Shanghai on Two Wheels

A city whose population is nearly that of the entire country of Australia might not seem like an ideal place for cycling, but guided tours with China Cycle Tours take in the sights of this relatively flat city at a leisurely pace.

Highlights include the Bund, Shanghai’s riverfront promenade and Xintiandì, a district of historic stone gatehouses that is now a glitzy, car-free shopping and dining neighborhood.

For a more fast-paced thrill, try a motorcycle tour with Shanghai Insiders. Don’t worry—you won’t have to navigate Shanghai traffic. The driving is left to expert guides, all residents of Shanghai for at least three years. You sit in the sidecar of the historic Chinese-made Chang Jiang motorcycles, descendants of 1938 German BMW R71s, from mechanical specs given to China by the Soviet Union under Stalin in the 1950s.

Another two-wheeled tour, launched in 2013, is offered by the Mandarin Oriental Pudong. The only Segway tour in the city tools along the Bund’s mile-long Huangpu River promenade with a guide.