Long layover

8 Hours in Shanghai

One full district, one museum or garden, one proper meal, and the ferry. Nothing else fits.

You have: 8 hours

Eight hours is the first amount of time that lets you do two districts — but only two, and only if they are adjacent.

The plan below assumes you land at either airport in the morning and leave in the evening. Adjust the order, not the number of stops.

The plan

Morning block

Old City or the Concession — pick one

The Old City gives you Yu Garden, the temple and the old street grid in two hours. The French Concession gives you Wukang Road and Anfu Road in the same time. They are twenty minutes apart by metro; doing both properly costs you the afternoon.

Old City route →

Midday

Lunch in a lane, not on a square

Side streets two blocks off any attraction cost half as much and taste the same or better. Look for places with a queue of locals and a single dish on the board.

Afternoon block

One interior

One museum, one temple, one garden. Not two. The Jewish Refugees Museum in Hongkou and the Shikumen Open House in Xintiandi are the two that most visitors skip and should not.

Hongkou Jewish Quarter →

Late afternoon

The Bund, timed to the light

Arrive 45 minutes before sunset. Walk north to south, then take the ferry from Jinling Road to Dongchang Road as the buildings light up.

The Bund at Dusk →

Evening

Back out

Pudong to Pudong airport is 45–60 minutes; Jing'an to Hongqiao is 30 minutes on Line 2. Leave with margin.

FAQ

Questions

Everything on this site is written and re-checked on the ground. When something changes, this page changes.

Which two districts should I combine in eight hours?

Old City + the Bund, or the French Concession + the Bund. Both pairs are adjacent and both end on the water at the right time of day.

Should I take the maglev train?

It is fast and it is a novelty. From Pudong airport to the city it saves about fifteen minutes over the metro for a much higher fare.