The ultimate guide for foreign tourists visiting Shanghai. Bund sunsets, Pudong's neon skyline, Yu Garden, Nanjing Road, authentic food, the metro system, and a ready-to-use 3-day itinerary.
Shanghai processed 21.1 million inbound and outbound passengers in the first half of 2026 鈥?a record 鈥?with foreign visitor numbers rising 22% year-over-year. That's not just business travelers. It's tourists, drawn by the city's unique collision of colonial-era architecture and sci-fi skylines, its legendary food scene, and a travel infrastructure that makes it the easiest large city in China for English-speaking visitors.
Several factors make 2026 a particularly good year to visit:
Most travelers from Western countries qualify for 144-hour visa-free transit when arriving at Pudong (PVG) or Hongqiao (SHA) airports. You need:
If you're entering via another Chinese city first, check the 240-hour transit guide for full eligibility. For longer stays, apply for a tourist (L) visa at your nearest Chinese consulate.
Shanghai is served by two major airports:
| Airport | Code | Best For | Metro/Transport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pudong International | PVG | Most international flights (Europe, Americas, SE Asia) | Maglev train 鈫?Line 2 (楼50, 8 min to Longyang Rd) |
| Hongqiao International | SHA | Domestic flights, flights from Japan/Korea/Taiwan | Line 2/10 directly to city center (楼4鈥撀?) |
The Shanghai Maglev from Pudong Airport is the world's fastest commercial train (431 km/h). It connects to Line 2 at Longyang Road station 鈥?a 楼50 ride that takes just 8 minutes.
March to May and September to November are ideal 鈥?mild temperatures (15鈥?5掳C), manageable humidity, and fewer crowds than peak summer. Summer (June鈥揂ugust) is hot (up to 35掳C) and humid, but evenings along the Bund and Huangpu River are spectacular. Winter is cold but has the city's best light for photography.
The Bund (Waitan, 澶栨哗) is the 1.5-kilometer waterfront promenade along the Huangpu River in Puxi, directly opposite Pudong's futuristic skyline. It's the single most photographed view in China 鈥?and one of the most dramatically altered landscapes anywhere.
On the Puxi side (west bank), 52 heritage buildings in Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Art Deco styles stretch along the promenade. Built between 1882 and 1943 as foreign banks and trading houses, they're a living history lesson in Shanghai's century as an international treaty port.
On the Pudong side (east bank), the skyline reads like a lineup of the world's greatest skyscrapers: Shanghai Tower (632m, China's tallest), Shanghai World Financial Center (492m, "the bottle opener"), Oriental Pearl Tower (468m, the iconic red spheres), and dozens more.
Across the Huangpu River, Pudong New Area is where Shanghai became the skyline it is today. In 1990 it was farmland; today it's the densest cluster of supertall buildings on the planet.
The world's second-tallest building (632m) has two observation decks. The BASE TOWN at B1 and 1F is the ticketing hall. The main observation deck (118F, 552m) and the SkyAtrium at 125鈥?27F are accessible via the world's fastest elevator (18m/s, 95 floors in 55 seconds).
Ticketing: Book online 1鈥? days in advance at 楼180鈥撀?00 (deck access). "Sunrise" tickets (楼250) allow entry at 8:30 AM on select dates 鈥?worth it for photographers. Dress warmly; it's cold at altitude even in summer.
Built in 1994, the Oriental Pearl Tower (涓滄柟鏄庣彔濉? is 468m tall with three observation spheres. The upper sphere (at 263m) is the iconic viewing platform. The lower sphere sits at 90m and rotates slowly. There's also a transparent skywalk (rotating floor) and a revolving restaurant.
It's not the most modern or the highest deck in Shanghai, but its three spheres and red-and-white color scheme are genuinely unique 鈥?no other city has anything like it. Tickets: 楼199鈥撀?99 depending on sphere access.
On the east bank of the Huangpu, Lujiazui Binjiang Park (闄嗗鍢存花姹熷叕鍥? is a riverside walkway with an unobstructed view of the Bund's colonial buildings across the water. It's free, uncrowded during the day, and equally spectacular at night. Arrive via Line 2 to Lujiazui Station (Exit 1).
Just south of the Bund, Yu Garden (Yuyuan, 璞洯) is a 400-year-old classical Chinese garden built in the Ming Dynasty style 鈥?the most complete example of Jiangnan classical garden architecture in existence.
Named after a 16th-century Sichuan official who built it for his aging father, the garden covers 2 hectares but feels far larger due to its clever use of rockeries, pavilions, bridges, and carefully placed windows that create new scenes at every turn. Key elements include:
Tickets: 楼80 (peak season), 楼65 (off-season). Book via the official WeChat account "Yu Garden & City God Temple" or at the gate. Go early (8:30 AM) to beat tour groups.
Surrounding Yu Garden is a lively market area with Qing Dynasty-style architecture housing tea shops, silk stores, craft stalls, and food courts. It's touristy, yes 鈥?but the quality is better than most tourist bazaars in China, and it's a genuine local landmark, not a made-for-tourists recreation. Don't miss Fangshen Market for traditional snacks.
Nanjing Road (鍗椾含璺琛岃) is the world's busiest shopping street, stretching 5.5 km from the Bund west to Jing'an. The pedestrianized East Nanjing Road (1 km, from the Bund to Xizang Road) is the most spectacular section 鈥?broad, lined with century-old department stores, and perpetually animated.
Key stops along East Nanjing Road:
A 10-minute walk west from East Nanjing Road, People's Square is a vast open plaza that was the site of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau during the 1949 Communist takeover. Today it's home to:
West of People's Square, these two adjacent districts 鈥?Jing'an Temple and the Former French Concession 鈥?represent Shanghai's most elegant residential and cultural face.
Jing'an Temple (闈欏畨瀵? is a working Buddhist temple dating to 247 AD, rebuilt multiple times, and now hemmed in by luxury malls on all sides. The contrast 鈥?gilded Buddhist statues visible from a Louis Vuitton storefront 鈥?is pure Shanghai. Entry: 楼100 (includes three incense sticks). Go early to see morning worship, then explore the Jing'an Temple Market (闈欏畨瀵洪泦甯? on the temple's east side.
West along Nanjing West Road from Jing'an Temple is West Nanjing Road 鈥?a premium retail corridor with Galeries Lafayette, Citic Square, and the Reel Mall (with a 4K IMAX screen for film lovers).
Between Yan'an Road and Huaihai Road lies what was, from 1849 to 1943, the French Concession 鈥?a district where Shanghai's pre-war bohemian culture flourished, where writers like Eileen Chang worked and Eileen Chang worked, and where today the best bars, restaurants, boutiques, and tree-lined streets in the city are concentrated.
Must-see streets in the Concession:
Shanghai cuisine (鏈府鑿? benbang cai) is characterized by sweetness, soy sauce braises, and seafood 鈥?a direct contrast to the spice-heavy cuisines of Sichuan and Hunan. Think: braised pork belly in brown sauce (hong shao rou), xiao long bao (soup dumplings), and crab roe dishes in autumn.
Shanghai has one of the best urban transport systems in the world. Here's how to navigate it.
Shanghai's metro is 20 lines, 800+ stations, 800+ km of track 鈥?the longest metro network on Earth as of 2026. It is clean, efficient, air-conditioned, and almost entirely navigable with English signage at major stations.
Key lines for tourists:
| Line | Key Stops for Tourists |
|---|---|
| Line 1 | People's Square, South Huangpi Road (Nanjing Road), Xujiahui |
| Line 2 | Pudong Airport (Maglev transfer), Longyang Rd, Lujiazui (Pudong skyline), Nanjing East Road, People's Square, Jing'an Temple, Hongqiao Airport |
| Line 10 | Hongqiao Railway Station, Hongqiao Airport, Nanjing East Road |
| Line 11 | Disney Resort (Line 11, Disney Resort Station) |
Fares: 楼3鈥撀? depending on distance. Pay with your phone (Alipay/WeChat), a transit card, or single-ride tickets at the window. The Shanghai Metro WeChat mini-program accepts international cards for payment directly from your phone 鈥?no transit card needed.
Taxis in Shanghai are cheap by Western standards (楼14 flag fall + 楼2.5/km) and abundant. Use Didi (婊存淮鍑鸿) 鈥?China's Uber 鈥?via the app, which accepts international phone numbers for registration and international credit cards for payment. The driver will call or message if they can't find you. Show them your destination in Chinese characters from your translation app.
Crossing the river is an experience in itself. Options:
From Shanghai's two main railway stations (Shanghai Railway Station and Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station), you can reach excellent day-trip destinations in under an hour by high-speed rail.
Shanghai is not cheap compared to other Chinese cities, but it's reasonable by Western standards.
| Category | Budget | Mid-Range | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel/night | 楼200鈥撀?00 | 楼400鈥撀?,200 | 楼1,500+ |
| Meal (local restaurant) | 楼20鈥撀?0 | 楼60鈥撀?50 | 楼200+ |
| Street food | 楼5鈥撀?0 | 鈥?/td> | 鈥?/td> |
| Metro | 楼3鈥撀? | 楼3鈥撀? | 楼3鈥撀? |
| Taxi/km | 楼2.5 | 楼2.5 | 楼2.5 |
| Attraction tickets | 楼0鈥撀?0 | 楼80鈥撀?00 | 楼200+ |
| Daily total (est.) | 楼200鈥撀?00 | 楼500鈥撀?,000 | 楼1,500+ |
As with the rest of China, cashless payment is the default. Alipay and WeChat Pay are accepted everywhere 鈥?but setting them up with an international card requires the foreign version (Alipay International / WeChat Pay International). See the full payment setup guide for step-by-step instructions.
Credit cards (Visa/Mastercard) are accepted at large hotels, upscale restaurants, and international chain stores. At local restaurants, street stalls, and metro, you need a mobile payment app or cash.
Morning: Start at Yu Garden (arrive at 8:30 AM before tour groups), explore the bazaar, have breakfast at one of the dumpling restaurants nearby. MID-MORNING: Walk north along East Nanjing Road to People's Square. Visit Shanghai Museum (free, 2 hours). AFTERNOON: Cross the river via Line 2 to Lujiazui, walk Binjiang Avenue for the classic Bund view from across the river. EVENING: Walk the Bund promenade north to south, time your arrival at sunset (around 6:30鈥?:00 PM in July). Watch the Pudong light show. Dinner at one of the Bund's fine-dining restaurants.
MORNING: Shanghai Museum (if not done Day 1) or the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. MIDDAY: Lunch at Wujiang Road night market food stalls. AFTERNOON: Explore the Former French Concession: Wukang Road, Huaihai Road, Tongren Road. Visit Jing'an Temple and its surrounds. EVENING: Dinner in the Concession 鈥?consider Old Lyceum (鑰佸悏澹? for authentic benbang cuisine, or Xujiahui for contemporary options. Evening drink at a Concession rooftop bar.
MORNING: Shanghai Tower observation deck (book in advance, go early). Then explore Lujiazui's parks and the Shanghai World Financial Center walkway (indoor, free) between the Pudong towers. MIDDAY: Lunch at Shanghai World Financial Center's food court (international options) or one of the malls. AFTERNOON: Last-minute shopping at Nanjing Road or Huaihai Road. If time remains, visit Shanghai Tower's BASE TOWN entertainment complex below the tower, which includes a bungee jump simulator, BASE jumping experience, and VR attractions.
Yes 鈥?Shanghai is one of the safest large cities in the world. Violent crime is extremely rare, petty theft is uncommon, and the streets are well-lit and patrolled. Standard urban precautions apply; there's nothing China-specific to worry about.
Yes, for Google services (Maps, Gmail, Translate, YouTube). Baidu Maps is an excellent alternative for navigation. Download a reputable VPN before arriving 鈥?VPN apps are blocked inside China and won't be downloadable once you land.
No 鈥?Uber operates in a limited capacity. Use Didi (婊存淮鍑鸿), China's dominant ride-hailing platform. It works with international phone numbers and accepts international credit cards via the app.
An eSIM is the easiest option. Major providers (Airalo, Holafly, Nomad) offer China plans. Alternatively, buy a local SIM (China Mobile, China Unicom, or China Telecom) at Pudong or Hongqiao airport arrivals halls 鈥?bring your passport. See the full eSIM guide.
Three full days is ideal 鈥?it covers all the major sights without rushing. Two days is sufficient for the core highlights. Four days allows for day trips to Hangzhou, Suzhou, or a water town.
Moderately. By Chinese standards it's pricey; by Western standards it's comparable to a major European city. Budget 楼500鈥撀?,000/day for comfortable mid-range travel (mid-tier hotel, restaurant meals, metro, and attractions). Street food keeps food costs low; luxury hotels and fine dining can push costs much higher.
From Pudong's Lujiazui Binjiang Park for the classic postcard view of the colonial Bund buildings across the water. From Puxi's Bund promenade for the face-on view of Pudong's skyscrapers. At night for the best light show.