Shanghai
Shanghai is the easy entry point: signage in English, a metro that goes everywhere, and neighbourhoods built for walking. Three days is enough for the city; add Suzhou or Hangzhou as day trips.
- Region
- Shanghai, East
- Best
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Airports
- PVG · SHA
- Stay
- 3–4 days
Overview
The Bund and Pudong skyline are what you came for, and they take an evening. The rest of Shanghai is the former French Concession: low-rise, tree-lined, full of cafés and old lane houses. Base yourself there and walk.
Shanghai works. Payment, metro, taxis, English menus, all easier than anywhere else in the mainland. If it is your first stop, use it to set up the apps and get comfortable before heading inland.
The city is best in the shoulder seasons. Summer is humid and stormy; the plum-rain weeks in June can wash out whole days.
Getting there
Pudong (PVG) handles most international flights; the Maglev gets you to Longyang Road in eight minutes, then it is the metro. Hongqiao (SHA) is closer and shares a hub with the high-speed rail station, so domestic connections are painless.
Trains from Beijing arrive at Hongqiao in around four and a half hours. Suzhou is 25 minutes, Hangzhou under an hour.
Rail tip. Your passport is your ticket. Book on 12306 or Trip.com, then go straight to the gate. See Getting around. The Trip.com link earns us a small commission at no cost to you (how that works).
Stay online. Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked on Chinese networks; a travel eSIM that roams gets around it. Install one before you fly — Saily takes US$5 off a first plan with the code CHINA. See Staying online. The code earns us the same amount in Saily credits, at no cost to you (how that works).
Where to stay
Book on Trip.comFormer French Concession
法租界Plane trees, lane houses, cafés. Stay here.
Roughly the area around Wukang Road, Anfu Road and Fuxing Park. Quiet at night, walkable to everything on the west side, and the metro is a few minutes away.
Jing'an
静安Central, well connected, a mix of old and new.
Around the temple and West Nanjing Road. Big hotels, good restaurants, and lines 2, 7 and 13 all pass through.
The Bund
外滩The view. Expensive to sleep next to, easy to visit.
The riverfront hotels are grand and priced accordingly. Most people are happier staying west and coming here for the evening.
Booking. Compare hotels in Shanghai on Trip.com, filtered to its China travel essentials list: English-speaking staff, foreign cards, guest rating 8 or higher. See Where to stay. Booking through this link earns us a small commission at no cost to you (how that works).
Things to do
The Bund
外滩Walk it at dusk, then cross to Pudong for the reverse view.
Yu Garden and the old town
豫园A Ming garden inside a tourist bazaar. Go early or skip the bazaar.
Wukang Road
武康路The most photographed street in the Concession. Wander off it.
Shanghai Museum East
上海博物馆东馆Bronzes, ceramics, calligraphy. Free with a booking.
Zhujiajiao water town
朱家角Canals and stone bridges an hour out on metro line 17.
Eat
Xiaolongbao are the famous ones; the plainer shengjianbao (pan-fried buns) at a breakfast window are the local favourite. Look for hairy crab in autumn, scallion oil noodles anywhere, and the old-school Shanghainese places around Jing'an for red-braised pork. Coffee culture here rivals any city in the world.
From travellers in Shanghai
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Events in Shanghai
AllTimes are Beijing time (UTC+8).
