Must-See Sights
What to see in Shanghai
Open one for why it is worth the trip and how to visit; the four decisions below show how to fit them into your days.
Four city decisions
Understand the city, then plan the details.
How many nights, which area to stay in, how to arrive and leave, where to go next. How to book each part is in Travel Advice.
Time
Four nights give you three full days.
Arrival and departure days mostly go to travel. Three nights still leave two full days: one for the Bund, the Old City and Yu Garden, one for People's Square with Jing'an or Lujiazui. Disneyland or a Suzhou trip takes a whole day, so add a night if you still want three days in the city.
Stay base
First time? Stay in central Puxi, around People's Square.
Metro lines meet here, and East Nanjing Road leads you on foot to the Bund. For tree-lined streets and dinners out, try Jing'an or the Former French Concession, but check which metro stop is really nearby. Cross the river for Lujiazui's towers; most first-trip days are spent in Puxi.
Gateways
Check your tickets: Pudong and Hongqiao are at opposite ends of town.
Most long-haul flights land at Pudong (PVG), east of the centre. Far west, Hongqiao has the second airport (SHA) and the main high-speed station, though some trains use Shanghai Railway Station, nearer People's Square. After a long flight with heavy bags, a taxi is often easier than Metro Line 2.
Next place
Hangzhou is the natural next stop; Suzhou works as a day trip.
Hangzhou's West Lake, tea hills and Lingyin Temple are spread out, and the lake is worth seeing early and late, so stay at least a night. Suzhou's highlights sit closer together, and one garden plus the old streets make a good day out from Shanghai. If Nanjing is on your list, give it its own stay.
Shanghai's sights on both banks of the Huangpu
- The BundRiverside walk; best from dusk into dark
- Old City · Yu GardenGarden and market lanes; walk on to the Bund
- People's Square · E Nanjing RdMetro hub; shopping street to the Bund
- Jing'an · Former French ConcessionTree-lined streets, lane houses, cafés
- LujiazuiAmong the towers, looking back at the Bund
- Hongqiao hubFar west; SHA airport and high-speed station
- PVGEast; most long-haul flights land here
- DisneylandA whole day; it won't fit into an evening
- City centre
- Half a day or more
- A whole day
- Airports and station
Not to scale. Most first-trip days are spent west of the river, in Puxi; Disneyland needs a whole day of its own.
Why a China trip needs a few days in Shanghai
Shanghai's old and new stand face to face across the Huangpu. Most of the Bund's stone banks and hotels went up about a century ago, and every tower on the far bank has risen since 1990. Ride the public ferry over with commuters, turn round on deck, and the whole Bund spreads out behind you. Then take the lift up the Shanghai Tower, 546 metres in under a minute, and even the other skyscrapers sit below your feet.
Shanghai works at either end of a China trip. Most long-haul flights into the city land at Pudong, and a few nights in one hotel let you find your feet before a high-speed train takes you on to Hangzhou or Suzhou. Put it last and you have plenty of flights home to choose from. Where you can, fly into one city and home from another, Beijing and Shanghai for instance, so you don't have to double back.
A five-day Shanghai itinerary
Arrival and departure mostly go to travel, so four nights leave three full days: two in the city and a day out. Plan around flights and bookings.
- Arrive and rest, with a stroll nearby if you're up to it.
- Wander Yu Garden and the Old City lanes, then reach the Bund by dusk to watch both banks light up. The garden is ticketed; check entry rules first.
- Pair a museum with the leafy Former French Concession, or ferry across and look back at the Bund from Lujiazui. Shanghai Museum's two sites close on different days; check first.
- Pick one: a Suzhou garden and old canal streets, the water town of Zhujiajiao, or a whole day at Disneyland. For Suzhou, count the time to and from the stations.
- Check out, leaving plenty of time: Pudong and Hongqiao are at opposite ends of town.
With five full days besides arrival and departure, give the city three, Suzhou or Zhujiajiao one, and keep one for rain, tired legs or Disneyland. To add Hangzhou, stay overnight there.
Deeper answers
More on Shanghai
From where to stay to getting in and out of the city, one guide for each question.
Private tours
Private tours that include Shanghai
Ready-made routes with their itinerary and price on each page. Just your group, on your dates.
Shanghai & Suzhou: 5-Day Private Tour
Shanghai · Zhujiajiao · Suzhou day tripTravellers who want Shanghai, a water town and Suzhou without changing hotels.Itinerary & price
Shanghai, Suzhou & Hangzhou: 6-Day Private Tour
Shanghai · Suzhou · HangzhouTravellers who want Shanghai, classical gardens and West Lake in one connected route.Itinerary & price
Shanghai & Disneyland: 5-Day Private Tour
Shanghai · Shanghai DisneylandTravellers who want Shanghai Disneyland, the Bund, Yu Garden and neighbourhood time without changing hotels.Itinerary & price
Photo (cropped and resized): Shanghai & Disneyland: 5-Day Private Tour (Josh Grenier, CC BY 2.0)
