Thames Town
Shanghai Shi ·

Thames Town

Shanghai Shi ·

Quirky town with cobbled streets, Tudor homes, and wedding photos

Thames Town by null
Thames Town by Photo by triplefivechina
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null
Thames Town by null

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Songjiang District, China, 201614 Get directions

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Songjiang District, China, 201614 Get directions

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Last updated

Nov 19, 2025

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25,132 Postcards · 3,700 Cities

"A Bit of England in China If you travel out to the end of Line 9, you'll find yourself back in England. No kidding. Opened in 2006, this satellite city is part of the government's "One City, Nine Towns" initiative. While they intended to house up to 10,000 residents here and filled the village with apartments, shops and restaurants, the concept flopped and it feels more like a TV set than a cultural hamlet. Nonetheless, it's a fascinating place to take a stroll and stop for a spot of earl grey. How to get there: jump on line 9 and take it to Songjiang New Town station. From there, you'll need to grab a taxi (<15RMB) to taiwushi xiaozhen). By AFAR Traveler , AFAR Local Expert"

Wood grain pattern
Exploring Shanghai's Outskirts
Photo by triplefivechina
Thames Town

Michelle C.

Google
Far from Shanghai 1 hours, less people come, nice environment with beautiful flowers. Saw the couples came here for weeding photo. Lawson enjoying hot latte and new Orleans chicken drumsticks is yummy

Charlie M.

Google
I’m British and I have a passing interest in urban architecture so I thought it would be interesting to visit this novel area to see how this supposed modal of a quaint British town would look. In some ways it actually felt a little strange feeling, seeing these vague reimagining of old style British buildings and streets, but everything feeling empty and abandoned made it feel a little ghostly. I was also hoping to see a few European style cafes and even maybe a British style pub to grab a pint, which would have added to the novelty, but sadly I couldn’t see anything that would match the theme. It was still an interesting visit although it did take almost two hours from the centre of Shanghai taking the subway and then walking from the station. In reality Themes Town was originally created as a residential project, not as a tourist attraction, but I think they can definitely lean more into the latter by embracing the novelty and it could become a more fun place to visit.

Hazel Y.

Google
Feel a little cheated to come all the way here and there is nothing much. It’s not really worth it unless you have a lot of time to spare in Shanghai. Or you are looking for somewhere to take wedding photo. Thames town is a residential estate so don’t expect anything to shop or even eat. Just a few eateries targeting on tourist. The place is not very big so you can finish in half an hour. A lot of couples took their wedding shots here.

Drew B.

Google
I don't know where to start. At some point this was maybe a good idea but then hardly anyone moved in and those who did moved out because no commerce got started and then the weeds and wedding photography studios took over. I feel sorry for anybody like me who thought they could grab a pint in a proper local pub. I was trying the door for far too long before it dawned on me there is nobody home in Thames Town. It should be rebranded as a huge Britain-themed film lot.

Ryan C.

Google
Fairly interesting 'British Town' in Shanghai. Has a church, winding cobbled streets and mock tudor housing. Could be improved with 'british' cafes or even a British pub! It is a bit of a ghost town to be honest. There are quite a lot of couples taking pre-wedding photos which is nice. If taking the subway, get out at Songjiang Xincheng (Line 9) and take the bus (松江16) rather than walking the whole way, as it's quite a walk (about an hour). It's free to walk around.

정민

Google
Very cool place for shooting, kinda European style village. Was extremely happy to visit it. And you have to take a cab or a bus to get there, but its pretty affordable.

Shannon L.

Google
around 30 mins bike ride (10mins didi) from the closest metro station. Nice scenery while you walking really different image of shanghai id advise taking a cab there from the metro than cycling back. The town itself is a average rendition of an English town. handful of cafes and gift shops worth dropping into . Towards the lake has lovely landscape and ideal for Dates, Picnics etc.

Alex B.

Google
If you have time enough, nice to visit half a day. Quite far from city center. There are similar towns, like Holland town but this one seemed to me the most busy and occupied.