Date of Visit: June 2026
Shanghai is a city of striking contrasts. Ancient temples stand beneath glass towers, traditional gardens coexist with luxury shopping streets, and peaceful courtyards are often only a metro ride away from one of the world’s most futuristic skylines.
We arrived in Shanghai after a flight from Guangzhou, ready to discover this vast metropolis in just three days. It was a short stay, but long enough to experience several sides of the city: the spectacular heights of Pudong, the energy of Nanjing Road, the spiritual atmosphere of Jing’an Temple, and the timeless elegance of the Bund.
If you are visiting Shanghai for the first time, this three-day itinerary offers a balanced introduction to one of China’s most fascinating cities.
Day 1: Discovering Futuristic Shanghai
Our first encounter with Shanghai confirmed everything we had imagined about the city—and still managed to surprise us.
Shanghai is enormous. Its buildings seem to stretch endlessly toward the horizon, while highways, metro lines, shopping centres, and residential districts create a sense of constant movement. Yet the city rarely feels chaotic. Beneath its impressive scale, Shanghai operates with remarkable efficiency.
We began our exploration in Lujiazui, the financial district located on the eastern bank of the Huangpu River. Today, it is one of the most recognizable skylines on the planet. Yet as recently as the 1990s, this part of Pudong was largely occupied by warehouses and comparatively modest buildings.
In only a few decades, Pudong became the architectural symbol of Shanghai’s transformation. The Oriental Pearl Tower, Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, and Shanghai Tower now rise together above the river.
Walking between these architectural giants made us feel as though we had stepped into the future. Each building has its own personality and tells part of Shanghai’s modern story.
Completed in 1994, the Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower is perhaps the most immediately recognizable. Its 11 spheres are said to represent pearls, reportedly inspired by a poem from the Tang dynasty. In addition to its observation areas, the tower contains a revolving restaurant and other attractions.
Nearby, Jin Mao Tower introduces a more traditional architectural language into the modern skyline. Its design evokes the tiers of a Chinese pagoda. The building has 88 floors, a meaningful choice because the number eight is commonly associated with luck and prosperity in Chinese culture.
The Shanghai World Financial Center is distinguished by the trapezoidal opening near its summit. However, even these imposing buildings are overshadowed by the twisting form of Shanghai Tower.
The highlight of our first day was visiting this architectural giant. At 632 metres, Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in China and the third tallest in the world, behind Dubai’s Burj Khalifa and Kuala Lumpur’s Merdeka 118.
Its main observation deck is located on the 118th floor, 546 metres above the ground. It offers a spectacular 360-degree view of Shanghai.
The elevator ride is an experience in itself. In less than a minute, we were transported from street level to one of the highest observation decks in the world.
From the top, Shanghai appeared almost infinite. The Huangpu River wound through the city, separating the historic Bund from Pudong’s skyscrapers. The Oriental Pearl Tower, which looked enormous from the street, suddenly appeared much smaller below.
There was some fog during our visit, but it did little to diminish the experience. In fact, the haze gave the skyline a mysterious atmosphere, with distant buildings gradually disappearing into the clouds.
From this height, we could appreciate the extraordinary scale of a city that has spread along the curves of the Huangpu River and toward the Yangtze River estuary. Shanghai no longer appeared as a collection of individual neighbourhoods but as an immense urban landscape extending in every direction.
For the best combination of daytime views, sunset, and illuminated skyscrapers, try to arrive in the late afternoon. Weather conditions can change quickly, so checking visibility before booking is a good idea.
Once darkness fell, Shanghai underwent another transformation. Buildings lit up in different colours, giant screens covered entire façades, and reflections shimmered across the Huangpu River. We ended the day surrounded by the lights of Pudong, after discovering Shanghai from one of its most spectacular vantage points.
Day 2: Jing’an Temple and West Nanjing Road
After discovering Shanghai from above, our second day brought us closer to its spiritual and cultural identity.
Jing’an Temple is located directly on West Nanjing Road, surrounded by shopping malls, offices, cafés, hotels, and modern apartment buildings. Its location creates one of Shanghai’s most striking contrasts.
The temple’s history stretches back more than 1,700 years, although the complex has been rebuilt several times. Today, its golden roofs and traditional architecture stand proudly against the modern skyline.
The moment we entered the temple, the atmosphere changed. Outside, traffic moved along one of Shanghai’s busiest streets. Inside, visitors burned incense, made offerings, and paused beneath elaborate Buddhist statues.
The scent of incense, the golden interiors, and the sound of quiet prayers created a welcome sense of stillness. In a metropolis defined by movement and constant development, Jing’an Temple felt like an oasis that had resisted the surrounding rush toward modernization.
The temple is not simply an attraction. It remains an active place of worship, so visitors should dress respectfully, speak quietly, and avoid interfering with religious rituals.
After visiting the temple, we continued exploring West Nanjing Road. While East Nanjing Road is known for its bright lights, pedestrian areas, and large crowds, its western section feels more polished and contemporary. Luxury boutiques, international hotels, modern office buildings, and fashionable restaurants line the avenue.
It is also an excellent area for people-watching. Shanghai’s energy can be experienced not only through its monuments but also through its everyday rhythm: office workers heading to meetings, families shopping, delivery drivers navigating the traffic, and visitors searching for the perfect photograph.
With Shanghai’s heat and humidity, taking occasional breaks was essential. We stopped at a Starbucks on West Nanjing Road to cool down and recharge.
A coffee break may seem like an ordinary travel moment, but these pauses are often part of the experience. They give us time to observe the city, review our photographs, and plan the rest of the day.
Refreshed, we made our way to the Shanghai Museum at People’s Square, hoping to explore its renowned collection of Chinese art and historical treasures. Unfortunately, the museum was closed for renovations during our visit. Instead, we took a leisurely walk through People’s Square, a vast public space surrounded by some of Shanghai’s most important cultural and civic buildings. The unexpected change of plan still gave us an opportunity to experience another side of the city before continuing toward East Nanjing Road.
Later, we headed toward East Nanjing Road, one of China’s best-known commercial streets. Nanjing Road extends for several kilometres, forming an impressive succession of shops, department stores, restaurants, hotels, and illuminated signs.
Our trip coincided with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and football matches were being broadcast live on a giant outdoor screen. It was an unexpected reminder of how a global sporting event can bring people together, even thousands of kilometres away from the host cities.
As night fell, the avenue became a river of light. Its glowing signs and animated façades revealed another dimension of Shanghai’s personality: commercial, energetic, and resolutely modern.
Shops stayed busy, restaurants filled up, and the crowds moved steadily toward the Bund. The walk from Nanjing Road to the waterfront offered a natural transition from modern commercial Shanghai to the architectural grandeur of the city’s past.
Day 3: The Bund, Yu Garden and the French Concession
We devoted our final day to Shanghai’s history and some of its most atmospheric neighbourhoods.
The Bund was the perfect place to begin. Stretching along the western bank of the Huangpu River, this famous promenade is lined with historic buildings that once housed banks, trading companies, hotels, and consulates.
Many of their elegant façades reflect European and Art Deco influences, recalling the period when Shanghai was already one of Asia’s most cosmopolitan cities. Together, they create an architectural ensemble unlike anything found elsewhere in China.
Across the river, the skyscrapers of Pudong created an extraordinary visual contrast. On one side stood the architectural legacy of Shanghai’s international past. On the other rose the confident skyline of modern China.
The Bund can become extremely busy, especially in the evening. Visiting early in the morning provides a calmer experience and better conditions for photography. At night, however, it offers one of Shanghai’s most spectacular views as Pudong’s illuminated towers appear across the Huangpu River.
From the Bund, we continued toward Yu Garden and Shanghai’s Old City. Covering approximately two hectares, Yu Garden is one of the most celebrated classical gardens in Shanghai.
Its ponds, rock formations, pavilions, bridges, and carefully arranged courtyards illustrate the tradition of southern Chinese garden design. Rather than dominating nature, each architectural element is arranged to complement it. Pathways reveal new perspectives at every turn, making the garden feel larger and more intricate than its actual dimensions.
After visiting the garden, we explored the neighbouring Yuyuan Bazaar, also known as Yuyuan Market. Located between Yu Garden and the City God Temple, this lively shopping district is filled with souvenir shops, jewellery stores, tea houses, snack vendors, and restaurants. Its ornate façades, curved roofs, red-and-gold details, and crowded pedestrian lanes recreate the atmosphere of traditional Shanghai. Although the area is highly commercial and popular with tourists, it remains one of the city’s best places to shop for gifts, sample local specialities, and enjoy the energy of the Old City.
The area can feel touristy, but its visual atmosphere makes it worth visiting. It is also a good place to sample local specialities, including xiaolongbao, Shanghai’s famous soup dumplings.
For a different side of the city, we spent part of the afternoon exploring the Former French Concession. This area is known for its tree-lined avenues, historic villas, small boutiques, cafés, galleries, and restaurants.
Compared with the vertical scale of Pudong or the crowds of Nanjing Road, the Former French Concession felt intimate and relaxed. We explored Sinan Mansions, a carefully preserved collection of 51 garden residences built mainly during the 1920s and 1930s. Their European-influenced architecture, tree-lined surroundings, cafés, restaurants, and cultural spaces revealed a quieter and more elegant side of Shanghai.
Nearby, we discovered one of the neighbourhood’s hidden gems: the Former Residence of Sun Yat-sen. The modest European-style house offers a more intimate perspective on the life of the revolutionary leader often regarded as the founding father of modern China. Away from Shanghai’s crowded landmarks, its preserved rooms, personal belongings, documents, and peaceful garden provide a fascinating encounter with the country’s modern history.
This unexpected discovery reminded us that the Former French Concession is not defined solely by architecture, boutiques, and cafés. Behind its tree-lined streets are places connected to the political and intellectual figures who helped shape twentieth-century China.
Xintiandi and Tianzifang are two popular areas to explore, although each offers a different atmosphere.
Xintiandi combines contemporary restaurants, boutiques, and entertainment venues with restored shikumen. These traditional houses, typically constructed from brick and entered through stone-framed gateways, blend Chinese residential design with Western architectural influences.
The neighbourhood demonstrates how Shanghai has transformed parts of its architectural heritage into modern urban spaces. Xintiandi feels polished and cosmopolitan, while Tianzifang retains narrower lanes, small arts-and-crafts shops, and a busier, more intimate character.
For our final evening, we returned to the Huangpu River. A river cruise offers another perspective on both sides of Shanghai, but simply walking along the Bund after sunset can be equally memorable.
Pudong’s towers illuminated the water, while the historic buildings behind us glowed in warm golden light. Seen from the Bund, Shanghai’s skyline is more than an impressive collection of skyscrapers. It represents the speed and scale of the city’s transformation.
It was an appropriate ending to three days spent moving between different eras.
Practical Tips for Three Days in Shanghai
Shanghai’s metro system is extensive, efficient, and usually the easiest way to travel between major attractions. Nevertheless, exploring the city still involves plenty of walking, so comfortable shoes are essential.
Allow extra time between visits. Shanghai is vast, and distances that appear short on a map may take longer than expected.
Before travelling to China, download and configure several essential applications. WeChat is widely used for communication and mobile payments, while Alipay is another major payment platform. International Visa and Mastercard cards can be linked to both services. DiDi, China’s leading ride-hailing application, is particularly useful for requesting rides and entering destinations without having to overcome a language barrier. Setting up these applications before departure can save considerable time after arrival.
Visitors should also be prepared for internet restrictions in mainland China. Services such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X are generally inaccessible through local networks. Google Maps may also be unavailable, making local alternatives such as Baidu Maps or Amap more practical, although their English-language support can be limited. Saving important addresses in Chinese and keeping offline copies of hotel reservations, tickets, and other travel documents can make navigating Shanghai considerably easier.
Summer can be hot, humid, and rainy. Carry water, wear lightweight clothing, and keep a small umbrella nearby. Weather conditions can also affect visibility from Shanghai Tower, so some flexibility is useful when planning a visit.
Finally, do not try to see everything. Three days are enough for an introduction, but not enough to understand the entire city. A slower itinerary leaves room for spontaneous discoveries—and those often become the most memorable parts of a journey.
Shanghai: A City That Looks Forward Without Erasing Its Past
Shanghai is not defined by a single monument or neighbourhood. Its identity emerges from contrast: incense rising inside Jing’an Temple, crowds flowing along Nanjing Road, classical gardens preserving an older relationship with nature, historic façades facing the Huangpu River, and skyscrapers disappearing into the clouds.
Few places illustrate Shanghai’s transformation as dramatically as Pudong. A waterfront once associated with warehouses has become one of the most recognizable symbols of contemporary China.
Yet Shanghai’s fascination does not depend only on its size or architectural ambition. It also resides in the quieter spaces that have survived between the towers: a Buddhist temple, a traditional garden, a tree-lined street, or a shikumen house hidden behind a modern storefront.
From the 118th floor of Shanghai Tower to the peaceful courtyards of Jing’an Temple, Shanghai offers a journey through different worlds—sometimes separated by nothing more than a few metro stops.
Our three-day stay also coincided with the Dragon Boat Festival, known in China as the Duanwu Festival. In 2026, it was celebrated on June 19, corresponding to the fifth day of the fifth month in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. This centuries-old festival is associated with dragon boat races and zongzi—glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. Traditionally linked to the poet and statesman Qu Yuan, the celebration added another cultural dimension to our journey. Three days may feel short, but in a city this intense, even a brief visit can leave a lasting impression.
Top Attractions 🌟
The Bund
Shanghai Tower
Yu Garden and Yuyuan Bazaar
The Former French Concession
Nanjing Road and Jing’an Temple
