First visit
First Time in Shanghai: 3 Days
Three days, one district per half-day, and nothing scheduled before 09:00. The version I would give a friend.
Most three-day itineraries pack fifteen attractions into nine half-days and produce a very tired person with a lot of photographs of lobbies. This one does one district per half-day and leaves the afternoons loose.
The rule: one interior per day maximum. Everything else is walking.
The plan
The Bund and the creek mouth
Walk the waterfront in daylight first so you understand the geography, then come back at dusk later in the trip.
Old City
Yu Garden, the temple, the old streets. Adjacent to the Bund, so no transit wasted.
The French Concession
Wukang Road, Ferguson Lane, Anfu Road, Sinan Mansions and Fuxing Park. This is a full morning and the best of it.
Xintiandi and the shikumen museum
One hour in the restaurant quarter, thirty minutes in a lane house as it actually was.
Hongkou
The Jewish Quarter and the creek. The most under-visited half-day on this site.
Suzhou Creek to M50
Riverside walking, a battle-scarred warehouse, then galleries. Finish with the ferry or a long dinner.
Swap in the West Bund
Two big museums, an oil-tank art park, and most of it indoors. Or pick up one of the covered lane walks.
FAQ
Questions
Everything on this site is written and re-checked on the ground. When something changes, this page changes.
Is three days enough for Shanghai?
Yes for the city. Add two more if you want a day trip to a water town, which is a different kind of place entirely.
Should I go up the Shanghai Tower?
Only on a clear day, and only if the view matters to you. It is the most expensive item in any Shanghai itinerary.
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