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Shanghai’s Pudong towers glow blue and pink above the Huangpu River
Shanghai, China · Lovi Stinio · Unsplash License

Shanghai.

Spend one morning beneath the trees in Fuxing Park and another beside the Huangpu before a Bund-side treatment. A dumpling lunch fits between the two.

Travel style

Overview

Hengshan Road in Shanghai.
Hengshan Road in Shanghai. Livelikerw · CC BY-SA 3.0

The Huangpu River makes a useful starting point in Shanghai. From the Bund in Puxi, Pudong’s skyline stands across the water. Inland, the streets around Fuxing Park offer a smaller scale of city life, with time for tea or dumplings between walks. Shanghai Museum East and Gongqing Forest Park are separate journeys.

Three days give you a riverside evening, a central neighborhood day and one longer excursion. Choose the concert or museum date first, then group meals on the same side of town.

Shortlist

A path in Fuxing Park.
A path in Fuxing Park. J. Patrick Fischer · CC BY-SA 3.0

Three excellent days

Day 1

A gallery and a riverfront treatment

People’s Square → Bund

People’s Square and the Bund lie at opposite ends of the old shopping axis. Start at the park or a dumpling counter and work east, leaving the river and the jazz rooms for the evening.

The Bund at night.
The Bund at night. Ernest Jourdier · CC BY 4.0
Morning

Order a steamer of soup dumplings at Jia Jia Tang Bao, then take the People’s Park paths or walk the early shopping blocks of Nanjing Road.

Expand Collapse morning suggestions
  • Jia Jia Tang Bao

    This branch makes a convenient stop for xiaolongbao on the downtown day. A steamer of dumplings gives lunch a very different texture from the vegetarian meal at Godly.

  • People’s Park, Shanghai

    Walk the paths beside the former racecourse. The public park gives the dense shopping center a surprisingly quiet beginning.

  • Nanjing Road East

    Walk a section of the pedestrian street as its shops open. The long axis leads toward the river and the older department stores.

Afternoon

Book the spa or spend the afternoon in an exhibition.

Expand Collapse afternoon suggestions
  • The Peninsula Shanghai Spa

    A reserved treatment on the Bund side lets you spend the hours before and after on the same bank of the Huangpu.

  • Rockbund Art Museum

    Choose a current exhibition near the northern Bund before heading to the Peninsula. Check its opening calendar as the museum programs temporary shows.

  • The Bund

    Walk the public promenade and turn away from Pudong long enough to see the former banks and trading houses behind you.

Evening

Choose a hotel supper or a listening room by the river.

Expand Collapse evening suggestions
  • Sir Elly’s, Peninsula Shanghai

    Reserve dinner above the river for a special meal. Read the current tasting or à la carte menu before deciding how much of the evening to spend at the table.

  • Peace Hotel Jazz Bar

    Choose a seat for the hotel jazz band at the historic Peace Hotel. Check performance times and minimum charges before bringing a group.

  • Waibaidu Bridge

    Cross Suzhou Creek at the north end of the Bund for the view back to the old shipping district. Keep to the public pedestrian sides.

Day 2

A park bench and a seasonal supper

Fuxing → Sinan → the former French Concession

The plane trees and old villas of the former French Concession make an inviting walking district. Choose a house museum or a park, then let the concert or dinner address determine how far west to continue.

Fuxing Park.
Fuxing Park. J. Patrick Fischer · CC BY-SA 3.0
Morning

Begin in Fuxing Park with coffee nearby.

Expand Collapse morning suggestions
  • Fuxing Park

    Walk the garden paths and spend time around the open spaces. People use them for their own morning routines, so keep a respectful distance when taking photos.

  • Baker & Spice, Anfu Road

    Pick a pastry and coffee at the Anfu Road bakery. The shop is a convenient start on the western side of the concession.

  • Shanghai Museum of Sun Yat-sen’s Former Residence

    Visit the historic house and exhibition on Xiangshan Road. Use the official visitor calendar to time the stop.

Afternoon

Have a vegetarian lunch and leave time for a bookshop.

Expand Collapse afternoon suggestions
  • Godly Vegetarian Restaurant

    The long-running vegetarian restaurant gives a city-center lunch a sense of Shanghai’s meat-free cooking traditions.

  • Sinan Books

    Browse the bookshop in the Sinan neighborhood, paying attention to the mix of restored architecture and contemporary publishing.

  • Shanghai Arts and Crafts Museum

    Visit the former residence for carving, embroidery and other Shanghai crafts. The displays complement the architecture outside.

Evening

Choose a Jiangnan table and a seated performance.

Expand Collapse evening suggestions
  • Jesse Restaurant, Tianping Road

    Try the hongshao rou, pork braised with soy and sugar, at the original Tianping Road restaurant. Order a vegetable plate to share alongside it.

  • Shanghai Symphony Hall

    Choose a concert near the former French Concession and give the programme your evening. It pairs naturally with dinner in the surrounding streets.

  • Anfu Road

    Walk the early-evening shopfronts for design, books and ice cream. Keep conversations out of the doorways of the adjoining residential lanes.

Day 3

A garden and a museum lunch

Old City → Pudong → Yangpu

The classical garden and old trading streets are west of the Huangpu. The museum, financial towers and east-bank promenade need a river crossing; Gongqing Forest Park is a separate Yangpu outing on the west bank.

Xiaolongbao in Shanghai.
Xiaolongbao in Shanghai. Robigasp · CC BY-SA 4.0
Morning

Take tea in the old city before crossing the river.

Expand Collapse morning suggestions
  • Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant, Yu Garden

    Choose xiaolongbao at the Yu Garden location. Lift a dumpling by its pleated top and taste the broth slowly.

  • Yu Garden

    Give the classical garden its own morning and explore its rockeries and pavilions. The surrounding bazaar is a separate commercial district.

  • Huxinting Teahouse

    Choose a pot of tea at the pavilion reached by the zigzag bridge. Ask the price and brewing style before selecting the leaves.

Afternoon

Choose the museum on the Pudong side or keep the afternoon green.

Expand Collapse afternoon suggestions
  • Shanghai Museum East

    Go east for the museum’s Chinese art galleries. Select one medium, such as bronze or ceramics, for a closer look before exploring more.

  • Shanghai Tower, Top of Shanghai

    Book the observation deck on a clear day. From above, the river’s curve helps explain why the old trading streets met at the Bund.

  • Lujiazui Central Green Space

    Walk the public park beneath the financial district’s towers. It offers a level alternative when the observation decks are clouded over.

Evening

Have supper above the river and keep the night on one bank.

Expand Collapse evening suggestions
  • Jin Xuan, Pudong

    Book the Cantonese dining room above Lujiazui for an evening meal overlooking the river. Ask about a steamed seafood preparation and share dishes across the table.

  • Shanghai Oriental Art Center

    Choose the symphony, chamber or opera program at the Pudong venue. The performance halls share a building but have different seats and doors.

  • Binjiang Avenue, Pudong

    Walk the riverside path at dusk for the old Bund skyline across the Huangpu. The walk is a good finish even when clouds hide the tower tops.

What to book

Inside Shanghai Museum East.
Inside Shanghai Museum East. Alexey Yakovlev · CC0

Confirm the spa treatment and visitor terms at the Peninsula Shanghai. Save the east-bank museum journey for another day.

The full guide

Neighborhoods

Hengshan Road.
Hengshan Road. そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0

People’s Square is convenient for first-time city connections. The Bund buys the early or late river walk. A room near the tree-lined western neighborhoods suits park mornings and concert evenings more than a river view.

Dining

Xiaolongbao in Shanghai.
Xiaolongbao in Shanghai. avlxyz from 昌浪亭 Shanghai Noodle & Dumplings, Melbourne , Victoria, Australia · CC BY-SA 2.0

Start with one steamer of xiaolongbao and save a separate stop for shengjian with their crisp fried bases. Dinner in the former French Concession brings soy-braised pork, while Pudong has a Cantonese table above the river.

Jia Jia Tang Bao

Huanghe Road

This branch makes a convenient stop for xiaolongbao on the downtown day. A steamer of dumplings gives lunch a very different texture from the vegetarian meal at Godly.

Zaddy TipAsk about fillings and broth. Shanghai soup dumplings commonly contain meat even when the topping sounds like seafood.

Park Hotel Bakery

People’s Square

Choose a butterfly pastry, the layered palmier associated with the hotel near People’s Square. One makes an easy breakfast to share.

Zaddy TipUse the Park Hotel’s bakery counter near Huanghe Road for this stop.

Yang’s Dumplings, Huanghe Road

People’s Square

Order shengjian, pan-fried buns with crisp bottoms and hot broth inside. Bite a small opening before trying the filling.

Zaddy TipUse the Huanghe Road shop for an easy lunch beside People’s Square.

Sir Elly’s, Peninsula Shanghai

People’s Square

Reserve dinner above the river for a special meal. Read the current tasting or à la carte menu before deciding how much of the evening to spend at the table.

Zaddy TipAsk about the restaurant rather than the separate terrace bar when reserving.

Jesse Restaurant, Tianping Road

Fuxing

Try the hongshao rou, pork braised with soy and sugar, at the original Tianping Road restaurant. Order a vegetable plate to share alongside it.

Zaddy TipReserve the original small branch, often called Old Jesse, rather than assuming every Jesse restaurant serves the same menu.

Jin Xuan, Pudong

Old City

Book the Cantonese dining room above Lujiazui for an evening meal overlooking the river. Ask about a steamed seafood preparation and share dishes across the table.

Zaddy TipSpecify Jin Xuan at the Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong. The rooftop bar in the same hotel has a different menu.

Culture

Shanghai Museum East in Pudong.
Shanghai Museum East in Pudong. Alexey Yakovlev · CC0

During the review period the People’s Square building is dedicated to a separately ticketed exhibition. Double-check the address on your booking.

Activities

Fuxing Park, Shanghai.
Fuxing Park, Shanghai. Jpbowen · CC BY-SA 4.0

The surrounding streets make a natural lunch walk. Choose a short circuit and save the evening for music.

Nightlife

Evening light over the Bund.
Evening light over the Bund. Dllu · CC BY-SA 4.0

Walk from dinner with time to spare. For a free evening take the Bund promenade instead.

Where to stay

Shanghai Museum East in Pudong.
Shanghai Museum East in Pudong. 源義信 · CC BY 4.0

Compare the walking route to your metro exit before comparing the room photographs.

Getting around

Shanghai South Railway Station metro stop.
Shanghai South Railway Station metro stop. Unnamelessness · CC BY-SA 4.0

Verify PVG or SHA and the terminal on every flight. The airport link railway connects the two airport areas. It serves a different purpose from the trip to a central hotel. Use the airport transport guide for your destination.

FAQs

A train on Shanghai Metro Line 2.
A train on Shanghai Metro Line 2. A Chinese ID · CC BY-SA 4.0

Which Shanghai Museum is in this itinerary?

The East branch in Pudong. The two branches have different exhibitions, closures and ticket arrangements.

Where can I see the skyline without buying admission?

The Bund promenade looks across the Huangpu toward Pudong. It also works as an early-morning walk.

By Zaddy Travels · Guide sources checked . Travel-style plans reviewed . Field Notes reviewed .

Researched and edited by Zaddy Travels. The linked sources inform our selections and planning advice. Hotel and dining recommendations are based on published information.

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