Shanghai is the largest city in China and one of the most exciting urban destinations on the planet. Home to roughly 25 million people and a forest of skyscrapers that grew faster than any city in modern history, Shanghai pulls in tourists who want to dive into the contemporary Chinese lifestyle. The restaurants, the futuristic skyline, the world-class shopping districts and the constant buzz of new openings showcase the energy of modern China, and the older corners of the city still hide glimpses of traditional culture, colonial history and pre-skyscraper Shanghai. This 2026 guide walks through the top attractions, the food, the practical details and a few tips for a first visit.
A Short History of Shanghai
Shanghai started life as a quiet fishing village at the mouth of the Yangtze River. It only became a major city in the 19th century, after the First Opium War forced China to open the port to British, French, American and Japanese trade in 1842. Each foreign power carved out its own concession along the Huangpu River, and the resulting mix of European architecture, international banks and lawless waterfront became the original “Paris of the East”.
The city boomed in the 1920s and 1930s as a centre of finance, jazz, cinema and industry, then faded into a quieter existence after the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949. Modern Shanghai dates from 1990, when the Chinese government chose the empty fields of Pudong on the east bank of the Huangpu River as the symbol of the country’s economic reform. In just three decades, Pudong went from rice paddies to one of the most photographed skylines in the world, with the iconic Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center and the 632-metre Shanghai Tower (the third-tallest building in the world) rising side by side.
Top Attractions in Shanghai
The Bund (Waitan)
The Bund is the waterfront promenade along the western bank of the Huangpu River and the most recognised symbol of Shanghai after the Pudong skyline itself. The 1.5 km riverside walk is lined with 52 buildings in styles that range from Gothic, Romanesque, Baroque and Neoclassical to Renaissance and Art Deco, all built between the 1860s and the 1930s during the height of the foreign concession era. The area has been called a “museum of international architecture” and earned its place as a protected cultural heritage zone.
The river’s flood wall has long been known as “the lover’s wall” and is considered the most romantic spot in all of Shanghai. The area becomes even more spectacular after dark, when the lights from the historic buildings on one side and the futuristic Pudong skyscrapers on the other reflect across the water. Plan to walk the Bund both by day and by night to catch the full contrast between historic and modern Shanghai. River cruises run from the Bund several times each evening and offer the best views of both skylines from the water.
Nanjing Road (Nanjing Lu)
Nanjing Road is the top shopping district in Shanghai and one of the busiest commercial streets in the world. The full length runs for about 5.5 km and splits into two distinct sections: the pedestrian-only Nanjing Road East, which connects People’s Square with the Bund, and the more upmarket Nanjing Road West, which runs towards Jing’an Temple. The street was the first place in China to display imported foreign goods in the 19th century and still sells a diverse mix of products today.
You will find modern shopping malls, Western chain stores, restaurants and high-end European designer boutiques, alongside traditional stores that sell silks, jade, tea and embroidered pieces. These traditional trinkets work well as souvenirs and remind you of your Shanghai experience long after you return home. A small electric tourist train runs the length of the pedestrian section for visitors who want to give their feet a rest.
Pudong and the Shanghai Tower
Across the river from the Bund rises Pudong, the financial district that has come to define modern Shanghai. The Shanghai Tower, completed in 2015, stands 632 metres tall and holds an observation deck on the 118th floor that ranks among the highest in the world. The neighbouring Shanghai World Financial Center (often called the “bottle opener” for its trapezoidal hole at the top) and the Jin Mao Tower add their own observation decks for visitors who want to compare angles. The Oriental Pearl Tower, the older 468-metre TV tower with its distinctive pink spheres, opened in 1995 and remains one of the most recognised symbols of the city.
Traditional Attractions in Shanghai
Jade Buddha Temple (Yufo Si)
The traditional Jade Buddha Temple sits in the heart of urban Shanghai and was built in 1882 to house two jade Buddha statues brought back from Burma by a travelling monk. The original temple was destroyed during the political turmoil of the early 20th century, and a new site was built in 1928 in the current location. The temple holds many pieces of Chinese religious art, intricate carvings and traditional architectural details that you rarely see in such a modern city. The two jade Buddhas, the standing and the reclining, remain the centrepiece of the complex and the reason most visitors come.
Yu Garden (Yuyuan)
The Yu Garden, or Yuyuan, was built during the Ming Dynasty and finished in 1577 by an official of the imperial court as a private retreat for his elderly father. The garden has undergone serious changes over more than 440 years, having been damaged, rebuilt and reconstructed numerous times during periods of war and political upheaval, including the Taiping Rebellion and the Opium Wars.
The garden covers about two hectares and offers plenty to explore. Stroll through the pavilions and rockeries, peer into the koi-filled ponds and admire the carved windows and dragon-topped walls. The garden contains the largest and oldest rockery in Southern China, the Great Rockery, built from over 2,000 tonnes of yellow stone. From the top of this feature you can enjoy breathtaking views across the rest of the garden.
The surrounding Yuyuan Bazaar spreads out around the garden in a maze of traditional Ming-style buildings, now filled with shops, tea houses and street food vendors. The famous Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant, founded in 1900, sits next to the garden’s ornamental Nine-Zigzag Bridge and serves the original soup-filled xiaolongbao dumplings that put Shanghai on the world food map.
Shanghai Old Town and Tianzifang
The lanes around Yu Garden form what is left of the original Shanghai walled city, which existed long before the foreign concessions arrived. For a different glimpse of old Shanghai, visit Tianzifang in the former French Concession, a maze of narrow shikumen (stone-gate) lanes filled with art studios, boutique shops, cafes and small restaurants. Nearby Xintiandi is a more upmarket version of the same idea, with restored shikumen houses converted into smart bars and international restaurants.
The Former French Concession
The Former French Concession covers a wide area to the southwest of the city centre and offers some of the most pleasant walks in Shanghai. Tree-lined streets, old colonial mansions, art deco apartment buildings, boutique shops and tucked-away cafes give the district a relaxed European feel that contrasts with the high-rise core. Several Chinese revolutionary leaders lived in the area in the 1920s and their preserved homes now operate as small museums.
Shanghai Cuisine
Shanghai dishes blend the most appealing aspects of Chinese cuisine and reflect the city’s history as a melting pot of regional cooking traditions and foreign influences. There are two main styles to try.
Benbang Cuisine
Benbang, meaning “local-style”, covers traditional Shanghai family cooking. The dishes use fish, chicken, pork and seasonal vegetables as the main ingredients, with generous lashings of soybean sauce, sugar and oil that give the food its distinctive sweet, dark and glossy appearance. Classic Benbang dishes include red-braised pork belly (hongshao rou), drunken chicken marinated in Shaoxing rice wine, and sweet and sour Mandarin fish.
Haipai Cuisine
Haipai cuisine, which translates roughly as “all-embracing cuisine”, reflects the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Shanghai. The style mixes ingredients and techniques from different Chinese regions and from Europe, Russia and Japan, all of which left their mark during the concession era. Haipai dishes range from traditional Chinese classics with a modern twist to fusion creations served at the city’s many trendy restaurants.
Shanghai Snacks and Street Food
Some of the best food in Shanghai comes from small dumpling shops, bakeries and street vendors. The most famous local snacks:
- Xiaolongbao. The legendary Shanghai soup dumplings, with a thin wrapper holding hot pork broth and a meat filling. Eat them carefully with chopsticks and a vinegar dipping sauce.
- Shengjianbao. Pan-fried pork buns with a crispy bottom and a juicy filling, a Shanghai breakfast classic.
- Cong you bing. Spring onion pancakes, crispy and savoury.
- Crab roe noodles (xiehuang mian). A seasonal autumn dish made with the fatty roe of the famous Shanghai hairy crab.
- Leisha dumplings and rice cakes. Sweet snacks sold by street vendors throughout the older neighbourhoods.
Day Trips from Shanghai
Zhujiajiao Water Town
Zhujiajiao, sometimes called the “Venice of Shanghai”, sits about an hour west of the city by metro line 17. The 1,700-year-old water town features stone bridges, narrow canals, traditional courtyard houses and small wooden boats that ferry visitors through the lanes. It works well as a half-day escape from the city skyline.
Suzhou and Hangzhou
Two of the most beautiful cities in eastern China sit within easy reach of Shanghai by high-speed train. Suzhou, just 25 minutes away, is famous for its UNESCO-listed classical gardens, silk industry and ancient canals. Hangzhou, about 50 minutes away, surrounds the iconic West Lake (Xi Hu) with temples, pagodas, tea plantations and walking trails. Either city makes a great day trip, and both reward an overnight stay if you have the time.
How to Get to Shanghai
Shanghai is served by two major international airports. Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) handles most international flights and sits about 30 km southeast of the city centre. The famous Shanghai Maglev train connects the airport to the city in just 7 minutes and 20 seconds, reaching a top speed of 431 km/h. Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) handles most domestic flights and lies just west of the city centre with a direct metro link.
High-speed trains from Beijing reach Shanghai in about 4.5 hours, from Hangzhou in under an hour and from Suzhou in just 25 minutes. The main station for high-speed services is Hongqiao Railway Station, which sits next to Hongqiao Airport.
Getting Around the City
The Shanghai Metro is the longest urban metro system in the world, with more than 20 lines covering every corner of the city. Tickets are cheap, signs are bilingual in Chinese and English, and the trains are clean and modern. Buy a rechargeable transport card for convenience, or use a Metro Wallet inside Alipay.
Taxis and ride-share services such as Didi work well for short trips, and the city has invested heavily in cycle lanes and shared bike schemes. Walking remains the best way to explore neighbourhoods like the Bund, Yu Garden, the French Concession and Xintiandi.
Best Time to Visit Shanghai
Shanghai has a humid subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. The most pleasant months for sightseeing run from March to May and again from September to November, when temperatures sit between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius. Summers (June to August) bring high heat, humidity and the risk of typhoons, while winters (December to February) stay cool and damp without much snow.
Practical Tips
- Currency. Chinese yuan (CNY). Mobile payment via Alipay and WeChat Pay dominates everywhere, even at street stalls. Set up a Tour Card on either app before you arrive.
- Language. Mandarin is the official language, but many locals also speak the Shanghai dialect (Shanghainese). English is widely spoken in tourist areas, top hotels and on the metro signs.
- Visa. China offers visa-free transit of up to 240 hours for many nationalities passing through Shanghai, which makes the city one of the easiest places in China to visit. Check the latest rules before you book.
- SIM and internet. A local SIM or eSIM works best, and most travellers also use a VPN to access services blocked in China.
- Crowds. The major attractions, especially the Bund, Nanjing Road and Yu Garden, get extremely busy during Chinese national holidays. Avoid the first weeks of May and October if you want a quieter visit.
- Bargaining. Street markets and souvenir stalls expect bargaining. Modern shopping malls and chain stores work on fixed prices.
Final Thoughts
Shanghai rewards travellers who give the city more than a quick stopover. Spend a morning in Yu Garden, an afternoon in the French Concession, an evening on the Bund with Pudong glowing on the far bank and a long dinner of xiaolongbao at a local dumpling house, and you start to see why this Chinese metropolis has captured imaginations for nearly two centuries. The mix of glittering skyscrapers, century-old colonial architecture, ancient gardens and one of the most refined food scenes in Asia makes Shanghai one of the essential city breaks of the modern world.
