Photo: King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.05 Days in Shanghai: Icons, Old Lanes & Unhurried Days
Five days in Shanghai at a relaxed pace: the Bund at night and a Huangpu river cruise, Yu Garden and the Old City's snack streets, slow afternoons in the French Concession's lanes and art streets, Xintiandi, Tianzifang and the Shanghai Museum, plus a deep-dive day in Pudong's skyscraper decks and riverside cafes. Answer a few questions and the plan re-plans itself around how you travel: your pace, your budget, your stops.
Pick a style, a budget and a pace — the route and days below re-plan themselves.
15 stops · 10 meals · 1 hotelThis is the editor’s pick.
5 days
Each day takes one part of Shanghai, kept close so you walk more than you ride. The map shows the whole route — pick a day to zoom in.
A free museum on the second floor of the 1924 Baroque General Post Office, tracing China's postal history with the Large Dragon stamps, a Penny Black and the restored director's office. Free; open Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 9:00 to 17:00.
- Only open four days a week: plan it for Wed, Thu, Sat or Sun.
Nearly 150 years old and still the benchmark for classic Benbang Shanghainese cooking: sweet, rich, soy-braised dishes in a grand old hall on Fuyou Road, within walking distance of Yu Garden.
Closer: Mr & Mrs Bund, right on your way
Time-honored traditional Chinese pastry and dim sum shop on Sichuan Road: buttery sesame cakes, rice balls and festival mooncakes since the 19th century. A takeaway counter with fresh-baked goods.
Walk the 1.5-kilometer promenade fronted by 52 colonial-era banks and trading houses, with Pudong's towers across the water. Free and open 24 hours; go in the evening when the facades light up. Take Metro Line 2 or 10 to East Nanjing Road, then walk east about 10 minutes.
- Open 24 hours and free. Go after dark, when the 1920s facades light up.
China's first all-steel bridge (1907): a 107-meter steel truss linking the Bund to the North Bund. Best crossed at sunset, and lit with colored LEDs at night.
- Cross it at sunset, then stay for the colored LED lighting at night.
A stretch
Three-Michelin-star chef Paul Pairet's playful modern French brasserie in Bund 18: relaxed, buzzing, with Huangpu River views and legendary desserts. Reservations strongly recommended.
- Reserve ahead for a river-view table at Pairet's brasserie.
- Dinner after the evening promenade: Mr and Mrs Bund in Bund 18 pairs river views with Paul Pairet's modern French cooking, about 7 minutes along the Bund.
Long-running nautical-themed hostel in a 1930s building near East Nanjing Road, with dorm bunks and private rooms plus a famous rooftop bar overlooking the Bund and Pudong skyline. Check-in from 1pm; 24-hour front desk.
- The rooftop terrace bar overlooks the Bund: worth it even if you do not stay.
Shanghai's most celebrated classical garden: a 450-year-old Ming-dynasty maze of pavilions, rockeries and koi ponds. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours. Take Metro Lines 10 and 14 to Yuyuan Station.
- Closed Mondays except public holidays, so plan the Old City day for any other day.
Shanghai's oldest teahouse (converted 1855), on stilts mid-lake at the end of the Zigzag Bridge: linger over Longjing and dim sum with a view. The zigzag bridge was believed to deter evil spirits; upstairs seats have the best atmosphere.
- Ask for upstairs seats: the best atmosphere in the house.
A 600-year-old Taoist temple to Shanghai's guardian deity, ringed by Ming-style market streets full of snacks and tea houses. Entry about 10 CNY; open about 8:30 to 16:30. Next to Yu Garden; take Metro Line 10 to Yuyuan Station.
- Entry runs about 10 CNY, and the surrounding market streets are where the snacks are.
- After the garden, walk about 8 minutes to the City God Temple, then drift into the surrounding market streets. Garden first, temple second, snacks after.
The original xiaolongbao house since 1900, in the heart of Yuyuan: paper-thin skins, juicy pork filling, and the famous straw-sipped 'super' soup buns. Bib Gourmand. Take a number from the ground-floor window for grab-and-go, or head upstairs to sit down; expect a 20 to 30-minute queue at peak.
- Take a number from the ground-floor window for grab-and-go at this 1900 original.
- Refuel steps from the temple: the original 1900 xiaolongbao house. Take a number from the ground-floor window for grab-and-go, or head upstairs to sit down.
The only surviving 50-meter section of the Ming-dynasty Old City wall, with the rebuilt Dajing Ge Pavilion on top and a small exhibit on old Chinese city life. Built in 1553 to defend against Japanese pirates; open 9:00 to 16:00, admission 5 RMB.
- Just 5 RMB for the only surviving stretch of the 1553 wall.
Renowned Cantonese restaurant on Fuzhou Road, famous for its mooncakes; serves lunch and dinner daily.
Stay put: 19 min walk back from the Old City Wall tonight, ~18 min by taxi to Sinan Mansions in the morning.
A century-old vegetarian and medicinal restaurant in the Yuyuan area: veggie steam buns, assorted vegetarian noodles and a street-side takeaway counter. A noted vegetarian breakfast option near Yu Garden.
A leafy enclave of historic garden villas from the Republic of China era, thoughtfully restored: restaurants, cafes, bookstores and cultural spaces where figures like Zhou Enlai and Mei Lanfang once lived.
- Find the Sinan Bookstore at 517 Middle Fuxing Road, in the former residence of Feng Yuxiang.
A three-storey 1920s French-style villa on Sinan Road that served as the Communist Party's Shanghai office in 1946-47, now a free memorial museum with a garden. Free entrance; open Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 to 16:30.
- Free entry; closed Mondays like most of the concession's house museums.
A 1905 French Renaissance mansion, the 'Little White House', displaying embroidery, jade and wood carving, paper cutting and lacquerwork with live artisans at work. Open Wednesday to Sunday 9:00 to 17:00; ticket 8 RMB.
- Live craft demonstrations run on the first and third floors.
One of Shanghai's 'Heavenly Four' noodle houses, famous for yellow croaker noodles with fish painstakingly deboned by hand. Bib Gourmand in the first edition of the Michelin Guide Shanghai (2017). Order and pay at the counter at the entrance before finding a seat; expect a queue at peak times.
- Order and pay at the entrance counter before finding a seat.
Stay put: ~24 min by taxi back from the Arts and Crafts Museum tonight, ~28 min by taxi to Soong Ching-ling's residence in the morning.
The 1920s French Concession villa where Soong Ching-ling lived for 15 years, kept as she left it: her office and bedroom upstairs, a garage with the car Stalin gave her, and a garden annex of relics. Open Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 to 17:00; adult tickets 20 yuan.
- The 20 yuan ticket includes the garage with Stalin's gifted car.
Cramped, vintage French Concession favourite for home-style Shanghainese cooking: red-braised pork belly, sauteed river shrimp, chicken soup. Tiny, two-floor space; call ahead to reserve and still expect a wait. Avoid 'New Jesse' branches; they are not the same quality.
- Reserve ahead, and make sure it is Old Jesse: the 'New Jesse' branches are not the same.
A plane-tree-lined historic avenue of garden villas and Art Deco apartments, anchored by the 1924 Wukang Building designed by Hungarian architect Laszlo Hudec. The exterior is free to view; the interior is not open. Best early morning or late afternoon for the light.
- Best early morning or late afternoon; the autumn plane-tree foliage is famous.
- Lunch after the Wukang Road stroll: Old Jesse's home-style Shanghainese cooking is about 6 minutes away. Reserve ahead and expect a wait.
A 1920s American country club compound revived as a design and dining district, with historic villas, a landmark blue-and-white pool, the Tsutaya bookstore and cafes. Free admission; revived and opened in 2018.
- Free to enter: browse the Tsutaya bookstore and the historic villas.
Beloved local dumpling canteen famous for crab-roe xiaolongbao with golden soup that fills a spoon. Watch the aunties fold them through the glass window.
Stay put: ~30 min by taxi back from Columbia Circle tonight, ~12 min by taxi to the Shanghai Tower deck in the morning.
Western casual chain at the Shanghai World Financial Center serving burgers, salads and brunch; open daily 10:00 to 22:00.
The bottle-opener tower's 100th-floor Sky Walk: a 474-meter glass-floored skybridge looking straight down to the street. Combined 94th/97th/100th-floor ticket about 180 CNY; 94th-floor only about 120 CNY.
- About 180 CNY for all three observatory floors, or 120 for the 94th alone.
China's tallest building at 632 meters: the 118th-floor observation deck and 119th-floor cafe, reached by one of the world's fastest elevators. Adult 180 CNY covers the B1 exhibition hall, the 118th-floor deck and the 119th-floor cafe; 268 CNY adds the Sky 632 Art Space on the 125th/126th floors.
- The 180 CNY adult ticket includes the 119th-floor cafe.
A 420.5-meter pagoda-inspired skyscraper with an 88th-floor observatory, a sky post office, and an open-air 60-meter skywalk with no handrails. Observatory open daily 8:30 to 21:30; adult admission 120 CNY.
- The 60-meter skywalk (340.6 meters up, no handrails) runs 15 to 20-minute sessions for ages 10 to 60.
Pudong's riverside Din Tai Fung: the same 18-fold xiaolongbao in a bright 250-seat room with windows overlooking the Huangpu River. Daily 10:00 to 22:00; 5-minute walk from Lujiazui Station.
Stay put: ~12 min by taxi back from the Jin Mao Tower skywalk tonight, ~12 min by taxi to the SWFC Sky Walk in the morning.
Where to stay in Shanghai
Ranked for first-timer travelers on a comfortable budget. The places this plan sleeps in come first.
Captain Hostel
Long-running nautical-themed hostel in a 1930s building near East Nanjing Road, with dorm bunks and private rooms plus a famous rooftop bar overlooking the Bund and Pudong skyline. Check-in from 1pm; 24-hour front desk.
Hanting Hotel Shanghai Yu Garden
Budget chain hotel renovated in 2024 near Yu Garden and the Bund: clean compact rooms at the cheapest tier in the Old City, a few minutes' walk from the Yuyuan metro stop. Check-in after 4pm; breakfast CNY 18.
Yitel Premium Shanghai Lujiazui
Yitel's premium tier hotel on Pudong Avenue near the Yuanshen Road metro: mid-range modern rooms with free WiFi and an on-site restaurant. A practical Lujiazui base for tower-hopping.
Flights to Shanghai
Fly into PVG (PVG)
Flight results via Travelpayouts — we may earn a commission on bookings.
Getting around Shanghai
How to actually move around the city — transit, rideshare, bikes, and taxis.
Public transit
The metro is the backbone of getting around Shanghai — one of the world's largest networks — with buses covering the gaps, the maglev sprinting to Pudong Airport, and ferries crossing the Huangpu. Contactless bank cards and phone QR codes work at the gates.
- Shanghai Metro
One of the world's largest metro networks — 19 lines and 800+ km linking both airports, the railway stations and every major district, with English signage throughout. Distance-based fares start at ¥3 for the first 6 km; trains run roughly 5:30am to 11pm.
Tip: Skip the ticket machines: tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay or Amex card at the gate, or ride with a QR code from the Metro Daduhui app.
- Shanghai Maglev
The world's first commercial maglev line, running between Longyang Road metro station and Pudong International Airport in about 8 minutes at up to 300 km/h. The standard one-way fare is ¥50 (¥40 with the Shanghai Public Transportation Card); trains run 6:45am–9:40pm every 15–20 minutes.
Tip: Flying out of Pudong? Show a same-day boarding pass for the discounted air-passenger fare, and budget the 10-minute Line 2 ride from downtown to Longyang Road.
Rideshare
DiDi is the default way to hail a car, with full English support and foreign cards accepted; Amap aggregates DiDi and smaller fleets so you can compare prices. Both are far cheaper than taxis in most Western cities.
- DiDi Chuxing
China's dominant ride-hailing app, with a full English interface, English-speaking support and international credit cards accepted. DiDi Express is the cheap everyday option; DiDi Taxi books a metered cab; Premier handles airport pickups.
Tip: Set up DiDi before you land — it accepts foreign phone numbers, and in-app chat auto-translates between you and the driver.
- Amap (Gaode)
Alibaba's map app (Gaode) doubles as a ride-hailing aggregator, comparing DiDi, Xiangdao and smaller fleets on one screen with upfront prices. It also replaces Google Maps here, with metro, bus and walking directions.
Tip: Get Amap Global from your app store; log in with Alipay or WeChat to unlock hailing, bike rental and transit QR codes in one place.
Bikes
Dockless shared bikes are the city's best last-kilometer option — unlock one outside any metro station with Alipay or WeChat and ride the flat, bike-laned streets. No deposit or local phone number required.
- HelloBike
One of Shanghai's three big dockless bike networks alongside Meituan and DiDi's Qingju — blue bikes clustered outside every metro station. Unlock with the HelloBike app or the Alipay mini-program; rides run about ¥1.50–2.50 per 30 minutes.
Tip: End the ride inside the service zone shown on the map and flick the rear-wheel lock shut manually, or the meter keeps running.
- Meituan Bike
The yellow bikes of Meituan's dockless network, everywhere in central Shanghai and rentable through the Meituan app or Alipay/WeChat mini-programs. Same short-hop pricing as rivals — handy when no HelloBike is in sight.
Tip: A 7-day unlimited pass costs only a few yuan — worth it if you'll bike more than twice a day.
Taxis
Licensed metered taxis are plentiful and cheap, though most drivers speak little English. Hail on the street, call a fleet hotline, or book through DiDi — never accept a flat fare from a tout.
- Qiangsheng Taxi
One of Shanghai's biggest licensed taxi fleets (orange cabs), bookable by street hail, the 62580 English hotline or DiDi. Flagfall is ¥14–16 for the first 3 km, then ¥2.7/km; night rates run 11pm–5am. No tipping — pay the meter and take the fapiao receipt.
Tip: Have your destination written in Chinese characters — most drivers speak little English — and never board a cab whose driver won't run the meter.
Keep exploring
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