Shanghai is a city full of tall skyscrapers, beautiful Buddhist temples, incredible food and lots of people! It’s one of the most populated cities in the world and there’s an infinite amount of things to do.
We’re so excited to share our 4 day Shanghai itinerary with you as we learned so much about exploring the huge metropolis. From discovering the restored cultural areas to exploring the modern streets, our days were very busy!
Shanghai is absolutely magical in its own way. It has an awesome futuristic skyline and charming Chinese streets within the Old Shanghai area. We honestly didn’t know what to expect.
The city is a huge economic hub and it’s a popular stop for layovers! Luckily for us, Shanghai is the beginning of our 3 week China trip and it was a great place to settle into the Chinese culture!
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Quick Tips for 4 days in Shanghai
- Currency – Chinese Yuan CN¥ (compare your own currency here)
- Language – Mandarin
- Cuisine – Chinese (Sichuan, Shandong, Cantonese, Huaiyang, and Northeastern)
- Apps – Trip, Alipay, WeChat, Didi App (like uber) & Baidu Maps or Amaps
- Power Voltage – Plugs A & C (220 V)
Where to stay in Shanghai? Park Hotel Shanghai – Find it on Trip here!

Sim Card in Shanghai
There’s a few different ways to get a sim card in Shanghai! We opted for a multi-country sim card from the UK from Lebara and an E-sim from Nomad.
Nomad’s connection wasn’t the strongest throughout our 3 weeks in China. Lebara worked better than Nomad, but it may be a bit harder to get hold, so we recommend using Airalo!
We’ve used Airalo many times before, just not in China and we usually never have any problems! Lots of people have said good things about them.
We chose Nomad as it worked out slightly cheaper at the time and also had some good reviews, but it wasn’t the best choice! Holafly was also recommended to us but it’s quite pricey!
Airalo – Chinacom (3GB / £9) & (5GB / £11) & (10GB £22) – all 30 Days
If you want to save some money on your China E-Sim, here are some codes we have for you! If you’re new to Airalo use (DAN8993) or (NEWTOAIRALO15) for some discount! Alternatively (AIRALOESIM10) will work for anyone! We use this code too! Check out the prices on Airalo here.
Alternatively, you can find sims in China that come with a Chinese phone number. This can be very helpful when booking activities in China, but it is not essential. We managed without a Chinese phone number.
VPN in Shanghai
Due to China’s Great Firewall, Google, Instagram, Facebook and many other foreign websites are blocked! This means we needed a VPN to access most of our apps, including Notion and this website!
After doing lots of research we both chose Let’s VPN (non-premium version) and it worked perfectly during our 3 weeks in China! The price was around £5.50 for a month. Astrill is also a good one but it’s more expensive.
Most E-Sims have a VPN built in, but this stops when you connect to a hotel WiFi. Plus it meant we could use our laptop, use Instagram and watch Netflix without having to hotspot and risk using all of our data!

4 Day Shanghai Itinerary: Best Things To Do
Now we can finally jump into our Shanghai itinerary! We had the best time exploring the bustling city and there are honestly so many things to do.
Our 4 days in Shanghai were spent visiting the main highlights as it was our first time in Shanghai. We’ve listed more ways to spend your time after our itinerary. Let’s get started!
Day 1 – Shanghai’s Main Streets, The Bund & Pudong
So we actually arrived at Shanghai Pudong Airport at 8 am! So our first day in Shanghai starts a little later in the morning. Our hostel was right at the start of East Nanjing Road, so we decided to focus on this area of Shanghai!
Take a stroll in Peoples Park
One of the most relaxing ways to start your 4 days in Shanghai is with a visit to Peoples Park right in the middle of the city.
On Sundays, they have a Bridal Market where you’ll see real-life dating profiles. Most of the ages we saw were people born in the 1980’s so maybe it’s not so popular with the younger generation!
The park is lovely and a great place to unwind from the city at any point during your trip.


See People’s Square
Peoples Square is the largest square in the city and is home to the Shanghai Museum and many shopping malls! It’s worth checking out when you’re in the area.
Browse East Nanjing Road
From Peoples Squares, head through East Nanjing Road to see the many shops in Shanghai. It’s a very modern street with familiar worldwide shops and Chinese brands!
We had a little browse but mainly used the street as our gateway to one of our favourite views in Shanghai!


➤ Heading to Beijing? Here’s our 4 Day Beijing Itinerary so you can plan your trip!
Admire the famous Bund View
The view of Shanghai’s financial district is possibly one of the best skyline views in the world. It’s definitely the most futuristic we’ve ever seen and a highlight of our 4 days in Shanghai!
It felt like we were in a video game or a matte painting! You have to come back and check it out at night!
If you walk north of the Bund you’ll come across Waibaidu Bridge! It’s an industrial bridge surrounded by the skyscrapers of the city, only built in the 1900’s. It’s better to view in the evening, so it might be best to come back later.

Visit Pudong’s Skyscrapers
After exploring East Nanjing Road and the Bund, head over to Pudong and be mesmerized at Shanghai’s skyscrapers!
- Shanghai Tower – one of the tallest buildings in the world at 632 metres and the tallest in Shanghai! Book tickets in advance on Trip.
- Oriental Pearl TV Tower – the most iconic-looking building in the skyline. Book tickets in advance on Trip.
- Shanghai World Financial Centre – another modern iconic building in the skyline with an observation deck.
- Jin Mao Tower – amazing panorama views! Book tickets on Trip here!
There’s a few ways to get over to Pudong from the touristy sightseeing tunnel to grabbing a metro!
We also managed to check out the ‘real fake market’ at Shanghai A.P Plaza, but we wouldn’t really recommend visiting! Maybe it’s because we didn’t need anything, but it wasn’t really worth the journey out there.
The market is full of fake tech, clothes, toys, games, jewellery and more! It’s all copycat versions made to look like the real deal. You have to haggle hard to get a good price!


➤ Book tickets to visit the top of the Oriental Pearl Tower here!
Walk along the Huangpu River
End the first day of your Shanghai itinerary by walking along the Huangpu River on either side of the water.
As you’re already on Pudong, you won’t see the iconic skyline lit up in the night until you head back over to the Bund.
For dinner, we went to Huì Yuán SùShí Fāng (Lotus Vegan) and indulged in some vegan Chinese food. The sweet vegan ribs and walnut bao’s were our favourite!

Day 2 – Old Shanghai & the French Concession
This is going to be a pretty packed day, so wear comfortable shoes! We always grabbed some bao’s for breakfast, but most convenience stores have many options.
Plus, there are lots of food options where you’re heading anyway, so you won’t go hungry in Shanghai.
Admire the Old City
The Old City is one of our favourite areas in Shanghai, filled with temples, gardens, souvenir shops and the most beautiful Chinese architecture. It’s the perfect place to visit if it’s your first time in Shanghai.
It’s a beautiful area both day and night, so if you can visit twice during your 4 days in Shanghai! Your whole morning will be spent in old Shanghai and we’re now going to share that itinerary with you!
Most of Shanghai is pretty modernised now, so it was nice to see that they kept a small area to show what traditional Chinese buildings may have looked like. Most of the buildings are newer, but they’ve been built to show off the architecture and culture of China.
Wander around Yu Garden
Start your morning with a lovely stroll around one of the most enchanting parks in Shanghai. Yu Garden is a classical Chinese garden that was built more than 460 years ago during the Jiajing Period of the Ming Dynasty.
It was named Yu Garden because the owner Pan Yunduan, wanted to make his parents happy! There are some ponds, temples and buildings within the grounds so it was easy to simply wander around.
The gardens do have an entry price but luckily they’re not too expensive (around 40 yuan). We bought our tickets on Trip in advance which saved us some time on arrival.


➤ Book your Yu Garden ticket on Trip to skip the queues!
Explore Yu Yuan Road
After the gardens, you’ll exit right into Old Shanghai, the most beautiful streets in the city.
We saw plenty of street food, souvenir shops, restaurants and major shopping chains. It’s a busy area for sure!
You can get soupy bao’s (xiaolongbao) that you eat (or drink?) with a straw! But sadly we didn’t find any vegan-friendly ones. There are two vegetarian restaurants here though serving great food. We grabbed some dumplings and noodles at Songyuelou!
As we’ve mentioned a few times now, come back to Yu Yuan Road at night to see the colours come alive. It feels magical!


Visit the City God Temple
Whilst you’re in the area, visit the City God Temple right on the edge of the Old City.
Although the temple is usually busy, it’s still much quieter than the chaotic streets so it’s a nice breather in-between all the window shopping.
The Taoist City God Temple features three famous city gods, Huo Guang, Chen Huacheng and Qin Yubo. The temple complex has also been restored over time
Walk around the Former French Concession
As fun as it is to browse Old Shanghai, we recommend spending your afternoon in the former French Concession! The easiest way to get there is to jump on a metro and head to one of the lovely streets.
At first, we were a little confused about where exactly to head as it’s a huge area! But we’ll share everything we found out!
So on this 4 day Shanghai itinerary, head to Wu Kang Road.
Start at the crossroads of Huaihai Road and Wu Kang Road and you’ll find the famous Wukang Mansion! It reminded us of New York and Montreal! Then stroll down the street and take a right when you get to the Fuxing Road intersection.

Wu Kang road is full of trendy cafes, boutique shops and a beautiful line of trees. It’s just a really cool area to explore! Check out LN Fortunate Coffee for a bubble waffle snack (yes, it’s vegan!)
Wu Lu Mu Road is filled with every kind of shop and it’s worth a browse for more artsy shops, cafes and more! From there we took a metro to the Tianzifang area and it was already getting dark!
At this point, we recommend ending your day in the Tianzifang area browsing the charming little alleys. There’s lots of restaurants, street food or bars! Here’s a few more other areas in the French Concession that we didn’t get time to check out:
- Huai Hai Road – we explored this a little, but the road is so long
- Fuxing Park – a lovely park in the middle of the former French Concession
- Xin Tian Di Bei Li – more cute streets in the east


➤ Here’s our top things to know before visiting China if you’re here on a first time visit!
Day 3 – West Nanjing, Jade Buddha & Sunset Cruising
On day 3 of our Shanghai itinerary, we were still getting used to the Chinese lifestyle and absolutely loving the city! After exploring East Nanjing on our first day, we decided to wander down the west side and even finished our day off at the Bund again!
Browse West Nanjing
West Nanjing is a non-pedestrianised version of East Nanjing. We grabbed some veggie baozi from Godly on our way and explored the modern streets!
We came across some side streets from this road with art and pop-up shops. Plus we couldn’t resist going into Shanghai’s flagship Uniqlo store. You can print a variety of designs on a t-shirt for only 99 yuan!
The street goes on for ages alongside the side streets, so we stopped as soon as got to lunch time and headed off to our next stop!


Visit the Jade Buddha Temple
Jade Buddha Temple was a lovely place to visit during our 4 days in Shanghai and it was our first Buddhist temple of the trip! It’s a little out of the way so we grabbed a metro (rides are so cheap in Shanghai). But, the temple is free!
It was built in the 19th century and is known for having Jade Buddha statues! They looked a very pale green colour when we saw them, but still, an impressive temple surrounded by the city’s skyscrapers!
Some temples in China have vegetarian restaurants within the grounds and Jade Buddha Temple is one of them! We ordered a set meal with map tofu and eggplant.
We really wanted to visit Jing’an Temple as well but ran out of time in the day! If you have more time in your afternoon, visit both as they’re both on the west side of Shanghai.

Take a Sunset Cruise on the Huangpu River
At this point in your 4 day Shanghai itinerary, you’ve probably experienced the neon lights in the city! We mentioned on day 1, you need to come back and visit the Bund at night and now is your chance to do it!
Go on a river cruise along the lit-up Huangpu River! The journey takes around 30 minutes and you can find the port along the Bund. You can book your tickets in advance on Trip!
Even if you don’t decide to go on a boat, go for an evening stroll and watch the lights come alive and dance! We saw them changing colours at one point. It’s one of the best things to do in Shanghai!

➤ Book your sunset cruise tickets on Trip in advance!
Day 4 – Take a Day Trip from Shanghai
As amazing as Shanghai is, this Shanghai itinerary includes a day trip away from the city centre. But don’t worry, the first idea is a popular place to visit in Shanghai. Here’s how to spend the last day of your 4 days in Shanghai.
Enjoy the day at Disneyland Shanghai
During our 3 weeks in China, we spared one day for a theme park and it was totally worth it! Disneyland Shanghai is magical. We booked our tickets in advance on Klook but you can also book them on Trip (as Trip is more used in China).
Our tickets were £42 each (around 390 yuan) which is a fair bit cheaper than Florida prices.
Choose a weekday to visit, if you can, and you’ll have a great time! We visited on a Monday and there weren’t major queues on rides apart from Soaring. Most people went for the character meets, especially Duffy!
Here’s a few rides we recommend you visit in Disneyland Shanghai:
- Zootopia Hot Pursuit
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Tron
- Soaring
- Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue
- Peter Pan
Pirates of the Caribbean, Tron and Zootopia were our favourite rides in the park!
We started our day super early to get to the park by 8 am (it opened at 8:30 on our visit and you’ll need your passports for verification). We were inside the park at 8:30 am and left at 9:30 pm so it’s a pretty long day!
We managed to cover all areas of the park and went on every ride we wanted to go on! Even Tron twice!
Disneyland Vegan Options
- Tangled Tree Tavern – Fried Vegetarian Bean Curd with Garlic Soy Sauce and Rice
- Tribal Table (Adventure Isle) – Plant Protein Balls with Dao Xiao Noodles
- Caramel Popcorn from various strands


How to get to Disneyland Shanghai
The best way to visit Disneyland is by metro! It’s easy to follow, relatively quick and affordable (only costing 6 yuan each). It took us 45 minutes from People’s Square and you’ll need to get to Line 11. Use Amaps or AppleMaps to plan your route from your accommodation.
You can also take the bus if that works out easier for you! Another option is to order a Didi that will cost a little more, but may be more comfortable. This option may be better if you’re a group!
➤ Book your Disneyland tickets on Trip here!
Visit a Water Town
Zhujiajiao Water Town can be reached by metro, making it the most popular day trip from Shanghai. This town is particularly touristy but a lovely visit. You only need a few hours there so you can enjoy more of Shanghai in your late afternoon and evening.
We were very tempted to visit Zhujiajiao on a different day but after already deciding to go to Disneyland, we chose to explore more of Shanghai city.
Zhujiajiao Water Town is nicknamed the ‘Venice of Shanghai‘ as it’s filled with charming waterways and old bridges. The area has tried to stay as authentic as possible, but it’s still quite touristic these days.
Zhujiajiao was once a busy trading area, but it’s now one of the most visited water towns near Shanghai!
Take a Day Trip to Suzhou
Another one of the most popular day trips from Shanghai is a visit to Suzhou city. Walking around the canals of Suzhou is a completely different day than being in Shanghai.
A few places to check out are Tiger Hill, Humble Administrator’s Garden and the Master of the Nets Garden. You can get to Suzhou by speed train from Shanghai in only 30 minutes to an hour! It’s a lovely addition to your Shanghai 4 day itinerary.

More things to do in Shanghai:
- Propaganda Poster Art Center
- Soong Qing-Ling’s Former Residence
- Qibao
- Longhua Temple
- Chongming Island
- Power Station of Art
- Moganshan Road Art District
Museums in Shanghai:
Sadly we didn’t visit any museums in Shanghai although we’re really happy with our 4 day Shanghai itinerary. Here’s a few recommended museums if you love history:
- Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art
- Urban Planning Exhibition Center
- Shanghai History Museum
- Shanghaixingkong Art Museum
4 Day Shanghai Itinerary Breakdown
Day 1 – Shanghai’s Main Streets, The Bund & Pudong Day 2 – Old Shanghai & the French Concession Day 3 – West Nanjing, Jade Buddha & Sunset Cruising Day 4 – Day Trip / Disneyland Shanghai
After our 4 days in Shanghai, we took the 11am HSR (speed train) to Beijing on day 5 of our 3 week China trip! We’re currently writing more guides!
Where to stay in Shanghai, China
Shanghai is a huge city with hotels, hostels and guesthouses spread out all over the city. For spending 4 days in Shanghai, we recommend staying near People’s Park or the Old City. You can also stay in areas near The Bund or The French Concession. Here’s a few places to stay in Shanghai:
WOW HOTELS – A lovely decorated hotel near People’s Square with private rooms and restaurants on-site – Find it on Trip.com here!
Dayin International Youth Hostel – We spent 4 nights here during our Shanghai trip, and although we had to stay in separate dorms, it worked out really well for us due to the location, price and good amenities. You can also book private rooms! – Find it on Trip.com here!
Park Hotel Shanghai – Another great location in Shanghai with options for private rooms and lots of amenities – Find it on Trip.com here!
Best places to eat as a vegan in Shanghai
One of the best things to do in Shanghai is eat! There are thousands of places to eat in Shanghai and luckily some good spots for veggies and vegans. If you’re not veggie, you’ll find lots of food all over the city! Don’t forget to try soop dumplings in the Old City.
Here’s some of our recommendations for eating vegan food in Shanghai:
- Huì Yuán SùShí Fāng (Lotus Vegan) 慧缘素食坊 – our favourite spot in Shanghai!
- Songyuelou 春风松月楼 – the perfect place in the Old City.
- Carrot & Cleaver – western wraps & cakes!
- GōngDé Lín (Godly) – veggie bao’s for breakfast! plus lots of other dishes.
- Vegegood 素来很好 – international veggie food!

How to get to Shanghai, China
Shanghai is one of the easiest places to get to in China with two international airports and affordable flights. You can also get bullet trains from around the country if you’re already on a China trip. Book your trains on Trip or 12306 Railway!
From Pudong Airport – Take Metro Line 2 into the city centre (50-minute journey) and then change to whichever area you need (we went to People’s Square). The metro only costs 7 yuan which is around 80p. You can also get the iconic Maglev, but it costs 50 yuan and you’ll have to change to a metro anyway (40-minute journey).
From Hongqiao Airport – Take Metro Line 10 from Terminal 1 or Metro Line 2 or 10 from Terminal 2 to the city centre. It will take around 35 minutes to get to People’s Square and cost 5 yuan.


How to get around Shanghai, China
Getting around Shanghai is easy (once you know how to use the right apps). Google Maps doesn’t really work in China, although we used it to mark our points of interest in planning the day.
We used Amap for our 3 week China trip and it worked great most of the time! Apple Maps or Baidu Maps also work but we couldn’t get these on our Android phones.
Shanghai has one of the longest metro networks in the world and a great bus system to back it up. The metros are clean, and reliable and will take you anywhere around the city!
Download AliPay and WeChat before your 4 days in Shanghai. You’ll need to add your bank details and verify yourself. AliPay was our transport card for every destination in China, we used it for metros and buses.
Metro – The best way to get around the city is by metro! The prices are around 2 to 6 yuan for travelling around Shanghai’s inner city and 6 yuan for longer journeys.
Bus – The bus is a great way to get around if there’s no metro stop nearby. Traffic can be busy but it only costs 1 or 2 yuan per ride.
Walking – We walked 30k steps a day to explore as much as possible, even when we used the metro!
Best time to visit Shanghai
The best time to visit Shanghai is between March to May and September to mid-November due to the climate!
However, you’ll want to avoid Golden Week at the beginning of October! It’s the busiest time of year with locals travelling all over the country. Chinese New Year, Labour Day and the Spring Festival will also be busier times of the year.
We visited during mid-October and the weather was 22-27°C every day and we didn’t need a jumper! So this is a great time of year to plan your 4 day Shanghai itinerary.
The summertime in Shanghai is very humid and hot! It’s not the best time to visit Shanghai but other areas of China in the north may be perfect! So just bear in mind, the country is huge with different temperatures.


Mandarin Phrases to Know in Shanghai
Luckily it’s pretty easy to get around Shanghai without knowing Mandarin (Chinese), but it’s definitely appreciated to know a few phrases.
The most common two phrases to learn when travelling are hello and thank you!
- Hello – Nihao (Nee haow)
- Thank you – Xiexie (Sshyeah-sshyeah)
Here’s a few more phrases you might want to learn before spending 4 days in Shanghai:
- Goodbye – Zaijian (Dzeye je ehn*)*
- Good Morning – Zaoshang hao (Dzow shung haow)
- Good Evening – Wanshang hao (Wun shung haow)
- Good Night – Wan’an (Wun-un)
- How are you? – Nihao ma (Nee haoww ma)
- Good – Hen hao (Hun haow)
- Not So Good – Bu tai hao (Boo tye haow)
- No – Bu (Boo)
- Yes – Shi de (Shee duh)
There’s a few variations for these phrases such as formal and informal, but these are some basics you can start to learn for your Shanghai trip!
Is Shanghai expensive?
Shanghai isn’t really expensive especially compared to Western Europe. We were shocked at the price of most things, especially the food and transport.
Here’s a rough guide of our travel costs for 2 people in Shanghai:
- Hostel per night: from 240 to 300 yuan
- Private room: from 370 yuan to 650 yuan and higher
- Average restaurant meal: around 90 – 140 yuan
- Metro per ride: around 2-3 yuan per ride
We’ve already visited Japan on a tight budget and South Korea on a budget, and China is more affordable than both of these countries!


Is Shanghai worth visiting?
Yes! Shanghai is definitely worth visiting whether you’re on a short or long trip to China. We were worried we wouldn’t be able to make it as it’s out of the way from the rest of the places we wanted to visit but thanks to China’s HSR, it was only a 4.5 journey!
Shanghai exceeded our expectations with clean streets, affordable food and lots of green spaces! From the cultural old city to the new neon-lit shopping streets, you can find lots of ways to spend 4 days in Shanghai!
Where to visit after Shanghai
We spent 3 weeks in China travelling around the country! At first, we struggled to add Shanghai to our itinerary as the country is huge and flights can be expensive! Luckily we managed to make it work, and here’s some other recommendations after your trip to Shanghai:
Beijing – take a 4.5 hour speed train to Beijing and explore the forbidden city, palaces and night markets!
Hong Kong – take a trip to HK to explore a European version of Shanghai on islands!
Taiwan – Only a short flight away, we explored Taiwan after our 3 weeks in China!
That’s the end of our 4 day Shanghai Itinerary! Check out more China travel guides, so you can plan the best trip.
- The Perfect 4 Day Beijing Itinerary, China
- Things to know before visiting China (for the first time)
- The Best Xi’an Itinerary: 3 Days in Xi’an
- The Best 3 Day Chengdu Itinerary
- 3 Day Hong Kong Itinerary
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