Every city in the world has its highlights, those places of "mandatory" visit and the respective picture as an evidence that you actually were there. In Paris you find Eiffel Tower, Arch of Triumph and Louvre Museum, in London Big Ben, London Eye and Piccadilly Circus, in Medellin (Colombia) the Lleras Park and the Botero Square, in Sydney the Opera House and Bondi Beach, and so on...
Shanghai has its highlights as well and some of them will be described in this entry from my own point of view and experience, with suggestions that hopefully will be useful for you when coming to enjoy this wonderful city, so, here it goes!
The Bund - Zhongshan Lu (Zhongshan Road)
How to get there: Ten minute walk through East Nanjing Road towards the Huangpu river - Subway Lines 2 or 10 (East Nanjing Road)
Best time to go: At night
The Bund is the "flagship" place of Shanghai, the main attraction, the "mandatory" Facebook picture! Basically, the Bund is a waterfront of approximately 1.5 kilometers from where you can get a stunning view of the Lujiazui skyline, the fancy financial district of Shanghai. Among the main architectonic pearls of the Lujiazui area there can be mentioned the Oriental Tower, the Jing Mao Tower, Shanghai Tower, the World Financial Center, etc., all modern and trendy buildings that really let you know that you are in the main Chinese (and probably Asian) business city.
This is an amazing view I particularly like, after visiting The Bund few times I never get tired of it and if I am close by and can easily head there will do it with no hesitation, every day is "the same view but a little bit different" due to the diverse and dynamic colors.
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| View of the Lujiazui skyline from the Bund. It is just amazing! |
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| Lujiazui view from the Bund during the day. It is cool, but at night is definitely much better! |
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| The Bund starting to turn on the lights for the night performance |
Between the Bund and Lujiazui is the Huangpu river, in which it is possible to take a touristy cruise as well as a ferry between both river banks. I have not taken the cruise nor the ferry so can't give my personal opinion on that, some people say that is an amazing experience while others say that it is just a waste of money... the only way to really know if it is worth it is by going yourself, but any opinions related to this are highly welcome!
Just next the Bund is magnificent Zhongshan Lu (Zhongshan Road), full of classy and important buildings with exquisite architecture (banks, luxury hotels, government authorities, trendy night clubs, etc.). You can see red Chinese flags on the top of the buildings, showing how powerful and distinguished has this country become over the last decades. About the trendy night clubs in this road there are great places for an enjoyable time such as "Unico", "The Peninsula" or "Bar Rouge". This important topic will be covered in detail later on.
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| The Bund and Zhongshan Lu (Zhongshan Road) |
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| Zhongshan Lu viewed from the Bund |
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| Zhongshan Lu at night |
Nanjing Lu (Nanjing Road)
How to get there: Subway Line 2 (East Nanjing Road)
Best time to go: At any time
Nanjing Lu, specifically the eastern side (East Nanjing Road) between People's Square and the Bund is the most important pedestrian shopping street in Shanghai, where it is possible to find any kind of articles, mainly luxury brands and tourist souvenirs.
If you are on a tight budget and feel that wouldn't be able to buy any article in any of the luxury stores of Nanjing Lu (expensive brand stores are much more expensive in Shanghai than anywhere else that even some Chinese people prefer going abroad for luxury shopping than purchasing here!), this is not an obstacle to walk and enjoy Nanjing Lu.
There are also places in which you can eat very good local food at reasonable prices and "budget friendly" stores in which you can find any kind of clothing, shoes, souvenirs, electronic devices, etc. Also, very close by you can find the famous fake markets in which you can buy any kind of "luxury brand" articles like watches and bags, of course, not original and not the best quality...
There are also places in which you can eat very good local food at reasonable prices and "budget friendly" stores in which you can find any kind of clothing, shoes, souvenirs, electronic devices, etc. Also, very close by you can find the famous fake markets in which you can buy any kind of "luxury brand" articles like watches and bags, of course, not original and not the best quality...
Walking through Nanjing Lu is always fun as you see lots of people, there is music, noise, colors, cultural diversity and a lot of activities are going on until late. Something extremely important is that you have to be extremely careful with the people that approach you offering "happy" massages with beautiful young ladies or the best "promotions" of particular luxury articles as it can be a scam you may want to avoid if you don't want to have your account or your few kuais wasted in just few minutes... the advice is to say No to any human being that comes to you and wants to offer you something from scratch! About the common scams in Shanghai I will write later on.
Apart from that, let's enjoy amazing Nanjing Lu!
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| Nanjing Lu during the day |
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| Apple store viewed from the crossroad between Henan Lu and Nanjing Lu |
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| One of the most crowded areas |
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| Nanjing Lu at night |
Lujiazui
How to get there: Subway Line 2 (Lujiazui) - Ferry from the Bund
Best time to go: At night if you want to see the lights
As it was mentioned before in the outline about the Bund, Lujiazui is the financial area full of fancy skyscrapers that can be viewed from there. Then, why not crossing Huangu river to have a closer look of all these buildings as well as viewing the Bund from the opposite way?
It is a very good idea going to Lujiazui as it is a very modern area with big avenues and the most representative buildings of Shanghai. If on a cloudless day, you may want to go up to the Oriental Pearl Tower or floor 88 of Jin Mao Tower to have a clear view of Shanghai from the heights. There are lots of shopping centers, good places to eat dumplings or have a coffee and it is full of colors and thrill at night as in the Bund or Nanjing Lu.
With no doubts, a highly recommended place!
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| Shanghai Tower |
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| The Bund viewed from Lujiazui |
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Lights and colors in Lujiazui
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Yuyuan Garden
How to get there: Subway Line 10 (Yuyuan Garden)
Best time to go: During the day
Yuyuan Garden (Satisfaction Garden in English) is one of the "classic highlights" every newcomer should visit in Shanghai as it represents the old and traditional Shanghai. Its construction was finalized in 1577 during the Ming dynasty. This is one of the most valuable cultural and architectonic relics of Shanghai and China, so it is worth it to have a look and spend some time there walking around.
It is a very touristy and commercial place so don't be surprised if you see a lot of people walking through the streets and mazes of Yuyuan Garden. If you like art, handicrafts, local gastronomy and Chinese old architecture there is no doubt that you will love Yuyuan Garden!
Also, by paying a 30 to 40 yuan (RMB) ticket (according to the season) you can enter to the Taoist City God Temple. I didn't enter myself (and probably will not) so can't provide a personal opinion about it, and as it usually happens some people give very good references while others don't, so if you are curious about this ancient Taoist temple just go!
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| Yuyuan Garden streets |
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Shanghai Tower viewed from Yuyuan Garden
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| Inside Yuyuan Garden, a magical place |
Qibao
How to get there: Subway Line 9 (Qibao)
Best time to go: During the day
For those that want lo live a Chinese authentic cultural experience in architectonic, gastronomic and shopping terms should go to the Qibao Old Town (pronounced "Chi bao" as the Q sounds like a "ch" for English and Spanish speakers).
Qibao is crossed by the Puhui river and so this place is also known as the "water town of Qibao", with many bridges to cross the river and streets in which you can find any kind of articles (clothes, food, handicrafts, jewelry, electronic devices, etc.). Similarly to Yuyuan Graden, there is a very old Taoist temple that should be visited.
This is a very genuine place where you really see very few laowais (foreigners) and can be pretty attractive is the idea is to get into the Chinese/Shanghainese culture. As a popular touristy and commercial spot, you can expect to see big crowds of people so it is better to go to Qibao with no worries nor time pressure.
Just go and enjoy the experience, captivate yourself with the interesting urban landscapes formed by the tea houses next to the river, the smell of different types of food available there and the variety of people and styles that can be found in Qibao.
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| Street in Qibao |
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Puhui river and tea houses
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| Walking next to the river |
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| Sugar cane juice, delicious! |
These five places I have highlighted in this article are pretty representative of Shanghai and should be visited by any newcomer. Of course, this is quite a big city and has lots of places more which I expect to describe in further posts.
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