Full day
12 Hours in Shanghai
Three districts, one long walk, one long dinner. The point where Shanghai starts to make sense.
Twelve hours is a full day. You can do three adjacent districts if you walk between them instead of taking the metro for every hop, and you should still leave one thing on the table for next time.
Start early. The city is at its best between 07:00 and 09:00, and almost nobody visiting it is awake then.
The plan
Old City, before the crowds
Yu Garden at opening, the City God Temple, and the old street grid while it belongs to the people who live there.
Suzhou Creek west
Follow the creek on the riverside path past the Postal Museum and Sihang Warehouse to M50. Flat, free, and it connects the old city to the art district without a single metro ride.
Lunch, then the Concession
Metro south, then walk Wukang Road and Anfu Road in the afternoon light. Coffee at Ferguson Lane.
The Bund, timed
Walk the waterfront as the buildings come on, then take the ferry.
A long dinner
You have earned it. Pick somewhere you want to sit for two hours rather than somewhere you want to photograph.
FAQ
Questions
Everything on this site is written and re-checked on the ground. When something changes, this page changes.
Is twelve hours enough for Pudong?
Only for the riverside and the ferry. The observation deck needs its own clear day.
What should I cut if I am tired?
Cut M50. Keep the creek walk — the riverside path is the part you will remember.
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