Shanghai - a couple of days spare
Discussion
Don’t underestimate the times to clear passport control.
Most go to websites; you will not have access without a VPN
Money, increasingly most places no longer accept cash, traditional credit cards not widely used except in international hotels. Download ‘Wechat pay’ （most common）or use Alipay.
Travel, don’t underestimate distance; trains, very fast, clean and punctual. Metro systems in (available in most major cities) are excellent.
WiFi is not widely available, even when it is, it’s generally pass word protected, which presents its own problems, although often a young member of staff will help you log in.
Download DIDI which is basically the Chinese Uber, there is an English version and this will make getting around so much easier,
With regard to cost and convenience, only you can put a value on what you think is reasonable. I stay in i-biz hotels (but I’m cheap) they are good enough for me, just need a place to sleep. Shanghai is no longer a cheap destination.
Places to visit, The Bund (river walk and architecture old/new) French Concession (FFC, architecture, cool vibe) Huangzhou, or Suzhou, (architecture, history and ambience) avoid at weekends unless you like a crowd. Another reason for going, you can marvel at the HSR, (high speed rail) it really is that impressive.
Food, so much choice, a must try Xiaolongbao (Soup Dumplings) tasty dumplings filled with beef, pork or veggies and a broth,
caution when eating, can be piping hot and a tad messy.
Communication; download a translation app, Microsoft Translator | Free & Unblocked
Is good but only works online. Otherwise communication is a challenge, but easily insurmountable.
Be patient, many things (official) seem to take a long time to be processed (esp. hotel rooms), but its just people doing their job.
Most go to websites; you will not have access without a VPN
Money, increasingly most places no longer accept cash, traditional credit cards not widely used except in international hotels. Download ‘Wechat pay’ （most common）or use Alipay.
Travel, don’t underestimate distance; trains, very fast, clean and punctual. Metro systems in (available in most major cities) are excellent.
WiFi is not widely available, even when it is, it’s generally pass word protected, which presents its own problems, although often a young member of staff will help you log in.
Download DIDI which is basically the Chinese Uber, there is an English version and this will make getting around so much easier,
With regard to cost and convenience, only you can put a value on what you think is reasonable. I stay in i-biz hotels (but I’m cheap) they are good enough for me, just need a place to sleep. Shanghai is no longer a cheap destination.
Places to visit, The Bund (river walk and architecture old/new) French Concession (FFC, architecture, cool vibe) Huangzhou, or Suzhou, (architecture, history and ambience) avoid at weekends unless you like a crowd. Another reason for going, you can marvel at the HSR, (high speed rail) it really is that impressive.
Food, so much choice, a must try Xiaolongbao (Soup Dumplings) tasty dumplings filled with beef, pork or veggies and a broth,
caution when eating, can be piping hot and a tad messy.
Communication; download a translation app, Microsoft Translator | Free & Unblocked
Is good but only works online. Otherwise communication is a challenge, but easily insurmountable.
Be patient, many things (official) seem to take a long time to be processed (esp. hotel rooms), but its just people doing their job.
I'd start with reading some China travel guides and make sure you have the necessary apps:
- WeChat/Alipay for payments
- A map app: Apple maps works, and for Android I think you can get Amap in English now
- VPN: Nord, Express Surfshark etc don't work, V1VPN is good
- Translation app
In addition to the places mentioned above, Yu Gardens is a nice place to visit.
- WeChat/Alipay for payments
- A map app: Apple maps works, and for Android I think you can get Amap in English now
- VPN: Nord, Express Surfshark etc don't work, V1VPN is good
- Translation app
In addition to the places mentioned above, Yu Gardens is a nice place to visit.
I'll second the old French Concession as an antidote to the high rises of Pudong which are what you see from the Bund (or from Mission Impossible) - you used to be able to go to the top of some of those buildings (probably still can) and you can get to that side of the river via a pedestrian tunnel.
In the old French Concession a good route is to start at Anfu Road at Wulumuqi Road then continue to WuKang Road - you can then pop in to Ferguson Lane (an old print works) for a coffee (or meal at Franck) - lots of quirky shops and galleries along the route. If you fancy a longer walk then start at Jing'an Temple
There is an arts district at 50 Moganshan Road - an old industrial complex with a large number of galleries - ranging from contemporary to traditional Chinese - worth visiting to get an idea of what the city used to be like as Shanghai today is completely different from even 20 years ago.
I'm not sure about the HSR but always used to recommend the Maglev to the airport - this goes from a random part of the city so best to use it on your way back to the airport (as long as your flights are PVG) - you can get the metro to Longyang Road Station followed by a 2 minute walk to the Maglev station - signposting is quite good.
Metro is very modern and safe.
There is also a massive car museum with a few interesting Chinese vehicles and a lot of European ones - but I suspect this is of more interest to the locals than to Europeans where such museums are more common.
Fabric market on Lujiabang Road if you have time to get shirts or a suit made.
As a last oddball suggestion there is Shanghai Circus World - amazing Chinese acrobats and some wall of death motorbikes.
It has been about 15 years since I lived in Shanghai but I'm pretty sure that all of the above should still be relevant - they are all quite far apart so I've listed in what I think is a good order of preference; enjoy the trip, its definitely a city worth seeing.
In the old French Concession a good route is to start at Anfu Road at Wulumuqi Road then continue to WuKang Road - you can then pop in to Ferguson Lane (an old print works) for a coffee (or meal at Franck) - lots of quirky shops and galleries along the route. If you fancy a longer walk then start at Jing'an Temple
There is an arts district at 50 Moganshan Road - an old industrial complex with a large number of galleries - ranging from contemporary to traditional Chinese - worth visiting to get an idea of what the city used to be like as Shanghai today is completely different from even 20 years ago.
I'm not sure about the HSR but always used to recommend the Maglev to the airport - this goes from a random part of the city so best to use it on your way back to the airport (as long as your flights are PVG) - you can get the metro to Longyang Road Station followed by a 2 minute walk to the Maglev station - signposting is quite good.
Metro is very modern and safe.
There is also a massive car museum with a few interesting Chinese vehicles and a lot of European ones - but I suspect this is of more interest to the locals than to Europeans where such museums are more common.
Fabric market on Lujiabang Road if you have time to get shirts or a suit made.
As a last oddball suggestion there is Shanghai Circus World - amazing Chinese acrobats and some wall of death motorbikes.
It has been about 15 years since I lived in Shanghai but I'm pretty sure that all of the above should still be relevant - they are all quite far apart so I've listed in what I think is a good order of preference; enjoy the trip, its definitely a city worth seeing.
Edited by JBW11 on Thursday 14th August 11:03
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