Landing at Pudong International Airport as my most recent trip to Shanghai began, my emotions were as mixed as the earth beneath me. On one hand, the sun was shining brightly and the sky was perfectly clear, conditions I’d seen only rarely when living here 16 years earlier.
On the other hand, the alluvial scenery was nothing if not dystopian, a muddy river and its muddy tributaries flowing into a muddy sea, with sterile apartment blocks and smoky factories as far as the eye could see. Apart from the airport in the distance, there was no indication that one of the world’s largest cities was a short train ride away. Ah, China!
I hope you don’t mind if, over the next few paragraphs, I intersperse asides like this into my Shanghai itinerary. The city was so central to the way my life turned out—it’s impossible for me to treat it as if it were some ordinary destination.
Where to Stay in Shanghai
I didn’t think much about Shanghai hotels when I lived here, which is probably why the location of my most recent one (the five-star Yangtze Boutique Hotel) took me by surprise when I arrived there. It was literally across the street from the office where I used to toil day-in, day-out, when I could only dream of the life I live now. Of course, you don’t need to stay here (i.e. near People’s Square) during your own Shanghai trip.
Regardless of how many days in Shanghai you plan to spend, I’d probably suggest staying on the western side of the Huangpu River (Puxi) and looking over to Pudong on the east, rather than actually staying there. Other excellent properties include Shanghai Qiyu Hotel near Yuyuan Garden, Pu-Li Shanghai in the Jing’an district just steps from its namesake temple and Broadway Mansions Hotel along the northern part of the Bund.
How to Organize Your Shanghai Itinerary
Watch at least one sunrise from the Bund
After dropping our bags at our luxe digs, my husband and I headed straight from People’s Square to The Bund, the 1920s era row of heritage buildings that looks over the Pudong River to the ever-growing skyline of Lujiazui. It was strange, in a way—I can count on one hand how many times I made this journey after finishing work nearby. To be sure, I literally never came here at sunrise, which was my top priority on my first day back in Shanghai. I suggest you make it yours!
(And watch the riverfront light up at night, too)
As you might imagine, for people who aren’t expats in the city, a lot of what to do in Shanghai centers around admire skyscrapers, be that the longstanding Oriental Pearl Tower, or newer additions like the Jin Mao Building or Shanghai Tower. In particular, you need to see it at least one time after it lights up at night, either from the Bund (this is the easiest vantage point to access) or from the superlative Shanghai Stage rooftop atop the SMP Mall.
Don’t believe the (negative) hype about East Nanjing Road
In spite of working just steps from it, I only rarely ventured onto East Nanjing Road when I lived in Shanghai. While it’s always been home to many of the top things to do in Shanghai, both my local and foreign coworkers decried its apparent artificiality. Now, more than a decade later and significantly better travelers, I can tell you they were full of it. In particular, I love the various street food centers on either side of the street, which all on their own are worth the trip here.
Dig deep into Shanghai’s history
I technically lived within Shanghai’s admittedly large and amorphous French Concession, but because I spent so much time working (and had little disposable income), I didn’t explore it much. Of course, depending upon how long in Shanghai you have, the tree-lined Huaihai Road might not be near the top of your list. Other historical spots within futuristic Shanghai include the sprawling Yu Yuan garden, gleaming Jing’an Temple and the Tianzifang and Xintiandi shopping districts.
Take at least one day trip
Shanghai is so big that it can seem impossible to escape the city, particularly if you only have a few days here. If you can only take one day trip from Shanghai, I’d probably suggest Suzhou, which blends the “water town” feel of the more one-note Zhujiajiao with the historical aspects of larger Hangzhou, which is better as an overnight stay. Other options include Anji Bamboo Forest (where “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” was filmed) and the former Chinese capital of Nanjing.
How Many Days Do You Need in Shanghai?
The highest-level paradox of Shanghai is that while it’s one of the world’s largest cities, there are only a few parts of the city of any interest to Western tourists. The next-level paradox? Many of these places have a tendency to draw you back again and again (for example, visiting the Bund both at sunrise and also after night has fallen), which means that your itinerary is strangely proportioned, to say the least.
Indeed, because my first time in the city saw me stay for eight months, my opinion regard how many days in Shanghai you need is also slightly warped. If you simply wanted to execute my itinerary as written, 2-3 nights in Shanghai would be adequate. On the other hand, since I have a feeling that you’re adventurous (both in terms of urban exploration, as well as in your propensity to take day trips), I’ll instead suggest a more generous 3-5 nights in Shanghai.
Other FAQ About Visiting Shanghai
Is Shanghai friendly to tourists?
Compared to most other cities in mainland China (Beijing and Chengdu being notable exceptions), Shanghai is friendly to tourists, with a high (for China) percentage of people who speak English, and a relatively intuitive and manageable list of attractions. With this being said, you don’t have to go far off Shanghai’s beaten path to feel like you’re in another place or time, which simply highlights how impenetrable China remains over half a century after it “opened.”
Is 2 weeks too long in Shanghai?
Unless you have a professional obligation or plan to use the city primarily as a base for day trips in eastern-central China, then I’d say 2 weeks is definitely too long to spend in Shanghai. A more reasonable amount of time to spend in the city would be 3-5 days, which gives you a few days in the city center, plus the opportunity to take day trips to nearby cities like Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing.
Where to go in Shanghai for first-timers?
If it’s your first time in Shanghai, you’ll want to make a beeline for the Bund, in order to admire the growing menagerie of skyscrapers across the Pudong River in Lujiazui. Other must-visit destinations including Yu Garden, East Nanjing Road, the Xintiandi and Tianzifang shopping districts, tranquil Jing’an Temple and the tree-billowed streets of the former French Concession.
The Bottom Line
I hope my Shanghai itinerary helps you plan an amazing trip, even if the city doesn’t end up being as central to your biography as it has been for mine. Shanghai presents a conundrum: It’s China’s most international city, and yet wandering even slightly off the tourist trail can make you feel like you’ve entered some Mao-era fever dream; it’s massive in land area and population, and yet has a surprisingly short list of truly interesting things to do for most foreign visitors (in contrast to, say, Beijing). If all else fails, of course, you can simply focus your energy on the futuristic, glowing Lujiazui skyline, which deserves every bit of world fame it receives. Need personalized help putting your next China trip together? Consider hiring me as your Travel Coach!
