Shanghai

A city that built a 632-metre tower purely to have the tallest observation deck on the continent has already told you something about its personality. Shanghai does not do modest. It does, however, occasionally do misleading, so let’s clear a few things up before the sightseeing starts.

First: the Octopus Card is Hong Kong’s transit card, not Shanghai’s. Here you want the Shanghai Public Transport Card or, more realistically, your phone bound to the Metro Dazhong app or Alipay’s transit QR. Second: Google Translate will not save you here, because the Great Firewall blocks Google entirely, along with Gmail, Maps, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and X. Install and test a VPN before you fly, since you cannot download one once you’ve landed. Apple Maps and the local app Amap both work fine without any workaround.

Where to Look Up

The Bund costs nothing and never closes, and it rewards patience: go at dawn when it’s empty, or after dark when Pudong’s skyline switches on across the water, which beats the daytime version by a wide margin. Shanghai Tower’s 118th-floor deck runs about Y180 (up to Y199 on holidays) and delivers one of the highest views on the planet, a different, taller building from the older Oriental Pearl Tower nearby, worth knowing since the two get conflated constantly.

Where to Wander

The French Concession, particularly Wukang Road and Anfu Road, is free and built for aimless walking rather than a checklist, which is precisely the point. Tianzifang, tucked into old shikumen laneways nearby, is scrappier and more interesting than its polished cousin Xintiandi a few blocks over, which is worth a stroll for the architecture but not a meal. Jing’an Temple, a working temple wedged between office towers, runs about Y50.

Where to Sit Still

Yu Garden costs about Y40 and is worth every fen; skip the bazaar surrounding it, where most stalls trading on the “Nanxiang” dumpling name have nothing to do with the actual original restaurant, which sits inside the garden grounds. Century Park in Pudong is the real green-space option if the city’s pace starts wearing on you.

Museums Without the Hassle

Shanghai Museum East in Pudong is free and, since September 2024, requires no advance reservation for individuals; just walk in with ID. The original branch on People’s Square still needs a WeChat booking, so plan ahead if that’s the one you want.

Eating Without Regret

Jia Jia Tang Bao is the locals’ xiaolongbao stop: Y20-30, a queue, cash or mobile pay only. Din Tai Fung serves a more polished version for Y80-120, competent but worth remembering it’s a Taiwanese chain, not a Shanghai original, before you credit it with local authenticity. Yang’s Fry Dumpling covers the pan-fried shengjianbao side of things for Y15-25, faster and cheaper than either of the above.

Where to Sleep

Base yourself near the Bund or in the French Concession for the shortest hops to everything above. Whatever you book, know that China requires police registration for overnight guests; hotels handle this automatically at check-in once you hand over your passport, so don’t be alarmed by the photocopying.

Getting Around Without Getting Fleeced

The metro spans 20 lines, base fare Y3, most rides Y4-8, running roughly 5:30am to 11pm. Alipay and WeChat Pay have accepted foreign Visa, Mastercard, and JCB cards directly since mid-2023, bound through your passport, no local bank account required. Transactions under Y200 are fee-free; above that, expect about 3%. Late 2025 added stricter verification that can take a day or two, so set this up before you land. If you’re flying into Pudong, skip the Maglev unless you want the novelty ride; it only reaches Longyang Road station, still a Metro Line 2 transfer or taxi from downtown, so it saves nothing once your luggage is factored in.

The One Warning Worth Repeating

Near the Bund and Nanjing Road East, a friendly stranger will offer to “practice English” and steer you toward a nearby tea house. The bill lands somewhere between Y3,000 and Y10,000, with the door conveniently staying shut until you pay it. A legitimate tea ceremony costs Y50-200 with a printed menu shown upfront. Never follow anyone to an unnamed venue, and ask to see prices before you sit down.

If you’re eligible, the 240-hour visa-free transit policy covers over 55 countries, including the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and Brazil, and gives you up to 10 days across Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang with a confirmed onward ticket, plenty of room to add a Suzhou day trip once the city itself has worn you out in the best way.