Heading to Shanghai? … We have taken the hard work out of creating your Ultimate Shanghai Itinerary!
You can either stick to our detailed day-by-day Shanghai itinerary or craft your own adventure using our extensive list of exciting things to do and see in Shanghai!
- Shanghai Itinerary Hot Spots
- Where to stay in Shanghai
- Day 1 [Shanghai Itinerary] Explore Downtown Shanghai
- Day 2 [Shanghai Itinerary] – Day Trip from Shanghai to Suzhou
- Day 3 [Shanghai Itinerary] Explore the city
- Day 4 [Shanghai Itinerary] Shanghai Disneyland
- Tips for travelling to Shanghai
- Explore the rest of our China Guides and Itinerary’s
Shanghai Itinerary Hot Spots
Itinerary Highlights in Downtown Shanghai
- Shanghai Disneyland the Theme Park that needs no introduction…
- The Bund is a riverfront promenade and boardwalk with amazing views of the Shanghai Skyline.
- North Bund Greenland is a stunning garden area located north of the Bund, offering breathtaking views of the Shanghai skyline. The vibrant flower displays are a highlight, and the vantage point here provides fantastic photo opportunities that are even better than those on the Bund itself. It’s definitely worth the extra walk for a more peaceful, picturesque experience.
- HongKau gang is a pedestrian bridge and a great photo spot located at the North Bund Greenland.
- Nangjing road is Shanghai’s famous shopping street and where you will find loads of shopping AND the 3d video billboard that you see all over the gram.
- 1000 trees building is an architectual masterpiece.
- Peoples Park Shanghai a beautiful garden in the centre of Shanghai and particularly interesting when you visit on a weekend to witness the Marriage Markets…
- Tianzifang – is in Shanghai’s French concession area and shows a very different side to Shanghai.
- The Bund Sight Seeing Tunnel is a light rail and light show ride between both sides of the river and an easy way to get to the Oriental Pearl Tower.
- Oriental Pearl TV Tower – an icon of the Shanghai skyline where you have an opportunity to visit the top for epic views.
- Xintiandi – A shopping district in the French concession.
- Yu Garden & Yuan Bazaar at night – A great place to visit at day or night with the beautiful lights, ancient streets and buildings, tasty street foods, and souvenir shops. A must for any Shanghai Itinerary!
- Shanghai Natural Museum
Night-time Itinerary Highlights in Downtown Shanghai
- Flair – Ritz Carlton offers a restaurant / bar that has incredible city views and a close up, front view of the Oriental Pearl Tower.
- Char Bar Indigo Hotel is a great spot for a drink while taking in the river and Shanghai skyline views.
- Yu Garden & Yuan Bazaar at night – A great place to visit at day or night with the beautiful lights, ancient streets and buildings, tasty street foods, and souvenir shops.
- Nangjing Pedestrian Street – is a great place to visit day or night and buzzing not matter the time.
- The Bund & North Bund is a great vantage point to see the building light show and the river at night.
- Night River Cruise is one of the best ways to take in the dramatic lights and river in Shanghai
Where to stay in Shanghai
TIP: When we were searching for accommodation in China, we found that Trip.com had ALOT more properties available than any other booking site. They definitely specialize in the China market, and it is also where we bought all our Bullet Train tickets too
Where we Stayed in Shanghai for our itinerary
We stayed at the Radison Blu Shanghai New world. What we loved about this modern and luxury hotel was its price AND its revolving restaurant with expansive views over the Shanghai skyline. It has a PRIME location, across from the popular Nangjing Road, and minutes’ walk from People Park and the People’s Park Metro (140m).
Book here: Radison Blu Shanghai New world
Other Hotels on our Shanghai Itinerary Short list:
- For ROOM VIEWS to die for of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower check out: The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong
- For ULTIMATE LUXURY and unmatched river city views – Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai
- For the Budget conscious who still want a GREAT LOCATION: Ji Hotel (Shanghai The Bund Jinling East Road)
Day 1: Shanghai Itinerary – Explore Downtown Shanghai
DAY 1 – SHANGHAI ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS – DOWNTOWN SHANGHAI
- Nanjing Pedestrian Main Street
- The Bund
- North Bund Greenland
- Huangpu Park
- The Bund Sight Seeing Tunnel
- Oriental Pearl TV Tower
- Night River Cruise
Depending on your arrival time, where you’re staying, and what interests you, you might want to tailor your plans. But here’s what we did on our first day…
We were staying at the Radison Blu Shanghai New world so we decided to start our day started off at the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street which is located straight across from our hotel. Here you can shop, eat and just take in the smells and sights of downtown Shanghai. It’s such a vibe and you can easily spend a couple of hours exploring and making your way down towards the Bund.
From Nanjing Road we strolled to the end of the pedestrian street to the Bund, where we wandered the waterfront through to the North Bund Greenland and Huangpu Park before taking the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel across to the other side of the River.
Here you can choose to go up to the top of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower or take in the views from below.
Finally, finish your evening with a Night River Cruise including dinner. This is an amazing way to take in the views in a very unique way.
Alternatively, you could go to dinner at the Flair Ritz Carlton which is located 87th floor looking out to the Oriental Pearl Tower. (minimum spend applies)
Day 2: Shanghai Itinerary – Day Trip from Shanghai to Suzhou
Today we took a high-speed train (30mins) to a city called Suzhou. Suzhou is known for its Water Villages and is often referred to as the Venice of Shanghai. You can choose to do this as a Day Trip like this one or opt to stay overnight like we did at a home stay / guesthouse in one of the ancient water villages.
DAY 2 SHANGHAI ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS – SUZHOU WATER VILLAGES
- Tiger Hill
- Shangtang Street
- Humble Administrator’s Garden
- Zhouzhuang Water Village overnight in a waterfront guesthouse
As will all our train travel, we pre-booked our trains through Trip.com. Trains can book out in China, so it is essential to prebook all long haul or bullet trains. They have flexible change and cancellation policies through Trip.com so you can enjoy some flexibility too. Check out this guide to FAQ & Tips for Booking Chinas trains.
Morning
You will spend the morning exploring some of the local sites surrounding the Suzhou High Speed Railway Station, these include Tiger Hill, Shangtang Street and the Humble Administrators Garden. You can also select more or alternatives from our list below.
Afternoon / Evening
The afternoon and evening will be spent at Zhouzhuang Water Village Tourist Area, which in our opinion is the best and most authentic water village in Suzhou. Before staying overnight in a quaint little guesthouse overlooking the water.
Where we stay in the Zhouzhuang Water Village
We chose to stay at the Zhouzhuang Linshui Renjia Inn which was located in the heart of the Zhouzhuang Water Village Tourist area. The benefit of staying overnight is you get to experience the beautiful canals lit up by lights BUT also the ambience as the crowds disappears. Early mornings is a great time to explore and have the ancient water town to yourself.
Checkout our guest house here: Zhouzhuang Linshui Renjia Inn
Other things to do in Suzhou
- Tuisi Garden
- Shangtang Street
- Tongli Ancient Water Town
- Guanqian Street
- Xuetang old Street
- Shangtang Street
- Boan North Temple
Day 3: Shanghai Itinerary – Explore the city
Today you will travel back from Suzhou to Shanghai and spend the afternoon exploring more of Shanghai’s must-see sites!
DAY 4 SHANGHAI ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS – DOWNTOWN SHANGHAI
- People’s Park – Checkout the Marriage market on Saturdays
- Shanghai Natural Museum
- Tianzifang – Old French Quarter – Arts, Crafts, shopping and alleys
- Xintiandi shopping district
- Yu Garden & Yuan Bazaar at night
LATE AFTERNOON & EVENING
The vibrant Yuyuan Old Street is filled with traditional architecture, beautiful gardens and cute shops selling everything from souvenirs to delicious local snacks. As the sun sets, the garden and old buildings transform into a colourful and spectacular light display. The combination of the lively street, lights and tranquil garden makes for a truly memorable experience.
Day 4 [Shanghai Itinerary] Shanghai Disneyland
Today is the last day of your Shanghai Itinerary, where you can either go to Shanghai Disneyland, or fill in the time with anything you missed.
Our next destination was Wangxian Village Ancient Town! and we had a relaxing morning a swim, spa and sauna at our hotel before catching our bullet train to Shangrao.
Tips for travelling to Shanghai
To ensure your Shanghai Itinerary runs seamlessly we have put together a few tips for you:
- Bring comfortable walking shoes as you will be doing a lot of walking we averaged 20,000 plus steps per day.
- You will need to download and set up WeChat or Alipay as this is how everything is paid for in China.
- Grab a WISE card, they offer the best exchange rates and can be connected to Alipay or WeChat
- Make sure you download a VPN before you leave home or you will not be able to access Facebook, Instagram, Google, Youtube or any Social Apps.
- PRE-Purchase attractions as they sell out. We booked our attractions through Trip, or Klook, and you can use our code TRAVELLIVNKLOOK for up to 10% off.
- To navigate the train’s we used Apple Maps or you can also download the Baidu App.
- Grab a top up train card to make catching the metro easy.
- Download Didi to easily book taxis and ride shares.
