Shanghai in 48 hours

What can you do in Shanghai in 48 hours? That was what I thought when visiting a friend who was posted there for work recently. Turns out, there is quite a bit you can see and do if you know how to get around with public transport and the occasional taxi.

This is based on my itinerary for arrival on a Saturday night and departure on a Monday afternoon.

Night 1
Stop 1: The Bund
Shanghai is very well connected, so wherever you may stay in your trip, you can go to the Bund to see this famous skyline:

And bask in the architectural complexities of the waterfront amidst the crowds:

At this point, there is little to no chance of having a photo without at least another tourist in your photos, so it's okay not to try.


Stop 2: Nanjing East Road
Depending on the time you arrive at the Bund, you can do some shopping or have dinner at nearby restaurants along/around the Nanjing East Road before or after The Bund.

There you can also stop and take photos of more buildings like this...

This departmental store has been here since 1918.

At a junction that looks like this:

From Wikipedia

Stop 3: Nightlife
If you still have energy left for some fun, I was told there are some nice bars around as well. But we were rather beat (that happens when you spent most of your 20s working 70-80 hour weeks) so we headed back after some gawking at the lights and people.

Day 1: Going around Shanghai
Again, Shanghai is quite well connected, and generally touristy places are accessible by train or bus. But generally, if you don't speak Mandarin, I'll suggest sticking to the trains.

I generally like visiting museums, parks, historical sites and bodies of water (lake, piers, seasides etc). And I am a lazy travel planner, usually leaving the planning to 24-48 hours before the trip. If you are like me, a way to cover as much as you can in a short period of time is to list out your priorities and group them according to their location so you could cover them in blocks of after-breakfast, between lunch and dinner, and after dinner.

So my initial plan was:
After breakfast: Jade Buddha temple, Shanghai Museum
Between lunch and dinner: Fuxing Park, Green Massage
After dinner: Just chill

However, it turns out that you could do a bit more than that if you know how to get around.

So what I eventually did was:

After breakfast: Shanghai Museum

So many exhibits here! From pre-historic times to Imperial China, you can learn a lot about Chinese culture and way of life here.

The place is HUGE

My favourite exhibit: A ceramic horse

Between lunch and dinner: 1) Xin Tian Di, 2) Fuxing Park, 3) French Concession, 4) Shanghai's Long Tang Alleyways <---TAXI---> 5) Yu Garden (豫园） 6) Oriental Pearl Tower

These are within 10-20 mins walking distance if you walk fairly quickly.

1) Xin Tian Di
- A shopping and entertainment district, with mostly-Western hardware and Chinese software (what is inside).

French Chinatown in China? It's best not to think too deeply into it, unless you're interested in history...

And nearby you could find this: Museum of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

2) Fuxing Park

For a leisurely stroll

 

To clear your mind...

Or join in some taichi...

 3) French Concession

More pretty buildings and greens.

4) Shanghai Long Tang Alleyways
- This place is awesome for souvenirs and street food!

Tianzifang is one of the must visits in the Alleyways

Pretty things up in the air and lots of stuff in the stores

5) Yu Garden
- So I thought 4 places is a bit much for a day, but turns out we did that in about 2-3 hours. So there is time for more! Yu Garden is 100% Chinese, and beautiful... You can find more street food and souvenirs here, but because it is very touristy, you can't bargain here like you can in Tianzifang.

This is a bit far from Tianzifang, so it may be good to take a cab. Our ride is about 30-40 yuan.

Pardon the bad panorama. It is actually quite magnificent.

6) Pearl Tower
- Yu Garden can take about 1 hour if you really shop, but if not, about 20-30 minutes will be enough to take photos and squeeze through the crowds to get a good shot. So, by now it's about dinner time, but if you are really ambitious, you can take another cab to the Pearl Tower, which is Shanghai's requisite high rise as a global city.

Capitalism wins

How luck looks like...

Until you get inside...

But it is all worth it in the end...

Even if it scared the bejesus out of you to get that shot...

And as usual, the view from a distance is always the best...

 After dinner: Green Massage
- So the Internet (and Time magazine) opined that Green Massage is a must try for massage in Shanghai. But after being told that I could only book a slot at 11:30pm I decided that that's too much sleep to waste, even if it is for a massage. It is also on the pricey side so you can decide if your shoulders are tight enough due to pre-vacation stress to deserve some pampering.

Day 2: The leftovers
If your flight leaves in the afternoon, you get to visit one site or two before you hop on your ride to the airport.

I chose to visit the Jing'an temple, which is the most accessible from where I stayed.

The temple has its own subway station

A common scene in Shanghai - where old and new coexist

Two of the main moral principles in Chinese culture (heavily influenced by Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism): Avoid all evils, do good for the benefit of the community.

The Buddha statue in Jing'an temple

And so, after paying respects to the Buddha I left Shanghai with a rather funny realisation that even though I am ethnic Chinese, I have yet to find a Chinese city that feels like home. That said, Shanghai is a good mix of old and new, and the company of old friends had made it all the more special.

Note: If you are concerned about language barriers, you can use Google Translate to get all your destinations down in Chinese characters and ask locals. Most will understand basic English and are very helpful.:)

Sidenote: There are tons on information on tourist spots - maps, tours etc at the Shanghai airport arrival hall. So please check them out before you head out!

All from the airport...