Cheap things to do in Shanghai
Soup dumplings, free museums, river cruises and a proper local bar
This is Shanghai for people who want to eat well and see a lot without watching their wallet disappear. The three days move between the colonial waterfront, the quieter backstreets of Jing'an and the French Concession fringe, with almost every stop costing next to nothing. It suits anyone who is happy to walk, queue at a street counter and consider a great-value spot a splurge.
Day 1: The Bund and People's Square
A free morning on the waterfront gives way to China's best free museum, two rounds of legendary cheap dumplings and an evening on the river that costs less than a beer in most cities.
- 9:30 AM
The Bund 外滩
Free morning walk along the colonial waterfront facing the Lujiazui skyline, best light before the crowds hit.
Map - 11:00 AM
Shanghai Museum
China's best free museum, bronzes, ceramics and calligraphy in one building; book the real-name reservation in advance.
Map - 12:30 PM
Jia Jia Tang Bao
Soup dumplings made to order near People's Square; the pork and crab ones are worth the wait.
Map - 7:30 PM
Yang's Fried-Dumpling
Legendary pan-fried pork dumplings, crispy bottoms, cheap and satisfying, the go-to local dinner spot.
Map - 9:00 PM
Huangpu River Cruise
45-minute evening cruise showing the full lit Bund and Lujiazui skyline circuit, the cheapest way to see Shanghai at night.
Map
Day 2: Colonial villas, temples, local bars
A quiet villa museum, a gilded Buddhist temple, home-style Shanghainese cooking at Chun and a neighbourhood bar that won't dent the budget round out a slow, satisfying day in Jing'an and the Concession fringe.
- 10:30 AM
Shanghai Museum of Arts And Crafts 上海工艺美术博物馆
A small fee gets you lacquer, embroidery and jade carving in a white villa on Fenyang Road.
Map - 12:30 PM
Weixiangzhai
Sesame-paste noodles and beef curry soup at a decades-old canteen; order at the till and share a table.
Map - 2:00 PM
Jing'an Temple
Gilded roofs and incense in an active Buddhist temple ringed by malls; a small ticket gets you in.
Map - 7:30 PM
Chun
Great-value Shanghainese spot beloved by locals, proper home-style cooking at honest prices.
Map - 9:00 PM
ＴＨＥ ＢＥＡＣＨ ＨＯＵＳＥ
Casual neighbourhood bar a short walk from dinner, good for a nightcap without blowing the budget.
Map
Day 3: Parks, typewriters and great-value dinners
Zhongshan Park sets an easy pace before a run of genuinely great-value acclaimed cooking, with a detour to a typewriter museum that earns its place on any itinerary.
- 10:30 AM
Zhongshan Park 中山公园
A big free park where mornings mean tai chi, dancing and card games under the trees.
Map - 12:30 PM
Ou Yue Zun Xian
Zhejiang coastal home cooking at fair prices; order a whole fish and a few seasonal greens.
Map - 2:30 PM
Luhanbin Typewriter Museum 陆汉斌打字机博物馆
Rooms of antique typewriters from one man's collection; message ahead to check it's open.
Map - 7:30 PM
Yu Ge Zhanjiang (Jingan)
Zhanjiang-style Cantonese: steamed seafood and white-cut chicken at fair prices.
Map
Where to stay
Hanting Hotel Shanghai People Square Subway Station
The only dollar-sign hotel in the list, it sits close to the Bund and People's Square stops and keeps cash in your pocket for dumplings.
Cachet Boutique Shanghai
Cachet Boutique lands in the Jing'an corridor at a price that suits this trip, putting days two and three within easy walking distance.
Make Shanghai your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Yu Garden: a few days ahead
- Shanghai Tower: a few days ahead
- Shanghai Museum: a few days ahead
- Shanghai Museum East: a few days ahead
- Lost Plate Shanghai Food Tour: a few days ahead
- UnTour Food Tours Shanghai: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Never follow a stranger to a tea ceremony, tea festival, bar, massage or student art venue they choose.
- Skip the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel; take the metro or the ferry for the same crossing.
- Photograph Oriental Pearl Tower from the Bund instead of climbing it; Shanghai Tower is the better deck.
- Avoid cheap Delta bus combos with silk, jade and tea factory shopping stops; Suzhou is 30 minutes by train.
The full Shanghai travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around