choosing fabric and organising the tailoring, and in fact visited two markets because one market is exceptional with their tailoring of jackets.We also discovering on this trip divine cashmere which we now know can be made up into articles of clothing so this is on the itinerary for the first day. As a guide most cotton fabrics were ¥40 (A$7) per metre. The dressmaker we use charged ¥160 (A$29) to make each dress and ¥100 (A$18) for each skirt.
In addition to the tailoring our days were spent walking through old Shanghai, a bus ride to an old canal village for a day, slow time sipping tea or coffee in cafes, people watching and relaxing in parks. Shanghai Museum is worth a visit. Breakfast, lunch and dinner was eaten in non-westernised Chinese restaurants. The street vendor food was delicious.
A walking tour around old Shanghai with a local tour guide was a highlight for everyone (also included in the tour) because of the wealth of fascinating information the tour guide shares. Finally, shopping is hard to avoid as the Shanghainese love to shop and there are opportunities everywhere.
A detailed itinerary can be provided to participants.
