Shanghai
China’s most cosmopolitan city and its most seductive. Art Deco boulevards, a dazzling skyline across the Huangpu, and a dining scene that ranks among the world’s finest.
Where old China and new China collide most spectacularly
Shanghai is the city that defines China’s modern ambition. Standing on the Bund at night, with the colonial-era buildings behind you and the Pudong skyline blazing across the Huangpu River, you are looking at both the city China was and the city it intends to become.
The French Concession offers tree-lined boulevards, Art Deco architecture and boutiques that would not look out of place in Paris. The Old City hides a centuries-old garden where philosophers meditated. And the sheer energy of Nanjing Road — seven kilometres of commerce and humanity — is unlike anything you will have experienced.
Our Shanghai specialists know the city’s hidden registers: the speakeasy bar concealed behind a dumpling restaurant, the gallery opening in a restored 1930s warehouse, the private room in a Shanghainese restaurant where the chef cooks whatever the season dictates.
City Population
Shanghai Tower Height
Michelin Stars in City
Days Visa-Free (240H)
Spring (March–May) — Warm evenings on the Bund, cherry blossom in Fuxing Park, and the city at its most photogenic.
Autumn (October–November) — Cool and clear, ideal for exploring the French Concession on foot and dining outdoors.
Essential Shanghai
The Bund
Shanghai’s most iconic promenade — 1.5 kilometres of colonial-era grandeur facing the glittering towers of Pudong. Unmissable at dusk.
French Concession
Tree-lined streets, Art Deco mansions and the finest café culture in China. The neighbourhood that feels most like a city within a city.
Yu Garden
A 16th-century Ming Dynasty garden tucked inside the Old City. Pavilions, rockeries and a tea house that has stood since 1855.
Pudong Skyline
The Shanghai Tower, Oriental Pearl and Jin Mao — three generations of ambition in a single view. Private observation deck access arranged.
Tianzifang & M50
Shanghai’s twin creative districts — one a warren of craft shops in a former factory, the other a gallery complex in a converted textile mill.
Zhujiajiao Water Town
Forty minutes from the city, a 1,700-year-old canal town of stone bridges and whitewashed houses — Shanghai’s most rewarding half-day escape.
Shanghai Journeys
Most Popular
Glorious China Tour
Expedition
Grand Tour of China
Themed
China’s Heritage Trail
Your Shanghai
journey starts here
Speak with a Shanghai specialist. We’ll design an itinerary around what matters most to you — the Bund at dusk, a private table at a Shanghainese chef’s restaurant, or a day trip to the water towns beyond the city.
Or write directly: info@openchinatours.com — we respond within 24 hours