In this page we describe a 3-day visit to Shanghai. Though the city is enormous, a large part of its sightseeing places are concentrated in a relatively small areas. In this
The programme described here includes only one side-trip outside of the limits of the city centre. Around Shanghai are quite a few interesting water towns and villages that retain the beauty of ancient China.
Day 1: City centre
A walking itinerary is a good way to start your visit in Shanghai. A very common path includes the following destinations:
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Bund (外滩, WaiTan), a waterfront area along the western bank of Huangpu River where the International Settlement was established when China was forced to open up to foreign trade. Here you can see tens of historical buildings which housed once banks and trading houses of former colonial powers;
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XinTianDi (新天地), a commercial affluent pedestrian area located south of People’s Square. Nearby you can see quite a few shikumen, communal houses in a style developed in Shanghai which combines elements of Chinese and Western residential architecture;
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LuJiaZui (陆家嘴), the core of the city’s financial centre, famous for its impressive skyscrapers, among which the Oriental Pearl Tower, the JinMao Tower and the Shanghai Tower.
If you do not fancy walking, you can easily take advantage of Shanghai’s modern and efficient subway network.
XinTianDi and the French Concession are popular night-life spots in Shanghai.
Day 2: Shanghai, Old City
Despite devastation suffered during the last century there are still a few places when you can get an idea of how the city looked like in the past.
For the second full day in Shanghai we suggest an itinerary through the core of the ancient. Along the way you can visit the following places:
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Shanghai Old City (上海老城厢, ShangHai LaoChengXiang), the site of the ancient walled city. Not much remains of its fortifications and ancient buildings. A small section of the defensive wall can be seen near DaJing Pavilion (大境阁, DaJingGe). Within its limits are the Temple of the City Gods (城隍庙, ChengHuangMiao) and YuYuan Garden. The area is full of shops, restaurants and food stalls;
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Garden of Mandarin (豫园, YuYuan), a beautiful Ming Dynasty traditional garden. It offers a good introduction into appreciating this exquisite form of art (particularly valuable if you are to visit Suzhou next as suggested in this itinerary);
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Museum of Shanghai (上海博物馆, Shanghai BoWuGuan), an excellent introduction to China’s great civilization. The museum displays a rich collection of bronzes, ceramics, porcelain, paintings, seals, scrolls and other precious works of art. Entrance is free so you can exploit this circumstance by choosing to visit it twice.
Ancient temples
Without leaving the centre you can also visit important historical temples such as Jing’AnSi (静安寺), originally built during the Three Kingdoms Period, LongHuaSi (龙华寺), an expansive monastery which preserves the architectural style of Song Dynasty Period, and YuFoChanSi (玉佛禅寺 | Jade Buddha Temple), a relatively modern temple notable for two large jade Buddha statues.
Day 3: Western Shanghai
In the morning of the third day, you can either return to the Museum of Shanghai or visit QiBao, a small old town lying in the suburbs of the city.
Though not coming off as an authentic place but rather a tourist site, QiBao (七宝) offers pleasant images and plenty of opportunities to try the local food at cheap prices. Of historical and cultural interest is QiBao Temple.
QiBao is served by a subway line (Line 9). The journey from the centre of Shanghai takes around half a hour.
Once you are back to the centre you may want to indulge in some shopping. There are plenty of areas suitable for it:
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French Concession (上海法租界, Shanghai FaZuJie), foreign settlement established in 1849. Despite development after the war it still retains a good number of old houses and boutiques along beautiful wide avenues with roadside trees;
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East Nanjing Road (东南京路, DongNanJingLu), a long avenue full of shops and department stores. Many of them sell cheap goods. The road runs very close to People’s Square.
Variant: one-day excursion
Shanghai is surrounded by a few interesting ancient towns and villages. The cities of Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing can be visited with a one-day excursion from Shanghai but this solution is not ideal, as those destinations deserve much more time.
Among possible destinations for a one-day side trip from Shanghai are the following:
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1) Wuzhen;
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2) Shaoxing;
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3) Putuoshan.
Related articles:
China suggested 2-week itinerary
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