Explore Shanghai

on this page, you will find our comprehensive guide to exploring shanghai, with recommendations by activity and neighbourhood, curated city walks, and a link to our redbook collection filled with more places to discover. 在本页面，你将找到我们精心整理的上海探索指南，包括按活动及街区分类的游玩推荐、精选 citywalk 路线，以及汇集了更多吃喝玩乐灵感的小红书收藏合集。

welcome to shanghai · 魔都

home to the bride, and a city unlike anywhere else.

glamorous and endlessly alive, shanghai is metropolitan grandeur at its finest. few cities do luxury on quite this scale, with extraordinary hotels, dining, shopping, and night life set against one of the world’s most iconic skylines.

but beyond the skyscrapers lies the shanghai you will love most.

across the river from pudong’s futuristic skyline, shanghai reveals old glamour like no other city. tree-lined streets wind through the former french concession, past historic villas, art deco façades and architecture shaped by shanghai's unique chinese and european history. along the bund, century-old buildings face the soaring skyline across the huangpu river - old and new shanghai in a single view.

the best way to experience the city is simply to walk it.

this is our shanghai - the neighbourhoods we love, the places we eat and shop, the classics worth seeing, and a few personal favourites we hope you will discover along the way.

explore shanghai by category

- North Bund 北外滩
- The Bund 外滩
- Waibaidu Bridge 外白渡桥
- City God Temple 城隍庙
- Qibao Old Street 七宝老街
- Oriental Pearl 东方明珠
- Disneyland
- Wukang Road 武康路
- Anfu Road 安福路
- Yuyuan Road 愚园路
- REDZEPI
- Huaihai Road 淮海路 / iAPM
- Zhangyuan 张园
- Xintiandi 新天地
- Tianzifang 田子坊
- Bar à Vin
- 晓平饭店
- 人和馆
- 醉庐
- 朱光玉火锅
- 三百杯
- EVERYWHERE
- Manner · M Stand · Marmalade
- Suzhou
- Hangzhou
- Nanjing

explore shanghai by neighbourhood

Best for: shopping, walking, food, cafés, pretty streets
NY Equivalent: Upper West Side / Chelsea
This is the Shanghai we love spending an afternoon getting lost in. Leafy, tree-lined streets, historic villas, beautiful architecture, independent boutiques, cafés and some of our favourite places to eat. Much of the former French Concession runs through Xuhui, and this is where you'll find some of the city's most charming streets.
Explore: Wukang Road · Changle Road · Urumqi Middle Road · Wukang Mansion · Dolan Sun · Szarii Wanted · independent boutiques
Eat: 晓平饭店 · Bar à Vin · cafés everywhere
Best for: staying central, the wedding, dining, shopping, night life
NY Equivalent: Upper East Side
Polished, central and incredibly convenient, Jing'an gives you a little bit of everything without feeling quite as touristy as the Bund. You'll find luxury malls alongside older neighbourhood streets, excellent restaurants, bars and easy access to almost anywhere in central Shanghai. Most importantly for this trip, this is where the wedding is. Moller Villa sits in Jing'an, making this one of our top recommendations for guests deciding where to stay.
Explore: Moller Villa · Jing'an Temple · Nanjing West Road · Jing'an Kerry Centre
Eat: 人和馆 · restaurants and bars around Jing'an
Best for: first-time visitors, architecture, sightseeing, luxury shopping
NY Equivalent: Midtown + SoHo
This is the Shanghai most first-time visitors come to see. The Bund, Xintiandi, Yu Garden, City God Temple, People's Square and many of the city's most recognizable landmarks are all within Huangpu.
It's also where many tourists choose to stay because you're surrounded by major sights, restaurants and luxury hotels. The trade-off: it's generally one of the more expensive areas to stay, particularly around the Bund and Xintiandi.
Explore: The Bund · Xintiandi · Zhangyuan · Wujiang Road · Yu Garden · City God Temple · People's Square · Nanjing East Road
Eat: Restaurants around Xintiandi · Bund dining · Wujiang Road street food
Best for: Skyline Views, Sunset, Photography, Waterfront Walks
NY Equivalent: DUMBO / Brooklyn Heights Promenade
If you want the Shanghai skyline view, this is where we'd send you. The North Bund sits directly across from Pudong's skyscrapers and gives you one of the best panoramic views of the city.
We actually prefer it to simply going straight to the Bund. Start here in the late afternoon, walk along the waterfront toward Waibaidu Bridge, cross the bridge and continue onto the historic Bund as the city lights come on.
Explore: North Bund waterfront · Waibaidu Bridge · North Bund → Bund city walk
Eat: 醉庐 · waterfront restaurants
Best for: Skyscrapers, Observation Decks, Modern Shanghai, Disney
NY Equivalent: Lower Manhattan / Hudson Yards
This is the Shanghai you've seen in photographs. Across the river from the historic Bund, Pudong is home to Lujiazui's futuristic financial district, the Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower and the skyscrapers that make up Shanghai's famous skyline.
It's absolutely worth seeing, but unless you have specific attractions you want to visit, we wouldn't spend the majority of your trip here. Ironically, some of the best views of Pudong are from the other side of the river.
Explore: Lujiazui · Oriental Pearl Tower · Shanghai Tower · Pudong waterfront
Further Out: Shanghai Disneyland
Eat: Plenty of luxury hotel and high-rise dining — although we'd generally cross back to Puxi for food
Best for: local neighbourhoods, quiet wandering, cafés, architecture
NY Equivalent: Brooklyn Heights
Leafier, quieter and more residential, Changning gives you a glimpse of everyday Shanghai away from the major tourist sights. You'll still find beautiful historic streets, old villas, cafés and restaurants, but with a noticeably more neighbourhood feel.
It's also convenient for Hongqiao Airport (SHA) and Hongqiao Railway Station, so it's worth knowing if you're travelling elsewhere in China during your trip.
Explore: Xinhua Road · Yuyuan Road · historic neighbourhood streets · local boutiques & cafés
Eat: Neighbourhood restaurants · cafés · local favourites

01 - see & explore shanghai

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for the best view of the city

if you're looking for the shanghai skyline view, we recommend the north bund over the bund itself. from here, you get an incredible view across the huangpu river toward pudong — oriental pearl, shanghai tower and the rest of the skyline included — without being right in the middle of it.

go in the late afternoon, stay for sunset, and instead of leaving afterward, walk from the north bund → across waibaidu bridge → onto the bund. it's one of our favourite ways to see this part of shanghai and lets you experience both sides of the city's architecture along the way.

our tip: make this your starting point for our north bund → bund city walk below.

north bund · 北外滩

the bund · 外滩

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the classic — and yes, you should see it

the bund is probably shanghai's most famous landmark, and if it's your first time here, it's worth seeing at least once. but don't just come for the pudong skyline.

the bund itself is lined with some of shanghai's most recognizable historic architecture — grand european-style buildings that tell a completely different story from the futuristic city directly across the river.

our tip: rather than making the bund a destination on its own, walk into it from the north bund via waibaidu bridge. it's a much better way to experience the area.

waibaidu bridge · 外白渡桥

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the bridge between old & new shanghai

you don't necessarily need to make a separate trip here — it's part of the walk.

waibaidu bridge connects the north bund area toward the bund and gives you one of those quintessential shanghai views: historic architecture, the river and pudong's skyscrapers all layered together.

walk across it on your way from the north bund to the bund rather than simply driving past it.

city god temple · 城隍庙

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for a taste of tourism

this is one of the more touristy recommendations on our list, but if it's your first trip to china, it's still worth experiencing.

come for traditional chinese architecture, narrow streets, shops, snacks and a completely different atmosphere from modern shanghai. yu garden is right beside it, so the two are easy to visit together.

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one of tom's favourites

for something more traditional without leaving shanghai, head to qibao. old lanes, waterways, traditional architecture and a ridiculous amount of street food make this a fun half-day wander.

this one gets a place on our list in particular because tom loves it.

qibao old street · 七宝老街

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see shanghai from above

if observation decks are your thing, shanghai tower is the one we'd choose. you're in the heart of lujiazui, surrounded by the skyscrapers that define modern shanghai.

we wouldn't necessarily call it a must (we have never been), but if you want to see just how enormous shanghai really is, this is the place to do it.

shanghai tower · 上海中心

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the icon

you will see it approximately 700 times during your trip. the oriental pearl is the recognizable symbol, the empire state building if you will, of shanghai's skyline.

personally, we prefer looking at it from across the river rather than making a trip up the tower a priority. if you specifically want to visit it, absolutely do — otherwise, the north bund gives you the iconic view.

oriental pearl tower · 东方明珠

02 - shopping

anfu road · 安福路

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our favourite shopping street

this is where i'd go for younger, trendier and more independent shopping in shanghai. there are plenty of smaller boutiques and local brands to discover, so don't come looking for one particular destination — the fun is in wandering.

it's also easy to combine with wukang road, urumqi middle road and the surrounding former french concession for an afternoon of shopping, eating and walking.

wukang road · 武康路

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come for the neighbourhood, not just the photo

wukang mansion gets most of the attention, but our recommendation is to keep walking. wukang road and the surrounding former french concession are filled with beautiful old villas, tree-lined streets, boutiques, cafés and little shops.

look out for: dolan sun (cashmere) · to summer

REDZEPI

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worth the detour if this is your thing

a huge basement filled with vintage and lifestyle finds — ceramics, incense, home décor, candles, clothing and plenty of other things you probably don't need but may end up buying anyway.

it's a little out of the way, so we wouldn't make the trip unless this is your kind of shopping. if it is, it's worth the detour.

huaihai road 淮海路 · zhangyuan 张园 · xintiandi 新天地

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for more traditional shopping

if you're looking for conventional shopping, these are some of the better-known areas — but we wouldn't necessarily go out of our way for the shopping alone.

huaihai road has plenty of familiar international brands like nike and adidas; zhangyuan is more polished and upscale, set among beautifully restored historic architecture; and xintiandi has international brands like jo malone alongside restaurants and cafés.

they're all nice areas to walk through if you're nearby or curious, but if you're coming to shanghai to find things you can't easily shop for at home, we'd spend more of your time exploring the independent boutiques and local brands around changle road and the former french concession.

our tip: zhangyuan and xintiandi are worth seeing as much for the surroundings and architecture as for the actual shopping.

a note on luxury malls

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shanghai has no shortage of enormous luxury malls, and unless you're looking for a particular store, we wouldn't necessarily tell you to spend your trip shopping in them.

but here's the important part: always check the basement.

the lower levels of shanghai malls are often where you'll find the good stuff — food halls, bakeries, desserts, drinks and cute little shops. the basement of iAPM is particularly goated for snacks, sweets and things you'll inevitably want to try.

tianzifang · 田子坊

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cute if you're already nearby

a maze of narrow lanes filled with small shops, souvenirs, cafés and little pop-ups.

it's fun to wander through, but we wouldn't cross the city specifically for it. add it on if you're already exploring the surrounding area.

03 - city walks

north bund → the bund

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best time: late afternoon → evening
allow: 2–3 hours before dinner
best for: first-time visitors · architecture · skyline · photos

north bund
↓
walk along the huangpu
↓
waibaidu bridge
↓
cross toward the historic bund
↓
the bund
↓
stay until the skyline lights up
↓
dinner

why we love this walk: you begin with our favourite view of modern shanghai and gradually walk into one of its most historic areas. on one side of the river is the futuristic pudong skyline; on the other, some of shanghai's most recognizable historic architecture. it's probably the single walk we'd recommend to someone visiting shanghai for the first time.