Shanghai is one of the largest global economic hubs in the world. It is the biggest city in China with a population of more than 24 million. As it was an official host for Expo 2010 and recorded the greatest number of visitors in any event. Shanghai is one of the top 10 places to visit in China with kids and so let’s go for a Quick Shanghai Tour or read about the best things to do in Shanghai and why it should be included in highlights of China. Â
This beautiful city is a perfect blend of modern & traditional cultures. Skylines of high rise buildings and Chinese traditions makes this city very unique. If you have a layover in Shanghai then read about tips to utilize your maximum time.Â
I went to Shanghai as a small stopover for attending a wedding in Xinyu(a small province in China). And if you want to feel true authentic China then go for a biking trip in China. Know more about Cycling China – Bicycyling touring across. I had got only 24 hours in this city for visiting all the tourist attractions. There were continuous rains in Shanghai, but it did not drop my travel spirits. I still managed to do my Shanghai Tour. I stayed in Shanghai Marriott City Center Hotel. Â
Top Things To Do in Quick Shanghai City TourÂ
Walk along Nanjing Road
Shanghai’s busiest shopping street with many colorful & traditional Chinese shops with classy shopping malls. It also has many restaurants, cafes, and bars. Evenings/Nights are the best time to visit this place as whole Nanjing road is illuminated with colorful signboards and lights. Â
BundÂ
Bund is a long walkway stretch along waterfront promenade on the banks of river Huangpu. The other side of Bund has various architectural styled Building. Famous skyline of Shanghai with Oriental Pearl Tower can be viewed from the promenade. Â
Jing’an Temple (Buddhist Temple)
 This is also known as Temple of Peace & Tranquility. Jing’an Temple has the largest Jade Buddha in China. The temple’s history is 780 years back. There are three main halls  – The Mahavira Hall
                          – Hall of heavenly kings
                           – Three sage hall
There is a peaceful atmosphere in the temple and I got some time for meditation away from hustle and bustle of the city. Some more pictures from the temple –Â
YuYuan Garden (Happiness Garden)
 This garden is built by the Ming Dynasty around 400 years back. It covers 20,000sq. meters area. Glimpses of ancient China can be seen in the garden in the form of Pagodas, arches, trees, and walkways.
Oriental Pearl Tower
 This tower is located on banks of Huangpu River and also it is the FIFTH highest tower in the world. This tower has 3 Observation Decks on 3 Pearl shaped spheres. Due to lack of time and rains, I skipped going to the Observation deck.
French Concession – Popular for boutique shopping and high range dining spots. It is quite popular among tourists. It is the area where the French Government administered from 1849 to 1946. Buildings are quite influenced by the French style of architecture.
Eating out Local Cuisine in Chinese RestaurantÂ
Though language is a problem as many people don’t understand English and I cannot speak Chinese, somehow I managed to find an authentic Chinese restaurant with delicious food.
Buying Traditional Chinese Handicrafts
 There are lots of colorful Chinese stuff for home decor, jewelry, dolls which are very unique and cannot be found anywhere else.
Enjoy Skyline views in evenings from high rise restaurant or hotel roomÂ
There are many tourist attractions in Shanghai like Disneyland, Traditional water Villages at about a couple of hours drive. For them, you may require 2 to 3 days more.
There are special scooters in China, which I have seen the first time. The specialty of this two-wheeler is that it is covered by plastic to protect from rain.
I wish I could have more time to explore more things in Shanghai. Also, it was raining but it could not stop my travel spirits. The only thing which I missed is if it would not rain then I could have taken more pictures with blue sky.
Best option to stay in Shanghai is Shanghai Marriott City Center. Read my reviews on it.
General Tips Visit to ShanghaiÂ
The currency of China – Yuan (Exchange can be done in Banks, Exchange machines at hotels and on International Airports). You must have these 10 Apps downloaded to your device when visiting China.Â
People are friendly though not understand our language and cheerful. Shanghai is basically a safe place. Vegetarians can also find lots of eating options here. Internal traveling in China can be done through Bullet Train which is very fast and speedy. Also, China has a Visa Free Transit policy for some countries so you can go to China Without a Visa.Â
So KEEP TRAVELING whether it rains, snows, hot or humid. Keep your Travel Spirits high in whatever circumstances you are into it. Â
Shishya (Thank you in Chinese)
All photos are taken by me and use of photos without permission would result in legal action.
DISCLAIMER – The content of the blog is solely my views of a place or a thing. This is not to offend any class, religion, ethnicity or nation. My views can change from time to time. This blog may contain some advertisements or links to commercial products and for that, this site is not responsible after you click those advertisements.  We are independently owner of this site and views expressed in this are our own. All photographs are owned by site owner.  There can be slight differences in distances, locations or some details for which owner of this site is not responsible. This post may contain some affiliate links, means at no additional cost to you. I will earn if you will click through affiliates and make a purchase.
I have never been to Shanghai. That scooter looks interesting with a protective plastic for rain. Did you use it? I love that Happiness garden – looks well manicured and planned. Very colorful night lighting too. Thanks for a lovely blog!
Shanghai is very colorful. That scooter is mostly driven by vendors or home delivery guys. I just took permission of one home delivery person to do a small wonderful ride for fun.
I’ve been Shanghai since 2015. In my mind, the most impressive thing was cuisine culture. Really delicious! Besides, the food sizes also made me feel surprising! They are normally triple or double bigger than those in other countries. For example, you can find a very long big cucumber like a hand, lol. Perhaps, China is the most crowded country in the world, they must create new gens food to supply for a huge population? Anyway, my trip was perfect and unforgetable. Thanks for your sharing ! Great trip!
Shanghai is one of the best cities in China. The foods are awesome as well. You just have to become accustomed with the people….Great websites! Thanks for sharing.
24 hours is good enough time for a city tour. You made good use of it. Walking tours are the best. So good to see the Buddhist Temple there. And the happiness garden is such a nice concept. I hope I can do a similar tour some day.
We have family who moved to Shangai recently and I can’t wait to go visit them. I would love to visit the Jing’an temple it looks stunning and I can’t wait to just see all the lights in the streets at night.
Shanghai is one of the best cities in China. The foods are awesome as well. You just have to become accustomed with the people.
I can’t wait to visit China!!! I love all the images of the city… it feels so full of life!!!! I especially want to see the HAPPINESS GARDEN! I mean, I bet the energy in that place just feels so good! Thank you for sharing your amazing day with us…. OH I love that your “bike” had an umbrella built into it…. they don’t have those in NY.
I visited Shanghai about 15 years ago – it must have grown so much in those years! I remember seeing it in Mission Impossible and a recent Bond movie too. Also when I went there wasn’t the bullet trains for intercity travel! You’ve inspired me to go back and see how much it has grown. I didn’t know it was the most populated city in China!
I’ve been really keen on visiting China lately and Shanghai is really high on the list. And going by your pictures and the detailed guide even for a shirt duration is really helpful. I like you mentioned that there are vegetarian food easily available too as against the myths!!
I would love to see Shanghai! It looks like a fascinating and overwhelming city. I’ve always loved its unique skyline. Looks like you fit a lot into a short trip!
I love Shanghai, we have just moved to Tianjin and are counting down the weeks until we can pop down and visit the city! I love the Bund and the amazing food!
Loved the scooter ride. I would love to visit the places you have mentioned. The Oriental Pearl tower looks fascinating and I am in love with the Yuyuan Garden picture.
I’ve never been to Shanghai but I’ve always wanted to! Sounds like you had an amazing time there! So fun.
Quite a colorful city. I love the mix of contemporary modern things like that rain proof scooter and the traditional elements. I definitely would love to discover it for myself.
Shanghai is definitely on my bucket list and must see travel destination. I just love how alive and vibrant the city is. Now to saving up for it.
The umbrella bikes look fun, there is so much to see and do in Shanghai!
Breathtaking photos. I have always wanted to go to Shanghai, I’ve only been to Beijing (pre-Olympics) and I wish my visit was more enjoyable and less toxic.
Lovely photos! Even though it rained you seem to have had a great time and that’s what matters!
You certainly got a lot done within 24hrs. I have always wanted to go to Shanghai it looks and sounds like such an interesting place. I also just love the colour of the place. The YuYuan Garden looks looks funky too and definitely would also make me feel happy :-).
I’ve only been to Guangzhou in China. I do have a couple of friends in Shanghai and it would be the perfect reason to visit them and explore the city as well. Love the gorgeous lighting of the Nanjing road. The Happiness Garden looks interesting.
This is awesome! I love how colorful it is there. Makes me want to pack my bags and take my camera to get some pictures!
Wow what an extensive blog post! I have genuinely never considered Shanghai as a travel destination. Now I have no idea why! Thanks for sharing so many cool tips with us. Have bookmarked your site 🙂
Shanghai is sch a hot destinations right now. i had a few friends go there and love it. i can tell shopping is serious business over there, those department stores look like they belong in Paris!! Shanghai looks like an experience.
My sister has been to Shanghai and she was truly impressed by the city. The night lights look spectacular and the skyline can give some of the best cities of the world a run for their money. The YuYuan Garden looks really funky and certainly one to invoke a sense of happiness. Thanks for the tips.
Shanghai really does look so amazing. I would love to visit the all of the places you put here. I have been to China but I never made it there.
So much to do in Shanghai. I’d go for more than 24hrs tour and explore the beauty of such a colorful city. I like the handmade decorations found in most China stores. They are perfect for souvenirs. The language barrier is a minor so long there is food involved. I like your traveling spirit, through thick and thin, through rain and sunshine, you explored Shanghai.
When I was in Myanmar 2 weeks ago it was raining every day. So what – I thought. We can’t let the bad weather kill the good spirit of travelling! Always thing positive. What were your feelings about the city? Did you like it? Was the vibe good?
Ps. Love your travel quote in the ME section. So true… the best stories are to be found between the pages of our own passports!
I like the energy of Shanghai… it has positive vibes… easy going city though it is crowded n big.
Very cool post about Shanghia! I’ve never been myself. The only place in China I’ve been to is Hong Kong, but that’s not even considered a true Chinese city. lol
Never been to Shangai, but it looks such a big and beautiful city!! Some great tips to get around! Thanx!
Shanghai is now officially on my bucket list. I have always been interested in going. Now it is a must. Everything from the culture to the food all seems so amazing. I will definitely be taking this post with me as a guide.
Few years back, I visited CHina and Shanghai. Loved Shanghai, The bund was my favorite, we walked along in the starry night sipping the coffee, just awesome!
China has been on my list to visit for a while now. Seems like you did a lot there for what little time you did have. Such a vibrant city with so much to see and do, I’m sure anyone could spend weeks here! I’d love to try the local cuisine!
I just loved this post about Shanghai and the cute little scooters you used to get around. Their little umbrellas, of sorts are a great idea. I can’t believe how beautiful it is at night. I loved all of the lights. My son had read a number of books about Buddhism and would absolutely love Jing’an Temple. The jade Buddha is truly incredible! x
Shanghai at night is an explosion of colors and lights. A very inviting place for a photographer. Your photos make me wanna go there.
Stunning – there seems to be so much to see and that scooter sounds like a fun way to go around!
I love Nanjing Road it’s looks so pretty, well lit and lively at night, would definitely want to go there and also the Buddhist temple. I’ve heard Shanghai has good street food as well, is that true? I’d love to try local cuisine!
I like those scooters with the rain covers on, very smart of the Chinese! I’ve yet to see Shanghai, so these tips are great. Happiness Gardens look so pretty too.
Quick Shanghai tour? Initially that seemed like an oxymoron to me given that the city has so much to offer. But you surely have seemed to got the feel of the place in a short time!
yes Shanghai is very city but due to lack of time and rains, I managed main tourist spots.
I live in Shanghai now and as someone reasonably new to this city I 100% think you have nailed your 24 hour tour of this massive city! You’ve definitely hit all the highlights especially the Bund and Yu Gardens! Great idea skipping the viewing platform at the Oriental Pearl, wait times are often up to 3 hours! I love how you mention that the people here are very cheerful despite the major language barrier, it does feel like a friendly safe city for sure!