Last updated on February 4th, 2021

Pudong Financial District, Visit Shanghai

Pudong Financial District, thanks to Pixabay.com

Visit Shanghai – Yu Garden

Yu Garden or Yuyuan is a top rated tourist destination for those who visit Shanghai. The garden is traditional Suzhou style.  In the center of the garden is the popular Huxingting Pavilion Tea House. You get to the Huxingting Tea House on the zig zag Jiuqu Bridge. The pattern of the bridge protects the tea house from ghosts.  The Yuyuan Bazaar is next to the Yu Grden. Nearby you will also find the City God Temple, the Shanghai Temple of the Town God and the Shanghai Natural History Museum.

Yu Garden, Yuyuan, Visit Shanghai

Yu Garden, Yuyuan, Shanghai

Visit Shanghai – the Bund

The Bund is the famous riverfront promenade area along the Huangpu River. The Bund is a great place to view the skyscrapers and interesting architecture of Pudong on the opposite bank of the river. Along the Bund you will find the Monument to the People’s Heroes in Huangpu Park where the Huangpu River meets the Wusongjiang River. The Monument to the Peoples’ Heroes is not the same as the People’s Square. The Fairmont Peace Hotel with its Jazz Bar is here.

Pudong Skyscrapers from the Bund Promenade, Visit Shanghai

Pudong Skyscrapers, © Can Stock Photo Inc. / rabbit75can

The Bund is directly east of the the popular pedestrian-only Nanjing Road, but the road is open to traffic in the area near the Bund. From the Bund you can also walk through the Bund – Pudong Pedestrian Tunnel which takes you under the Huangpu River to Pudong. Take an evening river cruise on the Huangpu River when you visit Shanghai’s Bund riverfront promenade.

Yuyuan Bazaar, Visit Shanghai

Yuyuan Bazaar, Shanghai

Visit Shanghai – Pudong

Walk among the skyscrapers in the area known as Lujiazui, including:

  • Shanghai World Financial Center – this building was originally designed with a circular hole through its top, however its resemblance to the unpopular Japanese flag resulted in a redesign to a rectangular opening. Visit the observation deck or the Park Hyatt Shanghai.
  • Jin Mao Tower – right beside the Shanghai World Financial Center. Visit the observation deck or the Grand Hyatt Shanghai.
  • Oriental Pearl Tower – yet another observation deck.
Nanjing Road Pedestrian Area, Visit Shanghai

Nanjing Road, © Can Stock / rabbit75can

Visit Shanghai – Peoples’ Square

The Shanghai Museum in the Peoples’ Square is a popular destination for people who visit Shanghai.  The Shanghai Museum has 5,000 years of Chinese history.  You can also see the Shanghai Grand Theatre, the Shanghai Art Museum and the well known Jin Jiang Park Hotel at the Peoples’ Square. The People’s Park starts at the northern end of the Peoples’ Square. From the Peoples’ Park you can enter the popular pedestrian only Nanjing Road, which is a must see when you visit Shanghai.

Just south of the Peoples’ Square you can visit Xintiandi and the Dongtailu Antique Market. Xintiandi is a large area along Taicang Road that was once an old residential zone. Today it has been converted to restaurants, bars and clubs.  Xintiandi has retained its traditional Shikumen architecture of brick construction and ornamental gates.

Yuyuan Pedestrian Bazaar, Visit Shanghai

Yuyuan Pedestrian Bazaar, thanks to Pixabay.com

Visit Shanghai – French Concession

Take a walking tour of the Shanghai French Concession. Fuxing Park is at the center of this French Concession colonial-era district. In the park men bring their caged birds for a stroll and conversation with fellow birders. At 7 Xiangshan Road is the former residence of Sun Yat-sen, who was the first president of the Republic of China.

Pudong, Visit Shanghai

Pudong, © Can Stock / rabbit75can

Visit Shanghai – More Sights

  • Shanghai Acrobatic Shows – Choose from Shanghai Circus World, Shanghai Huxi Theater, Shanghai Center Theater, Baiyulan Theater or Cloud Peak Theater.
  • Take a walking tour of Shanghai’s Jewish Ghetto and Huoshan Park.
  • Cross the Lupu Bridge to the Expo 2010 World Park and the China Pavilion.
  • Shanghai Swallow Silk Clothes Factory.
Suzhou Water Village near Shanghai

Suzhou Water Village, © Can Stock / ti_to_tito

Suzhou Water Village Day Trip

Take a Suzhou water village day trip from Shanghai.  The delta of the Yangtze River creates several water villages around Suzhou. The Grand Canal passes through the city of Suzhou and the adjoining small canals make Suzhou the “Venice of the East”. Just south of the Suzhou Railway Station is a maze of canals, bridges, pathways, gardens, temples and pavilions. The Humble Administrator Garden and the Lingering Garden (Liuyuan) are both popular destinations here. So is Yunyan Pagoda at Tiger Hill.  Walk along the canals and the pathways or take a boat tour.

Zhouzhuang Water Village Canal near Shanghai

Zhouzhuang Water Village Canal near Shanghai

Boat tours come in all sizes from large enclosed passenger boats to small canal boats powered by rowing. The smaller your boat, the deeper you can get into the smallest canals. Pingjiang Road and Shantang Street are popular places for walking or canal boating. Take an organized Suzhou tour, so that you don’t end up spending the day lost in a maze. You can also visit the nearby Zhouzhuang Water Village, Tongli Water Town and ZhujiajiaoWater Village when you visit Suzhou.

Jing'an Temple, Visit Shanghai

Jing’an Temple, © Can Stock / billperry

Visit Shanghai – Museums & Temples

  • Shanghai Oriental Art Center and the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.
  • Longhua Temple, Zhenru Temple & Tongchuan Lu market, Jade Buddha Temple and Jing’an Temple.
  • Moganshan Road – once a warehouse area, Moganshan is now home to Shanghai’s best contemporary art galleries, such as ShangArt.
Zhujiajiao Water Village near Shanghai

Zhujiajiao Water Village © Can Stock / rabbit75can

Visit Shanghai – Hotels

  • Hyatt on the Bund – views to Pudong.
  • Grand Hyatt Shanghai in the Jin Mao Tower.
  • Jin Jiang Park Hotel – facing Peoples’ Square
Tongli Water Town near Shanghai

Tongli Water Town, © Can Stock / kawing921

Savor the Tastes of Shanghai

  • Xiaolong bao is the trademark food of Shanghai.  It is a soup dumpling filled with broth and pork or crab. Try Din Tai Fung for a popular version.
  • Try caterpillars, carp head or radish pickled in soy sauce.
  • M on the Bund – have a classic martini at the roof terrace overlooking the Bund.
  • Vue Bar, located on the 32nd and 33rd floors of the Hyatt on the Bund with great views.
  • Have a cocktail in the Grand Hyatt Shanghai inside the Jin Mao Tower.
  • Have tea at the Yongfoo Elite, 200 Yongfu Road.
Maglev High Speed Train, Visit Shanghai

Maglev High Speed Train, © Can Stock / luisafer

Get to Shanghai by Air & Rail

You can get to Shanghai through Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Take a high speed Maglev train from the airport to the Longyang Rd station in 8 minutes. From there it’s another 20 minutes to People’s Square and the Bund downtown area. A cab ride will be quicker, but much more expensive.  You can also get to Shanghai from Xian and Beijing by high speed trains or overnight sleeper trains.

Shanghai Railway Station

Shanghai Railway Station

Shanghai Cruise Terminals

The port of Shanghai has three cruise ship terminals. They are the Wusongkou Cruise International Terminal, Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, and Waigaoqiao International Cruise Terminal. Check carefully where your cruise ship docks.  The Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal is in the heart of downtown Shanghai on the Huangpu River near Pudong and the Bund. The other two terminals are on the Yangtze River, so you will need to arrange a cab or shuttle from these terminals to reach the sights of Shanghai.

Shanghai Weather

Summer weather has comfortable temperatures in the summer. Rainfall increases in the summer months, but rainfall is common throughout the year. Shanghai weather in winter is cool and damp. Winter temperatures seldom go below freezing, except when Siberian cold fronts reach the city. October and November can be the best time to visit Shanghai, because temperatures are still reasonable and rainfall is at its lowest levels.

Visit Shanghai – Background

About 23 million people live in Shanghai, which makes it the largest city in the world. This is remarkable because Shanghai was a sparsely populated area only a few decades ago. The city of Shanghai is on the Yangtze River delta, where it enters the East China Sea. The Ming Dynasty had fortifications here in the 1500s. Shanghai gained importance in the late 1800s when the British gained control of the area after the First Opium War in 1842. Shanghai’s influence declined under communism, but regained strength since the 1990s. Shanghai is now the symbolic centerpiece of a booming Chinese economy. The port in Shanghai is the busiest container port in the world.

Related Blogs