Shanghai is China’s showcase municipality: the colonial-era Bund facing the neon towers of Pudong across the Huangpu River, plane-tree avenues in the former French Concession, and a restless appetite for whatever comes next. It is the country’s financial engine and most cosmopolitan city.
A working Buddhist temple built around two white-jade Buddhas brought from Myanmar in the 1880s. Parts of the complex are under restoration until 2029, so some halls may be closed.
China's most famous shopping street, running from People's Square down to the Bund. Come for the neon and the crowds rather than the shops, and walk it towards the river at dusk.
The pink-sphered TV tower that defined Shanghai's skyline long before the supertalls arrived. The glass-floor walkway at 259m is the draw; the views are better from the Shanghai Tower next door.
One of China's great collections of bronzes, ceramics, calligraphy and painting, in the round building on People's Square. Free, and since 2025 no booking is needed outside peak periods.
China's tallest building, with an observation deck on the 118th floor at 546m reached by one of the world's fastest lifts. Go near sunset for daylight and night views in one visit.
A mile of 1920s banks and trading houses facing the Pudong skyline across the Huangpu. Walk it twice: once in daylight for the architecture, once after dark when both banks light up.
A maze of shikumen lane houses turned into tiny shops, bars and studios. Touristy, but still the easiest place to see what Shanghai's old lilong lanes feel like from the inside.
The prettiest street in the former French Concession, lined with plane trees, villas and the wedge-shaped Wukang Mansion. Best explored on foot or by bike, with cafés every few doors.
A Ming-dynasty private garden of rockeries, ponds and pavilions, wrapped in the busy City God Temple bazaar. Arrive at opening, before the tour groups, and note it is closed on Mondays.
The canal town closest to central Shanghai, with stone bridges, boat rides and old lanes, reachable on Metro Line 17. Go on a weekday morning; at weekends the lanes fill shoulder to shoulder.