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Browse and explore the best travel guides in Shanghai.
Shanghai is China's commercial capital and its most outward-facing city, split by the Huangpu River into two very different halves. On the west bank, the Bund's colonial banking houses front a promenade built in the 1920s; on the east, Pudong's skyscrapers went up almost entirely after 1990.
Between those two skylines the city is more textured than it first appears. The former French Concession has plane-tree avenues and 1930s villas, the Yu Garden quarter preserves classical Ming landscaping, and neighbourhoods like Tianzifang and Jing'an mix lane housing with galleries and bars. The metro is one of the largest networks in the world and reaches almost everywhere worth going.
Shanghai also functions as a base for the Yangtze Delta. The canal towns of Zhujiajiao and Tongli are an hour out, and high-speed trains reach Suzhou in 25 minutes and Hangzhou's West Lake in under an hour.
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October and November are the best months in Shanghai, with clear skies and comfortable temperatures. Late March to May is the other good window. Summer is hot, humid and includes a rainy plum season, while winter is damp and cold without much snow.
The Maglev reaches Longyang Road in eight minutes, from where you connect to Metro Line 2. Alternatively, Metro Line 2 runs directly into the city in about 50 minutes without changing. Taxis take 45-60 minutes depending on traffic.
The metro is the fastest and cheapest option, with signage and announcements in English throughout. Buy a Shanghai Public Transportation Card or use QR ticketing in the metro app. Taxis are inexpensive but slow in rush hour, and a translation app helps with drivers.
Three days is a good baseline for Shanghai. One for the Bund, the Yu Garden and Nanjing Road, one for the French Concession and the museums, and one for Pudong or a canal town. Add a fourth for a day trip to Suzhou or Hangzhou.
Almost everything in Shanghai is paid by mobile QR code rather than cash. Both major Chinese payment apps now allow foreign visitors to link an international card, which is worth setting up before you arrive. Keep some cash for small vendors who still take it.
Shanghai is very safe, with low street crime even late at night. The most common problems are scams targeting foreigners — the tea ceremony invitation and the art student gallery approach near the Bund and Nanjing Road are the classics. Decline politely and walk on.
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Visa and entry
Entry rules, stay length and passport validity by nationality.
Best time to visit
The most comfortable stretch of the year in Shanghai, based on 1991 to 2020 climate averages.
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