PVG
Shanghai: Where Nanjing Road Glamour Meets the Tallest Skyline in China
East and West have been trading glances across the Huangpu for 180 years.
Shanghai is China's most cosmopolitan face: a Bund of 1920s banks facing a Pudong skyline of glass towers, plane-tree streets in the old concessions full of cafés and boutiques, and soup dumplings that reward the patient. Add the maglev, world-class museums and an easy water-town day trip, and you have the country's gentlest big-city introduction. This seven-day guide helps first-time foreign visitors land, orient and explore without guesswork.
Metro lines
20+ lines, 500+ stations
Airport
PVG — Shanghai Pudong International
Avg. Visit
4–6 days
Population
~24.8 million
Best Season
Mar–May & Sep–Nov
Payment
Alipay / WeChat Pay + cash
Plug
Type I, 220V
Suggested itinerary
The Bund & Pudong Skyline
Walk the Bund's historic waterfront in the morning, then cross the river to ride up to the Shanghai Tower observation deck — the highest in China. Come back at dusk when both banks light up and stroll the promenade again with the towers blazing across the water.
Yu Garden, Old City & Nanjing Road
Explore Yu Garden's Ming-era rockeries and teahouses, then the surrounding bazaar for xiaolongbao. Walk out to Nanjing Road pedestrian street and finish at People's Square with the Shanghai Museum's bronzes and ceramics.
French Concession & Xintiandi
Spend the day under the plane trees of the former French Concession: Wukang Road, Ferguson Lane and Tianzifang's lane workshops. Continue to Xintiandi's restored shikumen houses for dinner, then drinks at the Bund-side bars.
Jing'an, Art & the Maglev
Visit Jing'an Temple, its golden hall wedged among skyscrapers, then choose between the Power Station of Art contemporary museum and the West Bund art corridor. Take the maglev to Pudong airport for the 430 km/h thrill — worth it even as a joyride.
Zhujiajiao Water Town Day
Take Metro Line 17 straight to Zhujiajiao, the "Venice of Shanghai": stone bridges, canal boats and riverside teahouses about an hour from the centre. Return for a riverside dinner and the Huangpu night cruise.
Museums, Markets & Jewish Heritage
Dive into the Shanghai Museum or the China Art Museum, then walk the former Jewish Quarter in Hongkou to see the Ohel Moshe Synagogue and the narrow lanes where refugees sheltered in the 1940s. End at the 1933 Old Millfun creative complex.
Shopping, Spas & a Shanghainese Farewell
Browse the fabric and tailor markets, book a foot spa, and take one last stroll through People's Park. Close with a proper Shanghainese meal: xiaolongbao, red-braised pork and drunken shrimp.
Local tips
- Download Alipay or WeChat Pay and link your international card before arrival.
- The metro is one of the world's largest and fully English-signed; tap a transport card or scan the QR code.
- From Pudong Airport take the maglev or Metro Line 2; a taxi to the centre takes 45–60 minutes.
- Book headline sights like the Shanghai Tower online in advance and carry your passport.
- China does not expect tipping — service charges are already included.
- Avoid metro rush hours (7:30–9:30 and 17:30–19:30); Lines 1 and 2 are busiest.
- June is the plum-rain season and summer is hot and humid; spring and autumn are best.
- Screenshot key addresses in Chinese; some Western apps and websites need a VPN or roaming data.
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