Travel
China · CNShanghai · The Bund
First impressions in Shanghai
Nine days, three day-trips, one rooftop you should book ahead. Notes from the road on a city that does scale better than anywhere I've been.
- 9 days
- 6 min
- Roshintha Perera
I'd been told Shanghai would feel like New York and Tokyo had a child that learned mandarin. Half right. It's bigger than either, more deliberate than both, and it has the rare quality of a city that has decided what it is and is now executing on the brief.
9
days in Shanghai
2
day-trips is the right number
58F
Flair at the Ritz-Carlton, the Bund view
What I'd do again
- Three full days in the city before any day-trips. The first 48 hours are jet-lag, the next two are getting your bearings. Suzhou and Hangzhou are 30 and 60 minutes by HSR; book them for days four and six.
- A rooftop bar that's not the obvious one. Flair (Ritz-Carlton, 58F) is the picture-perfect Bund view. The Captain is the casual one that gets forgotten and shouldn't. Reserve both.
- Disney even if you "don't do theme parks". TRON is the best coaster I've ridden anywhere. The fireworks finale beats the Florida one. Go.
- Days 1–3The city firstJet-lag first, then your bearings. No day-trips yet.
- Day 4Suzhou30 minutes by HSR.
- Day 6Hangzhou60 minutes by HSR.
What I'd skip
- The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel under the Huangpu. It's a 4-minute kitsch ride. Take the metro one stop instead.
- Trying to hit Hangzhou and Suzhou and a water town. Pick two. Three is one HSR too many.
Skip
- The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel, a 4-minute kitsch ride
- Hangzhou and Suzhou and a water town
Do instead
- Take the metro one stop
- Pick two. Three is one HSR too many.
Practical things nobody told me
- Alipay's metro QR is faster than buying a card. Set it up before you fly, not in the airport.
- VPN is non-negotiable for Google / Instagram / WhatsApp. Install before you land.
- Carry tissues. Some public toilets are BYO.
Alipay metro QR
Faster than a card. Set it up before you fly.
VPN
For Google, Instagram, WhatsApp. Install before you land.
Tissues
Some public toilets are BYO.
The single best meal
A hole-in-the-wall noodle shop on the corner of Anfu Lu, no English menu, no English staff, and a queue that doesn't move quickly. Worth every minute. Show the cashier this character, 拉面, and pay 18 yuan in cash.