Shanghai Travel Guide: A Practical Look at What to Do, Eat, and See

Shanghai runs on small routines that repeat across a huge city: breakfast stalls opening before sunrise, scooters weaving through side streets, people heading home late with groceries in hand. It’s a place you get to know not through big landmarks, but through everyday moments.

As a visitor, you slip into that rhythm fast. You tap in at the metro, queue with everyone else, share tables when things get busy, and find your own routes through the noise.

This guide gives you the essentials: where to stay, eat, and explore so you can move through the city the way locals do.

Where to Stay

1. Upper House

Upper House offers a quiet break from the pace of the city. The rooms are modern and comfortable, with enough space to settle in after long days out. The indoor pool is a welcome place to unwind.

Step outside and you are close to Jing’an, with places like HKRI Taikoo Hui, Reel Mall, and Jing’an Temple within walking distance. Head the other direction and you reach smaller streets lined with fruit stands, noodle shops, and family run convenience stores.

2. Capella Shanghai (Jian Ye Li)

Capella sits inside restored Shikumen lane houses, the brick and stone homes built in the early twentieth century where families lived along narrow shared lanes. They mix Chinese courtyard layouts with Western row-house structure, which gives the whole complex a distinctive rhythm when you walk through it.

Staying here means starting your day in a quiet courtyard instead of a tower lobby. The rooms keep the original textures of the buildings but add comfortable, modern fittings.

Where to Eat and Drink

3. Egg

Egg is a reliable morning stop with well made coffee and a menu that is focused and satisfying. It works especially well when you want a slower start or need to adjust after travel.

4. Jia Jia Tang Bao

Jia Jia Tang Bao is known for soup dumplings that arrive hot and delicate. The process is straightforward. You wait in line, place your order, and the baskets come out almost immediately. The space is compact and lively, which is part of the experience.

5. High Yaki

Dinner at High Yaki always feels lively but never chaotic. You get a steady flow of grilled dishes, and the whole place smells like charcoal and grease. The tables tend to fill with plates before you even realize, which makes it a relaxing way to end the day, whether you go with friends or alone.

6. Boom Boom Bagels

A dependable choice when you want something filling and familiar after hours of walking. Service moves quickly, so it’s a convenient stop before continuing your day.

Tip: Many popular cafés and casual restaurants use online queues through WeChat or a tablet at the door. Scan, take a number, and wait nearby instead of standing in line. Screens update quickly, and staff expect you to keep an eye on your place.

Where to Explore

7. The Bund (at Sunrise)

The city’s most famous waterfront looks completely different in the early morning. The crowds have not arrived yet, the river is quiet, and the skyline feels even more impressive when everything is still. Bring a coffee, find a spot along the promenade, and enjoy one of the city’s calmest moments.

Tip: Mornings are best not only for fewer people but also for visibility. Air tends to be clearer before mid-morning, which makes a noticeable difference for photos and views across the river.

8. Yu Garden and the Old City

This area shows you the Shanghai that existed long before the skyscrapers came. Narrow alleys, traditional architecture, small shops, and pockets of calm around the garden itself. Wandering here feels like stepping into another version of the city, one that is slower, textured, and full of details if you look closely.

9. Shanghai Tower Observation Deck

A complete contrast to the Old City. Everything here is tall, fast, and futuristic. The elevator shoots you to the top in seconds, and the view stretches across a skyline that seems to grow every year. It is a strong reminder of how quickly Shanghai moves and how much ambition is built into the city.

Tip: Paying with ZeroFX helps you avoid extra exchange fees since China uses yuan, so your money goes toward better things like snacks, souvenirs, or your next taxi ride.

Shanghai works best when you move with it. There is always something to see or eat, and the days tend to fill themselves. bunq keeps everything smooth in the background so you can focus on being here.