Shanghai - the Enchanting City
If you have read my two blogs about planning my trip to China, you know how excited I was to finally get on the plane and fly directly from Madrid to Shanghai. It was a taunting 12 hour flight, but we left around midnight which gave me plenty of time to sleep and arrive there fairly fresh. After going through immigration, I made my way to the hotel and was able to try the Maglev train. It was quite an experience, but also not the cheapest one.
Shanghai’s Chinese nickname is Modu which translates to enchanting city and that nickname is quite fitting. With more than 1.3 billion citizens China is the second biggest country in the world. Shanghai with its almost 30 Mio people living there is the biggest urban center in China. So, be prepared as it can get quite crowded especially around the Bund and Nanjing Road.
Travelling to Shanghai
Shanghai has two massive airports, Pudong International and Hongqiao International. Pudong is the one serving most international arrivals. Hongqiao on the other side serves mainly domestic flights, except for few flights to Japan and Korea. I arrived and left China through Pudong and used Hongqiao to get to Beijing. Even though Pudong is the newer airport both are very modern and convenient. If you need to change from one airport to the other you can use metro line number 2 (cheapest option around 8 RMB), but it will take you roughly 1.5hrs or you take the bus which will take you around an hour.
If you travel domestically, you might take the train and here your main arrival will be Hongqiao station which is close to one of the airports and as well connected to metro line 2.
What to do
It was my first time in Shanghai, and I wasn’t sure where to start so I opted for a Free Walking- Tour to get introduced to the history and the main sites. I chose the tour from Free Tours China which lasted 4.5 hours and included some food stops. They have a similar tour for Beijing too. I was very happy as our guide Dinna did an excellent job and I felt quite comfortable to explore the city on my own afterwards.
The tour started off at the People’s Square (Exit number 3) with the City Hall, the Shanghai Museum and Shanghai Grand Theatre just around the corner. Walking around there is quite intimidating as there is plenty of police and I didn’t dare to take photos. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to visit the Shanghai Museum, but definitely will try next time. Next was the People’s Park with the still functioning wedding market, which is quite unique. Basically, if their kids get too old, parents go to this market to try to find suitable partners and help their kids. You’ll see a lot of older people with a sheet of paper in front of them detailing the jobs, savings and family situation of their children.
For me the most interesting spot is the Bund with its colonial buildings along the Huangpu River. It offers the iconic view on the modern skyline of Pudong with the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Shanghai Tower Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center (the Bottle-opener). The easiest way to get to the Bund [外滩] is to take the metro to Yuyuan Garden and then walk down towards the river. You could also go to East Nanjing Road station and walk towards the river, here you have the great view on the Oriental Pearl Tower from Nanjing Road. Nanjing Road is also the main shopping street in Shanghai with plenty of department stores and designer shops. Waibaidu bridge [外白渡桥] is at the end of the Bund, next to the Shanghai People’ s Heroes Monument and offers a more unique view on the Pudong skyline.
Yuyan Garden [玉岩花园] is one of the oldest parts of the city and is in stark contrast to the modern city. Around the actual garden there is a big fairly new complex of traditional buildings called the Yuyuan Center which is designed as a market with the traditional Tea House in the center.
For me the most exciting places to explore are the different temples. I managed to visit two: Jing'an Temple [静安寺] (take the metro to Jing’an Temple station, Exit 2) and Jade Buddha Temple [玉佛寺] (take metro to Jiangning Road and walk 860m along Jiangning Road). Both are traditional temples that are still functioning today with living quarters for the monks. The unique thing of Jing’an temple is that it is surrounded by skyscrapers. In the center of the temple is a massive tripod shrine into which people throw coins for good luck. The various halls include different statues of gods, with a large Buddha in the main hall overlooking the courtyard. Next, I went to the Jade Buddha temple which is a bit further out of the city center. The temple complex is a bit bigger and has also multiple halls with different religious statues. The main one being the Jade Buddha. It also includes a calligraphy school where people can learn and practice. I preferred this temple as it was less crowded and offered a great space to relax and calm down from the hustling and bustling of the city. For the Jing’an Temple you need to buy a ticket when you get there, while the Jade Buddha temple is free.
Even though you have a great view on the skyline of Pudong from the Bund, it’s much more fun to walk between the towers. The most convenient metro station is Lujiazui getting out through Exit 6. There you have a passenger overpass whit a great view on the modern buildings. The best view on the Oriental Pearl Tower [东方明珠塔] and the Shanghai Tower [上海中心大厦] you have from the circular walkway at the roundabout. From the Oriental Pearl Tower walking down Lujiazui West Road to the river you get to a park (Bin Jiang Gong Yuan Park) with an amazing view on the Bund.
China has some of the best tea in the world and in Shanghai you have one of the biggest tea markets in the country called Tianshan Tea City. As I had no time left, I didn’t manage to get there. If you do, here are some of the shops I found online where the staff speaks English: Shop number 1057, Miss Jia (Shop number 1119), Susie (Gu Shu Liao Cha, Shop number 1262), Shop number 1065 or Jane´s (Shop number 1068). They also let you try the tea, and you get to experience the “tea ceremony”. Laoximen Tea City (Tea Plaza) is another market and closer to the center, but it was closed. I don’t know if it’s closed permanently or only for renovation.
I finally managed to try and buy some tea at Yanle Tea in Tianzifang. Yanle has three shops there and each has some staff that speaks English. They let me try various teas (Jasmin tea, Oolong, and Pu’er) and were super friendly. So, obviously I did buy quite some tea they were great. Tianzifang is an artist neighborhood with some of the best arts and crafts shop in town. The closest metro stop is Dapuqiao.
During my visit to Shanghai I also wanted to visit the Qibao Ancient Town [七宝古镇] (take the metro to Qibao and walk 1km along Minyhu Road than Qinggnian Road). It’s quite far out but has some of the oldest buildings in town. As I had no time, I’ll keep it for next time.
Where to stay
Shanghai has actually quite a good selection of hotels in all parts of town. For tourist the easiest and most convenient is either around the Bund and Yuyuan garden or in Pudong. The hotel I stayed in is close to metro stop Pudong Avenue which made it easy to explore the city. Around there you also have quite some restaurants. Wherever you stay make sure that you’re close to a metro stop, especially along line 2, 4, 10 or 14.
Food & Drinks
In Shanghai you have some of the best Chinese food and restaurants. It’s not difficult to find some good dumplings or a nice hotpot. I particularly enjoyed Hefu Noodle (which is a chain and has multiple places in Shanghai, I went to the one close to the Oriental Pearl Tower) and Wok Man (in the food court of Hongyi Plaza). A more unique place I found in a food court close to Tianzifang is Chengdu Niliujie (成都你六姐). It’s a soup place where you choose the ingredients for the soup and then its cooked. It’s as well a chain with multiple locations, I tried the one in SLM Center next to Tianzifang. At most places you have little drawers in the table with some chopsticks, spoons, and napkins.
As usually I wanted to try some local craft beer and I found a little brewery in the French Concession area called Boxing Cat Brewery. They have quite a selection of different styles and all are really good. To get there take the metro to Shanghai Library and then walk along West Fuxing Road. The food is American, but you can always go there after dinner.
Travelling around Shanghai
Shanghai has an extensive and convenient metro system. The signs in the metro always include the English station names and connections as well to other lines. I always used the Metroman app to get itineraries. Some of the stations, especially close to major sites, are quite big. So, make sure that you know the exit closest to where you want to go to. You can pay at the ticket machines with cash, WeChat or Alipay. There are also a lot of buses, but I didn’t use them.
Best Photography Spots in Shanghai
In a city like Shanghai there is an abundance of photo opportunities. One of my favorite spot is the Bund. You don’t just have a great view on the Bund, but also on the Pudong skyline. In Pudong I really enjoyed walking between the skyscrapers exiting Lujiazui metro stop (Exit 6) and then walk past the Oriental Pearl Tower to Bin Jiang Gong Yuan Park, with an amazing view on the Bund.
Other great spots are the Jing’an temple and Jade Buddha temple, especially if you like Asian religions and culture.
I hope with all the above, I could help you planning your next trip to Shanghai.
Here a link to my Shanghai site which hopefully gives you some ideas what to expect.
