Shanghai in photos
What the city actually looks like
From the towers along the Huangpu River to old Chinese gardens and steaming street food — this is the atmosphere you'll really find in Shanghai.
The Bund along the Huangpu River · the Pudong skyline · Oriental Pearl Tower · Yu Garden · Nanjing Road · Tianzifang · Shanghai Disneyland · xiaolongbao · the old water town of Zhujiajiao
Shanghai is a metropolis on the Huangpu River that fuses two worlds — on the Bund side stand century-old European buildings, while across the water in Pudong the sky fills with towers, including Shanghai Tower and the Oriental Pearl. Wander the classical Chinese garden at Yu Garden · shop the Nanjing Road pedestrian street · spend a day at Shanghai Disneyland · eat piping-hot xiaolongbao · and get around easily on 20 metro lines plus the Maglev train from Pudong Airport.
From the towers along the Huangpu River to old Chinese gardens and steaming street food — this is the atmosphere you'll really find in Shanghai.
The full Shanghai travel guide is growing piece by piece · choose a tab below to start planning each part of your trip — Stay · Eat · See · Plan · Prep
The Bund · Pudong · Yu Garden · Nanjing Road · Tianzifang · Disneyland — see where everything sits so you can plan your route more easily.
Pick by budget — compare prices across all 3 sites before you book · Trip.com has the most complete China inventory
Pick the right neighbourhood for your trip first — then choose a hotel from the lists below.
A great trip isn't limited to one city — here are 3 destinations near Shanghai that you can reach by high-speed rail for a day trip or an overnight stay.
Shanghai is China's great river city on the Huangpu and its economic gateway — a place that blends the century-old European buildings of the Bund with the soaring towers of Pudong, including Shanghai Tower and the Oriental Pearl. It has the classical Chinese garden of Yu Garden · the Nanjing Road pedestrian street · the arts lanes of Tianzifang · and Shanghai Disneyland, the Disney park with the largest castle in the world.
You can visit Shanghai on any budget — backpackers around ฿1,500–2,500/day · mid-range ฿3,000–5,000/day (excluding flights) · get into town from Pudong Airport (PVG) on the Maglev train that hits 300 km/h, or from Hongqiao (SHA), which is closer to the city · in town, ride the 20-line metro, which is extensive and cheap · the best times to visit are October–November and March–May, when the weather is cool and rain is light · and don't forget to set up a VPN · eSIM · Alipay/WeChat Pay before you go.
The Wherebest team is steadily adding in-depth Shanghai hotel reviews and travel guides — neighborhoods to stay in · sights · food · and day trips to Hangzhou and Suzhou. Start planning your trip with the full China travel guide →
Begin with the China travel guide, then take in Shanghai one corner at a time