Toilets, Water, Power & Other Practicalities

None of this is glamorous and all of it matters. A day with no access to a toilet, water or a plug is a short day.

The good news: Shanghai is better provisioned for all three than most cities of its size.

Toilets

Public toilets are common in parks, metro stations, shopping centres and tourist areas, and are free. Department store and mall toilets are the cleanest; carry a small pack of tissues because paper is not guaranteed.

Squat toilets still exist alongside seated ones. Choose by looking at the door sign before you commit.

Water

Do not drink tap water. Boiled and filtered water is standard — hotels provide a kettle and often a filtered dispenser, and restaurants serve hot or boiled water freely.

Bottled water is cheap and everywhere. Some parks and stations have public drinking fountains with boiled water.

Power and plugs

China uses 220V. Sockets accept several plug shapes, and most modern ones take European-style round pins; US flat pins usually need an adapter. Hotel sockets increasingly accept everything.

Bring a small power bank. A day of maps, photos and translation will drain a phone faster than at home.

Smoking, queues, noise

Smoking is banned in many indoor public places but the rule is unevenly observed. Queues are looser than in northern Europe — stand close behind the person in front. Voice levels in public are higher than you may be used to.