Things to do in Shanghai, splurging
The Bund and Shanghai Tower, Peking duck at Xindalu, and a nightcap at Speak Low.
This is Shanghai for people who want the full version: fine-dining lunches, cocktail bars on the 58th floor, boutiques inside heritage arcades. The plan moves between Pudong's vertical drama and the French Concession's low-slung cool, so you get contrast without wasted taxi time. If you're happy spending serious money and want every meal to count, this is the itinerary.
Day 1: Pudong: skyline, then the view at night
Start on the colonial waterfront, eat Cantonese at Canton Table, ride up Shanghai Tower in the afternoon, and end the night with a nightcap at Flair's 58th-floor terrace while Lujiazui glows below.
- 10:30 AM
The Bund
Stroll the full colonial-era waterfront, 52 heritage façades facing the Lujiazui skyline; best light and least crowds mid-morning.
Map - 12:30 PM
Canton Table
Cantonese cooking on the fifth floor of Three on the Bund, river in view; order the roast pigeon.
Map - 2:30 PM
Shanghai Tower
Ride to the 546m observation deck on Shanghai Tower, China's tallest building, 360° views of the Bund and river circuit.
Map - 4:30 PM
Lujiazui Green 陆家嘴绿地
A lawn and lake hemmed in by the Pudong towers, with an old Chen family mansion in one corner.
Map - 7:30 PM
Xindalu China Kitchen
Peking duck from a wood-fired oven at the Hyatt on the Bund; order the whole bird.
Map - 9:30 PM
Flair
Nightcap at Flair, Ritz-Carlton Pudong's 58th-floor rooftop bar, terrace views over Lujiazui lit up at night, the perfect closer.
Map
Day 2: The Bund, properly done
A morning in Shanghai Museum's bronze and ceramics galleries, lunch at Vivant by Johnny Pham, an afternoon browse through Yifeng Bund Source's boutiques, and the Bulgari bar for last drinks.
- 10:30 AM
Shanghai Museum
China's finest collection of bronzes, ceramics and calligraphy, friends swear by it; book the real-name reservation in advance.
Map - 12:30 PM
Vivant by Johnny Pham
Modern French cooking from chef Johnny Pham, a few minutes' walk from People's Square.
Map - 2:30 PM
Yifeng Bund Source 益丰·外滩源
Yifeng Bund Source, a heritage arcade packed with boutiques and design labels right on the Bund; perfect afternoon browse.
Map - 7:30 PM
Yongxing Restaurant
Classic Chinese dishes near the north end of the Bund, a short walk to the Bulgari bar after.
Map - 9:30 PM
Bulgari Hotel Shanghai
Cocktails at the Bulgari's bar across Suzhou Creek, with the Bund lit up along the river.
Map
Day 3: Jing'an, coffee to Speak Low
Specialty coffee at RAC, two gilded temples at opposite ends of the afternoon, a French bistro dinner, and Speak Low to close: one of the best cocktail bars in Asia, full stop.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:30 AM
Jing'an Temple
Gilded roofs and incense in an active Buddhist temple ringed by Nanjing West Road malls; small entry fee.
Map - 12:30 PM
- 2:30 PM
Jade Buddha Temple
A working temple built around two jade Buddhas brought from Burma; the seated one is the one to see.
Map - 7:30 PM
Le Bistrot De Racine
French bistro classics in Jing'an; steak frites and a bottle off the wine list.
Map - 9:30 PM
Speak Low
Floors of cocktail bars hidden behind a bar-tools shop on Fuxing Road; go up as far as they let you.
Map
Where to stay
The Peninsula Shanghai
The Peninsula sits exactly where the Bund meets Suzhou Creek: walking distance to Canton Table, Yifeng, the Bulgari bar, and the morning museum run.
Fairmont Peace Hotel
The Fairmont Peace Hotel is one of the great Bund addresses, right in the middle of Days 1 and 2, and the building itself earns its keep as a design object.
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