7 Tips to Enjoy an Amazing Shanghai Trip

As one of the most developed cities in mainland China, Shanghai is as large as five times the size of New York where over 20 million people call it home. Exploring Shanghai could even rattle seasoned travelers, and especially for visitors coming at first time, Shanghai is quite out of the ordinary in many aspects, such as the visa, shopping, traffic, bargains, etc. Here we collect some tips of wisdom from our insider experts and travel veterans which may make your experience on the road in Shanghai easier and more memorable. Hope you will find them useful!

If your budget permits, you are highly recommended to get lodged in one of the bund hotels that are blessed with superb location for views. In the Bund area, there are an array of luxury hotels for your choices, such as Waldorf Astoria and The Peninsula, from which you can capture straight-on views of the skyscrapers at Lujiazui. If you are after the staggering views of the Bund, the Pudong skyline and the curve of the Huangpu River, you will want to check into the Hyatt on the Bund or Indigo Hotel. At night, you can enjoy a fabulous bathtub sights of the glistening lit-up skyline whilst taking a leisurely soak at a height that no one is able to peek at.

Shanghai is not only a busy international transportation hub, but also an amazing world's travel destination full of the oriental charms. Thus, if you are making a transit in Shanghai, you are highly advised to plan a layover trip rather than stuck at the airport. Benefited from the 144-hour visa free transit, travelers from 53 countries could visit Shanghai without a visa for 6 days at most. Moreover, Shanghai is blessed with abundant sights and activities to experience during a layover spanning from 6 hours to several days. Even if you are tight on time for only 8 hours, it will be enough to glance at the most notable highlights of the city, such as the Bund, Nanjing Road, Yu Garden, Lujiazui skyline and the old French Concession. If you have an overnight stay or a couple of days, you definitely can manage a side trip to Zhujiajiao, or furthermore to Hangzhou (for West Lake and tea plantations) and Suzhou (for ancient water towns and classical gardens).

A standard Shanghai tour package usually would cover the majority of the city highlights, while you can absolutely require a free day to explore the city on your own if time permits. Shanghai is the most modernized city of China, with well-signposted roads and extensive metro network, which is quite a breeze for foreigners to navigate through the city on their own. Besides, what shanghai has to offer is far beyond the top things one can number out. Except for the sights like the Bund, Yu Garden and Nanjing Road that most tour package covers, you can actually see and meet more. You can visit one of the free parks to get close to local's life. For example, the easily accessible People's Park offers lively practicing of tai chi and jogging, as well as the interesting marriage market at weekends. Or you can venture into the old neighborhood in search of the most authentic Shanghai soup dumplings, or drop by a theme museum about glass, cuisine, history or art on your preferences.

A good souvenir should be the best piece of the city's specialty that can be used in your daily life, and it also should be not occupying the real estate of your luggage much as well as making a smooth way through the customs. We would like to suggest you some typical souvenirs and gifts varied in styles. Near China's Silk Paradise Suzhou, Shanghai offers all different types of silk ranging from bed sheets to dresses, and among them the silk scarf and handkerchief are most recommended to bring home. For Chinese history fans, the best souvenir candidate might be the propaganda posters from the Mao era, light and easy to pack. Besides, the retro watches, carved chopsticks and embroidery purses are also top knickknacks of Shanghai. The Yuyuan Bazaar is an amazing source of these souvenirs, but a hard bargaining is expected.

Shanghai is no doubt an incredible scenic city diverse in multicultural atmosphere, so the city provides a plethora of sites to create amazing opportunities for photographers to capture the city's charms. Suitable for different photography styles, Shanghai boasts many top picture spots including the Bund, world's tallest high-rises, Yu Garden and old town area. You can take a stroll along the Bund to capture the prolific views of Shanghai's iconic skyline from every angle. For unblocked views free of crowds, you can visit one of rooftop terrace of Bar Rouge by the waterfront area. Besides, you are highly recommended to ascend one of the skyscrapers at Lujiazui like the World Financial Center to snapshot a panorama of the entire city if it is a clear day. Looking for a place full of traditional China flavors, you shall go to Yu Garden where amazing views of the winding bridge, unturned eaves and carved roofs could be obtained.

If you travel solo on your own after arriving Shanghai, using the subway to the downtown is probably the easiest and cheapest way than taking a cab sometimes. From the airport, you can either take the metro line 2 or board the world's fastest train maglev to the downtown, and interchange is extremely available between lines.

Particularly efficient and smooth, maglev leads to the terminus Longyang Road just in 7 minutes, while a metro ride may take about one hour. The comfort and speed are well worth the money RMB50 for a single trip, and it is absolutely the best choice if you hurry for a departure flight but concern the traffic.

Aka Qipao, cheongsam is one of the best trophy for women travelers since it is the most typical wear of Shanghai ladies. Originally an ethnic dress of Manchu people, cheongsam is immortalized and remains a very popular clothes of the city.

The beauty of cheongsam is to show women's elegant curves of body, so it has to be done by measuring one's figure. If you want to have your own pieces, you could surely tailor-make one in Shanghai, and there are plenty of tailor stores in Changle Road and Maoming South Road. A typical tailor-made Qipao would take days to make. If you are in a rush, you can choose to have your cheongsam mailed to your home, or select some well-fitted off-the-rack pieces if lucky.