China's futuristic global financial hub with stunning skyscrapers and colonial history. Fall for a city where old lanes, bold flavors, and cinematic skylines meet.
Say it: Shanghai — “shahng-HY” (上海).
📍 WhereEast China, situated on the Yangtze River Delta facing the East China Sea.
🚄 Getting thereBeijing · High-speed train ~4.5 h Hong Kong · Flight ~3 h
Every place below is a real, verified spot — follow a story you love and save it to your trip.
🏛️ History · Ming dynasty · 1368–1644
🌍 While Renaissance Europe was reshaping art, trade, and ideas
A Garden from the Ming World
At Yu Garden, a Ming dynasty (1368–1644) pleasure garden, look for moon gates, rockeries, ponds, and framed views designed like living paintings. Pair the quiet courtyards with the surrounding old-city bustle to feel how private elegance and popular religion once shared the same streets.
Yu Garden豫园
Yu Garden, nestled in Shanghai’s Huangpu District beside the City God Temple, is a stunning Ming dynasty classical Chinese garden built in 1577. It boasts over 40 scenic spots incl
Book aheadBring your passport (real-name entry)Closed 周一
Yu Garden上海豫园
Stepping into Yu Garden is like traveling 400 years back in time straight into the heart of the Ming Dynasty! First created in 1559 by a devoted son, Pan Yunduan, as a peaceful ret
Book ahead — tickets open 7 days beforeBring your passport (real-name entry)Closed Monday
Classic Shanghai Day Tour
Journey through history, savor local flavors, and experience the magic of Shanghai nights.
🌍 As industrial steam power and global empires remade the nineteenth-century world
The River That Made Modern Shanghai
Along the Bund, read the stone façades as a gallery of banks, hotels, and consulates built when Shanghai became an international port. Cross the Huangpu River and turn back toward the skyline to see how colonial-era architecture and twenty-first-century towers confront one another.
The Bund外滩
The Bund Origin外滩源
Tucked away at the northern tip of the Bund where Suzhou Creek meets the Huangpu River, Waitanyuan—literally 'The Origin of the Bund'—is where modern Shanghai's cosmopolitan story
Binjiang Avenue滨江大道
Binjiang Avenue is Pudong's ultimate front-row seat to the historic Bund, sweeping along the eastern bank of the Huangpu River. While crowds pack the classic Bund across the water,
Shanghai Huangpu River Ferry & The Bund Walking Tour with Private Transfer
Cross the Huangpu River on a retro ferry and stroll among the historic architecture of The Bund
On Wukang Road and Liyuan Road, notice plane trees, balconies, corner shops, and the small details that make residential Shanghai feel cinematic without a set. Explore Shikumen (stone-gated lane houses) and former French Concession streets to see how private courtyards, shared alleys, and street life fit together.
Wukang Road Historical and Cultural Block武康路历史文化街区
Stretching about 1.18 kilometers through the heart of Shanghai's former French Concession, Wukang Road (formerly Route Ferguson) is an open-air museum of early 20th-century eleganc
Liyuan Road丽园路
Liyuan Road is a charming, tree-lined street tucked in Shanghai's historic Huangpu District, stretching between traditional residential life and modern urban buzz. Walking down Liy
Tianzifang: An Artistic Stroll Through Old Shanghai
Trace Shanghai's shifting moods through riverfront monuments, villa-lined streets, and industrial interiors that make the city feel like a character. Stand at the Bund, wander Wukang Road, and study 1933 Old Millfun for the contrasts of glamour, memory, and dislocation seen across these stories.
🎬 Blossoms Shanghai (繁花) · 2023🎬 Lust, Caution (色，戒) · 2007🎬 Empire of the Sun (太阳帝国) · 1987
The Bund外滩
Wukang Road Historical and Cultural Block武康路历史文化街区
Stretching about 1.18 kilometers through the heart of Shanghai's former French Concession, Wukang Road (formerly Route Ferguson) is an open-air museum of early 20th-century eleganc
1933 Old Millfun1933老坊场
Stepping into 1933 Old Millfun feels like wandering directly into an M.C. Escher sketch crafted entirely out of raw concrete! Designed in 1933 by British architects and constructed
The Bund Origin外滩源
Tucked away at the northern tip of the Bund where Suzhou Creek meets the Huangpu River, Waitanyuan—literally 'The Origin of the Bund'—is where modern Shanghai's cosmopolitan story
🥢 Food · Every morning
The City in a Bowl and a Bun
Start with xiaolongbao (steamed soup dumplings), pan-fried buns, scallion-rich noodles, and the sweet-savory depth of local braises. A food walk and stops at Dahuchun, Fuchun Xiaolong, or Grandma's Shanghai Kitchen turn breakfast and lunch into an edible map of neighborhood life.
Dahuchun大壶春(云南南路店)
Fuchun Xiaolong富春小笼
If you want to experience the beating, unfiltered heart of Shanghai's legendary breakfast culture, Fuchun Xiaolong is an absolute rite of passage! Tucked along the leafy, historica
Grandma's Shanghai Kitchen上海姥姥
Tucked away just a three-minute stroll from the glittering Bund on Fuzhou Road, Shanghai Lao Lao (Grandma's Shanghai Kitchen) is an absolute legend among savvy international travel
Da Hu Chun (Fuzhou Road Branch)大壶春(福州路店)
Established in 1932, Dahuchun is a legendary Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded culinary temple dedicated to classic Shanghainese shengjianbao (pan-fried buns). Unlike the thin-skinned,
Discover Authentic Local Street Food
Follow a local foodie to hidden neighborhood gems and true local flavors
At Chenshan Botanical Garden, trade the dense city for plant collections, winding paths, and the textures of a carefully cultivated landscape. Along Binjiang Avenue or the North Bund Greenbelt, watch ferries, towers, and evening light turn the Huangpu waterfront into Shanghai's open-air living room.
Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden上海辰山植物园
Tucked away in the scenic Songjiang District, Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden is a sprawling green paradise that blows visitors away with its grandeur. Covering over 207 hectare
Binjiang Avenue滨江大道
Binjiang Avenue is Pudong's ultimate front-row seat to the historic Bund, sweeping along the eastern bank of the Huangpu River. While crowds pack the classic Bund across the water,
North Bund Greenbelt Zhiyang Section北外滩绿地芷阳段
Tucked away along the sparkling Huangpu River, the Zhiyang section of the North Bund Greenbelt is an absolute hidden gem that feels like a front-row balcony to futuristic Shanghai.
✂️ Crafts · Since the 1980s
Hands That Preserve the City
At M50, make a woodcut print or a seal (a traditionally carved personal stamp) and leave with something bearing your own hand. Continue with calligraphy or a tailored suit to experience Shanghai's creative culture as practice, patience, and material skill rather than something merely displayed.
Shanghai M50 – Woodcut Printmaking & Seal Carving Experience
Create your own traditional woodcut print or custom seal at M50 Creative Park
Many passports can now enter China visa-free for short stays, and many nationalities can transit visa-free for up to 240 hours when flying on to a third country. Rules depend on your passport — check yours before you book.
📱 Paying
China runs on Alipay and WeChat Pay. Both accept foreign Visa and Mastercard after a passport check — set one up before you fly, and carry a little cash as backup.
🎫 Booking sights
Many major sights must be booked in advance under your real name. Foreigners book with their passport number and must show the same passport at the gate. Popular ones sell out.
🌐 Internet
Google, WhatsApp and Instagram don't work on Chinese networks. Most visitors use their home roaming or a travel eSIM.
Turn Shanghai into a trip that actually works
Pick the stories you love and we'll build a day-by-day route — with opening days, passport bookings and transit checked — plus local experiences you can book in one place.
Yu Garden 豫园Yu Garden, nestled in Shanghai’s Huangpu District beside the City God Temple, is a stunning Ming dynasty classical Chinese garden built in 1577. It boasts over 40 scenic spots inclBook aheadBring your passport (real-name entry)Closed 周一
Yu Garden 上海豫园Stepping into Yu Garden is like traveling 400 years back in time straight into the heart of the Ming Dynasty! First created in 1559 by a devoted son, Pan Yunduan, as a peaceful retBook ahead — tickets open 7 days beforeBring your passport (real-name entry)Closed Monday
Classic Shanghai Day TourJourney through history, savor local flavors, and experience the magic of Shanghai nights.
