Four days is the three-day classic done at a walk instead of a jog, plus the day trip that rounds the city out: Zhujiajiao's canals are an hour away on metro line 17 and need no tour. Each day below runs as timed blocks from the first metro out to the walk back — the times are the ones that work, not decoration. Book one thing ahead (the tower deck if the forecast is clear) and check which museum day you are on, because the two Shanghai Museum branches now do very different things.
At a glance
- Day 1The Bund → East Nanjing Road → Yu Garden → the ¥2 ferry → the Lujiazui promenade
- Day 2Shanghai Tower → lunch in Lujiazui → Shanghai Museum East → the Binjiang walk
- Day 3Wukang Road → Fuxing Park → Tianzifang → Xintiandi
- Day 4Metro line 17 → Zhujiajiao → Fangsheng Bridge → Beidajie → a sampan ride → back the same way
Day 1
Old Shanghai and the Bund, out at nine, back by the lights
The Bund → East Nanjing Road → Yu Garden → the ¥2 ferry → the Lujiazui promenade
The classic first day, and the order matters: the Bund in daylight, the old town after lunch, and Pudong at the moment the lights come on. Everything is on metro lines 2 and 10, and the river crossing is a ¥2 commuter ferry, not a cruise.
- 09:00–10:30The Bund, Waibaidu Bridge southThe 1.5 km promenade and 52 colonial-era facades. Start at Waibaidu Bridge for the skyline photo angle. Free — metro L2/10 East Nanjing Rd.
- 10:45–12:30East Nanjing Road pedestrian streetEat from the windows, not the tour-group restaurants: fresh pork mooncakes at Zhen Lao Da Fang, shengjian buns at Da Hu Chun (~¥15).
- 13:00–16:00Yu Garden (¥40)Ming-dynasty garden from 1559: the Nine-Turn Bridge, the mid-lake Huxinting teahouse, rockeries and koi ponds. The bazaar outside is a walk, not a meal. Metro L10 Yuyuan Garden.
- 17:00–19:00Cross-river ferry (¥2)Dongjin line, Jinling East Rd ↔ Dongchang Rd — the cheapest cruise on the river, from the open upper deck. Runs to about 18:30 but stops at noon on big holidays; the evening fallback is the Dongfu line, to 22:00.
- 19:00–21:00Lujiazui riverside promenadeThe Bund lights switch on around 18:30–19:00. Frame all three towers from the circular footbridge by the Oriental Pearl. Free — metro L2 Lujiazui.
Day 2
One tower, and the museum that actually has the bronzes
Shanghai Tower → lunch in Lujiazui → Shanghai Museum East → the Binjiang walk
Pick one tower, not two. Then the important correction: the People's Square museum branch is running a paid special exhibition and its main collections are not on show — the free bronzes and ceramics are at the East Branch in Pudong.
- 09:30–12:00Shanghai Tower, 118th floor (¥180)The 546 m 'Top of Shanghai' deck, highest in China, up a 55-second lift. Student ¥120. Skip the Oriental Pearl — same view, second ticket.
- 12:00–13:30Lunch in Lujiazui (¥40–100)The IFC and Super Brand Mall food courts have English menus and international chains.
- 14:00–17:00Shanghai Museum East Branch (free)Show your passport, no reservation. Bronze, ceramics, calligraphy — one of China's top four collections. Open 10:00–18:00, closed Tuesdays. Metro L2 Science & Technology Museum.
- 17:30–19:30Binjiang Avenue evening walkWalk south from the Oriental Pearl as the skyline lights over dark water. Cross back on the Dongfu ferry, last boat about 22:00.
Day 3
Plane trees, lane houses, and shikumen after dark
Wukang Road → Fuxing Park → Tianzifang → Xintiandi
A walking day — the point is the streets rather than any address on them. Start early for the light, end where the 1920s stone-gate houses hold the city's benchmark restoration.
- 08:30–10:30Wukang Road and the Wukang MansionThe former French Concession at its best: plane trees, Art Deco villas, Hudec's wedge-shaped 1924 mansion. Best light before ten; drift on to Anfu Road for coffee. Metro L10/11 Jiaotong University.
- 10:45–12:00Fuxing Park (optional)If you are up early it comes alive from 6:30 with tai-chi, ballroom and fan dancing — the most unguarded hour of local life you will see.
- 12:00–13:30Lunch around Wukang / Urumqi Rd (¥50–150)The city's highest concentration of English-menu restaurants — Alimentari, RAC, or wonton soup at a local shop.
- 14:00–16:00TianzifangA lilong alley maze of studios, craft shops and cafes. Photogenic and commercial — do not buy the 'antiques', they are reproductions. Metro L9 Dapuqiao.
- 17:00–21:00XintiandiThe shikumen restoration benchmark: 1920s stone-gate houses as dining and nightlife. North Block upscale, South Block livelier. Metro L10/13 Xintiandi.
Day 4
Zhujiajiao: canals, a five-arch bridge, and a hand-pulled boat
Metro line 17 → Zhujiajiao → Fangsheng Bridge → Beidajie → a sampan ride → back the same way
The best-kept water town near Shanghai, an hour out on the metro with no tour needed. Prefer one more city day instead? Swap in M50, the 1933 Old Slaughterhouse, the Suzhou Creek walk and the Power Station of Art — all free, all on lines 3/4.
- 08:00–09:10Metro line 17 to Zhujiajiao (¥6)From Hongqiao Railway Station, about 55 minutes, trains every 10. Exit 1.
- 09:10–09:35Electric shuttle boat (¥40, optional)From the station dock through the canals to Fangsheng Bridge — saves a flat 1.6 km walk, and it is air-conditioned.
- 09:35–14:00Ancient town core (free entry)Fangsheng Bridge (1571), Kezhi Garden, Beidajie, the Great Qing Post Office. Four-site combo ¥80; a hand-pulled sampan is ¥150–200 a boat, up to six people.
- 14:00–15:00Lunch on Beidajie (¥20–60)Zongzi, glutinous rice cakes, soy milk. Walk one street off the main canal and the price halves.
- 15:00–16:30Back to the cityLine 17 to downtown. Flying out the same evening? Allow 90 minutes to Pudong airport.
Eat like you mean it
- XiaolongbaoSoup dumplings: lift, dip in black vinegar and ginger, bite a hole, sip, eat. Jia Jia Tang Bao on Huanghe Road (~¥45/8), or the Nanxiang takeaway window by Yu Garden — cheaper than the upstairs restaurant.
- ShengjianbaoPan-fried buns with crisp bottoms, ~¥15/6. Da Hu Chun does the original clear-broth style; Xiao Yang is the everywhere chain.
- Scallion-oil noodlesCongyou banmian, ~¥15–25 — the cheapest good bowl in the city, at any noodle shop with a queue.
- Fresh pork mooncakesXianrou yuebing, baked not steamed, sold hot from windows along East Nanjing Road. The sesame-pancake xiekehuang is the same windows' other job.
- Zhujiajiao zongziGlutinous-rice parcels on Beidajie — buy one street off the canal, at half the waterfront price.
Where to stay
- The Bund & East Nanjing RoadFirst trip: Day 1 starts outside the door and lines 2 and 10 are under it.
- Former French ConcessionThe streets Day 3 is built around — quietest nights, best coffee.
- Jing'anCentral on several lines and noticeably cheaper than the waterfront.
- Near HongqiaoOnly if Day 4 is your flight day: line 17 to the water town and the airport both run west.
Pitfalls that actually happen
- The "tea house" invitationHIGHA friendly English-speaker on Nanjing Road or the Bund invites you to a 'tea ceremony practice'; the basement bill is ¥500–3000 a head. Decline and keep walking — never follow a stranger to a second location.
- Shanghai Museum, wrong branchMEDPeople's Square now shows only the paid 'World Tree' special exhibition (¥148) — the free main collection is at the East Branch, 1952 Century Avenue, passport entry, closed Tuesdays.
- Dongjin ferry holiday closureMEDThe popular ¥2 line suspends after 12:00 on Spring Festival, National Day and New Year's Day. For evening crossings use the Dongfu line (Fuxing East Rd ↔ Dongchang Rd), running to 22:00.
- Maglev doesn't go downtownMEDIt terminates at Longyang Road, still 20+ minutes out. Metro line 2 from PVG is ¥7 and goes all the way; ride the Maglev once for the novelty, ¥40 with a same-day boarding pass.
- Bund Sightseeing TunnelMEDSold as an 'underwater light show'; actually three minutes of dated LEDs for ¥50+. The ¥2 ferry is the same crossing with a real view.
- Payment without setupMEDShanghai is nearly cashless and foreign cards fail until pre-linked in Alipay or WeChat Pay. Set it up before you land (passport verification), carry ¥200 cash as backup.
- No network for your appsMEDGoogle Maps, WhatsApp, Instagram and YouTube do not work on mainland networks. Buy an international eSIM before arrival (passport registration) or install a VPN, and download offline metro maps.
- Street-hailed taxisLOWDrivers may refuse or take the long way; airport queues pass 60 minutes. Use DiDi inside Alipay, and at PVG only the official taxi stand (¥180–220 to downtown).
- Buying both towersLOWShanghai Tower (¥180) and Oriental Pearl (¥199) are the same view. Pick one — height and modern glass, or the iconic shape and the glass-floor thrill.
- Metro overtime feeLOWStay inside the system over four hours and a ¥3 surcharge lands — photographers hopping stations get caught. Exit within four hours of entry.
- Accommodation registrationLOWHotels register you automatically; an Airbnb or a friend's flat means a police-station visit within 24 hours. Ask your host — unregistered stays risk fines and visa trouble.
One honest thing — Shanghai Museum's People's Square branch is given over to a paid special exhibition; the free main collections are at the East Branch in Pudong. The ¥2 cross-river ferry stops at noon on big holidays — the Dongfu line runs until 22:00.
