Shanghai

Revolution Cocktail in French Concession

Dinner at M1nt with Bund background view

Set on the east of China with a population of more than 24 million people, it is not that city you go for a quite break. It has a booming economy, it has so much to offer in terms of exploration for the curious and the daring tourist. The sights & smells offers you the good, the bad, and the ugly. You are guaranteed to have shock and awe to your perceptions of China in the first 48 hours but then you get past that phase and you start enjoying it. The city grows on you after time and this is when you get to enjoy Shanghai. To take things to the next level I decided to go in August which is the hottest month with temperatures between 35 and 40.

Here are my top 14 recommendations for Shanghai:

1. Location In Shanghai: Your selection of hotel has never been more important in a city. With the busy streets and craziness out in the city, you need a home base that offers you the comfort, cleanliness, calmness, and one kick ass concierge team. I chose Westin Bund Center for my trip which was close to the bund with a great view and hotel was fantastic. I also spent some time at The Langham Shanghai Xintiandi which is located in the French concession and definitely my preferred number 1 next time in Shanghai. My trusted sources have also informed PuLi Hotel and Spa as a great location. Go 5 star and spend the extra dollars when in Shanghai as you will need it.

2. Getting into Shanghai: 2. From Pudong airport you can get to the city by taxi/private driver which can take up to an hour and costs between 150-300 yuan depending on taxi or private car. However when of the must do event in Shanghai is ride the Shanghai Maglev Train. At 430km/h , this is a great ride especially when it hits the corner in the end run. The train costs 50 yuan ( 40 yuan with boarding pass) and takes 7 minutes to get to Longyard road station. You can take a taxi from this station to your hotel. Here is some more details regarding Train times

3. Moving around: 3. Travelling within the city is not as easy as it looks. Traffic is a bitch here and you can be stuck on a 100 meter stretch for 15 minutes. Drivers don’t like or simply respect the red lights and just hustle through the inner city traffic. Even when crossing on a green as a pedestrian there is a high chance of getting run over so eye contact and universal stop sign with your hand helps when crossing. So in terms of travelling within Shanghai, the metro is a good option off peak as it gets you there faster. Avoid it during peak hours as it is about a million or more people travelling. Taxi’s are great as well during off peak and quite cheap. Always get the hotel concierge to write your location down in Mandarin to show to the taxi driver. Also for metro services, get a top up card for 20 yuan and pay as you go. Each train ride costs about 3 yuan. Here is more details on the Metro Services

4. French Concession: : Start of at Xintinandi and work your way to Xiangyang Lu area. Yongkang Lu is one of the streets full of good bars and expats. It is a totally different vibe to the rest of the city especially over the weekend and a great place to make friends. Also while you there try the passion fruit mojito and Blood Mary’s at Revolution Cocktail.

5. SmartShanghai App: Google Services, Facebook and Instagram are not available in China unless you hook it up via a VPN. So to stay on top of things download the SmartShanghaiapp on your smart phone as it has most of the restaurants, clubs, bars and attractions listed on there with the address in Mandarin. It will save you time when navigating through Shanghai.

6. Day trips to other cities: If you have time make a day trip to neighboring cities Wuxi, Suzhou, Hangzhou, or Chnagzhou. However you will be travelling with a million plus people so count that as part of the experience.

Dinning & partying in the hot spots:

7. The Nest:Visit theNest for some great oysters, dining menu, and drinks. The place turns the music up later for some good partying.

8. M1nt Restaurant & Club: Visit theM1nt for dinner with a great view. However the food quality was below par for what I was expecting. So oysters and champagne is a good option at the mint before you visit the club next door, which is okay and overhyped. The music was too loud to speak to anyone and this was at midnight.

9. Bar Rogue: The main nightspot is Bar Rogueso expect a lot of good music and great views here close to the Bund.

Sight seeing:

10. Yu Garden and Markets: This is one of those more green areas of Shanghai with a beautiful garden but to get to it you will need to go through the markets. At peak time this area is chaos so go early. Opens at 8.30am and costs 30 Yuan to get in during the off season. The garden is a nice breath of fresh air and decent view of the garden. So it is worth it. However getting to the gardens can be a mission as it is inside the markets and easiest entry is at Gate 3 next to KFC. The markets are great as well but people are all up in your face. So go early to avoid the crowds. Bargain for everything in the markets, usually 40% off is a great deal.

11. Jing’an Temple next to the PuLi Hotel: Take a taxi here or the train to the Jinag’an stop. The area is quite nice with some malls as well. The entry fee for the temple is 50 yuan and take about 30 minutes to walk around and check it out.

12. Spa: There are many spa options in Shanghai, some are great and some are interesting with not enough information. If you going for a cheap and easy massage option then go with Green Massage. However these will require advanced booking as most tourists end up in the different branches of this company. If you want something more of a spa, try the Chuan Spa at Langham Hotel (Xintiandi) or the The Banyan Tree Spa at the Westin Bund. If you staying at the hotel then check for the discount voucher at reception of the hotel to get up to 20% off. The 2 hotel spas were amazing and worth the extra bucks.

13. Shanghai Museum and Nanjing Road: The museum is over 4 floors and offers quite a lot on Chinese history which is a good to take in between all the wining & dining. Takes about 30-45 minutes to get into unfortunately and can be done under an hour. Nanjing road is long and features a lot of things to see. Shopping is perfect on this street if you looking for mainstream shops. The markets like Yu garden is where you get the local produced goods and can bargain for. There is a West and East Nanjing Road subway station if you need to turn back or get away from walking in the heat. The green line also leads to Jing’an temple station.

14. Shanghai hustle: There will be people constantly approaching you in the streets offering you watches, suits, women, and all other sorts of crazy services. Ignore and keep walking. Watch out for personal belongings in crowded areas especially subways for pick pockets. Watch where you step as you may find all kinds of strange content on the pavements. Also avoid escalators when possible and take the stairs.

Westin Bund

Jing’an Temple