How to spend 3 days in Shanghai
Beijing is intertwined with traditional China while Shanghai with the modern one. Let’s see the most essential places you need to visit during a short stay in the technologically developed Shanghai.
Yuyuan Old Street and Yu Garden
Yuyuan Old Street and Yu Garden represent all the images you bring in mind when you think about China. Although located in the busy city of Shanghai, they do not lose their traditional character and is a must do during your stay. Especially during evening hours with all the lights and lanterns switched on in the narrow roads, the only thing missing is the Chinese warriors fighting over the roofs of the impressive buildings. The scenery is absolutely stunning and maybe one of the most unforgettable travel memories that you can have.
The Bund
You cannot leave Shanghai without visiting one of its most popular spots: the Bund. A walk by the river and the Shanghai’s skyscrapers is a must to your visit to the busy Chinese city. I would suggest you go during evening hours since the colorful lights of the buildings and scyscrapers create a lovely scenery in the dark of the night.
East and West Nanjing Road
Leaving the Bund, you can walk the East Nanjing Road. It is a very large commercial pedestrian street with lots of popular stores and brands. Don’t be surprised if Chinese people start following you to convince you to show you their fake markets. There are many fake markets hidden in little stores in buildings across the East Nanjing Road. Some of them are that persistent that may follow you for hundreds of meters even if you -politely or not - clarify to them that you are not interested. For those though that are into fake markets, it is a great opportunity to find some and with a little bargain to get nice quality imitation of popular brands products. At the end of the pedestrian street, you can find the People’s square and Park. I would advice if you are in Shanghai on Saturdays to visit during noon the People’s Park, a very nice park in the heart of the city, where each Saturday wedding markets take place (see below markets section). After People’s Square the street becomes narrower with little stores, cafes and street food. You now are at the West Nanjing Road. For the lovers of Starbucks guess what. On this street there is the largest Starbucks Coffee in the world. You can find the ordinary beverages but what is impressive at this Starbucks is that you may also find different tastes, different coffee blends and even cocktails. At the end of the West Nanjing Road you cannot omit Jin’gan Temple (an impressive Buddhist temple). At this part of the city which looks more European than Chinese you need also to visit Taixing Road and its little narrow alleys full of drawings and very beautiful old European style buildings, stores, little cafes and bakeries. Zhang Yuan part is full of fashion brands and historic buildings. It feels like you are at another world and century. So unique and picturesque.
Tianzifang and Huaihaifang
Apart from the impressive buildings and skyscrapers you can also find Huaihaifang. It is a complex of old industrial style buildings where local people live in very small as they look from outside apartments. Clothes are hanged out outside from cables and create a unique and different image.
In a quite short walking distance from Huaihaifang you may find similar building complexes but full of little stores and narrow alleys – Tianzifang. From silk scarfs to magnets and the typical Chinese cats that move their paws, it is the ideal place to buy souvenirs for your friends and family.
Markets
Having in mind that most of the products that we use, and made in China, I was under the impression that when travelling in China I would find millions of little stores with innumerous and extremely cheap products that I could not resist in buying everything- this was the reason I took a big empty suitcase with me. The reality though was a little bit different than my expectations. Shanghai was full of commercial roads and stores but not that cheap as I expected. For those wondering, I did bring a full suitcase back home, but I had to visit specific markets to do some cheap and after lot of bargain shopping. The two biggest ones are the following:
a. Tiantong Road and Qipu Road
Outside of Tiantong metro station, there are Tiantong Road and Qipu Road, both full of clothes, shoes and accessories markets. You will probably need a day to go to all of them and do a lot of digging to locate nice things to buy in good prices as more of the stores and products are in big warehouses. Generally, you can find cheap clothes and shoes and some good imitations of famous brands. Chinese people are open to bargains, and you can achieve this way a better price. Inside the same metro station there is also a big market, tidier one. Suitcases are extremely cheap at this market (a big one without bargain costs about 10 euros which is quite impressive).
b. Science & Technology Museum
The biggest fake market in Shanghai is located inside Science & Technology Museum station. At this market you can find whatever you can imagine (clothes, shoes, glasses, electronic gadgets and many fake products). Don’t forget to bargain as sellers tend to give a 15-20 times higher initial price. A good approach is to ask the price to say your ideal one and if they do not agree, even if you really want the product to leave. Most of the times they will come after you and you will get it at your proposed price.
Wedding Market
Talking about markets I cannot omit a very different one. The Wedding Market. Every Saturday noon in People’s Park at the center of Shanghai a wedding market takes place. It seems that fixed marriages are still very popular even in the modern Shanghai of year 2024. Grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles, aunts or whoever has a daughter/son/cousin/nephew/niece that wishes to get married goes to this market. Each marriage candidate has its own CV written in a piece of paper including his age, height, weight, occupation, salary, description of his/her appearance and personality. The only missing is his/her photo. All CVs are placed on the ground like products and the ones that are interested give their personal information for a meeting between the potential couple to be arranged. (see more peculiar things at China’s Peculiar Things).
Maglev Train
For those arriving or leaving from Pudong International Airport, you cannot miss the opportunity to enter to the Maglev high speed Train and go to the city center or/and vice versa. There is also normal metro, but the maglev train is a most do experience. It is considered one of the most rapid trains in the world based on magnets and not on rails that covers 30km in only 8 minutes. It reaches 300km/h speed and the feeling until reaching it is like the take off on a plane.
Day trips
If you have more days to spare when being in Shanghai, you may grab the chance to do some day trips that are totally worth it (see Day trips from Shanghai).
For more information or to help you plan your ideal trip within your budget, please contact us.
