Must See, Must Do in Shanghai
You might find yourself with a couple of extra days in Shanghai… This list should give you some ideas of how to spend a few days on your own in Shanghai with a bit of history, a bit of local vibe, a bit of shopping and a bit of eating 
1. The Bund (外滩)
Walking Tour – The Bund is Shanghai’s most famous landmark. You might have buzzed in and out of a fancy dinner in one of the renovated buildings but take a morning to really enjoy the area and peek inside some of the buildings. A great way to visit the Bund on a nice day is to be dropped off at the Peace Hotel (formerly the Cathay Hotel) and walk south, ducking into buildings along the way. Not to be missed:
- A walk through the renovated Art-Deco Peace Hotel
- The HSBC Building’s fully restored lobby
- Three on the Bund’s Terrace at New Heights (seventh floor)
- Strolling along the far side on the promenade next to the Huang Pu River
2. Xin Tian Di – Xin Tian Di is a restaurant, bar, club development that utilizes Shanghai’s traditional shikumen architecture. Shikumen buildings are recognizable by the gray and red brick facades, numerous ornamental front gates and low two to three story heights. Originally built by the thousands in rows for middle-class Chinese, these classic Shanghainese houses are being destroyed and replaced by modern skyscrapers. Enjoy the restaurants and shopping, but don’t miss the small free-entry museum that educates visitors on what life was like in the lane-houses of the past.
3. Jin Mao Tower – Currently the tallest building in Shanghai, the Jin Mao stands at 88 floors. Its remarkable architecture is recognizable on a clear day from all over the city. There’s an observation deck on the 88th floor (access 50rmb, US$6) where you have spectacular views of the neighboring skyscrapers and the sprawling city. Enjoy similar views with a cocktail in hand at the Cloud 9 bar on the 87th floor of the Grand Hyatt hotel. Note, access to the observation deck and Cloud 9 are separate. Follow signs at ground level to the observation deck, follow Grand Hyatt signs to get to the hotel elevators and Cloud 9.
4. Qi Pu Lu – If you’re in the mood for some shopping and not tired of touts shoving fake watches, handbags etc in your face, head down to Qi Pu Lu, a shopping district for the lower class Chinese workers. How to Bargain: Cut the price in half, then half again. Expect to bargain ruthlessly; haggling can take hours. Rule of Thumb: Don’t show any interest unless you are inclined to buy, then bargain hard.
5. Shanghai Old Street – Known as Fangband Road, “Shanghai Old Street” with a total of 825 metres, is adjacent to the Yuyuan Garden Bazaar Area and runs in an east-west direction from Zhonghua Road to Henan Road South, with both ends marked by decorated archways.
The street can be divided into the eastern and western section. The eastern section keeps the characteristics of residences in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican day. The houses on both sides of the street are fitted with checkered windows, shop-fronts of wooden boards, balustrades and swing doors, roofs with upturned eaves and protruding corners, laced drain-pipes and horse-shape wall tops. The western section is filled with Ming and Qing style architectures, with black tiles and white-washed walls, red columns and upturned eaves, showcasing styles of old Shanghai. The western section has a number of antique & curio shops as well as restaurants and teahouses, and the eastern sections has a variety of shops including florists, shoe and clothing retailers, noodle restaurants and specialty dealers selling Chinese tea and snacks such as “Five Fragrant Beans”. There in the street you will find hundred-year old stores, Tonghanchun, Laotongsheng, Wuliangcai, Wanyouquan, Qiu Tianbao, Old Shanghai Tea House, Deshun Western Food Restaurant, Chunfeng Deyi Restaurant, Chunfeng Deyi Restaurant, Xishi Soya Beancurd Store, Dingniangzi Cloth Store, Rongshun Restaurant and Baoyintang. There are also newly opened Danfeng Tea House, Clinic of renowned traditional Chinese medical doctors and others of traditional characteristics.
Shanghai Old Street is an ideal place to explore the Old Shanghai, looking back to the old days.
Best Time: Mornings (10 a.m. to noon), and weekends, especially for the Antiques Market. Also check out the long-running Fuyou Antiques Market is now an indoor flea market on four floors and well worth a look.
6. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower - is located in Pudong Park in Lujiazui, Shanghai. The tower, surrounded by the Yangpu Bridge in the northeast and the Nanpu Bridge in the southwest, creates a picture of ‘twin dragons playing with pearls’. The entire scene is a photographic jewel that excites the imagination and attracts thousands of visitors year-round.
This 468 meters high (1,536 feet) tower is the world’s third tallest TV and radio tower surpassed in height only by towers in Toronto, Canada and Moscow, Russia.
7. The People’s Square – The People’s Square, also called “Ren Min Guang Chang”, is in the heart of Shanghai and the south side of the People’s Park. It was once a large stretch of cement land, now a center public square with vast green area and surrounded by government buildings. The square attracts many people, so it’s a great place for people watching: the joyful kite-flyers, young children, parents, and grandparents, young lovers, etc. The impressive Shanghai Museum is worth a visit to see Chinese calligraphy, pottery, jade ornaments, etc. Crystal Shanghai Grand Theatre is good to see. The underground mall is a good place to shop too. The People’s Square offers unusual and inside views of Shanghai. It combines the flavor of Chinese traditional culture with the modern city in one, presenting an accurate image of this changing and sophisticated modern city.
8. Nanjing Dong Lu Pedestrian Street (南京东路) – A crowded downtown street with lots of shopping malls, department and small stores, plenty of restaurants, and hotels. In a nutshell: all chinese and a tourist want in a single street. The street crosses downtown Shanghai, linking People’s Square, where the government buildings are, to the Bund by the Huangpu river. At night, the street lights up like the Las Vegas Strip (see photo), where you will see more neon per sqaure meter than you have ever see before. Unless you like really, really crowded areas, stay away from Nanjing Rd. on weekend nights or Saturday and Sundays, when the place is the most jammed.
9. Ancient Town – Wuxi. On the Grand Canal, 120 km west-northwest of Shanghai. Wuxi is the nearest city to the famous Tai Hu , a picturesque lake with an area of 2,425 square kilometres but an average depth of only 2 metres. Taihu Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in China. The lake connects Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces but it is said that the northern shore in Wuxi is the most splendid. Taihu is a popular resort for a relaxing ride around the lake.
How to get there: Daily tickets are available from Shangai Railway Station at rmb 35-45 (one way) depending on the speed and hard or soft seating. Journey takes about 60-90 mins. A day tour from Wuxi Railway Station to TaiHu cost rmb15 (for transport) and rmb 105 (for TaiHu entrance + ferry ride).
10. Ancient Water Town (周庄) - is located in Jiangsu province, about 50km from Shanghai, and is China’s oldest water town. It is the Venice of China. Be warned that there are a lot of tourists (although predominantly from China), which means high prices and lots of people hustling you to buy things. On holidays and weekends the old town will be so packed that it is difficult to move around. This aside its worth the visit. How To Get There: 2 way cab from Shanghai to Zhou Zhuang cost around rmb700 (inclusive of toll charges and 3 hours of waiting time). Alternatively, there are many buses that depart from SuZhou to Zhou Zhuang.
(this is like our roti prata)
Baked Pastry
Pig’s Trotter
Xiao Long Bao & La Mein
