MAGLEV TRAIN
There are two airports in Shanghai. I arrived to Pudong International airport, which is the bigger one of the two. It is located in the Pudong area, right by the Yellow sea. For people who have never been to Shanghai, the fun starts right there.
The best way to travel from the airport to the city is by Maglev train – a magnetic levitation train. A single ticket costs 50 yuan, while a return ticket costs 80 yuan and it’s valid for one week. The 19km journey takes 7m 20s, as the train travels at the speed of 431km/h. It’s the only such train in the world and a fantastic experience. However, the train travels at this speed between 9am-10.45am and between 3pm–4.45pm only. At other times, the journey to and from the airport is at much slower 300km/h. In addition to the excitement because of the speed that most people have never experienced in their lives, transfer from the airport is fast and stress free.
The train arrives to Longyang Road station, which is also in the Pudong area and from where there are connecting metro lines to other parts of the city.
WHERE TO STAY IN SHANGHAI?
Shanghai is a very big city, as per Wikipedia there were 24 million people living in Shanghai in 2017. Despite its size, due to its superb infrastructure, travelling around the city is relatively easy as most places of interest for visitors are either next to the metro station or a short walk away. The best area to stay in Shanghai is anywhere near or on Nanjing Road.
I stayed in the Sofitel Shanghai Hyland Hotel, which is in the middle of Nanjing Road. It’s a good hotel, in the best location and it wasn’t too expensive when I booked it. Hotels in China are relatively cheap because there are so many of them and competition is fierce, thus 4 or 5 star hotels are easily within reach unlike in the other parts of the world, especially in Europe. Anyhow, the choice of places to stay is vast and, if you search, it’s possible to find a good and reasonably priced hotel.
WHAT TO SEE IN SHANGHAI?
NANJING ROAD
Nanjing Road is the main pedestrian shopping street in Shanghai. You will not see many restaurants on Nanjing Road, you will find them in side streets.
You can also find some interesting restaurants in the Shanghai First Foodhall, on the 2nd floor. The ground floor and the 1st floor are a department store that sells various Chinese product. It’s all very colourful and interesting to see. The Shanghai First Foodhall is in a part of Nanjing Road closer to People’s Square.
BUND
If you start at People’s Square and you walk all the way along Nanjing Road, you will arrive to the breath-taking Bund, the waterfront area with spectacular views of the famous Shanghai skyline across the Huangpu river – the skyscrapers of Lujiazui.
The Bund stretches 1.6 km along the bank of the Huangpu river and it contains many historic buildings that housed banks and trading houses in the past. The government restored it for the Expo 2010 Exhibition and reopened it in March 2010.
The whole area is a must see, on both sides of the river. Across from the Bund, there is a new financial district with a famous TV tower and also with equally famous skyscrapers that have become the symbol of Shanghai.
YU GARDEN
Yu Garden is an extensive Chinese garden, built in 1577. It contains Ming dynasty pavilions, ponds, rockeries and arched bridges. It’s a very beautiful and atmospheric garden and it should be on every visitor’s list.
The surrounding area is also very interesting with shops, restaurants and markets. The City God Temple is close by and it’s worth a visit.
JING’AN TEMPLE
Jing’an Temple is a Buddhist temple on West Nanjing Road. It was first built in 247 AD in the Wu Kingdom, during the Three Kingdoms period of ancient China. It was relocated to its current site in 1216, during the Song Dynasty.
The current temple was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty but, during the Cultural Revolution, the temple was converted into the plastic factory. However, it was restored and returned to its original religious function in 1983. The Jing’an Pagoda was completed in 2010.
QIBAO OLD TOWN
Qibao Old Town historic area is a tourist attraction now, located by the Puhui River. It’s full of traditional Chinese architecture, plus there are many other things to see there, including museums and street food.
To get there, take the metro line number 9. Qibao Old Town is only a short walk from the station. It’s a nice area to visit, but I would only suggest it to people that have already been to Shanghai and have already seen the main historic sites.
Each and every time when I went to Shanghai it was in June, at the beginning of summer. It was hot, with temperatures between 25-30 degrees C, a bit cooler in the evening and in the night. It rained from time to time. But, that was good because the rain cleaned the air and there was no visible pollution. My Chinese friends told me that, when it doesn’t rain for a month, the pollution becomes unbearable.
All in all, I would say that two, maximum three days, are more than enough for Shanghai. It doesn’t have monumental historic sites like Beijing, where you need a full day to visit each of them. Rather, Shanghai itself is monumental and also an impressive combination of old and new.
It should definitely be on everyone’s list if they are planning to visit this fascinating country.
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