Shanghai
1930s jazz-age streets, a futuristic skyline and some of the best food in China.
Highlights of Shanghai
Shanghai mixes colonial-era waterfront, leafy old-French-Concession lanes and the towers of Pudong. It's also the base for China's canal towns.
The Bund
A riverside promenade of 1920s banks and hotels facing the Pudong skyline. Come at dusk, when both sides light up, and walk on to the Garden Bridge.
Former French Concession
Plane-tree streets of old villas. Start at Wukang Road and the wedge-shaped Wukang Mansion, then wander to Anfu Road's cafés.
Yu Garden and the old town
A Ming-dynasty garden of rockeries and pavilions, surrounded by snack stalls.
Shanghai Tower
China's tallest building, with an observation deck about 546 metres up.
Shanghai Museum
World-class bronzes, ceramics and calligraphy, now with a second, larger site in Pudong.
Canal towns
Zhujiajiao is inside Shanghai. Zhouzhuang, Tongli, Xitang and Wuzhen are all within two hours.
How to spend 2–3 days in Shanghai
A balanced first visit. Your advisor adjusts it to your pace and interests.
- Day 1
The Bund and Garden Bridge, Nanjing Road, Shanghai Museum, dinner with the skyline view.
- Day 2
Yu Garden and the old town in the morning, French Concession on foot in the afternoon, jazz at the Peace Hotel.
- Day 3
Day trip to a canal town, or Shanghai Disneyland with children.
Local food
- XiaolongbaoThin-skinned soup dumplings. Bite a small hole, sip the broth, then eat.
- Shengjian baoPan-fried pork buns with crispy bottoms, a breakfast favourite.
- Hongshao rouShanghai's red-braised pork belly, slow-cooked with soy sauce and sugar.
- Hairy crabA seasonal treat from late September to November.
Local favourites
- Wukang RoadShanghai's prettiest street of historic villas, best on a weekday morning.
- Peace Hotel jazz barThe Old Jazz Band has played Shanghai standards here for decades.
- Sinan Mansions and Fuxing ParkLocals ballroom-dancing and playing cards under the trees.
Connections
| To / from | By | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Suzhou | High-speed train | about 30 minutes |
| Hangzhou | High-speed train | about 1 hour |
| Beijing | High-speed train | about 4½ hours |
| Huangshan | High-speed train | about 3 hours |
| Guilin | Flight | about 2½ hours |
Times are typical and vary by service.
Tips from our guides
- The metro is excellent and signposted in English. Pay with the Alipay transit code.
- Avoid the Bund and Nanjing Road during the first week of October, when crowds are enormous.
- Shanghai Disneyland tickets sell out at weekends and holidays. Book ahead.
Nearby and nicely paired
1–2 daysSuzhou
The classical gardens of scholars and officials, laced with canals.
1–2 daysHangzhou
West Lake's willows and causeways, and the tea villages in the hills above.
1 dayWuzhen
A canal town of stone bridges and wooden houses, magical after dark.
Add Shanghai to your China trip
Tell us when you'd like to travel and what you love. Your advisor sends a free day-by-day plan within 24 hours.