Yuyuan Garden: Historic greenery

Yuyuan Garden, tucked away inside Yuyuan (so it is the actual garden inside Yu Gardens), is a classical Chinese garden, that dates back to the Ming dynasty, when it was built by a wealthy official to please his parents. And his parents must have been happy, as it certainly is impressive -- with its six separate sections, divided by white walls, it is similar in style to the famous gardens in Suzhou, but much closer to home.

With its wealth of history and secluded location, the garden inside the walls makes you feel as if you're entering a bygone era of Shanghai -- clean air, birds tweeting and all the time in the world to gaze upon elegant pavilions, fresh greenery and pools teaming with corpulent goldfish. And, you’d be right, just as long as you don’t go during the weekend.

Yuyuan Garden is popular, so be warned it can get packed like a metro station during rush hour with the masses looking for that same bygone era escape.