Know

I recommend visiting Jing, an Temple, a famous monastery in Shanghai. A ticket there costs 50 yuan (about $8). The temple was built in 247 AD. during the Three Kingdoms period in ancient China. It was originally located elsewhere, then transferred to its current location in 1216 during the Song Dynasty. The monastery has become one of the most famous monasteries of the Buddhist sect in China. It was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. During the Cultural Revolution, it was turned into a plastics factory. In 1983 it was returned to its original purpose and restored. It contains the most beautiful Buddha statues made in Burma, one of which is made of silver and weighs 15 tons. This incredible combination of contrasts is mesmerizing when modern high-rise buildings rise around an 800-year-old Buddhist temple. People still go to the Temple to pray to their God, and one more thing: we were lucky to catch the ritual of Buddhist monks. They walked in single file one after another and sang ritual songs. From the monastery, I recommend taking a walk along Nanjing Road, which is next door, full of boutiques and cafes, where you can rest your feet.

The Museum of Science and Technology is a colossal building that impresses with its scale and super modern architecture. It is so large that it is impossible to get around it in a day. The ticket will cost 60 yuan (about $10). There is everything here: a geological compartment with the most ancient rocks of crystals, oil samples and even a semblance of a cave where you can experience an imitation of an earthquake, there are also the remains of ancient mammals, there is a section "World of Robots", where iron people add up a Rubik's cube and play the piano, in In the section devoted to man and health, you can look at the human entrails - canned liver, brain and intestines, next to a compartment with stuffed cloned sheep and genetically modified plants, models of spaceships from China, Russia and the USA. In general, it is interesting there and this is the place in Shanghai where you need to go.

Xintiandi is a pretty area, reminiscent of Moscow's Old Arbat from afar. Pedestrian street full of cafes, restaurants and shops. To eat, you can go to Simple Tai, it is very simple, but with excellent food and service, they cook here like in Thailand. The staff speaks English and is very fast. Everyone knows him and will be easy to find.I must say, Shanghai is an absolutely safe city, even at night you have nothing to fear there.

take a ride

If you have some luggage on your way back, do not be lazy and be sure to take the world's fastest train, which takes 6 minutes to the airport. This train is the only one in the world, and in good weather, it will reach a speed of 430 km. at one o'clock. The ticket will cost 50 yuan (about $8). So we did. And before we return to Moscow, we already miss Shanghai, where modern Asian trends and monuments of the past are so strikingly combined, where multi-lane highways merge with the narrow, crooked streets of "old Europe", and we will certainly return there again.

Shanghai is called the "Paris of the East" for a reason. This is the most developed and largest metropolis in China, which has merged into one single structure, essentially consisting of several large cities. Amazingly, Eastern and Western traditions have mixed in Shanghai, and over the past two millennia, many interesting sights have also accumulated. To enjoy all the splendor of Shanghai, of course, you should live in this city for at least a little. And for those who want to visit the city for one day, it is worth paying attention to the main interesting places of the city. Shanghai is divided into one county and eighteen districts, some of which were considered separate cities before the merger. Based on this, it is very problematic to single out the city center, because the business heart of the city beats in three districts at the same time, and the administrative heart is concentrated in Huangpu. It is there that the famous Nanjing Street is located, it is worth visiting without fail. Shanghai is worth a visit: Buddhist temples, skyscrapers, museums, markets, gardens, neighborhoods and streets. In order to quickly and efficiently move around the city, you should carefully study the local transport system. Its structure is as follows: the magnetic plane is a high-speed train that can reach 430 km / h, the fare is 40-50 yuan. Buses - 1-2 yuan, metro - 3-10 yuan, has 12 branches, ferries - 0.5-2 yuan, taxis, high-speed trams, and also a tunnel of attractions that leads to the Pearl TV tower - cost 40 yuan. The metro in the city operates from five in the morning to eleven in the evening, for those who want to visit the city for several days, it is better to purchase a universal transport card - SPTC. With its help, you will be able to save a lot on travel, and in almost all types of urban transport.

But since you will be in the metropolis for a limited amount of time, you should be guided by two very simple rules, namely: it is best to move around on a Maglev magnetic plane or on the subway. The most interesting places worthy of attention are located in the vicinity of the Bond embankment. Below is a list of attractions that are worth seeing in just one day in Shanghai: the first place to start is the Bund, Nanjing Street. Nanjing Road is a densely built-up and wide street, where there are a large number of shops, restaurants, elegant architectural structures, as well as eateries with very cheap food. In order to get to this street, you need to move along the second subway line - to People's Square or Nanjing Road.

Next comes the Pearl of the East - this is an outstanding monument that belongs to Chinese modernity. Fifteen spheres that imitate pearls are frozen on different tiers of this structure, its total height is about four hundred and seventy meters. The best way to get around this top is by elevators. The entrance to the observation deck is one hundred and twenty yuan, and for visiting the spheres themselves, you will need to pay from one hundred and sixty to two hundred and twenty yuan. The oceanarium is also interesting; both adults and children love this place. The building of the oceanarium is located near the TV tower, that is, it will be very convenient to get here. A children's ticket will cost one hundred and ten yuan, and an adult one hundred and sixty. Before your eyes will appear a large aquarium complex, which is divided into thematic halls. At the same time, the effect is enhanced with the help of light, temperature and sound accompaniment. Then check out the Museum of Science and Technology. The museum is very popular with family travelers. Modern technologies, robots, animals and space - you can’t drag children away from here even by the ears. The cost of a ticket to the museum is sixty yuan, and the museum itself is located directly near the Lujiazui station (second line).

The wax museum in Shanghai is almost indistinguishable from its London counterpart, only with the presence of a huge number of Chinese celebrities. At the same time, a visit will cost as much as one hundred and fifty yuan.

Shanghai Zoo - visit it if the weather permits, the entrance fee is forty yuan, then look into the Yuyuan Joy Park.

Among other attractions, one can single out the Jinmao skyscraper, which is the tallest Chinese building, and in terms of height in the world ranking it ranks fourth. The top of the skyscraper is surrounded by clouds and rises above the business center of the city. For a ticket to the observation deck, you will have to part with sixty - ninety yuan, but this building is definitely worth a visit, the impressions after visiting are extraordinary.

If you are lucky enough to get transit in Shanghai for one night or a day, then you need to urgently arm yourself with useful information about this city! I'm not joking - this place is not simple, and there are more than enough "pitfalls" for tourists. Especially if you arrived in Shanghai at night. “What to see in Shanghai in 1 day/night?”- this is the question that worries all tourists who fly through Shanghai and have a long layover there. Indeed, since 2017, a visa for transit in Shanghai is not needed for as long as 72 hours.

So my husband and I decided to take not with an eight-hour transfer in Shanghai, but immediately with an eighteen-hour one. This is how we have formed a “Chinese window” for a long time. My husband instructed me to plan the trip, and I was incredibly happy, because it was the first city where I planned the trip myself! 🙂 And then the question arose: “What to see during transit in Shanghai?”

By the way, we traveled to Shanghai in the business class of Aeroflot, which can be read about in.

transit in shanghai

If you are flying in transit through Shanghai, as we are, then it is quite possible that you will have a transfer at the airport - Pudong. If so, then remember, the airport is almost 50 km away. from the city center. If you have a night transfer, then you will not get to the center of Shanghai by anything other than a taxi (or by ordering - approx. editions). And this pleasure is not cheap - about 250 yuan (almost 40 bucks). Moreover, many taxi drivers try to cheat and not turn on the meter. Ask them to do it - do not let yourself be "swindled".

If you have a transfer during the day, everything is easier there: take the subway and get to the place for 3 yuan. True, you will go for a long time. More than an hour with all transfers.

In general, I will not write much about Pudong Airport, because this topic deserves a separate article.

Let's pretend we're still in Russia. And here I am sitting at home like this and solving the question: “What to see in Shanghai in 1 day? And how do you feel comfortable spending time there?” More precisely, in our case, it is a piece of night and a piece of day. We arrived at 23:05, and departed at almost six in the evening the next day.

Do I need to rent a hotel in Shanghai during transit?

Of course, I immediately decided to book a hotel so that I could sleep somewhere for a few hours and wash myself closer to the morning, after a night walk. Does it need to be done?

If you have a long transplant (especially overnight), then the answer is unequivocal: “Yes”. Moreover, book it right away in the city center so that you don’t have to get far to the embankment and all other attractions.

Note. editions: Of course, it is not necessary to book a hotel during transit in Shanghai for such a high price tag. On the same Booking there are offers in Shanghai from 600 rubles for two per night and more. See all accommodation options

What to see in Shanghai at night?

But choosing a hotel is a couple of trifles. The main thing was to deal with the question of what interesting things to see in Shanghai and where to go at the time we would be there.

And here I have accumulated a lot of claims to gentlemen bloggers, copywriters and journalists: “Well, was it really difficult to describe in detail what you can do there and at what time of the day?” You, my friends, really set me up, but more on that later! 🙂

After probably 7 hours of searching for various information on the topic of Shanghai at night, here are the conclusions I came to. There is not much to do in Shanghai late at night. All night excursions start in the evening (from 19:00), no one will conduct a tour for you personally at one in the morning. Especially if it's some kind of holiday. So it was with us: October 1 in China is Independence Day, so on the night of October 1-2, excursions did not work at all.

Further. Most nightclubs in Shanghai close at 2-3 am. This is how one of the most beautiful view bars on top of a skyscraper “does” – “Vue Bar”. In general, only the view bar Captain’s Bar, some other non-view bars (and this is not interesting at all, in my opinion) and some nightclubs, which my husband and I are not fans of at all, are open until 6 in the morning.

In general, from the list of what to see in Shanghai in one day, I planned for the night part: a walk along the embankment, amazing photos of which I found on the Internet, and gatherings in the same view bar - “Vue Bar”.

I was just thinking: “We will arrive at 23:05, while we receive our luggage, while all sorts of formalities, then we will hand over the bags to the storage room so that we can immediately get to the roof of a skyscraper with a bar by one in the morning and from there shoot for an hour before closing on camera, well, and have a drink tea in a beautiful setting. Eh! Dreams Dreams…:)

What "traps" has Shanghai prepared for us?

• Trap #1- Luggage storage at Pudong Airport. The first cruel “fail” was waiting for us at Pudong Airport in Terminal 2. The lockers closed exactly at the moment (around 00:00) when we finished going through all sorts of formalities, one of which, by the way, is the need to show a return ticket from Shanghai. Which was in my husband's email. Which can not be used without the Internet. In short, while we were busy with this quest, the lockers were closed. As it turned out later, they close them at about twelve at night, and open only in the morning. Please keep this in mind when planning your transit in Shanghai.
• Trap #2 Google doesn't work in China! And here I am again “throwing stones” at all the bloggers who have ever written about Shanghai. All of them had to write in bold text in their articles: “GOOGLE DOES NOT WORK IN CHINA!” So, even if you, like us, buy a local SIM card with Internet at the airport, which costs 200 yuan, this is unlikely to help you. For local browsers are almost all Chinese! One of them is Baido, he looks like . Neither Google nor Google maps work, respectively.
• Trap #3- UBER does not work in China. The same kind and glorious Uber that even helped us out “in the middle of nowhere” so as not to overpay for a local taxi. There is a local taxi like Uber - DiDi Chuxing, but even if you by a lucky chance download its application to your smartphone in advance in Russia, you will not be able to use it. Because the “nasty” application requires a Chinese bank card to be linked :).
• Trap #4 Are you proud of your English? You won't need it here! 🙂 After I realized that I wouldn’t be able to go to the city lightly, and the time was already 00:20, it became clear that I had to urgently go to the booked hotel, leave things there and run to Vue Bar in order to have time to shoot at least something there- That. But Uber doesn't work. OK! We agree to a local taxi, and so proud of our English we go to the taxi drivers. And what do you think? Nobody! None of the taxi drivers and even the airport workers (except those meeting at customs) simply speak English! The Chinese scored on the international language. Indeed! Why do they need this, if there will soon be more of them on the planet ?! 🙂 Therefore, sign language will help you, and google translator, if you managed to download it to your phone in Russia.

Shanghai at Night: Expectations and Reality

In general, having somehow explained with the taxi driver, we nevertheless arrived in Pullman, threw things there and let's explain to the driver that now we need to Vue Bar. Go there for 10 minutes by car. There are 30 minutes left before closing, but we are determined to have at least one eye to have a look at it!

But it wasn’t there: the taxi driver didn’t understand us and brought us to another place altogether. On some dark embankment ... We got out of the car, and he, smiling, showed us the skyscrapers standing on the other coast - the very ones where our bar is ... The husband had already begun to lose his temper and through short “Spanish” emotional explanations in English, mixed with Russian obscenity, he still managed to explain where we need to go.

We arrived at the place, paying another 100 yuan for a taxi. As we later found out: the taxi driver simply did not turn on the meter and tore off exactly 2 times more than it should have been from us. But it was nothing compared to the fact that our bar had already closed by this time.

And here it would be possible, as in the now famous video about a dog that fell from a bridge, to say: “This is a fiasco, bro!”🙂 But that was not all.

Now, with full knowledge of the matter, I declare to you: “The photos of Shanghai at night that are published on the network are a scam.” A glowing embankment with towers and bright skyscrapers exist, of course, but! Somewhere from 22 - 23 pm in the city turn off all the lights. This is what the embankment actually looks like after 23:00:

Expectation:

Reality:

We came here not yet completely desperate, but seeing this, we drove towards Pullman.

Where to eat in Shanghai at night?

But our restless souls longed for adventure! And we decided to at least just find a restaurant and have a tasty meal, since nothing else was clearly shining for us that day. Since Google was not working, you remember, we went from our hotel to intuitively search for food. 🙂

And here another moment lay in wait for us - almost no restaurant is open late at night in Shanghai! Everything is tightly closed. Maybe something works, but we didn't know where it was. Google still didn't work. 🙂

As a result, having wandered around the local eateries a la “Shawarma in Russia”, we went to the hotel and ordered a huge pizza there. But the pizza was awesome. Another plus for Pullman.

Security in Shanghai at night

After reading all of the above, my boss asked me: “So, is it safe to walk in Shanghai late at night?”

To be honest, the question left me a little confused. The fact is that: what am I, what is my husband - we are somehow used to doing everything on trust in the world. We believe that if you yourself are not the last bastard in life and try to do people mostly good, then everything will be “ok” for you in any country! This is the law of karma. 🙂

This does not mean that you need to shove on the rampage, but you should not be afraid of everything and everyone either. At night in Shanghai: quiet, dark and empty. The embankment, for example, is patrolled by the police. But there are no tourists on it. The maximum of whom you can meet there is the Chinese on bicycles or a strange flower seller. But they are harmless! 🙂 And the Chinese themselves were afraid of us, as if. They simply took a couple of people to our question in English and, with fear in their eyes, crossed to the other side of the embankment ... So it’s not clear who was more scared of whom! 🙂

What I can warn against is walking through the dark alleys ... That's where you can really meet gopniks, and it's not known what's on their minds. My advice to you: there is nothing to do here after 23:00! And if it so happened that you are walking later, just move between tourist places by taxi.

Our day in Shanghai

After a little sleep in the hotel (somewhere from 5 am to 11 am) in order to have time to walk around the day center before the checkout at 2 pm, we went without things to the city center on People's Square - the famous square of Shanghai, from which a street with numerous cafes departs and shops.

We deliberately did not have breakfast at the hotel in order to try the same real Chinese cuisine. We got to the square by metro. Given that it was a Monday, there were a lot of people everywhere. And in the subway, and on the square, and in a cafe. If there is such a rush on Monday, one can only guess - what is going on there on the weekend?!

The day trip turned out to be more successful. We didn't go to the hyped Disneyland because we didn't have much time before the plane and because we read a whole bunch of negative reviews about it on the net. What we understood is that only children are interested there, and only people with “steel” nerves can stand the queues for each attraction.

So, we walked around the square, ate in a traditional Chinese restaurant (we were very pleased with the cuisine, especially the portion sizes). And we went to the airport by taxi already on the counter - with knowledge of the matter. 🙂

Conclusions about Shanghai at night

I wildly apologize to all readers that the article turned out to be more about what not to do in Shanghai and about its “pitfalls” than about what to see in Shanghai in 1 day or one night.

But I am deeply convinced that this information is much more useful than the one published on the net. It would be ideal for you to read this article first, and then read about the main attractions, knowing how to get to them, bypassing all the “sharp corners”, and without spending a whole lot of money.

Generally, the conclusions are:

1. Plan a day/evening connection in Shanghai, since there really is nothing to do there late at night! In the afternoon, you can take one of them, visit the rides in the “Valley of Happiness” (this is a more budgetary and interesting amusement park than the promoted Disneyland). We had friends there and were very pleased. And in the evening, the beauty itself begins - a luminous embankment, open view bars on the roofs of skyscrapers.

2. In case of a long connection, be sure to book a hotel. It will help you rejuvenate. And by the way, in the territory of international brands, such as Pullman, Google works! Yes Yes. We only discovered this in the morning. So there it will be possible to look at something on the Internet (metro map, for example), if something is needed.

3. Plan your entire route from home in Russia. Write down all the key metro stations and transfers on a piece of paper so as not to get confused inside. After all, the Chinese do not know English!

Well, in the end, I wish you really patience and peace in this difficult, but very unusual city - Shanghai! 🙂

The Old City and the Garden of Joy will take us several centuries back to Imperial China. Nine zigzags on the bridge, four calligrapher's jewels, two ruling dynasties - a lot of impressions and photos! A whole street of souvenirs will be a huge bonus: tea, silk, antiques, pearls and even traditional family seals for the most sophisticated customers!

The Taoist Temple of the Spirit of the City is a sacred place for the people of Shanghai at all times, it is from here that the history of the largest metropolis in Asia begins. Ancient divination practices on tortoise shells, the famous "Book of Changes" and the eastern horoscope - the world-famous cultural heritage of China is rooted in the most ancient Chinese religion - Taoism.

French concession - in the heart of the Old City, "Asian Paris" in miniature! The place, from which the unique style of the city originates, is today surrounded by fashion houses of famous couturiers, cozy restaurants and coffee shops. Let's plunge into the atmosphere of non-Chinese Shanghai in the 20s of the last century.

The Bund embankment is a visiting card of the city, an open-air museum of architecture! A place where the past and future of the city look at each other from different banks of the same river. We will take a ferry ride from one side of the river to the other, enjoy the view of the old embankment and the new financial center of Pudong.

The new financial center, "Chinese Wall-Street", the youngest and most prestigious district of the city - Pudong. We will see the main symbol of the "new" Shanghai, the second tallest building in the world - the Shanghai Tower. A high-speed elevator will take you to the 118th floor in almost 1 minute, from where you will have a breathtaking view of the modern metropolis. Or have a cup of coffee on the 92nd floor of the world financial center and enjoy the beautiful view of Shanghai.

*At your request, we can add / replace some attractions with others.

Additionally, and absolutely free of charge, I will help plan an evening program and book tickets to a circus, a concert or just a table in a cozy restaurant with live music.

What is not included

• entrance tickets to attractions,
• Additional services.

Going to such a wonderful Chinese city as, be sure to take the time to visit the famous ancient places. Here you can easily visit Venice, because it is here that there are a lot of ancient cities that stand on the water. And what are the beautiful ancient streets. These places take you back several centuries. You will find yourself in the wonderful world of old China, which is not open to all tourists. Here you can enjoy beautiful nature, majestic ancient architecture and a unique atmosphere. When you get to such places, you can get acquainted with old Shanghai, observe the life of people who have lived here for centuries.

If you still don't know how to spend your time in Shanghai. Then just read on and all doubts will disappear on their own.

Yu Yuan Garden (豫园)

In the center of old Shanghai, this beautiful ancient garden tells us the wonderful story of the Ming Dynasty. The young man specially built this garden for his parents so that they could live their old age in peace and happiness.

Today, it is one of the most popular areas in Shanghai. It's not just a garden. This is a whole complex in which you can see many halls, temples, wonderful bridges and beautiful water features. This garden is surrounded by old streets showing ancient traditional architecture. Here you can find the oldest shops and shops in Shanghai that sell snacks, souvenirs and other nice knick-knacks. Here is the Old Street of Shanghai and the famous temple "City of God".

Address:

218 Anren St, Huangpu

黄浦区安仁街218号

Shanghai Old Street (豫园老街)

This ancient street, which dates back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, is 825 meters long. Here is the center of the tourist life of China. The road starts from Zhonghua Road to Henan Road South. There are traditional Chinese gates at both ends of the road. This street is the answer to the question: "Where to go in Shanakhai."

Address:

Fangbang Middle Road

黄浦区方浜中路

Shanghai Temple Of the City God (Chenghung Miao) 上海城隍廟

This is an ancient Taoist temple that connects to the aforementioned Yuyuan Gardens. Throughout its history, it was often destroyed and restored many times. The current version of the building was erected in 1926. At the moment, a shopping area extends around the temple. More than a hundred old buildings, which now house shops and stores. There are always a lot of tourists here, but if you want to see the old Shanghai, then you need to visit here.

Address:

Corner of Fangbang Middle Road and Anren St

黄浦区方浜中路

Jinze Ancient Town (金泽古镇)

Jinjo is an old quiet ancient town. Here you can see seven beautiful bridges that connect the islands with each other. This place has survived more than one dynasty and has been standing here for more than one century. There are not many restaurants and shops here. People come here for a quiet and relaxing holiday. If you are looking for a place where there are not huge crowds of tourists and you do not know where to go in Shanghai, then come to Jinza. This place will delight you with its unforgettable flavor.

Address:

Jinze Town, Qingpu District

201700青浦区金泽镇

Zhaojialou Ancient Town (召稼楼古镇)

Ancient water city with traditional architecture. The color of the Ming and Qing dynasties reigns here. More recently, the city has been reconstructed, so that it looks just like new. Old buildings can also be found here without any problems if you are a lover of antiquity. Want to see a classic Chinese water town? If yes. Then go here.

Address:

Pujiang Town, Minhang District

201112闵行区浦江镇

Fengjing Ancient Town (枫泾古镇)

Another example of a classic water city. It is quiet and calm here, there are not as many tourists as in other similar places. Here you can ride a boat and enjoy traditional Chinese architecture. You can also look at the Animation Museum and the Crafts Museum. This will help diversify your vacation and learn a lot about this wonderful place.

Address:

No.39 Xinfeng Road, Fengjing Town, Jinshan District

201500金山区枫泾镇新枫路39号

Nanxiang Water Town (南翔老街)

This place is popular for its delicious steamed buns, which are made in the house of Xiaolongbao (Xiaolongbao). Many people come here to taste delicious snacks and buy a couple of knick-knacks, because this ancient town is full of different shops and eateries. This place is popular not only for its cuisine. Here you can visit one of the five classic gardens in the city - the Huia Garden. If you do not know where to eat in Shanghai, then come here without fail.

Address:

Nanxiang Town, Jiading District

嘉定区南翔镇

Xinchang Ancient Town (上海新场古镇)

This city was built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. If you like the architecture of this period, then go to this town. There are also a large number of restaurants and shops, so you can easily have a delicious lunch and buy a couple of interesting things here. It’s better not to go here on holidays if you don’t like crowds of tourists. This place is packed with people during the Chinese New Year celebration. On other days, this place will please you with its calm atmosphere, beautiful buildings and pleasant natives.

Address:

Xinchang Town, Nanhui District

201314

Shanghai Qibao Town (上海七宝古镇)

This city is very easy to get to. You just need to take the subway and here you are. This is a nice place with authentic architecture. There are many street vendors with various delicious sweets and unusual snacks. There are not many commercial establishments here, but there are also quite a few tourists. If you are limited in time, but still want to see the old Shanghai, then go here.

Address:

Qibao Town, Minhang District

201101闵行区七宝镇

Anting Old Street (安亭老街)

Another place for lovers of old places. This is a beautiful old street with its own special atmosphere and architecture. You can take great pictures here. You can also see a beautiful temple and a majestic pagoda. The old masonry has been preserved throughout the street, which adds to the atmosphere of this place. Nearby is a car museum, which can be visited by anyone.