Travel Guide Shanghai 上海
Although not the capital of China, Shanghai is the largest city in China. At the mouth of the Yangtze River, this city is home to ultra-modern neighborhoods and historical gems. Along the Huangpu River stands the futuristic district of Pudong, the business district, a major international financial center, with its Shanghai Tower (632 m high) and the famous Pearl of the Orient television tower with its pink spheres, the World Financial Center nearly 500 m high and 100 floors, etc. On the other side of the river, it is the Bund, a famous walk to discover the buildings of the colonial era. The vast Yuyuan Garden will take you back to the Ming and Qing periods with its traditional pavilions, bridges and ponds. Shanghai, the city of finance and industry, busy and polluted, alternates atmospheres from one district to another, day or night. Leaving the glittering skyscrapers and the crowds of people in a hurry, you discover the Jade Buddha Temple under the scent of incense, the Old Chinese City and the thousand-year-old temple of Longhua. You must visit the four floors of the museum with its rich collections of furniture, jade objects, calligraphy, sculptures, ceramics and Chinese seals. Not to be missed: Nanjing Street, a 5 km long artery of the historical center, is very attractive. To the east, it is the pedestrian street with the four department stores of the city, temple of consumption with two million visitors on weekends. To the west, it is the chic artery, temple of chic with its luxury boutiques totaling 1,200 major brands!
What to visit Shanghai 上海?
Suggested addresses Shanghai 上海
When to go to Shanghai 上海?
You can go to Shanghai in any season. However, the peak tourist season is during the summer, from May to September, when the weather is mild but hot and humid. It is interesting to be in Shanghai at the time of the Chinese New Year, at the end of January, beginning of February. A real spectacle and a lot of fireworks! Chinese people usually take a week off for Chinese New Year to visit their families. Traveling outside of Shanghai at this time is very complicated! As for the climate, the best seasons to travel in Shanghai are spring and autumn. You will avoid the winter cold and the summer heat and rain. It rains the least in December (4 days on average) and the most in June (10 days). However, it is in June that the tourist season is in full swing in Shanghai for both foreign and local tourists.
Weather at the moment
Shanghai and its surroundings are subject to an almost tropical climate: it is very hot in summer and cold and humid in winter. The best seasons to stay in Shanghai are spring (from mid-April to mid-June, 12/20°C) and autumn (from mid-August to mid-October, 25/16°C). This will help you avoid the winter cold and heat, often coupled with rain, of summer. In summer temperatures vary from 12 to 32°C, in winter from 1 to 10°C.
The currency is the yuan, or renminbi (RMB), literally "people's currency". The yuan is divided into 10 jiao (or mao) and 100 fen. The myth of cheap China is long gone! Today, a stay in Shanghai costs about the same as a stay in a Northern European city.
To travel to China, you need a passport (valid for more than 6 months after the planned departure from the country) and a visa. The tourist visa (L visa) is valid for a maximum of 1 month. To obtain it, you must present: a return flight ticket, a letter of invitation and/or proof of accommodation or a copy of hotel reservations for the entire duration of the stay, a bank statement (to prove that you can cover your expenses once on site) and a certificate of insurance. The international driving licence is not recognised by the People's Republic of China. Don't you dare drive.
No vaccinations are required to travel to Shanghai. However, you will have to respect some hygiene rules. Wash your hands as often as possible and don't forget that tap water is not drinkable. Do as the locals do and wear masks to protect yourself or others from germs in case of flu. You should also know that Shanghai is a polluted city and that fragile people can be inconvenienced.
A new virus, nCoV coronavirus, has been identified by Chinese authorities. Appeared in December 2019 in Wuhan in the province of Hubei, it is transmitted from human to human by air and causes diseases ranging from a cold to more severe pathologies. Symptoms are similar to those of the flu (fever, cough and shortness of breath). In early February 2020, there were 500 deaths and 25,000 people infected. If you are planning to travel to China, you are strongly advised to consult theWHO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs websites.
Practical information
- When to travel?
- Weather forecast
- Budget
- Formalities
- Health
- How to travel by yourself?
- How to get organized?
- Getting around
Media
How to go to Shanghai 上海? Our advice & tips
This is the safest and most economical way to stay in Shanghai, especially if you don't have much time. A weekend in Shanghai when everything is well organized allows you to discover the city in an efficient, pleasant and nevertheless, as much as possible, exhausting way. This is usually the case for tourists on organized tours who have a circuit that passes through Shanghai. An 8-day stay in Shanghai will be much better to acclimatize yourself and really enjoy the city and its close surroundings.
Discover our selection of travel agencies for this destinationThere are many flights to Shanghai. Going alone to Shanghai does not pose any particular problem. You even gain some advantages like the one to reduce your budget by sleeping in dormitory and by negotiating directly the rates. And you don't have the problem of language as in the remote regions of China. Here you can easily find English-speaking and sometimes even French-speaking interlocutors. However, beware of scams like soliciting in friendship to attend a tea ceremony that will cost you a fortune.
Shanghai has several types of public transport: bus, metro, ferry and Maglev (fast train). Purchase the Shanghai Jiaotong Card, a rechargeable card that allows you to use all these means of transport. China does not recognize the international permit. Impossible to drive. Taxis are numerous and very affordable. Prefer official taxis. No motorcycle for rent. You can fall back on the bike. Hitchhiking is not recommended.
