Shanghai
ChinaCfa
© OpenStreetMap, CARTO
上海不夜城 | Shanghai, the city that never sleeps
Why visit
The Bund at sunset, with the Pudong skyline lighting up across the river, is the well known image. Climb the Shanghai Tower for the highest observation deck on the planet. Walk the French Concession's plane-tree boulevards for cafes, indie shops, and old garden mansions. Yu Garden's Ming-era classical landscape sits beside the bustling Yuyuan bazaar. The Shanghai Museum is one of China's best for ceramics and bronzes. The food alone justifies a trip: xiao long bao at Jia Jia Tang Bao, hairy crab in autumn, sheng jian bao at Yang's, and the city's coffee-shop scene now rivals Tokyo's.
When to avoid
Summer (July to August) is very hot, humid, and prone to typhoons. Air quality varies. Check AQI before serious outdoor activity. Chinese New Year sees businesses shutter for over a week and migrants stream out of the city, a strange ghost-town atmosphere that doesn't suit most tourist itineraries. The Great Firewall blocks Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, and most Western services, plan with VPNs and downloadable maps. Cash is essentially obsolete. Visitors increasingly need WeChat Pay or Alipay linked to international cards. Standard urban precautions for pickpockets apply on the metro.