Attraction
The Bund
Shanghai's colonial-era waterfront, a 1.6-kilometre line of 52 banks, hotels and trading houses facing the Lujiazui skyline across the Huangpu River.
The best things to do in Shanghai span two very different riverbanks. On the west side of the Huangpu, Puxi holds the historic centre: the colonial-era waterfront of the Bund, the Ming-dynasty Yu Garden in the Old City, the museums of People's Square and the plane-tree-lined streets of the former French Concession. Across the river, Pudong's Lujiazui district rises to Shanghai Tower, the Oriental Pearl Tower and a long riverside promenade, while canal towns such as Zhujiajiao are an easy metro ride away.
Food is a major reason to come. Shanghai is the home of xiaolongbao soup dumplings and shengjian pan-fried buns, sweet and savoury benbang home cooking and red-braised pork, and the 2026 Michelin Guide lists dozens of starred and Bib Gourmand restaurants alongside thousands of cafés and some of Asia's best-known cocktail bars. Four days is enough for the Bund, the main museums and temples, a river cruise, a walk through the former French Concession and a day trip to a water town, with an extra day or two for the art museums and slower neighbourhood exploring.
Attraction
Shanghai's colonial-era waterfront, a 1.6-kilometre line of 52 banks, hotels and trading houses facing the Lujiazui skyline across the Huangpu River.
Attraction
A Ming-dynasty private garden of rockeries, ponds and halls in Shanghai's Old City, begun in 1559 and set beside the Huxinting Teahouse and Yuyuan Bazaar.
Attraction
A museum of ancient Chinese art with more than 120,000 objects, housed in a ding-shaped building on People's Square with galleries of bronzes, ceramics, painting and…
Attraction
A 632-metre supertall tower in Lujiazui with a twisting glass facade and an observation deck on the 118th floor, reached by high-speed lifts in under a…
Attraction
The 468-metre television tower of stacked spheres that opened in Lujiazui in 1995, with glass-floored decks, a revolving restaurant and several viewing levels.
Attraction
A working Buddhist temple in Putuo, founded in 1882 to house two white jade Buddhas brought from Burma, a seated figure and a reclining one.
Café
A two-floor Starbucks roastery on West Nanjing Road with a copper cask, a 27-metre coffee bar, a Princi bakery and a Shanghai-only coffee blend.
Café
The historic teahouse on the pond outside Yu Garden, reached by the zigzag Nine-turn Bridge and reopened in 2025 after nearly two years of restoration.
Café
A small speciality coffee shop on Taiyuan Road run by Peng Jinyang, the 2025 World Brewers Cup champion, with a brewing bar and seasonal pour-overs.
Café
The bakery counter at Laszlo Hudec's 1934 Park Hotel, famous across Shanghai for its light, gently sweet butterfly crackers, the city's take on the palmier.
Café
A three-storey riverside branch of Shanghai's home-grown Manner Coffee on the Xuhui waterfront, with a large terrace near the Binjiang skateboard park.
Café
The Anfu Road bakery and brunch café that opened in 2010 as a small corner shop, serving pastries, egg dishes and pasta from early morning until…
Hotel
The Art Deco former Cathay Hotel at the corner of the Bund and Nanjing Road, built by Sir Victor Sassoon in 1929 and home to the…
Hotel
An Art Deco-inspired luxury hotel at the northern end of the Bund, opened in 2009 in the former British Consulate gardens with river views and a…
Hotel
A luxury hotel built around the 1911 Shanghai Club at No. 2 on the Bund, home of the restored Long Bar, with a modern tower behind…
Hotel
A small luxury hotel on the Suzhou Creek waterfront with 82 rooms, two Michelin-starred restaurants, a 47th-floor bar and a restored 1916 Chamber of Commerce building.
Hotel
A historic garden hotel in the former French Concession where the 1972 Shanghai Communiqué was signed, spread over Art Deco buildings from the late 1920s and…
Hotel
A boutique hotel on the South Bund riverfront with 184 rooms, a rooftop bar and grill, and an indoor infinity pool looking across to Lujiazui.
Bar
Shingo Gokan's three-floor speakeasy, opened in 2014 behind a fake bookcase in a bar-equipment shop on Middle Fuxing Road.
Bar
A neighbourhood cocktail bar on Jinxian Road, ranked No. 19 in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026, with a daytime front bar and a playful evening menu.
Bar
The Peace Hotel's ground-floor bar on the Bund, where the veteran Old Jazz Band plays classic tunes every night in the former Cathay Hotel.
Bar
Shingo Gokan's multi-concept bar by Fuxing Park, with low-alcohol drinks and sushi downstairs and the lively Tipsy cocktail bar upstairs.
Bar
The bar of the former Shanghai Club at No. 2 on the Bund, named after the club's L-shaped mahogany Long Bar, once said to be the…
Bar
Sam Kuan's cocktail bar on Tongren Road, reborn after the original 2014 speakeasy closed, known for made-to-order drinks and Dick Bradsell classics.
Restaurant
A Shanghainese restaurant trading since 1862 and holding a Michelin star, known for yellow croaker in wine lees sauce and stir-fried river shrimp.
Restaurant
The Yu Garden xiaolongbao house founded in 1900, a China Time-honoured Brand and Michelin Bib Gourmand known for pork and crab roe soup dumplings.
Restaurant
Chef Stefan Stiller's counter restaurant in Changning, the only three-Michelin-star restaurant in the 2026 Shanghai guide, serving a seasonal tasting menu.
Restaurant
A no-frills soup dumpling shop on Huanghe Road, founded in 1986 and popular with locals for xiaolongbao near People's Square.
Restaurant
A shengjian shop dating from 1932, a Michelin Bib Gourmand near the Bund known for its clear-style pan-fried pork buns with a crisp base.
Restaurant
A small neighbourhood Shanghainese restaurant on Jinxian Road, a Michelin Bib Gourmand known for its wok-cooked red-braised pork and long queues.
Thing to do
A self-guided walk from People's Square along East Nanjing Road's 1.2-kilometre pedestrian street to the Bund, finishing with the short ferry ride across to Lujiazui.
Thing to do
A three-kilometre walk through the former French Concession, from László Hudec's Wukang Mansion along plane-tree-lined Wukang Road to the shops and cafés of Anfu Road.
Thing to do
A maze of 1930s shikumen lanes off Taikang Road, saved from demolition and now filled with more than 200 small cafés, studios, craft shops and bars.
Thing to do
A district of restored shikumen lanes around Madang Road, turned into restaurants, bars and shops, beside the site of the Chinese Communist Party's first congress.
Thing to do
A canal town in Qingpu with 36 stone bridges, Qing-era streets and boat rides, reached directly by Metro Line 17 for an easy day trip from…
Tour operator
Sightseeing boats from Shiliupu that sail north past the Bund and Lujiazui to Yangpu Bridge and back, by day or after dark when both banks are…
Tour operator
Small-group evening food tours of Shanghai's neighbourhood eateries, with 15 or more tastings at seated stops and drinks included, run by UnTour since 2010.
Tour operator
Small-boat cruises along Suzhou Creek between the Bund and the western parks, passing century-old bridges, warehouses and the Sihang Warehouse memorial.
Tour operator
Long-running history walks covering the Bund, the Old City, the former French Concession, Art Deco Shanghai and the Jewish refugee quarter.
Tour operator
A China travel company with a Shanghai office that runs small-group and private tours, including a guided walk through the former French Concession.
Four days covers the Bund, Yu Garden, the Shanghai Museum, a river cruise, the former French Concession and a day trip to Zhujiajiao, with extra days for galleries and food.
The Bund and People's Square put you close to the main sights and metro lines, the former French Concession suits travellers who want leafy streets and cafés, and Lujiazui in Pudong suits skyline views.
From Pudong Airport, take the Maglev to Longyang Road and change to Metro Line 2, or ride Line 2 directly to People's Square in about an hour. Hongqiao Airport is on Lines 2 and 10.
Luxury hotels on the Bund are expensive, but the metro is cheap and local dumplings, noodles and neighbourhood restaurants are good value.
Shanghai is generally considered safe for visitors; take normal care with valuables in crowded areas such as East Nanjing Road and on national holidays, and follow official warnings in typhoon season.