It was such a long time ago that I last visited Shanghai, that I won’t write a full entry for the city. Only to say that its a must if visiting China – not only because it is often a transport hub you pass through, but as a destination on its own. It won’t be the classical China you were expecting – it will be far more than that as this city typifies the modern day China – brash, modern and full of energy. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Shanghai at times feels like New York City on steroids as it rapidly catches up on just about every metric you can think of
Obviously its always better to have more time, but I reckon you could blast the highlights of Shanghai in a day (leaving yourself with some appetite for seeing the rest Shanghai has to offer when you return). The things I really recommend focusing on are:
- The classical walk along The Bund to see the magnificent skyscrapers looking across the river
- Wandering through East Nanjing Road in amongst the neon signs and sheer commercialism of it all
- Having dinner and drinks in uber stylish and pretty French Concession
- Taking in the views from the observation deck of the Shanghai Tower (the world’s second tallest building) or Shanghai Word Financial Centre
- Eating some of the wonderful Shanghai dumplings filled with scrumptious soups