Shanghai, China ⋆ Get Out and Travel

Shanghai, China

Shanghai, my first and last stop during my 19 day trip to China. My stay begins with a friend who lives in the Xintiandi district of Shanghai. This district is in the center of Shanghai, therefore the area is very pedestrian friendly. Xintiandi includes a lot of modern architecture mixed with the Shikumen residences of Old Shanghai. There are many shopping plazas, malls, and upscale restaurants to keep you busy.

Must See Sights!

There is so much to see and do in this area, so just walking around is entertainment all on its own. Driving down the street, you may see a new Bentley alongside a moped with an entire family riding on it, so you never know what you will see. You can wander markets that cater mostly to tea and tea drinking. The rituals around tea drinking are on full display and samples are routinely offered.

tea market in Shanghai

There are also markets who mostly sell crickets because cricket fighting is a popular event in Shanghai! This is quite an interesting site to see!

Shanghai Cricket Market

Cricket Fight!!!

There are also gorgeous parks and green spaces throughout the city.

Green Space in Shanghai

Fuxing Park is my favorite green space / park in the city. On Sundays, the park is full of people performing dances and playing games.

Dancing Group in Fuxing Park, Shanghai

Nanjing Rd. is a very popular place to shop. Here, you will find a store for everything from exotic foods to clothing.

Food Market on Nanjing Rd., Shanghai

If you walk to the end of Nanjing Rd., you will find yourself at The Bund, which is a waterfront area along the Huangpu River. From this area, you see the skyscrapers in the Pudong District.

The Bund, Shanghai

I highly recommend doing a night bike tour in this area. During the tour, you ride through the Lilong houses, which are alleyway houses, the Bund, and ends at Yuyuan Garden which is magical after dark! As you can see in the picture above, there are a ton of tourists present during the day, so visiting at night is awesome! You will virtually have the place all to yourself. Yuyuan Gardens is an extensive Chinese Garden that is beside the City God Temple in Shanghai. The garden was built in 1559 during the Ming dynasty.

Dining

There are many interesting restaurants for dining in Shanghai. My favorite is Din Tai Fung because they serve the BEST soup dumplings! Other great restaurants are Primo One, El Willy, and The Westin just to name a few. You will not go hungry in Shanghai because there is something to satisfy every taste.

Menu at Din Tai Fung, Shanghai

There is a Hop on Hop Off (Ho Ho) bus in Shanghai. While they take you everywhere you want to go, I found it to be less reliable than in other cities. We rode to the Pudong District one afternoon to explore this area of the city. We did a lot of walking around before stopping for lunch at the Four Seasons. The food is exceptional and the view of the Pearl Tower is spectacular.

Pearl Tower as seen from the Luxury Hotel, Four Seasons

Our Luxury Hotel

For the second half of our trip, we stayed at The Langham Hotel in the same area of Shanghai, Xintiandi. This hotel is spectacular! Upgrading to an executive suite with club level access is worth it. All drinks and food are included in the price in the Executive Club. The Langham is pure luxury and therefore I will never stay anywhere else while in Shanghai.

Wine at The Langham – Luxury Hotel in Shanghai

Cultural Differences

There are cultural differences in Asia. Due to these differences, be ready. We were stared at frequently and sometimes they took pictures of us and with us. Despite there being quite a few westerners in China, the people there seem to be fascinated by us. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad but feel as though it should be mentioned.

FYI, in the restrooms there are squatting toilets, but you can always find a western toilet. There is toilet paper in some of the the restrooms that you will visit, but I will always have tissues in my bag just in case.

When there are crowds, there is a lot of pushing and shoving. After a while, we recognize that this as the norm so I stand my ground and don’t let people in front of me. It’s different from what we are used to, but is just something that you have to do.