Largest city in China and an economic hub, Shanghai is a bustling city ! Contrary to what I was expecting, Shanghai is not only tall modern buildings and shopping streets. The city also hides small neighbourhoods where you feel like you are in a small town with cute cafΓ©s and red-brick alleys. So let me show you everything you need to see during 3 days in Shanghai !
- Day 1 : Shanghai History Museum – Nanjing Road – The Bund
- Day 2 : Former French Concession – XinTianDi – Tianzifang
- Day 3 : Yu Garden – Shanghai Old Town
Shanghai History Museum :
To kickstart these 3 days in Shanghai, I would recommend you start with the Shanghai History Museum. I feel like I appreciate a city more when I have learned a piece of its history first. Located next to People’s Square, the Shanghai History Museum is a 3-floor building filled with thousands of artefacts. The museum starts with a collection from 4000BCE, and as you walk, you go through the years and discover how the city has grown over the centuries. There is also a hall for temporary exhibits if you are interested, but since the visit is already long, I don’t think it is 100% necessary.
The museum is free, so you don’t have to pressure yourself into seeing every single thing ! I also found the museum very easy to understand and to go through. There is not too much text, so you can spend more time admiring the objects.
Nearby, if you want to have a delicious lunch, go to Lai Lai Xiao Long for the best Xiao Long Bao of your life !
Nanjing Road
Main Shopping street and the hub of all famous international brands, Nanjing Road is THE place to go if you want to fill your suitcase ! Along the street, you can find almost everything you want, from clothes, shoes, plushies and souvenirs ! It gets very crowded, especially on weekends, so beware of the crowd.
If you don’t want to spend too much time there, I can recommend you two things :
First, stop by 3 Card Souvenir Shop to find cute souvenirs like cards, stickers, and other items to bring home to your friends and family. I can’t find the specific address, but it is in front of the Chiikawa Flagship Store !
Then, stop along the street to get Butterfly pastries ! This sweet pastry is made fresh in some of the shops so you can get them directly out of the oven, and eat them hot ! You can also get larger packages to bring home as souvenirs !
Finally, make a stop at Dahuchun for delicious juicy fried dumplings ! The contrast between the crispy wrapping and the juicy meat is heavenly, especially on cold days !
The Bund
At the end of Nanjing Street you’ll find The Bund ! This view is probably the most iconic one in Shanghai ! On one side of the river, the old buildings of the Bund light up ! On the other bank, the Oriental Perl Tower is the star of the show. Both sides are beautiful views at night, and the pedestrian path is perfect for a night stroll. It gets crowded at night, but I still recommend visiting at that time because it makes the view truly magical !
One warning, though: the lights turn off at 10 pm (sometimes at 11 pm depending on the season), so be sure to have a look before; otherwise it is not as nice !
Former French Concession
You might have already guessed by its name, but the French Concession is France’s old neighbourhood in Shanghai. If you started with the Shanghai Museum, you probably heard that the French, British and Americans settled in the area to do business, and that some places kept the associated architecture. As you get there, you will see it almost immediately. The houses are much lower than the big towers, the streets are lined up with trees, the vibe is completely different !
There are some specific buildings to visit in the neighbourhood, like the Former Residences of Liu Hatsu and Sun Yat-sen, coffee shops and other luxurious mansions. But, to enjoy the stroll, I felt like you don’t even need it; you can just walk around and discover all the hidden corners by yourself !
If you are a coffee shop lover, the Former French Concession will be the best place for you ! The number of small coffee shops in this neighbourhood is crazy, and so many of them have cute designs and arrangements. My favourite is …., it is famous for its pancakes, and I can tell you they were ama-zing ! So I definitely recommend trying it !
Xintiandi
If you walk towards the east, you will end up in Xintiandi ! It is the best place to go if you want to do some window shopping ! First you’ll come across a large mall with many brands (international and local) where you can already find a lot of things ! But the main part is outside. Behind the mall, you can find small streets lined with additional shops. There are also some really nice restaurants if you want to sit down for lunch. What I liked about this neighbourhood is that the outside shops are in red-brick buildings, which I found really cute and more enjoyable to walk around than a normal mall !
Tianzifang
Now if you take the subway south, you will come across Tianzifang. It is also for shopping, but a different style ! While Xintiandi is more about clothes, Tianzifang is more about souvenirs and snacks. This place is a gathering of narrow streets hidden away behind doors on the main street. The first time I went there, I almost couldn’t find it. You can’t see anything from the street side; you can easily miss it ! Inside, the small streets lead you to small shops with red brick walls, decorated with lanterns and plants. Very cute !
One warning: it can get very crowded on the weekend. So don’t go too late; otherwise you might get stuck outside if the area is already overcrowded !
Shanghai Old Town
Shanghai Old Town originally dates back to the 16th century. However, most of the buildings you will see have been rebuilt. Still, it doesn’t take away from the fact that these streets are quite impressive ! The architecture is really detailed, and they made sure to create a place that whenever you look up you have something amazing to see !
The streets are filled with shops mostly focused on tourists, mainly souvenirs. You can also find many street food stalls so you can taste good food while roaming around. If you only have to pick 2, I recommend the dumplings and scallion pancake. Both delicious !
Yu Garden
Yu Garden is one of the rare spots that has kept some authenticity within the old town. It was built during the 16th century but was ruined several times before its restoration in the 20th century. The place is filled with ponds, trees that bloom in spring, fish and pavilions. The gardens are very relaxing and nice for a small stroll.
On the weekend, the Garden gets very busy, so if you can go early to enjoy it plenty before the crowds rush in.
Let me know what you think about these 3 days in Shanghai, and drop a comment if you have any other recommendations ! I also have a post about the apps you need to download before a trip to China, so check it out here :
