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How to Plan a Trip to Shanghai

You can flexibly arrange a Shanghai itinerary in 1 to 4 days. And, the most classic and popular way is spending 2 days exploring the best highlights of Shanghai in downtown, including the Bund, skyscrapers in Lujiazui, Yu Garden, Shanghai Museum, Wukang Road, etc. To visit Shanghai Disney Resort or Zhujiajiao Water Town in the suburbs, you need an extra day each. According to your time, you can make a short layover tour or in-depth travel in Shanghai. Different themed tours like biking, family travel can also be customized.

If you have 1 to 2 days more, you can either extend your trip from Shanghai to Suzhou, feel the elegant classical gardens, immerse in the serene ancient water townships and catch a glimpse of the fabulous Chines silk culture; or use 2 days to visit Hangzhou, view the West Lake, old-line Lingyin Temple and learn more about the famous Longjing Tea. It’s quite popular to extend a Hangzhou tour to one of the nearby water towns, like Wuzhen, Xitang for 1 extra day. Taking 5~6 days is enough to cover the essence of Shanghai Suzhou Hangzhou. Nature loves are highly suggested a Huangshan Mountain tour if you fitness and time allows. It needs 3 to 4 more days for a typical hiking trip with nearby World Heritages (Hongcun, Xidi Ancient Villages...).

For first-time travelers to China, Shanghai, Beijing and Xian are top three must-visit destinations that you can both explore the modern and ancient China. You can take 8 days to travel them all or spare 3 days for Beijing (Great Walls, Forbidden City, etc.) and 2 days for Xian (Terracotta Warriors, Ancient City Wall...). Those who enjoys a long holiday can travel more top destinations in China, such as idyllic Guilin, Avatar World - Zhangjiajie, “Hometown of Giant Panda” - Chengdu, colorful ethnic culture in Yunnan, spectacular Three Gorges on a Yangtze River Cruise, etc.

Top Featured Activities in Shanghai

There are so many great things to do in Shanghai, such as sightsee the modern, foreign-style and traditional architectures, soak up traditional culture in garden and museum, treat yourself with shopping fun, spend a relaxing walking tour on Wukang Road, enjoy a leisurely afternoon in an excellent cafe or restaurant, watch dazzling city night view by a Huangpu River Cruise, sample popular Shanghai food, immerse in undisturbed atmosphere in ancient temples and water towns, etc. Below are most recommended experiences by insiders to let you see, feel, listen and taste Shanghai with great enjoyment.

Feel The West Meets the East

Feel The West Meets the East

The Bund is the best exhibit of Shanghai’s mixed culture of the West and the East. You can see lining well-maintained architecture of various styles. They tell Shanghai’s financial history, and witness the opening of Shanghai and extraordinary economic growth. Architecture geeks can appreciate the buildings and many people stroll along the walkway and view the distinct contrast on the banks.

Take A Huangpu River Night Cruise

Take A Huangpu River Night Cruise

Huangpu River is the “Mother River” of Shanghai. Taking a Huangpu River Cruise you can free your foot on a relaxed cruise journey. The night view is more impressive and recommended than that during the daytime, because you can see the skyscrapers and historical sites all lighted up by colorful lights, feel the comfortable night breeze blowing on your face.

Encounter the Romantic Shanghai with Ancient Town

Encounter the Romantic Shanghai with Ancient Town

After meeting the “hard’ Shanghai, you can visit Zhujiajiao Water Town to feel the “soft” Shanghai. You can walk through stone-paved paths, ancient bridges and residential buildings, temples to slow down and imagine the traditional waterway transport and local life scenes there. Taking an boat ride on the narrow rivers to add more pleasure.

Shanghai Weather & Temperature - Best Time to Go

Shanghai has a subtropic monsoon climate, enjoys generous sunshine and abundant rainfall, and experience four distinct seasons. Its annual average temperature is between 15 ~ 17℃. Being a modern city with less natural sights, Shanghai can be visited all year round. Summer (June to August) is hot and rainy with roughly 60% of the annual total amount. The hottest period of Shanghai happens in July or August, when the daytime temperature rises above 30℃. Shanghai during winter (December to February) is cold, humid. It seldom snows, if has, often occurs in the coldest January and February.

Hence, the ideal times to visit Shanghai are warm spring (March to May) and cool autumn (September to November) with the most comfortable temperature, more sunny days and colorful natural scenery.

Reminder: It’s still a little cold in early March, so better prepare some long-sleeved coat. If you visit Shanghai in summer, take sunscreen, sunglasses and hat for protection. Temperature varies largely between day and night in autumn, so you should dress or carry long-sleeves shirts, sweater and coat. Thick sweater and overcoat are appropriate in winter.

Ultimate How To Plan A Trip To Shanghai & Useful Articles

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