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Shanghai Overview
In the Mood for…
… street life
… 1930s glamour
… fine dining
… retail therapy
… romance
… escaping the crowds
… a night on the town
… family fun
… historic architecture
… modern icons
… contemporary art
… being pampered
… local cuisine
… literary inspiration
Neighbourhoods
The Bund and Huangpu
Take a walking tour of the iconic Bund, and admire the stately colonial mansions of Old Shanghai
Saunter through the hallowed halls of the Peace Hotel and listen to its octogenarian jazz band
Experience a trippy underwater voyage through the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel or take a public ferry
Peruse the born-again Rockbund district, stopping in at the Rockbund Art Museum
Prop up the legendary Long Bar and imbibe some 1930s glamour at the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai
Sample Shanghai fine dining at the waterfront’s gourmet hotspots
Don designer shades and drink in the views from the Bund’s finest rooftop terraces
Catch a chamber recital, literary conversation or cabaret act at Glam
Party into the night at a sky-high dance club, retro jazz bar or chilled vodka lounge
Pick up classy local designer souvenirs at a clutch of unique Bund boutiques
Take a tea break in an historic tea-trading house at The Bund Tea Company
Take in a Shanghai movie and see the Bund of yesteryear in one of its many starring roles
Climb the Bund Signal Tower for an unusual coffee or cocktail break
Explore the atmospheric backstreets of the Bund
Go on a mini pilgrimage to historic places of Christian worship
Tuck into a crab banquet at Shanghai institution, Xin Guang
Feel the consumer energy of Nanjing Road East, Shanghai’s Fifth Avenue of the 1930s
Xintiandi, Yu Garden and South Bund
Charge your chopsticks for a dim sum feast
Visit a political shrine of the Chinese Communist Party
Follow our trail for the top Xintiandi shopping picks
Visit a traditional Chinese medicine hall for acupuncture, cupping treatments or herbal remedies
Tour the Old City, from the bustling Bazaar to the traditional Ming-style Yu Garden
Lust over mod-Oriental designs made with age-old techniques at the Shang Xia boutique
Rummage for antiques and Maomentos, then take tea in the delightfully retro Old Shanghai Teahouse
Get kitted out with a custom-made wardrobe at the South Bund fabric market
Share a special lunch at Table No. 1, then relax on a sun lounger at Sunny Beach
Step aboard a cruise boat after dark and sail along the neon-lit Huangpu River
Trek to the top of the Lupu Bridge for far-reaching views of Shanghai
Spice up your life with piquant Yunnanese food and exotic cocktails
Splash out on a tailor-made party dress by one of Shanghai’s best-known fashion designers
People’s Square and Jing An
Go museum-hopping around the oval-shaped People’s Square
Scope out Shanghai’s future landscape at the Urban Planning Exhibition Centre
Enjoy a classical concert or ballet at one of Shanghai’s world-class performance venues
Take a stroll through a Sculpture Park and discover dinosaur bones at the Shanghai Natural History Museum
Take an architectural tour of the city centre’s landmark hotels
Limber up with tai chi at Jing An Park or light an incense stick at Jing An Temple
Sample a variety of plump Shanghai dumplings on Wujiang Road
Lay back and enjoy a green tea or Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) spa treatment
Belt it like a rock star during a late-night karaoke session
Hunt out the best cafés for your morning caffeine fix
Shop ‘til you drop along Nanjing Road West and stop for a reviving tea or tipple
See a quintessential Chinese Opera at the Yifu Theatre
Visit the marble mansion of a corporate titan, now an arts school for gifted children
Pay your respects to two exquisite Jade Buddhas and bask in the tranquillity of the temple
Join local monks for a Chinese vegetarian feast
Learn the secrets of taijijuan from an English-speaking master at Pure Tai Chi
Former French Concession
Meander the elegant streets of the French Concession, and admire architectural gems
Enter a world of French charm and Chinois chic at Yongfoo Elite
Shop for the latest fashions and accessories by Shanghai’s promising young designers
Take a ceremonial tea break at one of Shanghai’s finest teahouses
Shop for eco fashions, fun souvenirs and much more in the bustling alleys of Taikang Road
Go for a gentlemanly grooming or suit fitting in the House of Alfred Dunhill
People-watch at a clutch of quirky cafés
Hop on a bike or motorcycle sidecar and pootle around the leafy streets and lanes
Chill out at the coolest live music venues, from jazz to folk to Chinese rock
Wake up to breakfast, Shanghai-style, from the city’s most popular streetside hawkers
Eat your way around China from Hunan to Hong Kong at the best regional restaurants
Visit the historic residences of Sun Yat-sen and Zhou Enlai, then relax in lovely Fuxing Park
Delight in the elegant interiors of a French mansion and watch folk artists at work
Explore the eco-enclave Jiashan Market then join the street party on Yongkang Road
Become a wok wizard and learn some favourite local dishes at a Chinese cooking school
Indulge your sweet tooth at Shanghai’s most decadent dessert emporiums
Visit some of the French Concession’s most progressive contemporary art galleries
Discover Communist-era art at the Propaganda Poster Art Centre
Craft and glaze your own Chinese porcelain at the Pottery Workshop
Pudong
Scale the heights of Shanghai’s skytowers and take in heartstopping views
Sip a sunset cocktail on the cloud-view terrace of Flair
Fly through thin air at dizzying speed aboard the levitating MagLev train
Dine, drink and spend big at Shanghai IFC, the city’s smartest shopping hub
Visit China’s answer to the Eiffel Tower: the China Art Museum
Savour local Chinese cuisine and exquisite river views
Marvel at Buddhist sculptures and other Chinese antiquities in the dazzling waterfront Aurora Museum
Zoom up the space-age Oriental Pearl Tower for a 360 degree view from one of its spheres
Check out Arata Isozaki’s feng shui-inspired Himalayas Arts Centre
Ride a tandem, fly a kite or have a picnic with the locals in the beautifully landscaped Century Park
Be a culture vulture at the Oriental Arts Centre or see who’s playing the Mercedes-Benz Arena
Indulge your little emperors with Pudong’s array of child-friendly attractions
Meet Mickey and friends at the Most Magical Place in Pudong: Shanghai Disney Resort
Suzhou Creek and Northern Districts
Follow the literary trail along Duolun Road, 1930s intellectual hub and home to revered writer, Lu Xun
Visit the ghosts of Shanghai’s Jewish past at the wartime Ghetto and Jewish Refugees Museum
Step into 1933, a former abattoir and Art Deco masterpiece
Take a shine to the Shanghai Museum of Glass
Saunter across Waibaidu Bridge and between the landmark buildings at its northern end
Seek out cutting-edge Chinese art at the funky warehouse galleries of M50
Discover the secrets of Chiang Kai-shek’s ‘new city’, a fusion of Art Deco and Ming-dynasty design
Stock up on textiles and tuck in to lamb kebabs at the Friday Muslim Market
Explore the meandering Suzhou Creek and visit a Chocolate Factory
Blow your mind and tastebuds at an exclusive 10-seat molecular restaurant
Take a dip in a sky-high Jacuzzi and sip alfresco martinis at Vue Bar
Come face to face with a Greek god atop Shanghai’s Post Office tower
Xuhui, Changning and Hongqiao
Discover the best little izakayas and hidden shochu bars in Japan-town
Stock up on tea leaves at Tianshan Tea City
Slip on a pair of tropical pyjamas and explore the kooky world of the Chinese bathhouse
Select premium pearls and design your own jewellery at Hongqiao Pearl City
Discover contemporary art in a military aircraft hangar or power station along the West Bund Cultural Corridor
Paint the town at contemporary art and music enclave, Redtown
Explore the manicured gardens and ornamental lakes of Changning District’s state guesthouses
Eat with the elite in a colonial villa setting at Fu 1088 and Fu He Hui
Take a warp-speed trip on one of China’s amazing ‘bullet’ trains
Pay your respects to early Communist martyrs at one of Shanghai’s most compelling monuments
Pair a folk opera stage show with a fiery Sichuan feast
Take a look inside Xujiahui Cathedral and browse the atmospheric Bibliotheca Zikawei
Unwind in the serene retreat of Guilin Park
Visit the final resting place of Soong Qingling, one of China’s most powerful women
Essentials
A
Addresses
B
Business cards
C
Children
Climate
Clothing
Consulates
Crime and safety
Customs
D
Disabled travellers
E
Electricity
Emergency numbers
F
Further reading
H
Health
Medical services
Hospitals and clinics
Pharmacies
Holidays
Hours
I
ID
Internet
L
Language
M
Maps
Media
Newspapers and Magazines
Radio
Television
Money
Changing money
Credit cards and ATMs
P
Post
T
Telephones
Mobile (cell) phones
Time
Tipping
Tourist information
Transport
Arriving by Air
Getting around
V
Visas
W
Websites
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