Hi, it needs 160RMB on the ticket and transportation cost. I did not try to follow a tour. It has such tours and not hard to find, I guess. Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing Wuxi are all good place to go around Shanghai. They can be easily reached from Shanghai by bullet train and bus. If you visit ZHou ZHuang, no need to visit other old towns there. For water towns there look the same. I have been to Xitang too. It is 1.5 hours drive from Shanghai SOuth Railway Station. It is smaller than Zhouzhuang, but you do not need to pay for the entrace fee from Monday to Friday. It is perfect. :-)