This is just going to be a light post all about our visit to the YuYuan gardens (also called Yu Garden) in Shanghai – just because I am feeling nostalgic about the place and wanting to revisit China.
YuYuan Garden is a beautiful garden spread over five acres believed to have been built over 400 years ago during the Ming Dynasty. The garden survived many historical events in its long existence, such as the First Opium War, Taiping Rebellion, and World War II. The garden was opened to the public in 1961 and declared a national monument in 1982.
These gardens are located very close to the CBD area in Shanghai, so super-accessible and easy to spend a couple of hours strolling.
You have to pay for tickets to the garden itself. If you buy these in India via Klook, the price is just Rs. 301 per person! Pretty good deal!
If you buy tickets at the venue, it is 40 yuan per person (approx Rs. 400/-). So Klook is cheaper!
However, even if you don’t want to visit the garden itself, the markets around the place are worth a visit! You get everything from cheap trinkets and souvenirs to some high-end artistic pieces.
I fell in love with this gorgeous origami bag. The only reason I didn’t buy it was the voice of reason (Snubnose) whispering in my ear that a paper bag was not the most practical option 😀 .
Eventually, I didn’t shop for anything there. The paper bags, as said earlier, were not practical. The pottery was exquisite, but I wasn’t about to buy anything breakable. So, eventually, we just walked around taking pretty pics to share with you 😀.
The shops there also had some incredibly exquisite porcelain and other artwork. These are not budget buys.
The YuYuan garden itself was stunning. Lots of unusual plants and interesting architectural elements.
You can’t make out from these pics, but the dragon wall surrounds most of the garden, shielding it from the modern city outside. It’s got an incredibly long tail that weaves through the top of the wall as far as the eye can see.
We strolled through the gardens and the house clicking away at all the exciting sights.
It was a cloudy day, but temperature-wise perfect for exploring this wonderful garden of water, rocks, and trees spread over five acres.
It was incredibly crowded, though. We were later told that the time we went (approx 11 am) was the busiest time in the garden. I wish we had gone at a slightly quieter time, allowing us to enjoy the peaceful aura around the place.
We walked through gorgeous pavilions and ponds brimming with koi, but it was impossible to stop and click photos because of the crowds. You know how it feels when you’re trying to get a nice shot of the scenery, only for people to walk right into your picture every single second.
Dress from Moborr, which specializes in sustainable and fashionable clothing. Available for purchase here.
We ended up hurrying through the garden and out into the market, driven away by the crowds.
Next, we tried to get some xiao long bao. This dish is very famous in China, and I was told YuYuan garden was one of the best places to try some. Unfortunately, though we couldn’t find any, we ended up settling for some good ole Starbucks and a chance to rest our legs.
And that was our time at YuYuan gardens, people! A charming couple of hours. Most tour guides recommend a good three-4 hours to visit this place. And I can see why they would say that.
The garden was lovely. Just walking through such a historical place was incredible. The combinations of materials (the rock was predominate), the patterns on paths created with stone, the many different window patterns, the doors! There were so many differently shaped doorways. There were so many combinations and juxtapositions of designs, materials, plantings, and rocks (which I think I was told all came from the bottom of the lake at the Summer Palace) that you need a lot of time to process it.
Because of the crowds, we ended up cutting our walk short.
It demands a revisit if I ever again come to Shanghai. Fingers crossed, I am in the middle of persuading hubby that he needs to visit China next year. If he agrees, Snubnose and I would love to show him around the place again!
I am ending this post with some more clicks from this place.
I hope you enjoyed this post. Stay tuned for more travel experience posts, tips, and a detailed itinerary!
I haven’t been to China (and it doesn’t look like I will for a long time now, given the situation) but the Yu Yuan Gardens sound like a nice place to relax and take a stroll. More than the garden itself, the market outside it excited me. I would love to buy cheap trinkets and souvenirs. The origami bag looks so cool! Thanks for the tip on buying tickets from Klook.
It is impressive that the garden survived all of those historical changes. That dragon sculpture is very cool and so large! I enjoy this style of architecture. It is so enchanting and beautiful!
I didn’t know about YuYuan Garden until reading this post. This is such a wonderful place to be. I absolutely loved the architecture. This what I like about Chinese architecture. A must visit place for sure.
Though I passed from YuYuan gardens but could not take the inside view as it was heavy rains for 2 days when I visited Shanghai. Now when I look your photos, it makes me feel that I missed something very beautiful. Those markets around this place are really adorable. I would love to buy some authentic traditional trinkets from here. I can’t believe the origami paper bag is useable too. Pavilions with Chinese style of roofs really look stunning.
Leaving the hustle and bustle of the city behind and immersing yourself in this fabulous garden must be very relaxing! Also, the sculptures and pavilions shown in your pictures are so beautiful. I’m gonna take note of this garden for a future trip to Shanghai 🙂 PS that origami bag is super!
This looks just beautiful. Thanks for the tips on the most crowded times too! I really hope to explore these gardens some day!
Its nice to see that a metropolitan city like Shanghai has such a beautiful and unadultered space for nature. We have been to Shanghai numerous times but have always stayed near The Bund. This garden will be on our list the next time we are in Shaghai so we can have a chance to chill out and enjoy a refreshing garden walk.
Heard of it a lot and will surely visit some day. Glad to read your experience of visiting this must-see place in Shanghai. I will try to taste the Xiao Long Bao when there though. The place reminded me a bit of Hue Citadel mostly because of the Chinese influence in Vietnam.
It’s fairly small, but pretty. I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of greenery there. It’s more about seeing the vintage house and roaming the markets. I honestly don’t know why they call it Yu Yuan garden (and not house).
Thanks for taking us back to our visit to the gardens in Shanghai. We visited twice when we were there. Once was quiet and the other time it was crazy busy. When it was quiet, it was a beautiful oasis in the city. I loved searching for all the different images of lions and dragons in the garden and surrounding markets!
Yeah, we went at a busy time too. It would have been nice to see the place a little quiet.