Shanghai in 3 days
On the west bank of the Huangpu, the 1930s façades of the Bund face the 632-metre Shanghai Tower and the skyscrapers of Lujiazui. Behind them, the former French Concession lines up plane trees and Art Deco villas, the old town serves baskets of xiaolongbao, and the canal town of Zhujiajiao is a metro ride away.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
The Bundfree · about 1 h 301.5 kilometres of neoclassical and Art Deco banks and trading houses built before 1937, facing the towers of Pudong across the river.
- Afternoon
Yu Gardenabout 1 h 30A Ming garden laid out in 1559: two hectares of ponds, rockeries and pavilions linked by zigzag galleries, ringed by the undulating Dragon Wall.
- Late afternoon
Shanghai Towerabout 1 h 30China's tallest building, 632 metres, finished in 2015; its twisting glass skin cuts wind load, and lifts reach the 546-metre observatory in under a minute.
Day 2
- Morning
Shanghai Museumfree · 2 to 3 hA round-on-square building on People's Square with one of China's great collections: Shang and Zhou bronzes, ceramics, calligraphy, Ming furniture and minority costumes.
- Afternoon
Tianzifangfree · about 1 h 30A maze of brick shikumen lane houses off Taikang Road, taken over by artists from 1998 and now full of studios, cafés and craft shops.
- Late afternoon
The former French Concession and Wukang Roadfree · 2 to 3 hPlane trees, brick villas and Art Deco blocks; Wukang Road leads to László Hudec's 1924 prow-shaped Wukang Mansion and dozens of plaqued historic homes.
Day 3
- Morning
Jade Buddha Templeabout 1 hFounded in 1882 for two white jade Buddhas brought from Burma; the seated one, nearly two metres tall and studded with gems, sits upstairs.
- Afternoon
Zhujiajiaofree · half a dayA water town 50 kilometres west of the centre with 36 stone bridges, including the five-arched Fangsheng Bridge of 1571, and Ming and Qing houses.
Where to sleep in Shanghai
- Blue Mountain Bund Youth Hostel · €18 a night
- Campanile Shanghai Bund Hotel · €45 a night
- Holiday Inn Express Shanghai On the Bund · €60 a night
- Radisson Blu Shanghai New World · €85 a night
- Broadway Mansions Hotel · €110 a night
- Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund · €130 a night
- The Peninsula Shanghai · €450 a night
- Fairmont Peace Hotel · €280 a night
- Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund · €300 a night
Plan this trip
Hotel prices per room per night, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.