Shanghai Travel Guide
Shanghai, where cloud-piercing corporate towers intermingle with sepia-tinted memories of the 1920s and 1930s, has always been a place of its own. These days, it’s the metropolis that other Chinese cities aspire to reach. It’s fast-paced, confident and still growing at an extraordinary rate.
For visitors, the main riddle is knowing where to begin. Scenically at least, there’s no clearer way of putting Shanghai’s growth into context than by standing on the Bund, the city’s famous waterfront sweep of colonial buildings. From here, gaze across the Huangpu River at the glossy ranks of mega-structures that now cluster the Pudong skyline.
But while money and progress have defined Shanghai for generations, this is far more than a business city. Nanjing Lu, often billed as one of the world’s busiest shopping streets, is a 5.5km long (3.5 mile) artery of malls, department stores, hotels and restaurants. It gives a good taste of Shanghai’s rampant modernity, and a sense of the round-the-clock energy that keeps the city ticking along.
No less interesting is the Old City, where street food, antique markets and period architecture create an entirely different atmosphere. It’s unashamedly touristy at times, but remains an absorbing counterpoint to elsewhere in the city. Call in at a tea shop, wander the exquisite YuYuan Gardens or visit the 400-year-old Dajing Temple, which incorporates part of the ancient city wall.
Elsewhere, the Shanghai Museum (set in a striking complex intended to resemble a traditional Chinese cauldron) showcases superb artworks from earlier eras, while the (deep breath) Museum of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party gives interesting insight into the early days of the Mao era.
Shanghai is a city that travels at speed and sweeps you along for the ride. Whether you’re joining the masses on the waterfront, delving into the city’s thriving arts scene or settling into a packed dumpling restaurant, it’s hard not to be impressed by the sheer scale of the place.
Originally little more than marshland, Shanghai was an insignificant village for much of its early history, and was inhabited by people from the Majiabang tribe from around 5000BC. Thanks to its proximity to the coast, it became a port during the years of the Eastern Jin and Tang dynasties, before being officially upgraded from village status to market town in 1074 by the Southern Song dynasty.
The Yuang rulers turned it into a city in 1291, with Shanghai becoming an important port and home to an Imperial garrison. Under the mediaeval Ming rulers, the city continued to develop, with the Huang River being dredged to allow more shipping and a city wall erected in 1553 to see off pirates. But for all the development, it wasn’t until after the British opened their concession here in 1842 that modern Shanghai really came into being.
The British presence in Shanghai was soon followed by the French and Americans, and by 1853 Shanghai had overtaken all other Chinese ports. Built on the trade of opium, silk and tea, the city also lured the world’s great houses of finance, which erected grand palaces of plenty. Shanghai also became a byword for exploitation and vice; its countless opium dens, gambling joints and brothels managed by gangs were at the heart of Shanghai life.
The Kuomintang government cooperated with the foreign police and the Shanghai gangs, as well as Chinese and foreign factory owners, to suppress labour unrest. As a result, the poor of Shanghai developed an appetite for radical politics and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was formed in the city in 1921. In 1949, after numerous setbacks, they went on to ‘liberate’ Shanghai.
The communists eradicated the slums, rehabilitated the city’s hundreds of thousands of opium addicts, and eliminated child and slave labour, but when the decadence went, so did the splendour, and Shanghai soon became a colourless factory town. Shanghai’s long malaise came to an abrupt end in 1990, with the announcement of plans to develop Pudong, on the eastern side of the Huangpu River. The city’s now famous neon-lit skyline soon followed.
The hu character on Shanghai license plates come from the city’s original name – Hudu – which in turn came from the word used to describe wooden fish traps.
From 1863 to 1865, Yu Garden was home to the Small Swords Society – a Triad group.
The world’s tallest statue of Frederic Chopin is in Zhongshan Park.
Shanghai has a humid subtropical climate influenced by the Asiatic monsoon winds. The city has four distinct seasons and experiences climatic extremes – bitter winters and hot and humid summers. Take an umbrella and waterproofs whenever you go – thanks to the region’s location near the Yangtze River estuary, it rains for about one third of the year and has almost twice as much precipitation than London on the average.
Spring (March to May) sees temperatures climb from 15°C (59°F) to 24°C (75°F). This is the best time to visit the 16thcentury Yu Yuan when the garden is dotted with blossoming flowers.
Summer (June to September) is long, hot and wet. In July and August, temperatures can rise up to 35°C (95°F). This a good time to hide inside the air-conditioned malls and shop till you drop.
Autumn (October to November) is often regarded as the best time to visit Shanghai. The weather is cool (14°C/57°F to 20°C/68°F) but dry. The city celebrates the National Day on October 1 and mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the eight lunar month (in September or October).
Winter (December-February) is cold and damp, with biting winds from Siberia sending temperatures below freezing. But the city turns festive during Chinese New Year (in January or February).
Getting around Shanghai
Travelling by:
Shanghai Metro
Telephone: +86 21 6437 0000
Website: www.shmetro.com is by far the easiest way to get around the city.
It’s cheap, signs and announcements are in English, and it covers pretty much all of Shanghai. Taxis are also a good option. Again, they’re cheap and easy to flag down, apart from during rainstorms! Public buses are rarely used by foreign visitors without a good understanding of Chinese. Fares are paid to the conductor. Major city-centre routes are numbered – suburban and longer-distance buses tend to only have their destination in characters.
Taxis are plentiful in Shanghai, cheap and metered, and are usually just hailed from the street. Drivers don’t speak English, so if you don’t speak Chinese, have the address of the place you’re going to written down in characters so you can show the driver.Tipping is not expected. For a more expensive, but English-speaking taxi service, try
Shanghai Eastern Taxi Service
Telephone: +86 21 5447 7388
Johnson Taxi
Telephone: +86 21 6135 2288
Few tourists to Shanghai attempt to drive, as hiring a car is a lengthy process and roads are congested. Visitors also need a Chinese driving licence, which can only be obtained by resident permit holders. Basically, don’t bother.
Giant
Store with brand-name bikes, including road & mountain options, plus accessories & servicing.
Address: Xuhui District, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6437 5041
Website: www.giant.com.cn
China Cycle Tours
Address: Huangpu, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 137 6111 5050
Riding around the tree-lined streets of the former French Concession can be pleasant, but generally speaking, Shanghai’s roads are a bit too congested and polluted for enjoyable cycling. Bikes are available for rent from most backpacker hostels in the city.
Things to see in Shanghai
Attractions
In many ways a more genuine version of Xintiandi, Tianzifang is also an entertainment complex housed within a warren of traditional longtang (alleyways), but it’s one that maintains a sense of charm and vibrancy. Also known as Taikang Lu or Taikang Road, this community of design studios, Wi-Fi cafés and boutiques is the perfect antidote to Shanghai’s oversized malls and intimidating skyscrapers.
Address: Huangpu, Taikang Road, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 3425 0265
Opening times: Daily 24 hours.
Website: www.marcotogni.it
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Once the site of the Shanghai Racecourse, People’s Square is the modern city’s nerve centre. Overshadowed by the dramatic form of the Tomorrow Square skyscraper, this open space is peppered with museums, performing arts venues and leafy People’s Park. Beneath it all, the city’s frenetic energy reaches full crescendo amid the tunnels of Shanghai’s busiest subway interchange.
Address: Huangpu, Renmin Dadao, Puxi, Shanghai.
Opening times: Daily 24 hours.
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Shanghai’s most popular tourist attraction, and unmistakeable the symbol of the city’s colonial past, the Bund features a 1.6km (1-mile) strip of historic riverfront buildings, separated from the Huangpu River by a raised terrace embankment. Buildings include Customs House (with its famous bell ‘Big Ching’), the former Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank HQ (now Shanghai Pudong Development Bank) and the newly renovated Peace Hotel. Four buildings (Numbers 3, 5, 6 and 18) have been lavishly refurbished and now contain high-end retail, arts and restaurant complexes.
Address: Huangpu, The Bund, also known as Waitan, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 5321 0007
Opening times: Daily 24 hours.
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
- Yu Yuan Gardens and Bazaar
Yu Yuan Gardens and Bazaar cover several renovated blocks of Shanghai’s otherwise ramshackle Old Town. The gardens were founded by a family of Imperial officials in 1559 and still preserve an exquisite catalogue of tunnels and grottos, a stone boat for staging river parties, quiet pools and a fine Chinese opera stage. Outside this walled tranquillity, the Mid-Lake Pavilion Teahouse and Nine Twists Bridge have become attractions in themselves.
Address: Old Town, from Fuyou Lu to Fangbang Dong Lu, Shanghai..
Telephone: +86 21 6326 0830
Opening times: Daily 08:30-16:45.
Website: www.yugarden.com.cn
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Lined with European colonial-era architecture, the former French Concession is a great place to wander aimlessly and typifies Shanghai’s international sophistication and style. Particular gems include the grounds of the Ruijin Guest House, 118 Ruijin Er Lu (formerly the Morris Estate), complete with a variety of restaurants, and the art galleries, designer boutiques and cafés of Tianzifang (also known as Taikang Lu). Fuxing Park has shady walks and there are many delightful old residences along Sinan Lu (including some belonging to revolutionaries Sun Yatsen and Zhou Enlai).
Address: Puxi, French Concession, Shanghai.
Opening times: Daily 24 hours.
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
A pleasant park in Shanghai with a boating lake and a quiet atmosphere, Hongkou Park also holds the Tomb of Lu Xun and the museum of the Lu Xun Memorial Hall. Lu Xun (1881-1936), the novelist and essayist, is celebrated as the creator of modern Chinese literature, with a vernacular fictional style that is worlds away from outworn classical influences. This is a place of pilgrimage for the great writer’s devotees – other visitors can simply enjoy the park.
Address: on the corner of Dalian Xi Lu and Baoshan Lu, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6540 4378 (Memorial Hall).
Opening times: Daily 05:00-18:00; daily 09:00-17:00 (Memorial Hall).
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Rebuilt in the shape of an ancient Chinese bronze ritual vessel in 1994, the excellent Shanghai Museum houses over 120,000 historical and artistic treasures. Its four storeys present a chronological and stylistic tour of China’s greatest artistic traditions, with bronzes, sculptures, ceramics, paintings, calligraphy, jades, coins, furniture and ethnic minority folk art, as well as special exhibitions.
Address: Huangpu, 201 Renmin Dadao, Renmin Square, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6372 3500
Opening times: Daily 09:00-17:00.
Website: www.shanghaimuseum.net/en
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
- Shanghai World Financial Centre
The neck-craning, bottle-opener lookalike, 492m-tall (1,614 ft) Shanghai World Financial Centre is a stunning addition to the Pudong skyline. With the world’s highest observation deck (there are three decks in total, on the 94th, 97th and 100th floors), even the dazzling Jinmao Tower (once Shanghai’s tallest building) is now in the shade. Take the ear-popping lift up to the top or visit the restaurant/bar 100 Century Avenue to truly put your head in the clouds.
Address: Pudong New Area, 100 Century Avenue, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 3867 2008
Opening times: Daily 08:00-23:00.
Website: www.swfc-shanghai.com
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
This upmarket retail and dining complex consists of largely rebuilt shikumen houses (low-rise tenement buildings built in the early 1900s), which whilst being undeniably attractive, lack the genuine charm of the Tianzifang alleyways. Well-heeled shoppers and alfresco diners keep the place busy until late, while two museums add a dash of culture. The north block is where most of the action is. The small Shikumen Open House Museum depicts traditional life in a 10-room Shanghai shikumen.
Address: Huangpu, Xintiandi, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 5382 0666
Opening times: Daily 11L00-23:00.
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
- Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre
While urban planning is a dreary, cliché-ridden bore in most cities, Shanghai is not most cities. Its physical transformation since the early 1990s has been astonishing, and the work continues. This fascinating museum reveals how and why Shanghai embarked upon such a massive-scale makeover. The prime exhibit is a 500-sq-m (5,382-sq-ft) scale model of Greater Shanghai, as it will look in the future, featuring all buildings of six floors or higher.
Address: 100 Renmin Da Dao (inside People’s Square), Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6318 4477
Opening times: Daily 09:00-17:00.
Website: www.supec.org
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Tourist Offices
- Shanghai Tourism Jisan Center
Address: Dongjiangwan Rd, Luxun Park, Hongkou District, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 5696 3248
Opening times: Mon-Sun 10:00-22:00.
Website: www.chinassbc.com
With over 300 publications on what to do in Shanghai, and staff armed with knowledge on the latest trends in China’s most futuristic city, the SHIO is the best place to head when you need advice.
Things to do in Shanghai
- Explore the Oriental Pearl Tower
Be ready for an action-packed time inside the iconic Oriental Pearl Tower. Visitors can look down and get a full view of the Huangpu River through the glass-bottomed walkway, don a VR headset and enjoy a short (but trilling) indoor roller-coaster ride, or learn about the city in the Shanghai History Museum in the basesment.
- Find some peace with a river cruise
For some serenity away from the city’s gnarly traffic, take a cruise down the Huangpu River. With the Bund’s concession architecture floating past and Pudong’s skyscrapers towering above you on the other side, there’s plenty to see. The Suzhou Creek open-top cruise will take you through the city centre.
- Learn the force of yin and yang
Early in the morning, residents gather at numerous parks dotted across Shanghai to practice Tai Chi, a health-promoting exercise. Head to Fuxing Park on Fuxing Zhong Lu or the broad pavement on the Bund to join the locals who immerse themselves with the philosophy of yin and yang forces.
- Let your hair down at a theme parks
For when the kids are showing signs of sightseeing mutiny, Shanghai has a couple of huge amusement parks. Three parks worth checking out are
Happy Valley (
Website: www.sh.happyvalley.cn ) with rides and roller coasters.
Shanghai Disney Resort (
Website: www.shanghaidisneyresort.com ).
Dino Beach (
Website: www.dinobeach.com.cn ) a water park with wave pool and slides.
- The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel
Even when you jump into the automated car, nothing can quite prepare you for this brightly lit experience ahead. The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel takes visitors on a trance-inducing lightshow beneath Huangpu River; a marvellous, surreal trip.
Shanghai tours and excursions
Shanghai tours
The Huangpu River Cruise is a classic Shanghai tour. Daily 50-minute cruises run from the Shiliupu Docks, south of the Bund (153 and 291 East Zhongshan No 2 Road), and take in views of the Bund itself as well as the impressive Pudong skyline. There’s no need to book tickets, just turn up and pay.
Telephone: +86 21 6651 1519
Run by the same company that offers open-top bus tours of London, Shanghai’s Big Bus Tour includes a double-decker bus tour of the city with English commentary, a river cruise and entrance to some sights. Tickets are hop-on, hop-off and are valid for 48 hours.
Telephone: +86 21 6351 5988
Website: www.bigbustours.com
Shanghai excursions
Sat in the shadow of hills and tea plantations, and home to the wonderful West Lake, Hangzhou could easily lay claim to being the domestic tourist capital of China. West Lake has been immortalised in paintings and poetry, while its Lingyin Temple, with a 20m (66ft) camphor-wood Buddha, is a place of pilgrimage for innumerable tour groups. Other sights include the Six Harmonies Pagoda, once a lighthouse for river traffic. Express trains run regularly between Shanghai and Hangzhou (45 minutes), as do buses (2 hours 30 minutes), which leave from all the major long-distance bus stations in Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 571 8792 8540
Website: www.en.gotohz.com
Famed for its gardens, canals and silk production, Suzhou is a major stop on the domestic tourism trail. Nevertheless, if you time your visit well (avoid weekends), this small, manageable city can make a rewarding break. You won’t fall for its ‘Veniceof-the-East’ claims, but Suzhou still offers pockets of canal-side charm and a huge number of beautiful traditional Chinese gardens. Express trains run regularly from Shanghai to Suzhou (25 minutes). Regular buses to Suzhou (1 hour 50 minutes) run from all of Shanghai’s main long-distance bus stations.
UNESCO: Yes
Telephone: +86 512 6530 5887
Website: www.en.visitsz.comShopping in Shanghai
Shanghai’s shopping scene befits its economic status and the city boasts easily the best shopping on mainland China.
High-end retail outlets such as Plaza 66 on Nanjing Lu, Three on the Bund and Bund 18 complement Nanjing Xi Lu’s status as Shanghai’s Fifth Avenue. You can find super-cool boutique clothes outlets, art galleries and design stores at Xintiandi, Xinle Lu, Fuxing Lu, Taikang Lu and Changle Lu.
For tacky tourist memorabilia, nowhere can beat the Old Town area around Yu Yuan Gardens and Bazaar. Try Old Street or Dongtai Road Antiques Market. The most uniquely regional ware from Shanghai is the local blue cloth, patterned in blue and white and similar to batik cloth. The Chinese Printed Blue Nankeen Exhibition Hall, at 24, Lane 637, Changle Lu, is open daily 0900-1630, and is the highest quality producer of this. You can buy beautiful Suzhou-style ladies’ silk slippers in hand-woven patterns at Suzhou Cobblers, 17 Fuzhou Lu (near the Bund).
Good-quality Chinese porcelain with handpainted modern designs is available from Spin, Building 3, Lane 758 Julu Lu (near Fumin Lu), 1200-2200. Hu & Hu Antiques, 1685 Wuzhong Lu, by Laohongjing Lu, is a little way out of town, but is Shanghai’s most reputable collector, restorer and vendor of genuine Chinese antiques.
Parkson on Shaanxi Lu, typifies the international-style department stores in the former French Concession area. Further out of town, hypermarkets and mega-malls are sprouting on typically Chinese scale, with Ikea, B&Q, Wal-Mart and Carrefour operating huge premises.
Usual shopping hours in Shanghai are 10:00-22:00.
VAT is charged at 17%, which cannot be reclaimed upon departure.
Restaurants in Shanghai
As with most things in Shanghai, the wonderfully eclectic food scene reflects Shanghai’s tendency to looking beyond the city’s limits for its inspiration. You’ll find some fabulous Shanghainese food of course (which is generally sweeter than food from the rest of China), but local kitchens share the streets, avenues and food malls with restaurants specialising in food from other Chinese provinces and from abroad.
The Shanghai restaurants below have been grouped into three pricing categories:
Expensive (over ¥300)
Moderate (¥100 to ¥300)
Cheap (up to ¥100)
These prices are for an average three-course meal and for a bottle of house wine or cheapest equivalent. They do not include tax or tip unless stated otherwise.
Expensive
Cuisine: French
Enfant terrible Jean-Georges Vongerichten has wowed diners from Chicago to Hong Kong with his upscale Vong brand. Now he has opened a sublimely designed, high-class restaurant in Shanghai, which serves French cuisine. The dining room is chic and sensual and the food is sensational.
Address: Three on the Bund, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6321 7733
Website: www.threeonthebund.com
Cuisine: French, Mediterranean.
Opened in the late 1990s, M on the Bund remains a Shanghai pioneer – and the first upscale restaurant located along the Bund. Australian-owned, and sister to Hong Kong’s M at the Fringe, the cuisine melds Mediterranean and Australian styles. The stylish atmosphere, unbeatable terrace views and good wine menu make this Shanghai’s number one venue to impress visitors.
Address: 5 The Bund (corner of Guandong Lu), Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6350 9988
Website: www.m-restaurantgroup.com
- Yang’s Fry Dumpling (Wujiang branch)
Cuisine: Chinese
Shengjian (fried dumplings) is a traditional street food in Shanghai, and this place is widely considered to be the city’s ‘most famous fried dumpings’. Be prepared to queue as tourists and locals all love these little parcels filled with a juicy meat centre.
Address: Huangpu, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6322 9763
Website: www.xysjg.com
Moderate
Cuisine: Shanghainese
Gather up a boisterous bunch of friends for a fun-filled meal at this typically chaotic and cavernous Shanghai institution, which has lines out the door late into the night. Try the excellent lion’s head meatballs, lotus-leaf roasted duck or the baoluokaoman (baked eel).
Address: 271 Fumin Road, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6279 2827
Website: www.baoluojiulou.com
Cuisine: French
Hidden in a secret location (diners meet at Mr and Mrs Bund, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu), chef Paul Pairet’s Ultraviolet is as much about the sensory experience as it is the food. The epic tasting menu features 20 courses with matching art and sound installations. The food is French, but that’s only the half of it. Book early: the waiting list here is by the month rather than the minute and it has no phone number.
Address: Waitan, Shanghai.
Website: www.uvbypp.cc
Cuisine: American, Western.
The smell of bacon, eggs and tomato frying on an open grill attracts punters to this Shanghai courtyard restaurant on Sundays when home-style breakfasts are served all day – hash browns included. The barbecue also fires up on Wednesday evenings. On sunny days it’s best to get here early. Kommune also serves a hearty lunch menu including salads and ciabatta.
Address: 7 The Yard, Lane 210, Taikang Lu, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6466 2416
Website: www.kommune.me
Cheap
Cuisine: Chinese
If you like your Chinese food scalding spicy, Guyi Hunan is a good bet. A vast menu and ubiquitous use of chilli make this one of the hottest regional restaurants in Shanghai. Most people opt for a personal hotpot and a gallon of lager. The food is well-prepared, good value and always tasty. Expect to queue without a reservation on the weekends.
Address: 87 Fumin Lu (by Julu Lu), Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6249 5628
Website: www.guyi2001.com
Cuisine: French
Jade on 36 Restaurant Features In-Season Flavoursو Savour exquisite wines and cocktails and service with precision, against the magnificent backdrop of the Bund. Classic French Elegance Reinvented by Chef Olivier Pistre, Experience the reinvented Jade on 36 Restaurant, where culinary creations are complemented by panoramic views of Shanghai and the Bund.
Address: 33 Fucheng Rd, Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6882 8888
Website: www.shangri-la.com
Cuisine: Chinese
Hidden away in a little mall near the former French Concession, Southern Barbarian specialises in food from Yunnan province. The emphasis is on barbecue, with succulent meat cooked in flowers and spices. The range of craft beers available here is also impressive.
Address: Ju’Rosin Life Arts Space, Jinxian Lu, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 5157 5510Shanghai Nightlife
Awash with watering holes, Shanghai has an inventive and wide-ranging concoction of different bar types, from gritty student dives, solid Irish pubs and sports bars to jazzy cocktail bars, seductive wine lounges and elegant, fashion conscious establishments operating from grandiose concession-era buildings. Drinks are pricier here than in the rest of China, so happy hour visits (typically 1700-2000) are worth considering.
Bars in Shanghai
At sunset, immerse yourself in the charming charm of the city. As the sun sets and the lights come on, the city’s beautiful scenery is vivid and vivid. Indulge in the charming scenery of the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Bund, and enjoy your drunken time. The hotel’s sommelier has carefully selected wines and various cocktails, inviting you to taste fine wines under the swaying moonlight. The chef also selects French delicacies to satisfy your taste buds.
Address: 33 Fucheng Rd, Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6882 3636
Website: www.shangri-la.com
Housed above the Grand Hyatt hotel on the 87th floor of the magnificent Jinmao Tower, Cloud 9 is no longer the highest bar in Shanghai, but it’s still, arguably, the trendiest. Grab a cocktail and drink in the view.
Address: 88 Century Ave, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 5047 1234
Website: www.shanghai.grand.hyatt.com
This bar is all about its rooftop patio. Nestled on top of the Bund, it offers stunning views across to Pudong and is widely recognised as Shanghai’s best nightspot. It’s great for an early evening drink and can get pretty lively after 2100, when the sound system cranks up. International DJs regularly get behind the decks here.
Address: 18 Zhongshan East 1st Road, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6339 1199
This deservedly popular microbrewery, with three branches in Shanghai, does a fine range of ales as well as decent Southern-style American food. There are usually at least seven beers on tap at any one time. Its other branches are at Unit 26A, 519-521 Fuxing Road and 100 Zun Yi Road.
Address: 82 West Fuxing Road, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6431 2091
Clubs in Shanghai
The epitome of Shanghai’s love of bling, M1NT is the go–to place if you want an opulent night out. The tunes are loud, the drinks are sensational and if it all gets too much you can take some time out and check out the shark tank, which dominates the main room. Throw in a 24th floor location with city–wide views and you’ll struggle to find somewhere cooler.
Address: 318 Fuzhou Road, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6391 3191
Website: www.m1ntglobal.com
Popular with young Chinese looking for the a great night out with live music and DJ parties. Great bub fast friendly service food is great beer is cold, This place is great.
Address: Xuhui District, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6437 7110
Website: www.movie.douban.com
Small enough to feel intimate, but big enough for a pulsating atmosphere if the band is right, Yuyintang has long been the place in Shanghai to see live music. Rock is the staple diet, but anything goes, from hard punk to gypsy jazz. It’s west of the city, on metro lines 3 and 4.
Address: Changning Qu, 851 Kaixuan Road, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 5237 8662
Website: www.site.douban.com
Live music in Shanghai
- Shanghai Culture Square- Opera house
Shanghai Culture Square aims to build a landmark public cultural and art center in Shanghai, takes musicals as its core artistic product, actively undertakes social welfare responsibilities, and takes it as its mission to improve the cultural literacy of citizens.
Address: 597 Fuxing Rd (M), Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6472 9000
Website: www.shcstheatre.com
The clue is in the name, but jazz and blues lovers will love a visit to this classy restaurant and bar where the in-house band, which changes every few months, performs live music from between 22:00-01:00.
Address: 60 Fuzhou Road, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 21 6323 2779
A hip mega-club with awesome dance music. This place is frequented by expats and local professionals; and club goers are required to wear presentable outfits (no shorts and sandals).
Address: 89 Huaihai Rd, Huangpu, Shanghai.
Telephone: +86 132 6222 2097Shanghai Food And Drink
Food In Shanghai
All dumplings here are good, xiaolongbao are the best. Even though it burns the mouths and tongues of novice dumpling eaters (Note: you have to puncture the dumpling wrapper to let out the steam, and then slurp the soup slowly before shoveling the xiaolongbao down), we just cannot live without this Shanghai classic. You love it so much.
These fall-off-the-bone ribs are as succulent as they are tender. Sweetly braised in soy sauce, these put those miniature rib appetizers to utter shame. And, without the small bones found in those ubiquitous appetizers, the meat on these solid ribs can be inhaled in a matter of seconds.
Few truly love eggplant before they come to China, but once here, almost everyone’s a convert to this purple veggie. Of all the eggplant dishes offered in this city, the braised version of this hearty vegetable is by far the most savory.
- Chicken of the fields: aka frog (田鸡)
Don’t be grossed out. Below that slimy skin lies meat that is superior to chicken in every way. Frog is the soulmate to your cold Tsingtao, and Shanghai’s four-legged answer to the buffalo wing. It’s cheap and plentiful and, because of these qualities, we’ve found that virtually every restaurant line cook can whip up a masterful dish of frog. Our favorite is the gan shao niu wa at Xiang Li Ba Ba: a large pizza-sized plate piled high with spicy, tender frog, crisped rice cake nubs, potato slices and bamboo. If you’re a beginner try the San Gu Bullfrog.
Correction, the famous M Pavlova. Forget cocktails, trade in your yuan for a sweet slice of this meringue torte heaped with tropical fruit and glazed with tangy passion fruit sauce. Dry and crispy on the outside and soft like angels once you dig in, the M Pavlova is far tastier than any beaten egg whites have the right to taste.
Shanghai is sea food foodie heaven and we have an entire street dedicated to oysters, mussels, scallops, crawfish and abalone (and for cheap!) to prove it. Every vendor on Shouning Lu has a slightly different take on three preparations of grilled oyster: oysters with black bean sauce, oysters with chili oil and garlic, and wannabe French oysters in “cheese” sauce. You really have to try each tiny shack to find your favorite. Luckily for you, Shouning Lu is open 24 hours a day.
- Choose your own adventure … in seafood
If you haven’t visited the Tongchuan Lu seafood market strip, go. Go now. This is the place to test and refine your haggling skills as hunger will drive you to a new level of motivation. Once you amass a selection of fresh seafood (you can buy everything from scallops to sea cucumber at restaurant prices if you negotiate, or take a Shanghainese speaking friend), take your seafood to any of the restaurants on the strip. The chefs will cook it all up so you can devour everything on the spot.
- “The chicken has no sexual experience” (童子鸡)
We appreciate tongzi ji, or young chicken, if only for hilariously awkward menu translations like the one above and contributions from the local vernacular (“tongzi ji” is slang for a younger man dating an older woman, or another name for a male virgin). Tongzi ji are eaten for their especially tender meat, which is stir-fried with green peppers or edamame (the Japanese don’t get to keep them all to themselves) or made into a medicinal soup.
A descendant of the classic Sweet Hawthorne Kebab (糖葫芦), the appearance of these ripe, crunchy-sweet strawberry kebabs in vendor stalls announces “Spring is here” to Shanghai. Get these strawberries at the height of their season in May. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a vendor who will glaze them before your eyes in a wok full of bubbling sugar.
Don’t let those translucent crab parts and globs of orange roe intimidate you. Drunken crab, made with spotted sea crabs, is a must-try for its textures: the flesh is yielding like cold sashimi, the roe creamy but firm. The complex flavor of Shaoxing wine can be bit of an acquired taste (especially in drunken crab) so try it first with a bit of rice or porridge.
Drink In Shanghai
Is a cool and interesting cocktail recipe. This sweet drink is popular in China and its surrounding regions. It is generally made by using a combination of dark rum, past is and grenadine and some other ingredients.
- Drinking tap water is not recommended as the standard is not there yet when compared to countries in the West. Instead, it’s highly recommended to refrain from drinking water directly from the tap.