Member Spotlight: Wheely Bike Tours Shanghai

Wheely Bike Tours is a Shanghai-based bike tour company with nearly 20 years of experience and one of our valued Chamber members. Recently, we were invited by Wheely Bike Tours to experience one of their tours through the city ourselves.

A Rich Dutch Heritage in Shanghai

Wheely Bike Tours carries a long-standing Dutch legacy spanning nearly two decades. The company was originally founded in 2008 by Dutch entrepreneur Ellen Petit, who ran it until 2016 while also merging it with another popular Dutch cycling initiative, Bike Around Shanghai. In 2016, Bjorn van der Veen took the helm, guiding the business for nearly a decade before his departure for Singapore in 2025. Today, the torch has been passed to Thomas Knoop as (co-)owner, continuing a proud tradition of Dutch bicycle culture deeply rooted in Shanghai.

Discovering Shanghai on Two Wheels

We joined their French Concession Tour, which took us through some of Shanghai’s most beautiful leafy streets, historic neighbourhoods and charming old architecture. Cycling through the area offered a very different perspective on a part of the city that many of us know well, but perhaps do not always take the time to explore.

Our guide, Daniel, is a certified tour guide with an impressive knowledge of Shanghai, Chinese history and culture. Throughout the tour, he shared fascinating stories about the turbulent history of the former French Concession, the influence of Western culture on Shanghai, and the development of the city over time. He also shared plenty of useful local recommendations. Even as people who have lived in Shanghai for some time, we came away having learned something new about the city we call home.

The tour lasted around four hours and included several interesting stops along the way, including a local fruit shop where we enjoyed a refreshing juice, a beautiful historic French-style park, one of Shanghai’s unique and traditional lilong neighbourhoods, and the iconic Wukang Building. The combination of cycling, sightseeing and storytelling made the experience both very interesting and enjoyable.

The Ultimate Life-Hack for Local Hosts

Beyond individual sightseeing, these tours are also an ideal solution for Shanghai residents hosting visiting family or international business guests. Entrusting your visitors to Wheely Bike Tours guarantees them a safe, memorable and expert-led deep dive into the city’s hidden gems. Better yet, it frees up valuable hours for hosts to catch up on work, manage daily life or simply enjoy a quiet break, knowing their guests are in good hands.

We would recommend Wheely Bike Tours to both tourists discovering Shanghai for the first time and long-term residents who want to explore the city from a different perspective. Shanghai has a fascinating history and many layers that are easy to miss when simply walking or driving through the city, and a guided bike tour is a fun way to uncover some of them.

Wheely Bike Tours is also always looking for people interested in working as freelance tour guides. If you are interested in either joining a tour or finding out more about opportunities to work with the company, you can find their contact information below.

We would like to sincerely thank Wheely Bike Tours for inviting us and for giving us the opportunity to experience the city on two wheels!

You can find the contact information of Wheely Bike Tours in the following link:  https://wheelybiketours.com/contact/