Things to do in Shanghai, China - Sightseeing, where to stay, food

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We planned to stay roughly 2 weeks in China, and Shanghai was not our main focus this time. We only allocated 2 full days to explore a bit, yet we managed to see a lot and got a good impression of the city!

City Life

Shanghai, being one of only five ports forced to open to trade after the First Opium War, definitely still seems more westernised to this day. Many expats live and work here, and you will find it much easier to get by with English. The vibe is completely different compared to Beijing – while the capital seemed to have retained much of its traditional Chinese heritage in day-to-day life, Shanghai felt much more modern. People in general seemed to be more open-minded and very fashionable with a quite distinctive style – a perfect invitation for people-watching if you are into that kind of thing!

The Bund

Selfie with Shanghai Skyline in the background

Much of the action happens around the Bund – a historical area along the Huangpu River, adjacent to the Waitan district where we stayed. The riverside is definitely worth a long stroll by day and by night. The astonishingly beautiful skyline on the opposite side of the river is framed by the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the Shanghai Tower. We managed to catch some rainy, foggy days, so most of the towers were hiding under a cloud blanket. Nevertheless, the evening light-up of the Bund cannot be missed when in Shanghai!

The Bund side, lined with buildings of different architectural styles, very much reminded us of Europe. If you are interested in architecture, Tour-Beijing has an excellent compilation here.

Tianzifang

This art district is a popular destination for tourists, known for its trendy shops, fun souvenirs, and small restaurants. We paid a short evening visit just before the stores started closing and bought some of our souvenirs here, including popular dried tea flowers called flowering tea that open up and turn into something almost like a bouquet in hot water! Chinese tea is one of the most sought-after gifts, and there are plenty of speciality shops in the area. You can sample different varieties and learn about their effect on mind and body. The late-hour visit paid off, the crowds were already gone and the cute little shops were all lit up.

Getting Massaged

I (Isi) tried a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) massage in a spa called Yuhetang that was recommended to me by a local friend. Worth noting that TCM is nothing like a relaxing Swedish kneading – to be honest, it did hurt quite a bit but was still interesting to try. TCM views us humans as an interconnected system of body, mind and energy, and focuses on restoring balance through pressure points that are activated through the massage. It was a very memorable experience and definitely had some lasting effects on me.

As no one at the salon spoke English, the communication progressed slowly through Google Translate, as always in China. I was a bit surprised, though, when the translation said that the masseuse wanted to prepare some kind of rice dish and tea for me. I blamed it on the translation, however, when the massage session finished, she told me to wait a bit and actually returned with a hot rice dish, some fruit tea and another soup dish. Very interesting experience. The cost for a 60-minute massage was ¥235, which is around 30€. Yuhetang has multiple branches, here is the location I went to: Amap.

Other things to do

As our time was too short, we didn’t make it to all the places we wanted to. Nevertheless, here is a list of worthwhile things to do based on our research!

Shanghai marriage market: held in People’s Park every Saturday and Sunday from noon until 5 pm, parents gather to find a partner for their unmarried child.

French Concession: as the name suggests, this was a French-administered zone in the city from 1849 until 1943. Accordingly, the architecture and the general planning of the area are heavily influenced by 19th-century Western architecture.

Oriental Pearl Tower observation deck: though not the highest point in the city, the platform offers a great view of the skyscrapers as well as the Bund. There is also a glass-floor area!

Yu Garden: the garden and the surrounding Old City offer a stark contrast to the skyscrapers and Western-style architecture. The characteristic ancient Chinese buildings are fully renovated, and the entire area is now protected by local law.

Western architectural buildings along the Bund in Shanghai

Accommodation

We would recommend staying in a central area around the Bund to save some time commuting to the main sights. It is not easy to find affordable accommodations though. We booked the reasonably-priced Fish Inn ($) near East Nanjing Road – nothing fancy, but we were very happy with our choice.

Here are some other great hotel options we were considering:

Transportation

The Shanghai rail transit system comprises 26 lines, including the second-longest metro system in the world, stretching 808 km with 506 stations. We enjoyed taking the bus, though, which allowed us to see many of the different neighbourhoods just passing by.

The city is also home to the world’s first operational maglev train line, connecting the city centre with the Pudong International Airport.

You can use any of the lines with an AliPay QR code, don’t forget to set this up before you arrive!

Food & Restaurants

Steamed dumplings served in bamboo steamer

Google Maps seemed to work quite well in Shanghai, so finding dining options was not as challenging as in other parts of China.

Typical foods of the Shanghai region include soup dumplings (Xiaolongbao), pan-fried pork buns (Sheng Jian Bao) and red-braised pork belly (Hong Shao Rou). We didn’t manage to try them all, unfortunately, but the meals we had were all very delicious:

Yang’s Fried Dumplings: a local favourite for dumplings! I managed to cover the table, Isi, and also our neighbours in scorching hot dumpling juice with an overly zealous bite – so be careful! 😀 They have multiple branches, we went to the one near our hotel. Location: Amap | Google Maps
Ren He Guan (人和馆): Excellent Shanghainese food with one of the two locations holding a Michelin star. There was even a stage and a singing performance when we were there. It is recommended to book one week in advance, either by calling or using the Dianping app. Location: Amap
Tea: either visit a tea house for traditional tea or get a chilled tea to go – cheap and very delicious, with fruit pieces. A chain with many outlets we tried was Heytea. We ordered a mango coconut tea and a grape tea with plenty of fresh grape pieces. Both were delicious and only cost around 2 €. Location of the New World City Store: Amap | Google Maps
Dianweiyuan: they serve the funnily named crossing-the-bridge noodles from Yunnan province, very delicious (and spicy)! Location: Amap
Yedan: a little corner restaurant in the Tianzifang area with outdoor seating, serving dumplings, noodles and soup. Location: Google Maps

Shanghai is also part of our recommended two-week itinerary in China for first-timers, make sure to take a look to find out what other gems we recommend visiting!