Luxury things to do in Shanghai
Taian Table, 102 House, Otto e Mezzo, Kor Shanghai, and the House of Roosevelt
Shanghai has more serious tasting-menu restaurants per square kilometre than almost any city in the world, and this itinerary visits the peak of them across three consecutive nights. Days are structured but unhurried, with flagships and heritage architecture filling the hours between one long dinner and the next.
Day 1: The Bund, Lujiazui, 102 House
Coffee at RAC, a morning on the Bund, lunch at Lang Yi Fang, the Shanghai Tower, then Cantonese at 102 House and drinks at the House of Roosevelt.
- 9:30 AM
RAC Coffee & Bar
An Anfu Road café for good coffee and a French-style brunch plate before heading to the Bund.
Map - 10:30 AM
The Bund 外滩
Stroll the full Bund promenade, the city's most iconic waterfront, best in morning light before the crowds arrive.
Map - 12:30 PM
Langyifang 廊亦舫
Refined Chinese cooking on the Pudong side of the river, a short walk from the towers.
Map - 2:30 PM
Shanghai Tower 上海中心大厦
Ride the fast lifts to the deck of China's tallest tower, with the Bund and the river far below.
Map - 7:30 PM
102 House
Refined Cantonese cooking in a heritage building near the Bund; book the seasonal tasting menu.
Map - 9:30 PM
The House of Roosevelt
A rooftop terrace on top of 27 on the Bund facing Pudong's towers, with a huge wine list below.
Map
Day 2: Jing'an Temple to Taian Table
Incense and gilt at Jing'an Temple, a Cantonese lunch, flagship browsing at Plaza 66, and an evening at Taian Table's chef's counter.
- 9:30 AM
Wangbaohe Coffee Shop
The coffee shop of the old Wangbaohe hotel off Nanjing East Road, a quick breakfast before Jing'an.
Map - 10:30 AM
Jing'an Temple 静安寺
Jing'an Temple is one of Shanghai's most iconic landmarks, gilded halls and incense smoke right in the heart of the neighbourhood.
Map - 12:30 PM
Tou Zao
A refined Cantonese lunch a short walk from Jing'an Temple; dim sum is the reason to come at midday.
Map - 2:30 PM
Plaza 66
Luxury flagships stacked under one roof on Nanjing West Road, a few minutes from lunch.
Map - 7:30 PM
Taian Table
Chef Stefan Stiller's long tasting menu at a counter facing the kitchen; book well ahead.
Map - 10:00 PM
Day 3: Rockbund, heritage marble, Italian gold
Coffee at the Bulgari, art deco at Rockbund Art Museum, roast meats and dim sum at Imperial Treasure, and a tasting menu with wine pairings at 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana to close the trip.
- 10:15 AM
Bulgari Hotel Shanghai
Bulgari Hotel's all-day bar does a legendary morning coffee in the grandest possible setting, marble, gold, and Bund views.
Map - 11:00 AM
Rockbund Art Museum 上海外滩美术馆
Rotating contemporary shows in the restored Art Deco Royal Asiatic Society building; Wed to Sun from 11.
Map - 12:30 PM
Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine
Cantonese roast meats and dim sum in the Yifeng galleria; order the suckling pig and har gow.
Map - 2:30 PM
Yifeng Bund Source 益丰·外滩源
Yifeng Bund Source is a curated luxury mall in a heritage lane, Hermès, Cartier, and niche boutiques all under one restored 1930s roof.
Map - 7:30 PM
8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana
Umberto Bombana's Italian tasting menu by the Rockbund; add white truffle when it's in season.
Map
Where to stay
Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai
The Bulgari is on the plan for Day 3 anyway: staying here puts you in the grandest address on the Bund with the rooms to match.
Fairmont Peace Hotel
The Fairmont Peace Hotel sits right on the Bund, moments from the House of Roosevelt and Imperial Treasure, and its art deco bones suit the tone of the whole itinerary.
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