Hotels near Tianzifang and Xintiandi

Tianzifang occupies a block of shikumen lane housing off Taikang Road, the stone-gate terraces that housed most of Shanghai's population in the early twentieth century. Artists began renting studios here in the late 1990s and the alleys now hold several hundred small galleries, craft shops, tea rooms and bars, squeezed into lanes barely two metres wide. Residents still live above many of them.

Xintiandi, 15 minutes north on foot, is the polished version of the same idea: shikumen facades rebuilt around a pedestrian plaza of restaurants and international brands. It is more comfortable and considerably less atmospheric. The Site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China sits on its southern edge and is free to enter.

Pro Tip: Enter Tianzifang from the Taikang Road No. 248 lane rather than the main No. 210 entrance, which absorbs the coach groups. Go on a weekday afternoon; weekend crowds make the narrower alleys single-file.