Shanghai Travel Tips 2025

If Shanghai safe for travelers? How many days needed for a Shanghai tour? What to prepare before going to Shanghai? And Top things to do in Shanghai? To answer these questions, this article has been put together to give you, especially those planning a first trip to Shanghai, the most useful Shanghai travel tip.

Best Attractions & Top Things to Do in Shanghai

How many days in Shanghai is enough?

2 to 3 Days for a Short Shanghai Trip

For your first-time visit in Shanghai with limited time, normally 2-3 days is enough for an essential Shanghai trip. You can visit the must-see sights, including the Bund, Yu Garden, Yu Market, Shanghai Museum, Xintiandi, Shanghai Tower (or Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower), and taste some local specialty foods.

4 to 5 Days for an In-depth Shanghai Trip

If you want to delve deeper into Shanghai's history, culture, and modern urban charm, we suggest you add half-day tour from Shanghai Zhujiajiao Water Town or Qibao Ancient Town to the list of must-see attractions.  If you are traveling to Shanghai with kids, Shanghai Disneyland is recommended.

>> Recommended China Shanghai tour packages:

When to go Shanghai

Shanghai enjoys the subtropical marine monsoon climate, with distinct season differences, spring is warm, summer burning hot, autumn cool and comfortable while winter cold and cloudy. The hottest days in Shanghai come in Judy to August, with the highest temperature above 35 C (95 F). The coldest time is from the late January to early February. The best travel time to Shanghai is in spring and fall.

How to Get to Shanghai

Travel to Shanghai from a Foreign Country/Region

Shanghai is one of the most important international gateways in China. Many choose to start their China tours from Shanghai. The two large international airports, Pudong and Hongqiao, have flights connecting major cities around the world, such as New York, London, Tokyo, Paris, Los Angeles, Singapore, Dubai, etc.

Travel to Shanghai from a Domestic City

You can choose domestic airline to arrive Shanghai from other major cities. If you choose to take China's high-speed railway, the following is the approximate time required to reach Shanghai from some famous tourist cities: 

Is Shanghai easy to get around?

Yes. Shanghai has the most advanced public transport system. The Shanghai Maglev train connects Pudong Airport to city center (Longyang Road). Metro is the best and cheapest way to travel around Shanghai. 12 subway lines connecting each part of the city can take you to most of the tourist attractions, museums, hotels, parks, hospitals, airport, railway stations, etc. Besides, there is city bus, taxi, tourist bus and public bicycle system in Shanghai.

Is Shanghai expensive to visit?

The most prosperous city in China, Shanghai is the more expensive to visit than other places in mainland China, but it is still cheaper than Hong Kong or most Western cities. Here in Shanghai, with relative higher expense you can enjoy the greatest convenience and service.

>> Recommended 10 Days Affordable China Tour

Travel to Shanghai with Kids

Shanghai is one of China's most family-friendly destinations - one that keeps kids entertained and learning. The world's sixth Disneyland, with the world's largest fantasy fairytale castle and the world's first Zootopia-themed area, is suitable for children of all ages. Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park offers close-up views of killer whales, polar bears and penguins, as well as underwater tunnels. The Shanghai Science and Technology Museum's Robot World, Aerospace World and IMAX Dome Theater are perfect for school-age children to experience science and technology.

There are many family-friendly hotels in Shanghai, such as Novotel Shanghai Clover Hotel, Grand Hyatt Shanghai, etc.

Senior Travel to Shanghai 

Shanghai's history and culture, as well as its senior-friendly policies (65+ get discounted admission to some Shanghai attractions) make your trip to Shanghai both enjoyable and relaxing. 

The Bund, Nanjing East Road and the former French Concession are for history buffs. Yuyuan Garden & Chenghuang Temple are the best places to explore Shanghai's Old Town. The Shanghai Museum and the Jade Buddha Temple allow you to experience traditional Shanghai culture and art. A cruise on the Huangpu River makes it easy for you to enjoy Shanghai's striking night view.

>> Recommended 4-day Shanghai Tour for Seniors

Solo Travel to Shanghai

The cosmopolitan city of Shanghai is safe and easily accessible for solo travelers to explore. Subways, buses, and shared bikes with bilingual signs make it easy to navigate the city's skyscrapers and alleyways. From historical buildings on the Bund to contemporary art galleries, the city caters to the different interests of different tourists in culture, food and shopping. Luxury hotels to youth hostels are also suitable for different travel styles.

>> Recommended 9-day Essence of China Tour for Self-guided Travelers

Shanghai Shopping Tips

Enjoying the reputation of "Shopping Paradise" and "Oriental Pearl", Shanghai offers great shopping chances with famed shopping "Four Streets and Four Cities". Nanjing road is the most prosperous street with a wide variety of shops from century’s old, special shops or modern malls; Huaihai Road is celebrated for top-end designer’s brands worldwide; North Sichuan road offers inexpensive merchandise while Middle Tibet Road is famed for food and tourism-related service.

The Four Cities for shopping in Shanghai are Yuyuan Shopping City, Xujiahui Shopping City, New Shanghai Shopping City nd Jiali Sleepless City, among them, Yuyuan Bazaar is the place for specialist Chinese goods like antiques, local crafts, jade wares and jewelry. Xujiahui is the newly-built shopping and entertainment venue, offers costly and middle-priced goods. New Shanghai Shopping City offers the best facilities and amenities and Jiali Sleepless City facing Shanghai Railway Station, and on the Subway line 1, is a bustling commercial area.

There are still other streets and areas worth a visit in Shanghai like Hong Kong Famous Shops Street and Dimei Shopping Center beneath People's Square and Xiangyang Road; and the street vendors everywhere offers some great buys and don't forget to bargain.

>> Related reading: Top 10 Shopping Streets in China

Eating in Shanghai

Shanghai cuisine is derived from simple home cooked meals and their ingredients and cooking technique have been upgraded overtime to become the wonderful foods that they are now. Characterized by some as sweet and oily, and the most popular food in Shanghai to try including Crawfishes, Xiaolongbao, Guotie, tangyuan, Guotie, new year cake, freshwater crab, shark's fin, dim sum, pear candy, etc. during your Shanghai trip. 

Xiaolongbao is known as "soup dumplings", a great-known shanghai specialty, which could be found cheaply on the street either fried or steamed on the street or at some Shanghainess restaurants. Be care about your first bite to prevent the squirt of liquid falling on your clothes.

Recommended Shanghai restaurants are Maylinge Restaurant, the Zun Pin Shao Cai Gong Fang Restaurant (near Jing An Temple), and the Paul Restaurant.

Safety in Shanghai

Violent crime is rare is Shanghai but some little crimes like pick-pocketing, bike theft and sexual harassment was occasionally. Pay attention to over friendly strangers, who probably dress well, speak fluent English, around the People's square, and entrances/exits of museums or art galleries who invited you to art gallery, tea shop or karaoke and you're unlikely to be physically harmed by will be forced to big a large bill for a simple bear something similar. Call 110 if you encounter such situations and the Chinese police would be of help.

Another scam happening in temple area, you will be lied and make a wish, burn an incense which ends up with hundreds or thousands of money; but the trick also comes directly like being asked how much you want to donate. Legitimate temples in Chain ever charge followers in this way.

Don't rush into or out of Shanghai metro trains in the last moment since the train doors will close before all passengers have boarded.

Is tap water safe to drink in Shanghai?

One of the most important Shanghai travel tips. No, the tap water is not safe to drink in Shanghai, or any other places in China. The tap water precipitates and filters out impurities, fine sand, etc., and also removes some microorganisms, bacteria, etc. But CI and CI compound, CaCO3, MgCO3, CaSo4, and MgSO4 in the raw water left, which are harmful to the human body. Therefore the tap water must be boiled before drunk.

Nightlife / Entertainment in Shanghai

Shanghai has the most colorful nightlife & entertainment activities in China, with cinemas showing foreign and Chinese films, and theatres featuring opera, dance, drama, acrobatics and puppets. The famous shows include Huangpu River Cruise, Acrobatic Show, and Shanghai Circus World and so on.

Xintiandi is the hottest new entertainment place for tourists to appreciate the history and modern life of Shanghai, also a popular venue for meeting local citizens and foreign visitors. The design of the house in Xintiandi area is attractive, known as the Shikumen style, looks unique; it consists of a wide range of international gallery, bars, cafes, boutiques as well as restaurants.

Shanghai Festivals

There are several interesting festival in Shanghai, like the Shanghai Tourism festival, comes in the second Saturday in September on Huaihuai Road, with kinds of funny activities held, such as the floats parade, a square concert, the display of international music fireworks, the German Beer Festival, the Rose Wedding, parachute-jumping performances (known as "ballet dances" in the air), exchanges between Chinese and foreign tea cultures, international tourism symposiums, and the showcase of the culture and art of A Dream of Red Mansions (a classical novel). In addition, Shanghai also promotes a series of tourism projects, such as being a Shanghai citizen for one day, looking for the roots in Shanghai, and taking a boat tour on the Huangpu River at night.

Another festival takes place at the beautiful water town - Ancient Zhujiajiao Water Town Tourism Festival; also held in September with traditional performance with strong local flavor: dragon and lion dances, rattle stick dance, waist-drum dance, land-boat dance and ensemble of traditional stringed and woodwind instruments of south China, dragon boat races, martial art performance on boats, traditional speedy boats, music boats, floating lanterns on the river, and the opening ceremony of the folk customs tour...there are also kinds of local delicacies and snacks offered on that day.

Another two wide-known festivals are Chongming Forest Tourism Festival & China Shanghai International Art Festival, with one held on Chongming Island from September to October and others held on Mid November to mid December.