East China

Shanghai Municipality travel guide

上海市 · 1 cities · 42 places

Shanghai Museum, Shanghai · AI illustration for China Trip

Cities and areas in Shanghai

Shanghai

They say Shanghai's most fascinating quality is how “old meets new.” As for “new,” Pudong Airport, the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Maglev train all represent the country's latest and fastest. As for “old,” it does not mean that Shanghai has a long history. Counting from when it first appeared as a small fishing village, it has only about six or seven centuries behind it before becoming an international metropolis. The “old” refers to the glamour of old Shanghai, the city of the Ten-Mile Foreign Concessions, from its shikumen (stone-gate) lanes to its former foreign concessions. The opulent, dazzling music of that era still seems to drift faintly in the air.

Overview

Shanghai Municipality

Self-Guided Tours:

Old and New Tour

Site of the First National Congress of the CPC→Xintiandi→Dongtai Road→Daijingge Guandi Temple→Shanghai Old Street→Old City God Temple and Yuyuan Garden→The Bund→Oriental Pearl Tower→Nanjing Road→Suzhou Creek

Culture and Fashion Tour

Duolun Road→Shanyin Road→Lu Xun Park→Jing'an Temple→People's Square (Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Grand Theatre)→Hengshan Road→Xujiahui

Food Tour

South Yunnan Road→Zhapu Road→Huanghe Road→Hu-Qing-Ping Highway→Middle Zhejiang Road→Old City God Temple→Chongming Island→Qingpu

Nanjing Road→Huaihai Road→North Sichuan Road→Yuyuan Garden→Dimei Shopping

Suburban Tours

Shengsi→Zhujiajiao→Liantang→Jinze→Luodian→Jiading Ancient Town→Fengjing→Nanxiang

Self-Drive Tours:

Discovering the Ancient Water Towns

Shanghai→Luzhi→Zhouzhuang→Tongli→Nanxun→Wuzhen→Xitang→Shanghai

Following the Tang Poetry Trail

Shanghai→Jiaxing→Hangzhou→Xinchang→Tiantai→Xianju→Linhai

Journeying Through Night Shanghai

Shanghai→Taopu→Nanxiang→Malu→Waigang→Yushan→Luyuan→Zhangjiagang→Jingjiang→Taixing→Yangzhou→Nanjing→Zhenjiang→Changzhou→Wuxi→Suzhou→Kunshan→Zhenru→Shanghai

Savoring the Gentle Charm of Water Towns

Shanghai→Hangzhou→Zhuantang→Tonglu→Qiantan→Shouchang→Shangfang→Jinhua→Shangxi→Zhuji→Puyang→Hangzhou→Shanghai

Places in Shanghai

Shanghai Museum

Shanghai · 3+ hours

Its collection and architecture are truly first-class. Focusing on ancient Chinese art, its collection, exhibitions and research aim to present the complete development history of each artistic category. Its system, richness and quality are highly renowned at home and abroad. Moved here in 1995, the museum has a distinctive design that follows the traditional Chinese concept of 'round heaven, square earth'. Its overall form resembles a dignified ancient bronze vessel. The Shanghai Museum holds half of China's ancient art treasures, and its galleries have no showy gimmicks, yet they will leave visitors astonished by China's history.

Old City God Temple

Shanghai · 1–3 hours

A crash course in old Shanghai folk culture. The Old City God Temple has long been like a grand temple fair that never ends. Whatever you might look for at other temple fairs, you'll find here, with its snacks and distinctive handicrafts the most famous of all. The Old City God Temple was built during the Yongle era of the Ming dynasty. Historically, the temple was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. The current temple was built in 1926 and rebuilt on a large scale in the 1990s, becoming a large, antique-style architectural complex and commercial district. The renovated old temple may have lost some of the atmosphere of the old city district, yet visitors still flock here, a testament to its enduring charm. The saying “Gold from the Old Temple brings you good luck” is known far and wide.

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