Stand at the north end of the Bund and the Huangpu River does the work for you: on one bank, the early 20th-century facades of the old International Settlement; on the other, the Lujiazui skyline rising out of Pudong. Few cities put their own history and their own future in the same frame.
Shanghai suits travellers who like their sightseeing mixed with shopping, food and neighbourhood wandering. The main sights cluster in Huangpu District, the former French Concession and Pudong, and the Shanghai Metro makes moving between them straightforward.
This guide covers the places worth your time, with a one-day plan that strings the best of them together.
Top things to do in Shanghai
1. The Bund and the International Settlement
The Bund is the waterfront complex on Zhongshan East 1st Road in Huangpu District, built north and west of the Old City from the 1840s. Its early 20th-century buildings gather Neoclassical, Art Deco, Gothic and other European styles, and once hosted foreign banks, consulates and trading companies. In colonial-period Western books, "Shanghai" meant this settlement.
Walk the length of the waterfront, then turn inland into the streets of the old settlement. The Bund Historical Museum sits in a park at the north end of the Bund, so it makes a natural finish to the walk.
2. Yuyuan Gardens and the Old City
The Old City, also known as Nanshi, is the original Chinese city going back about 1000 years and is now a major tourist area. At its centre is Yuyuan Gardens, one of the classical gardens Shanghai preserves.
Pair the garden with the surrounding lanes of the Old City rather than treating it as a single stop. The City God Temple is also here, built in 1602 during the Wanli reign.
3. People's Square
What was once the horse-racing track on the edge of the British district is now a large and busy downtown park. The old track's clubhouse now houses a museum and a fine restaurant.
The Shanghai Museum and the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum face each other across the square, so you can combine a park visit with either. The metro station under the square is one of the busiest on the system, where lines 1, 2 and 8 meet.
4. Nanjing Road
Nanjing Road was the main street of the old British Concession and is today a major upmarket shopping street. Line 2 runs beneath it for some distance, with four stations along it: Nanjing Road East, People's Square, Nanjing Road West and Jing'an Temple.
Nanjing Road East extends from the Bund to People's Park, and most of it is a pedestrians-only strip. Nanjing Road West continues into Jing'an District, running along the north side of People's Park.
5. Jing'an Temple
Beyond People's Park on Nanjing Road West, Jing'an Temple is a beautiful ancient building with a metro station named after it. It is an easy addition to a Nanjing Road walk rather than a separate trip.
Come off the shopping street and treat the temple as the landmark that closes the western end of the route.
6. The former French Concession
This has always been a fashionable area, and it remains so today with much of Shanghai's best entertainment and shopping. It is the city's best area for boutique shopping, small galleries and craft shops, and interesting restaurants.
Give it at least half a day and wander rather than tick off addresses. Within it, Huaihai Road is an upmarket shopping street that many Shanghai people prefer over Nanjing Road.
7. Xintiandi
Xintiandi is an area of old shikumen houses in the former French Concession, redeveloped with shopping malls, trendy bars and restaurants, and a lot of tourism. Shikumen are unique Shanghai lane houses that blend Western terrace structures with traditional Jiangnan courtyard layouts, marked by their distinctive stone-framed gateways.
Xintiandi stresses brand-name goods and entertainment. Come in the evening if you want the bars and restaurants at their liveliest.
8. Tianzifang
Tianzifang is another area of shikumen housing that has been redeveloped, newer than Xintiandi and emphasising arts, crafts and boutique shopping. It also has many galleries and studios.
Choose Tianzifang over Xintiandi if crafts and small galleries interest you more than brands. It sits in the French Concession, so it combines well with a wider wander through that district.
9. Garden Villas
Garden villas in the former French Concession were high-end residences built mainly in the 1920s–1940s, with spacious plans, private gardens and modern domestic facilities. Many well-preserved properties are former homes of famous historical figures.
Key sites are found on Wukang Road, Hengshan Road and within the Sinan Mansions. These are streets to walk, so set aside time to cover them on foot.
10. Xujiahui
Xujiahui is the centre of Xuhui District, with a metro interchange where lines 1, 9 and 11 meet, major roads, huge malls including many electronics stores, and high-end residential and office buildings.
It is a practical stop if you are shopping for electronics, and the interchange makes it easy to fold into a French Concession day.
11. The Power Station of Art
On the Huangpu River, this is an old power plant converted first to a pavilion for Expo 2010 and then to the first state-run contemporary art museum in China. It is in Huangpu.
Combine it with the riverside rather than crossing the city for it alone.
12. M50 art district
M50 is Shanghai's main centre for contemporary Chinese art, with dozens of studios and galleries in a former factory in Putuo District.
Because the gallery areas are scattered, many of them away from the centre in former industrial buildings, plan M50 as a dedicated stop rather than an add-on to a central sightseeing day.
13. 1933 Shanghai
1933 Shanghai is in a former abattoir and has a theatre, shops, cafés and studios. It is in Hongkou.
Its mix of uses means you can see the building and stop for coffee in the same visit.
14. The Shanghai Propaganda Poster and Art Centre
On the west side of the French Concession, this centre holds a fine collection of Mao-era posters and other memorabilia. It is a bit hard to find but worth the effort.
Allow extra time for locating it, and pair it with the rest of your French Concession wandering.
15. The China Art Museum
Across the river in Pudong, the China Art Museum is housed in what was the China Pavilion of the 2010 World Expo and is dedicated to modern Chinese art. Its main highlight is a digital animated version of China's most famous painting, Along the River During the Qingming Festival.
The Shanghai Municipal History Museum is below the Pearl Tower in Pudong, so the two can be worked into the same cross-river outing.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at the Bund and walk the waterfront, then continue into the streets of the International Settlement. Finish at the north end with the Bund Historical Museum, then walk Nanjing Road East from the Bund to People's Park.
Afternoon: Spend time in People's Square, choosing between the Shanghai Museum and the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum on opposite sides of the square. Continue west along Nanjing Road West to Jing'an Temple, then head into the Old City for Yuyuan Gardens.
Evening: Cross to Pudong for the China Art Museum, or stay on the Huangpu side and finish at the Power Station of Art. If you would rather end the day eating and shopping, Xintiandi in the former French Concession is the place for bars and restaurants.
Frequently asked questions
Where are most of Shanghai's main tourist sights?
Many of them are in Huangpu District, including the Old City and Yuyuan Gardens, the International Settlement and the Bund, People's Square and Nanjing Road. The former French Concession holds another major cluster, and Pudong has the skyscrapers and the China Art Museum.
How do I get around between these places?
The Shanghai Metro, first opened in 1993, is the largest metro network in the world by route length. People's Square is one of its hubs, where lines 1, 2 and 8 meet, and Line 2 runs under Nanjing Road with four stations along it.
What is shikumen, and where can I see it?
Shikumen are unique Shanghai lane houses that blend Western terrace structures with traditional Jiangnan courtyard layouts, marked by their distinctive stone-framed gateways. Visit Xintiandi or Tianzifang to see redeveloped examples.
Where should I go for contemporary art?
The gallery areas are rather scattered, many in former industrial buildings. M50 in Putuo District is the main centre for contemporary Chinese art, while the Power Station of Art in Huangpu was the first state-run contemporary art museum in China. The West Bund is one of the city's newest art districts, where the Centre Pompidou established its first Chinese outpost at the West Bund Museum in 2019.
Decide how many days you have, pick the districts that match your interests, and start building your Shanghai itinerary around the Bund, the Old City and the French Concession.