Shanghai by Sidecars Review

Yet another historical tour of Shanghai …but luckily it wasn’t. Riding through Shanghai on a sidecar gave this long-time resident a whole new perspective of the city. Although I was unsure about the safety of braving the streets in a sidecar, Thomas appeared to be a responsible enough chap. Plus, his friendly demeanor quickly put me at ease. So, I hopped into the car and courageously began the tour.

Thomas Chabrieres has taken his love of Shanghai and motorbikes and created a truly unique educational experience, or perhaps I should say, adventure. His knowledge of the city’s architecture and colorful history is extensive. We traveled on streets I’d never seen and he enlightened me with unknown tales from places I’m well acquainted with.

Every tour is different. Until he meets the people and the tour begins, Thomas never decides exactly where he’ll take his passengers as every 1-4 hour trip is tailored to the guests’ interests. This keeps things more personal for the passengers while keeping the tour fresh for Thomas.

I found it to be a surprisingly great, comfortable way to tour around the city to see as much as possibly in a limited time without being constantly stuck in traffic. Although some Shanghai streets are torn up Thomas was quite good at avoiding those streets or navigating around the bumps where it couldn’t be avoided.

My tour lasted 2-hours, and personally I feel that anything shorter would not give you the full flavor of riding in the sidecar. The rates are charged per motorbike. Each bike can carry two passengers in addition to the driver. So a 2-hour tour is 750RMB for one passenger and only 500RMB more for a second. A 4-hour tour is 1000RMB for one person and 750RMB for the second person.

The Bottom Line:

Good fun and a unique way for tourists or longtime residents to see a different side of Shanghai.