3 days
Day 1: The Bund + Nanjing Road + Yu Garden + Old City. Day 2: French Concession walk + Tianzifang + Xintiandi. Day 3: Pudong — Shanghai Tower, Lujiazui, China Art Museum.
Municipality · East China
Shanghai
上海市 · Shànghǎi Shì — capital Shanghai, shanghainese / benbang (sweet-savoury, soy-braised pork, hairy crab in autumn, soup dumplings).
History & character
Shanghai before the Opium War was a substantial fishing and cotton port, but nothing like a national capital. The 1842 Treaty of Nanjing forced its opening to foreign trade, and over the following century the city was transformed by British, French, American, and later Japanese concessions into the financial and commercial capital of East Asia. The Bund's bank buildings, the Art Deco cinemas of Nanjing Road, the French Concession's plane-tree avenues, the Jewish refugee quarter in Hongkou — all date to the pre-1949 boomtown period.
After 1949 the city was deliberately quieted in favour of inland industrial development. The 1990 designation of Pudong as a special economic zone reversed that. The Lujiazui financial district, the world's deepest container port at Yangshan, the Disneyland resort, the Hongqiao transit hub — all post-1990 builds on what was farmland.
The city's character is commercial, cosmopolitan, and self-consciously fast. It is often used as China's window to the world: most international conferences happen here, the largest concentration of foreign-resident communities is here, the trends in food, fashion, and design that catch on nationally usually start here.
When to visit
Late October to early December is the strongest window — comfortable temperatures, hairy crab season, dry skies. Mid-March to early May is the spring alternative. Avoid June (plum rain) and July–August (heat plus typhoon risk).
How to get there
Pudong (PVG) and Hongqiao (SHA) airports. HSR from Beijing 4h30m, Hangzhou 45 min, Nanjing 1h, Suzhou 25 min. Yangtze and East China Sea cruise terminals.
Key cities
All cities →Key attractions
All attractions →More attractions in Shanghai
- Fengjing Ancient Town
- Former French Concession
- Former Residence of Sun Yat-sen
- Jade Buddha Temple
- Jing'an Temple
- Longhua Temple and Pagoda
- M50 Art District
- Qibao Ancient Town
- Shanghai Disneyland
- Shanghai Disneyland Toy Story Hotel and Disneytown
- Shanghai History Museum
- Shanghai Museum
- Shanghai Natural History Museum
- Shanghai Tower observation deck
- Sheshan National Forest Park and Observatory
- Shikumen Open House Museum
- Tianzifang
- Wukang Mansion
- Zhujiajiao Water Town
Sample itineraries
7 days
Add Suzhou day trip (water towns + classical gardens), Hangzhou day trip (West Lake), M50 art district, Power Station of Art, Hongqiao cycling, Disneyland or the Aurora Museum.
Dishes of Shanghai
- Beggar's Chicken叫花鸡
A whole chicken stuffed with aromatics, wrapped in lotus leaves and clay, then slow-baked until the meat steams in its own juices.
- Drunken Chicken醉鸡
Chicken steamed and marinated in Shaoxing rice wine, served chilled. A Shanghai banquet starter.
- Eight-Treasure Rice八宝饭
A steamed dome of glutinous rice layered with red bean paste and decorated with eight types of preserved fruits and nuts.
- Hairy Crab大闸蟹
Yangcheng Lake mitten crab — the autumn delicacy of the Yangtze Delta. Eaten steamed with vinegar dip.
- Hairy Crab with Rice Cake年糕炒大闸蟹
Autumn hairy crab stir-fried with chewy Shanghai rice cake slices in a savoury-sweet ginger sauce.
- Lion's Head Meatballs狮子头
Large pork meatballs (the size of a lion's head) braised in clear broth with cabbage. A Yangzhou banquet centrepiece.
Itineraries touching Shanghai
- Shanghai in 3 days
3d · Bund, French Concession, Pudong, Yu Garden, museums.
- Shanghai weekend — 3 days in the city
3d · Three full days in Shanghai covering the Bund, French Concession, Yu Garden, Tianzifang and Pudong — the city's distinct neighbourhoods at a pace that leaves time for coffee and wandering.
- China in 5 days: fastest first-timer route
5d · Beijing's big three sights, a flight south, and two days navigating Shanghai's contrasts.
- Beijing + Shanghai — 5-day first-timer classic
5d · Two of China's three great cities in five days: imperial Beijing followed by the modern skyline of Shanghai, linked by a quick domestic flight or overnight train.
Other East China regions
Verified May 2026
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