SarahShanghai can easily blow you away with options what to do there! Here’s some suggestions about things to do in Shanghai that I really enjoyed!
If Beijing is on your travel plan as well, be sure not to miss this 3-day itinerary to Beijing!
Visit a Cat Cafe in Tianzifang
Cats are adorable and the Chinese are starting to get fond of them as the rest of the world!
Pet shops are now on the rise in China and the adorable and hip neighborhood of Tianzifang was prone to be one of the first places with a Cat cafe. And visiting Tianzifang is anyway one of the top things to do in Shanghai!
Sip some coffee or tea while cuddling with the cute furriness!
Walk along the Bund and cross the HuangPu with a ferry
The Bund is the narrow area west of the Huangpu river opposite Pudong and is famous for its old colonial English architecture.
And when you are there, don’t fall for the tourist sightseeing tunnel but take the ferry to Pudong. The ferry is 2 RMB (~3 Cent!) while the sightseeing tunnel is 50 RMB.
We did both as they were both included in our bus ticket – but the tunnel was (as we read before already) a chaotic mix of lights and cheesy illuminated figures and really had nothing to do with sightseeing. If you get it for free, okay – just don’t pay 50 RMB for it 😉
Party like a real Shanghainese
Shanghai nightlife is vibrant and full of options!
While there is a large amount of places catering to mainly domestic partygoers, Shanghai also has a big expat community and a lot of places where those cultures simply melt and the resulting mix is more than fascinating.
Plus, Shanghai is a very safe city and taxi fares are cheap!
Eat typical Chinese food
You can’t go to China without sampling some Chinese food!
Yesssss, I am a foodie and I have no shame admitting that I always crave to explore the local cuisine! So here’s my foodie list of top things to do in Shanghai!
For lunch, grab some delicious dumplings at Yang’s (many stores around the city) – just be careful to suck out the soup before you bite into it!
Otherwise you will spill it all over you – something Markus didn’t tell me before eating my second one…
For Dinner I would recommend to go for some hot pot!
The best you could do is grab some friends and share all these foodie goodness – but prices allow also for couples to be served well! We went to Haidilao Hot Pot (indeed I wrote a full review because I loved it so much!) and we were more than pleased!
Alternatively try some Mongolian grill at “Home in the Grasslands” or sample delicious Yunnan cuisine at Lotus Eatery!
If you want to learn more about Chinese food – read this guide on Chinese food!
Go Shopping and haggle for a real bargain
There is a reason why Shanghai is also called the Oriental Paris – and this is because there is an abundance of shopping opportunities here!
Nanjing Road is only one option but super central and also, where the chinese themselves go for western clothing. And there is a super cute tourist train for ~10 Cent running along it!
Next, there is Old Town – touristy, but you can get decent negligees and sleeping kimonos here if you know how to haggle. Try a fifth of the quoted price first if you look western. If they don’t counteroffer, you can still raise it!
And if you need (sun)glasses head towards International Glasses City – it is an entire mall dedicated to making glasses. REALLY cheap – the moment you walk in there, you realize how much you have been tricked before in the west! You need to haggle, but don’t pay more than 15-25€ for a pair – WITH glasses of a high index (1.6 or 1.67) and an optometrist measuring your eyes before! They only need 30-45min to finish them!
For me, shopping was definitly one of the top things to do in Shanghai 😀
Visit the Yu Gardens and Old Town
The Yu Gardens are a maze of beautiful little tea houses, temples, living rooms and yes, of course – gardens in between Old Town and the Bund.
While Pudong represents the super modern face of China, the Yu Gardens will teleport you back to the ancient China. It’s hard to describe but so beautiful with all the details and the love that was put into the complex. Well worth the entry of ~8€ and definitely one of the top things to do in Shanghai!
When you had enough of the awesome green and red scenery take some time to explore the surrounding old town.
As mentioned above, it is really nice for shopping and it just has such a different feeling from the rest of the city!
Get a glimpse of Shanghai from high up in the air
You’ve seen the skyline and you knew it was coming: there is no way that seeing it from above could NOT land on my list of top things to do in Shanghai!
BUT wisely choose what you really want to do (and how much you want to spend) – don’t forget the smog that blocks your view. There is not only the Pearl Tower but numerous skyscrapers that offer different packages (the higher the floor, the more expensive it gets!).
And here’s my goodie for you to finish this article: you can have it for FREE! Yes, you heard me right, save those 20-30€ most towers want you to pay and simply do it for free!
Just head towards the Hyatt Pudong and go for their cafe/bar at the 91th floor – they dont have anything against you doing this and you get an amazing view of the Pearl Tower and the skyline!
And if you want – their cocktails aren’t really cheap (~12€), but their bartenders for sure know their game! The Espresso Grappini was love at first sip for me!
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