Best Things to Do in Shanghai: A First-Timer's Hit List
Shanghai is the easiest first stop in China — and the easiest to do badly. Here's the version worth your jet lag.
Shanghai is China's most international city: English signage everywhere, contactless payments that actually work for foreigners, and a skyline that looks CGI-rendered. Three days covers the essentials without rushing. Here's the hit list, in the order we'd do them.
1. The Bund — at dawn and again at night
The colonial waterfront promenade facing Pudong's towers is Shanghai's postcard. Go twice: at 6–7am you'll share it with tai chi groups and kite flyers; at night the skyline across the river does its light show (buildings lit until ~10–11pm). The two visits feel like different cities.
2. Yu Garden and the old town bazaar
A 400-year-old classical garden swallowed by a tourist bazaar — and still worth it. Enter the garden itself at opening (8:30–9am) for relative calm, then brave the bazaar for xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). The famous Nanxiang stall has hour-long lines; the upstairs dining room is faster.
3. Get high: one tower, not three
Pudong has three supertall observation decks. Shanghai Tower (546 m / 1,791 ft, world's highest deck) is the pick; the Oriental Pearl Tower is the iconic silhouette but a worse visit. Book a sunset slot online a day ahead — you get daylight, golden hour and night view in one ticket.
4. The French Concession on foot
Shanghai's most loveable district: plane-tree avenues, Art Deco lane houses, coffee shops and indie boutiques. Walk Wukang Road → Anfu Road → Fuxing Park. This is where you eat brunch, browse, and remember that China contains multitudes. Budget half a day.
5. Ride the Maglev, even if it's just for the story
The Shanghai Maglev hits 430 km/h (267 mph) — the fastest commercial train on Earth. It runs between Pudong Airport and Longyang Road metro station. If you fly into Pudong, take it into town (8 minutes); if not, it's a fun ¥50 ($7) round-trip joyride.
Worth it if you have extra time
- Zhujiajiao water town — canals and stone bridges, metro-accessible, half a day.
- Shanghai Museum (People's Square) — world-class bronzes and ceramics, free with reservation.
- A Huangpu River night cruise — touristy and entirely delightful. 45 minutes.
- Jing'an Temple at dusk — a golden Buddhist temple ringed by skyscrapers.
Where to base yourself, how to work the metro, and the day-trip math for Suzhou and Hangzhou are all in the Shanghai city guide.
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