Best areas to stay
The Bund / Huangpu: classic riverside hotels, walk to colonial architecture.
Former French Concession (Xuhui / Jing'an): tree-lined streets, boutique hotels, best food scene.
Lujiazui (Pudong): skyline views, business hotels.
Destination
Shanghai上海
Modern, cosmopolitan, the easiest Chinese megacity to navigate without speaking Chinese.
Best time
Mar–May, Sep–Nov
Recommended
3–4 days
Tags
modern · food · first-time
Updated
7/11/2026
Why visit Shanghai
Shanghai is China's most international city — the Bund, art deco lanes of the former French Concession, world-class restaurants, and the Pudong skyline. Public services are extensively bilingual and Alipay's foreign card flow works smoothly.
Transportation
- Airports: Pudong (PVG, intl) and Hongqiao (SHA, mostly domestic). PVG → city = Maglev to Longyang Rd + metro, OR metro line 2 directly (~75 min).
- Metro: 20+ lines, fully bilingual.
- Maglev train: 30 km in 7 minutes from PVG, fun ride.
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Useful Chinese address cards
Tap "Copy 中文" and hand your phone to a taxi driver or hotel front desk.
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The Bund
外滩
上海市黄浦区中山东一路
The classic colonial waterfront.
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Yu Garden
豫园
上海市黄浦区福佑路168号
Ming-dynasty garden + bazaar.
Itineraries
Plan your days
2 days · balanced
Shanghai Weekend
The Bund, French Concession lane crawl, and one bite of everything from soup dumplings to smoked fish.
6 days · balanced
East China Golden Triangle 6-Day
Shanghai, Suzhou gardens, Hangzhou's West Lake, and Nanjing's history — the classic Yangtze Delta loop by bullet train.