Shanghai China

I got scammed by a “friendly English student” near the Bund on my first trip to Shanghai, and I’m still telling people about it five years later, because it’s the single most useful warning I can give you before you land. Someone approaches near Nanjing Road East, wants to “practice English,” suggests tea, and two hours later you’re staring at a bill for Y3,000 to Y10,000 with the door somehow blocked. Real tea ceremonies run Y50-200 with a printed menu. If a stranger invites you somewhere with no name and no menu, walk away immediately. That one sentence of warning is the whole defense and it still catches people because the approach feels so genuinely friendly.

Okay, now that you’re armed, let’s talk about why this city is worth the trip anyway.

Getting In and Around

You’ll land at either Pudong (PVG), the international hub about 30km east of downtown, or Hongqiao (SHA), which is closer in, handles domestic plus regional flights from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and sits attached to Hongqiao Railway Station, which is huge if you’re bolting onward to Suzhou or Hangzhou by bullet train. Everyone gets excited about the Maglev, and I get it, watching the speedometer hit 431km/h is a genuine thrill, but I’ll be blunt: it’s a novelty, not a real time-saver. It only runs from PVG to Longyang Road, nowhere near downtown or the Bund, so you’re transferring to Metro Line 2 or a taxi anyway. With luggage, just take the Metro or grab a taxi straight through and skip the gimmick. Metro Line 2 itself is fantastic, running straight from PVG across through Lujiazui, Nanjing East Road near the Bund, People’s Square and Jing’an all the way to Hongqiao.

Watch for airport taxi touts quoting flat “special” fares two to three times the meter rate, or claiming the official queue is closed. It’s never closed. Use the marked rank, insist on the meter, and stick to teal Dazhong or turquoise Qiangsheng cabs. Expect Y180-220 plus tolls and 45-60 minutes from PVG to the Bund.

Once you’re settled, the Metro is your best friend: 20 lines, fares from Y3 up to Y8 for most trips, running roughly 5:30am to 11pm. Load the Shanghai Metro or Metro Dazhong app with a foreign card, or just use Alipay’s transit QR, which works citywide now. And here’s a genuinely great 2025-2026 update: travelers from 55+ countries including the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan get 240 hours, that’s a full 10 days, of visa-free transit through PVG or Hongqiao, covering all of Shanghai plus Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. That zone conveniently includes Suzhou and Hangzhou, so day trips are built right in. You just need a confirmed onward ticket and to register at entry.

One myth I need to kill: people still say foreigners can’t use mobile payments in China. Wrong, and has been wrong since mid-2023. International Visa, Mastercard and JCB bind directly to Alipay or WeChat Pay using your passport, no Chinese bank account required. Transactions under Y200 are fee-free, above that it’s roughly 3%. Late 2025 brought stricter verification that can take 24-72 hours, so set it up before you fly and keep cash or a UnionPay-compatible card as backup. Didi, the ride-hailing app, has an English interface and takes international cards, and it’s consistently cheaper than hailing a street taxi.

Where to Actually Go

The Bund is free, open 24/7, and best at dawn when it’s empty or after dark when the Pudong skyline across the river lights up. Yu Garden is worth the Y40 entry, a genuine 1559 classical garden, but skip the bazaar surrounding it, it’s wall-to-wall fake-antique retail aimed squarely at tourists. Shanghai Tower’s observation deck on the 118th floor runs about Y180, up to Y199 on holidays, open roughly 8:30am to 9:30pm.

Nanjing Road is a free pedestrian shopping strip and also, not coincidentally, the highest-density scam zone in the city, so keep your guard up there specifically. Tianzifang is a warren of laneway shops and cafes in old shikumen buildings near the French Concession, and it gets packed on weekends. Don’t confuse it with Xintiandi, a different reconstructed shikumen district that’s polished, upscale and better for a walk-through than an actual meal.

Here’s a genuinely great update for museum lovers: Shanghai Museum East out in Pudong is free and, since September 2024, needs zero advance reservation for individuals, just walk in with ID. The original branch on People’s Square still requires a WeChat booking, so head east if you want to skip that step entirely.

Eating Like You Mean It

Xiaolongbao is the reason half of you booked this trip, and you’ve got two real options. Jia Jia Tang Bao is the locals’ pick, Y20-30, expect a queue, cash or mobile pay only. Din Tai Fung is polished, reliable, and Y80-120, but I’ll say it plainly: it’s Taiwanese, not Shanghainese, competent but honestly a little boring once you’ve had the real thing. For shengjianbao, the pan-fried version, Yang’s Fry Dumpling at Y15-25 is the move. And a warning worth repeating: the “original” Nanxiang dumpling shop is genuinely inside the Yu Garden bazaar, but nearly every other “Nanxiang” stall around Yu Garden and Nanjing Road is an unaffiliated copycat charging inflated prices for a name they borrowed.

Where to Sleep

Budget ranges cover it well, from Ritz-Carlton Pudong at the top for full luxury, down through boutique mid-range spots near the Bund, to hostels around Nanjing Road for backpackers. One practical note: China requires police registration of overnight guests, but every hotel handles this automatically at check-in, you just need your passport in hand.

When to Come

Late March through May and September through November give you shoulder-season weather, clear skies and manageable humidity. Summer, June through August, is genuinely brutal, 30-35C with heavy humidity, and mid-June through mid-July brings the plum rain season, meiyu, a stretch of prolonged, sticky drizzle that soaks everything. Avoid Golden Week, October 1-7, entirely; overcrowding and price spikes hit every attraction and hotel in the city simultaneously. Chinese New Year in late January or February is the opposite problem, the city empties out and some services shut down.

Day Trips Worth Your Time

Zhujiajiao water town is an easy half-day via Metro Line 17, free canals to wander, roughly Y60-90 for garden combo tickets. Suzhou is a genuine full-day trip, just 25-30 minutes by bullet train from Hongqiao with frequent departures, and its classical gardens are close enough to the station that you’re not burning half your day on transit. Hangzhou and West Lake take 45-55 minutes and can technically be done in a day, but it’s tight, and honestly rewards an overnight if you can swing it. My honest take: for a single day trip, Suzhou wins over Hangzhou, shorter train ride, gardens practically at the platform.

Before you go, install and actually test a VPN, because the Great Firewall blocks Google, Gmail, Google Maps, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and X, and you cannot download a VPN app once you’re already inside the country. Apple Maps plus Amap or Baidu will get you around locally just fine in the meantime.