Shanghai
From Muslim Bookings
Welcome to Shanghai! One of the world's most modern cities, Shanghai gracefully blends the traditional with the contemporary. As a Muslim traveler, you'll find that Shanghai is surprisingly accommodating. Here's a guide to help you navigate the city while maintaining your Islamic practices:
Shanghai is one of four cities in China that are administered as municipalities (市) at the same level in the hierarchy as provinces. It is not part of any province there is no government structure at province, prefecture or city level, just a government for Shanghai Municipality and one for each of the 16 neighborhoods within it. This is an overview article for the entire municipality. For the central neighborhoods which have most of the tourist attractions, hotels and restaurants, see #Downtown and #Pudong below.
The municipality covers quite a large area — 6341 km2 or 2,448 square miles — and has a population around 24 million, which is about the same as Australia and more than all but two US states and all but six EU member countries. Its GDP is larger than that of many countries, and it has the world's busiest container port. Shanghai is the main hub of the East China region, all of which is densely populated, heavily industrialized, prosperous, well supplied with migrant workers from poorer parts of China, and still growing.
Shanghai is split in two by the Huangpu River (黄浦江 Huángpǔ Jiāng), into Puxi (浦西 Pǔxī) west of the river and Pudong (浦东 Pǔdōng) east of the river. Both terms can be used in a general sense for everything on their side of the river, including various suburbs. However they are more often used in a much narrower sense where Puxi is the older (since the 19th century) downtown and Pudong the mass of new (since 1990) high-rise development right across the river from there.
History has shaped Shanghai's cityscape significantly. British-style buildings can still be seen on the Bund, while French-style buildings are still to be found in the former French Concession. What was once a racetrack on the edge the British area is now People's Park, with a major metro interchange underneath. Other metro stops include the train station at the edge of what was once the American area, and Lao Xi Men and Xiao Nan Men, Old West Gate and Small South Gate respectively, named for two of the gates of the old Chinese walled city]].
Suzhou Creek (Wusong River) is more a small river than a creek, a tributary which flows into the Huangpu at the north end of the Bund. It starts near Suzhou and is the outlet for Lake Tai. Within Shanghai parts of it form the boundary between Huangpu and Jing'an neighborhoods to the south and Hongkou and Zhabei to the north.
The city has quite a few parks scattered about—see #Parks below and the individual neighborhood articles for details—but other than that it is mostly heavily built up and densely populated. The surviving 19th-century buildings are nearly all at least two floors and fairly densely packed, and new buildings of 20 floors or more are widespread. Some of the suburbs still have low-density areas and even some farmland, but they also have large residential developments and big modern malls.
Shanghai has sometimes had groups of refugees arrive from other parts of the world. One group were White Russians fleeing the 1917 revolution; in the 1920s the French Concession had more Russians than French (and of course more Chinese than both of those together). Another group were Yahudi leaving Germany in the 1930s; they mainly settled in Hongkou, a neighborhood that already had many Jews. After Japan took over Korea in 1910 and Manchuria in 1931, Shanghai got refugees from both regions.
Contents
- 1 Districts
- 2 History of Islam in Shanghai
- 3 Halal Travel Guide
- 4 Travel to Shanghai
- 5 Get Around
- 6 Local Languages
- 7 What to See
- 8 Things to Do
- 9 Shopping in Shanghai
- 10 Study in Shanghai
- 11 Shopping
- 12 Mosques in Shanghai
- 13 Halal Food & Restaurants
- 14 Muslim Friendly Hotels
- 15 Telecommunications in Shanghai
- 16 Cope
- 17 News & References
- 18 Travel Next
Districts
Shanghai Municipality has 16 administrative neighborhoods, all with at least a few hundred thousand people, and has separate eHalal Travel Guides for most of them. Here we try to split them up in a way that will make sense for Muslim travellers.
Downtown
The historic core of Shanghai, it includes both the old Chinese city and the area of the International Settlement which began in the 1840s and lasted until the 1930s. It can be called Puxi (浦,西), downtown Shanghai (上海市区) or the downtown (市中心). Today this area is still the core of the city. Most of the tourist attractions and many hotels are here, and many metro lines run through it.
The four neighborhoods downtown are:
Huangpu The most central neighborhood of Shanghai with the Bund (a riverside boulevard that was the center of commerce in the colonial era), People's Park (often considered the center of the city), and many other attractions. The red area on the map shows what our Huangpu article covers, excluding two areas that are administered as part of Huangpu but are covered in other articles here. The Old City has its own article and we cover Luwan as part of the French Concession. |
Old City This area was a walled city for nearly a thousand years before modern Shanghai developed around it; the wall is long gone, replaced by a ring road. The area has quite a few traditional Chinese-style buildings including some of the city's most important temples, and a fine classical Chinese garden, It also has much tourist-oriented shopping and is a major draw for both Chinese and foreign tourists, less so for Shanghai residents. |
Jing'an The center of this area is a magnificent Buddhist temple more than 1500 years old; today there is a major metro station under it. The area is now one of the most built-up in the city with much upmarket shopping and extensive highrise development — commercial, residential and office — including many of the foreign Shanghai#Consulates |
French Concession With a fine Catholic cathedral and other interesting older buildings, now also with many up-market highrise residential and office buildings and several large malls. The area has much of the city's shopping — including high-end international brands, boutiques for local designers, and outlets for artists and craftspeople — and much of its nightlife as well. Our French Concession article covers all of the official neighborhood Xuhui, much of which was in the old concession though the southern parts were not. It also covers Luwan, which is no longer an official neighborhood and is now administered as part of Huangpu. |
Of course "downtown" is not precisely defined; the four neighborhoods we have above are clearly the most central, but some definitions would include others which we list under inner suburbs below.
Pudong
Directly across the river from (east of) downtown, Pudong is a major center of recent development (since about 1990) as a skyscraper-filled financial center. Pudong is listed here separately from the #Downtown|older downtown area on the Puxi side, but it might be described as an extension of the downtown core, or even as the new center of the city.
Pudong Pudong is a highly developed area with more skyscrapers than New York, several of the world's tallest buildings, and plenty of facilities catering to business travellers or well-off tourists. Budget travellers might want to see some of Pudong's sights or splurge in one of its bars or restaurants, but in general they will spend more time in the older downtown across the river. |
In Shanghai's administrative system the area we describe in the Pudong
Travel Guide is just the central part of a much larger official neighborhood called Pudong New Area, which also includes the less developed Nanhui to the south. has a separate article for Nanhui, and it is listed as an outer suburb below.
Inner suburbs
The inner suburbs all (except Yangpu) have direct borders with the downtown core, are all quite built up, and all have good metro service. All are primarily residential areas, but most have considerable industry and many offices as well and all have some large shopping malls.
These neighborhoods have some tourist attractions and several have hotels that are affordableer than those downtown but still convenient for sightseeing or shopping. Several have universities, and nearby areas tend to have many low-priced restaurants catering to the student market; see #Learn below and the neighborhood articles for details.
Yangpu Northeast of downtown, where Fudan University and Tongji University are located. It is has many moderately-priced restaurants catering to the student market. For shoppers, it has the huge Wujiaochang (五角场) mall. |
Hongkou North and a bit east of downtown, where the former Japanese concession was located, home of Lu Xun Park and a football stadium, had many of Shanghai's substantial Yahudi population in the first half of the 20th century. Mostly residential. |
Zhabei Zhabei is an older neighborhood north of downtown with the Shanghai Railway Station and the Shanghai Circus. In 2017 it was merged into Jing'an neighborhood for administrative purposes. |
Putuo Northwest of downtown, mainly a residential neighborhood. For travellers, it has some decent youth hostels near the metro. |
Changning West of downtown; the Shanghai Zoo is in this area. Changning is a very large, primarily residential neighborhood but in recent years has seen more commercial and entertainment hubs develop, especially in the area around Zhongshan Park. |
Minhang West and south of downtown, includes the water town Qibao. Metro line 5 runs north-south through much of it. Two universites, Shanghai Jiaotong U and East China Normal U, are in its southern part. |
Hongqiao Airport and Hongqiao Railway Station are in this area, on the border between Changning and the northern tip of Minhang.
Outer suburbs
The outer suburbs wrap around the southern, western and northwestern sides of the city. The sea is on the east and south, while the Yangtze River is on the northeast.
All of these areas still include some farmland but large parts of them are already covered with residential and industrial suburban development and the trend shows no sign of stopping. What were once rural villages serving nearby farms have become towns, often fairly interesting ones that preserve some of the traditional buildings, but also often with new high-rises and malls.
As of 2022, nearly all of these outer suburbs have metro connections and planned extensions to the metro system will reach the rest by 2020. In the meanwhile there is bus service to all of them; see the neighborhood articles for details.
The areas along the seacoast at the southern edge of the municipality — Fengxian, Jinshan and Nanhui — have beaches that are popular as a weekend getaway for Shanghai residents.
Baoshan North of downtown, with some coastline on the Along the Yangtze River |
Jiading Northwest of downtown, bordering Suzhou. Metro line 11 passes through Jiading and is the only line that extends beyond Shanghai Municipality; as of early 2023 it reaches Kunshan and planned extensions will connect it to the Suzhou metro. |
Qingpu On the western edge of the municipality. At its western tip is the water town Zhujiajiao. |
Songjiang Southwest of downtown, bordering Minhang, not on a municipality border. |
Jinshan At the southwest corner of the municipality, includes the water town Fengjing. |
Fengxian On the southern edge of Shanghai Municipality. |
Nanhui At the southeast corner of the municipality, administratively part of Pudong New Area. Has the Shanghai Disney Resort. |
The islands
Chongming Chongming Island in the Yangtze plus a couple of smaller islands nearby make up Chongming District the most northerly, most remote and least developed area in Shanghai Municipality. As of 2022, it is reached by ferry from Baoshan or a highway from Pudong; a metro connection is planned for 2020. It has the largest land area of any neighborhood and is considered relatively rural compared to the rest of Shanghai, even though it has about 700,000 people. |
History of Islam in Shanghai
Shanghai, often hailed as the "Pearl of the Orient," has a rich and layered history, offering glimpses of cultural intersections. Among these intersections is the influence and presence of Islam. While Shanghai might not immediately spring to mind when one thinks of Islamic centers, the city has a significant Muslim heritage that traces back centuries.
Early Muslim Settlement
Islam's footprint in China goes back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) when Arab traders and travelers started to venture into China along the Silk Road. These traders were primarily coming from Persia and Central Asia. By the time of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), Muslims had already become an integral part of Chinese society.
While the exact date of the first Muslim settlers in Shanghai is unclear, it is believed that they arrived during the Yuan or the early Ming Dynasty. These settlers were primarily merchants, officials, and scholars. Over time, they integrated with local Chinese communities, giving rise to the Hui ethnicity – a group of Han Chinese who practice Islam.
The Rise of Islamic Influence
By the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the Muslim community in Shanghai was thriving. They had established mosques, schools, and cemeteries. The Songjiang Mosque, believed to have been built during the Yuan Dynasty, is one of the oldest in the region.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Shanghai emerged as a significant commercial and cosmopolitan hub, attracting international communities, including Muslims from various countries. This period saw an increase in the Hui Muslim population, as well as an influx of Muslim traders and workers from places like Yunnan, Ningxia, and Xinjiang.
Cultural Fusion
The integration of Muslims into Shanghai society resulted in a unique cultural blend. The city's cuisine, for instance, saw the introduction of halal dishes, with mutton becoming a favored ingredient. Additionally, Islamic architectural motifs became part of Shanghai's landscape, most notably in its mosques.
Challenges and Revival
The socio-political changes in the 20th century, particularly during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), posed challenges for all religious communities, including Muslims. However, with the economic reforms of the late 20th century, there was a resurgence of religious freedom. Mosques were renovated and reopened. Today, there are about eight mosques in Shanghai serving the city's Muslim community. The Phoenix Mosque and the Pudong Mosque are among the most prominent.
Shanghai's Muslim community is actively involved in business, arts, and education. The city hosts various halal restaurants, showcasing the rich culinary diversity of Chinese Muslim cuisine.
The Present Day
In contemporary Shanghai, the Hui Muslims are the primary Muslim ethnic group, though there are also smaller communities of Uighurs and Kazakhs. The city has embraced its multicultural identity, and Islam forms an integral part of this tapestry.
Various cultural events, like the Shanghai Muslim Food Festival, showcase the harmonious blend of Chinese and Islamic cultures. Islamic art exhibitions, interfaith dialogues, and educational seminars are also frequently organized, highlighting the enduring and evolving legacy of Islam in Shanghai.
Halal Travel Guide
Shanghai is a fascinating mix of East and West. It has historic shikumen (石库门) houses that blend the styles of Chinese houses with European design flair, and it has one of the richest collections of Art Deco architecture|Art Deco buildings in the world. There were concessions (designated neighborhoods) controlled by Western powers in the late 19th and early 20th century, so in many places the city has buildings in various Western styles.
Shanghai is definitely a cosmopolitan city by Chinese standards, although it is less diverse than many western cities. The population was 23 million as of the 2020 census; 9 million (almost 40%) of those were migrants, people from elsewhere in China who have come to find work or to attend one of Shanghai's many educational institutions. There is also a substantial international contingent: 208,300 foreigners lived in Shanghai as of 2024, slightly over a third of the national total of 594,000. There are services that cater to these markets — restaurants with food from anywhere in China for the migrants (in particular, lots of good affordable Sichuan food and West-of-China noodles) and a good range of grocery stores, restaurants that cater to the foreigners.
Economy
Shanghai is strategically positioned: near the geographic center of China, at the mouth of the great Along the Yangtze River|Yangtze River and surrounded by fertile delta land. It has been a trading city for a thousand years and one of China's main centers of trade since the 1840s; today it is a major transport hub. It has the world's busiest container port and additional port facilities are under development. Shanghai's Pudong Airport is a global air hub and ranks third on a list of China's busiest airports. Shanghai's other airport, Hongqiao, ranks fourth. The city is also very well connected by both road and rail.
Shanghai is also one of the main industrial centers of China, and the municipal government has set up a number of industrial zones to encourage additional development. 2011 GDP was $300 billion, which is actually just ahead of the entire country of Malaysia.
There is a saying that goes, "Shanghai is heaven for the rich, hell for the poor." People from all over China flock to Shanghai — everyone from farmers seeking jobs in manual labour to university graduates seeking to start a career or wanting to live in a cool up-tempo city. About 40% of the population, 9 million out of 23, are migrants from other parts of China. Real estate prices, especially in central areas, have skyrocketed in the past few years; rents are among the highest in the world and even well-off people complain that buying a home is becoming imfeasible.
The surrounding East China region is populous, prosperous, highly developed, and still growing. Shanghai plays an important role as the center of that region.
History
While the area has been inhabited since prehistoric times and there has been a town at least since the Song Dynasty, a thousand years or so ago, Shanghai only rose to prominence after China lost the First Opium War in 1842. Shanghai grew amazingly after that; until then nearby cities like Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing had been far more important, but since the late 19th century Shanghai has been the center of the region.
By the early 20th century, Shanghai was the largest and most prosperous city in the Far East, and one of the wildest. With the opening up of China since the late 1970s, Shanghai has regained much of its former glory and has surpassed it in many ways; the pace of development being absolutely furious. Today, Shanghai is back to being one of the largest and most prosperous cities in Asia, though not nearly as wild as it once was. It is now a very attractive city for Muslim travellers from all over the world, and a major tourist destination for both tourism and business. A Forbes article ranks Shanghai as the world's 14th most visited city, with 6.5 million visitors in 2012.
From the early 1840s to the late 1930s parts of Shanghai were areas administered by foreign powers. Eight nations—Britain, France and the US, Germany, Italy, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Japan—had concessions in Shanghai, areas that they controlled and where Chinese law did not apply. Most of these were jointly administered as the "International Settlement", but the French ran theirs separately. In all of them and the population was mainly Chinese but there were also many foreigners, and the government and legal system were foreign. The police included many Sikhs and some French gendarmes.
Many important Chinese lived in the concession areas. Chairman Mao's Shanghai house is now a museum in Jing'an District, while both the houses of several other leaders and the site of the first national meeting of the Party are now museums in the French Concession.
Today most of the former concession areas are parts of downtown Shanghai, listed at #Downtown above.
- "Central District" on the old map was British and the center of colonial Shanghai. It corresponds roughly to the modern neighborhood Huangpu.
- The horse racing track on the edge of that area is now People's Plaza, considered the center of modern Shanghai.
- "Western District" was mostly British but also included the Italian Concession. It corresponds roughly to Jing'an.
- "French Settlement" on the old map corresponds roughly to Luwan District; the Concession later expanded westward to include Xuhui District, and our French Concession
The "Chinese City" is the area that was the walled city of Shanghai for hundreds of years before the modern city developed around it. It has its own article, Old City.
"Northern District" and "Eastern District" were once the American Concession; today they are parts of Zhabei and Hongkou respectively. They do not get as many visitors as the neighborhoods mentioned above, but they do have some attractions and the Shanghai Railway Station is in Zhabei. These are listed under #Inner suburbs.
Shanghai reached its zenith in 1920s and 30s and was at that time the most prosperous city in East Asia. On the other hand and the streets were largely ruled by the triads (Chinese gangs) during that period, with the triads sometimes battling for control over parts of Shanghai. That period has been greatly romanticised in many modern films and television serials, one of the most famous being The Bund, which was produced by Hong Kong's TVB in 1980. Shanghai also became the main center of Chinese entertainment during that period, with many films and songs produced in Shanghai.
Shanghai was occupied by the Japanese in 1937 after a bitter battle lasting several months (some of the military background is at Myanmar Road#Understand|Burma Road). Japan remained in control until 1945 and, as with elsewhere in China, life in Shanghai at that time was difficult.
The foreign concessions were removed after the war, and trade resumed. After the Socialist victory in the civil war in 1949, many of the people involved in the entertainment industry, as well as much of the upper class, fled to Hong Kong and Taiwan, Province of China. Shanghai's days of glory were — temporarily as it turned out — over.
Since China's "reform and opening up", starting under Deng Xiaoping around 1978, Shanghai has been moving back toward its former role as a great industrial city and trading port, and in many ways even surpassing the old glory days. In the 1990s and the Shanghai government launched a series of new strategies to attract foreign investment. The biggest move was to create a Special Economic Zone called Pudong New Area with a range of government measures to encourage investment. This includes nearly all of Shanghai east of the river.
The strategies for growth have been extremely successful; in twenty years Pudong|downtown Pudong went from a predominantly rural area to having more skyscrapers than New York, including several that are among the tallest in the world. Pudong is now home to many financial institutions which used to have their main offices across the Huangpu river on the Bund.
Today, Shanghai's goal is to develop into a world-class financial and economic center, and it is already well on its way. In achieving this goal, Shanghai faces competition from Hong Kong, which has the advantage of a stronger legal system and greater banking and service expertise. However, Shanghai has stronger links to the Chinese interior and to the central government, in addition to a stronger manufacturing and technology base. Shanghai has increased its role in finance and banking, with many international corporations having built their Chinese or even Asia/Pacific headquarters in the city, fueling demand for a highly educated and cosmopolitan workforce.
Climate
Shanghai has a humid subtropical weather. Cities at roughly comparable latitude (just over 30°) include New Orleans, Cairo and Perth.
Spring can feature lengthy periods of cloudy and rainy weather.
Summer temperatures often get over 35°C (95°F) with very high humidity, which means that you will perspire a lot and should take lots of changes of clothing or plan on shopping for clothing during the visit. Thunderstorms also occur relatively often during the summer. There is some risk of typhoons in their July–September season, however they are not common.
Autumn is generally mild with warm and sunny weather.
During winter, temperatures rarely rise above 10°C (50°F) during the day and often fall below 0°C (32°F) at night. Snowfall is common, typically only occurring only once every few years, but transportation networks can sometimes be disrupted in the event of a sudden snowstorm. Despite the fact that winter temperatures in Shanghai are not particularly low and the wind chill factor combined with the high humidity can actually make it feel less comfortable than some much colder places that experience frequent snowfalls. Also, back in Mao's perioid the official rule was that north of the Yangtze buildings were heated in winter but south of it they were not; Shanghai is on the south bank so many older buildings do not have heating.
Travel to Shanghai
Shanghai is one of China's main travel hubs and getting in from pretty much anywhere is easy.
By Plane
Shanghai has two main airports, with Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Pudong the main international gateway and Hongqiao serving mostly domestic flights but also some international destinations in Asia. Transfer between the two takes about 1 hour by taxi. There are also direct shuttle buses.
You can travel between the two airports in about two hours by metro. Both airports are on line 2 the main East-West line through downtown Shanghai, but at opposite ends of it. You can reduce the time some by taking the Maglev train (described in the next section) part of the way. A traveller making that transfer with a few hours to spare and a desire to get a quick look at Shanghai (and not too much luggage) might get off at Nanjing Road East and walk a few blocks to the Bund.
Free tourist maps of central Shanghai, with major sights labeled in English, are available in little racks as you come in at either airport. These are worth grabbing as you walk by since, except at some hotels, free maps are not available elsewhere.
Both airports also have direct bus service to major nearby cities such as Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing, though the new fast trains may be preferable, especially from Hongqiao Airport which has Hongqiao Railway Station quite nearby (one metro stop or about a kilometers on foot, indoors and level).
Domestic airplane tickets are best booked in advance at one of the many travel agencies or online, but can also be bought at the airport on the day of departure. Fares are generally cheap, but vary depending on the season; figure on ¥1100-1200 for Beijing-Shanghai. The low-cost airline Spring Airlines is based out of Shanghai with routes to most major Chinese tourist destinations, and frequently offers large discounts for tickets booked through its website. For budget travellers, it is often cheaper to book a flight along a big traffic line (Shanghai-Beijing, Shanghai-Guangzhou, Shanghai-Shenzhen, etc.) and travel the rest by bus or train.
The city of Hangzhou, about a 45-min train ride from Shanghai, should also be considered if having a difficult time finding tickets to Pudong or Hongqiao. Also if coming in from South East Asia, since Air Asia has a affordable flight from Kuala Lumpur to Hangzhou. See Discount airlines in Asia.
Pudong Airport
- Main article: Shanghai Pudong International Airport
Pudong Airport - 浦东机场, IATA Code: PVG 31.143333, 121.805278 40 km to the southeast of the city - Shanghai Pudong International Airport Shanghai Pudong International Airport Interior Shanghai's main international airport. If you are arriving in Shanghai on an overseas flight, it is likely that PVG is your point of entry.
The airport is on metro line 2, many of the better hotels provide free airport shuttles for their guests, and there are six airport bus lines connecting to downtown. There are also buses to other cities nearby such as Suzhou and Hangzhou.
If you have heavy luggage then almost certainly a taxi will be more convenient; expect cost in the ¥200-500 range.
The most interesting way to get into Shanghai is on the world's fastest train and the magnetic levitation train or Maglev. It covers the 30.5 km in 7 minutes with a top speed of 450 km/h (279 mph), although the speed is capped to 310 km/h during non-peak hours. Single tickets are ¥120, discounted to ¥110 if you have an airline ticket that day, and return tickets (return within a week) are ¥140.
The Maglev terminates at Longyang station in Pudong which is still some distance from the downtown and may not therefore be close to your ultimate destination. Here you can connect to metro lines 2, 7 and the new line 16. Longyang station also has a Maglev train museum for those interested in how magnetic levitation trains work.
Hongqiao Airport
- Hongqiao Airport - 虹桥机场 IATA Code: SHA 31.198056, 121.336389 west of downtown in Minhang District - Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Airport Shanghai-Hongqiao 4 - Shanghai's older airport, much closer to the center than Pudong. It serves mainly domestic flights and the only exception being the city shuttle services to Tokyo -Haneda, Seoul -Gimpo, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taipei -Songshan. There are two terminals: the shiny, new and enormous T2, used by virtually all airlines, and the now renovated but still comparatively small T1, used by only by low-cost operator Spring Airlines and the international city shuttle services. You can transit between terminals on the airport shuttle bus, although with waiting and travel duration it can take up to 45 minutes. For those in a hurry, taking metro line 10 between the two terminals may be worth the ¥12 for the ticket.
T2 is served directly by metro line 2, which connects the airport to People's Plaza and all the way east to Pudong Airport. Trains operate from 5:35AM to 10:50PM (service to and from Pudong Airport has limited hours). Line 10, which also goes to central Shanghai but on a different route, serves both T1 and T2.
Line Station shanghai 17 opened on 30 December 2017, and connects Hongqiao Railway Station (near the Airport) with Zhujiajiao.
Eventually Line 5 and the main line through the southern suburb Shanghai#Minhang|Minhang, will be extended to the airport at the north end and into Shanghai#Fengxian|Fengxian to the south. A new line from the airport will also be built, line 20 going north. As of early 2023 this is not in service.
A taxi can manage the 12 km trip to the city in 20 minutes on a good day but allow an extra 30 minutes for the taxi queue, especially when arriving after 7PM. Be sure to determine from which terminal your flight departs before you go to the airport as the English signage is confusing, taxi drivers will not be able to help you, and the shuttle between the terminals leaves on a half-hourly schedule with another twenty minutes drive.
Due to the metro line extension and the Hongqiao Airport Special Line bus (机场专线) has now been replaced with a night bus (虹桥机场T2夜宵巴士) that goes to Jing'an Temple, People's Plaza, and Lujiazui every 10-30 min from 10:30PM (when the metro closes) to 45 minutes after the last inbound arrival of the day for ¥20 (to Jing'an Temple or People's Plaza) or ¥26 (to Lujiazui). It leaves from Door 1 of the Arrivals level of Terminal 2. Tickets are purchased inside the bus shortly before it departs.
Although Hongqiao airport has fewer airport bus lines than Pudong, more public bus lines are linked to Hongqiao. Buses below run to T1, take the free shuttle to connect to T2 if needed or use Metro Line 10 if in a hurry.
- No. 806: These buses run from Hongqiao airport to the Lupu Bridge between 6AM Monday - 9:30PM at intervals of 5-15 min. The line also has a stop at Xujiahui, and the whole trip costs ¥12.
- No. 807: These buses operate between 6AM Monday - 10:30PM from Hongqiao airport to the Zhenguang New Village in Putuo District, stopping at the Shanghai Zoo and some other places of interest. ¥2.
- No. 1207: This bus only runs between the airport and Shanghai Zoo. ¥2.
With the opening of Metro service to the airport, two buses no longer stop at Hongqiao, leaving only the above two routes.
However, one public bus line has now been moved to T2. The reverse applies- take the free shuttle or the Metro to T1 if needed. Note that bus service to T2 splits boarding and exiting- all passengers arriving at T2 get off at the Departures level of the airport, but those wishing to board must board the bus at the bus hub on 1/F of the airport/metro station complex.
- No. 941: Linking Hongqiao airport and Shanghai Railway Station and the line runs from 6:30AM–10:30PM to the airport/11:00PM from the airport. ¥11. Interval between services is 10-12 min. Look for Waiting Room 1.
Additionally and the following night bus runs from T2 between the hours of 11:00PM and 5:00AM for anyone arriving late at night and needing to stop at destinations not covered by the T1 night bus:
- No. 316: Links the airport to the Bund, following Metro Line 2 until Zhongshan Park and then makes stops near Changshou Road (Line 7), Xinzha Road (Line 1), and East Nanjing Road (Line 2/10) before terminating at the Bund.
An additional night bus from the train station side is available also.
- No. 320: Links the train station to the Bund, but covers a different route in between. This bus makes a stop near the tourist part of Hongmei Road and then follows Metro Line 10 until Jiaotong University, stops in Xujiahui, continues along Line 10 and then starts following line 1 around the Changshu Road stop until it reaches the Xintiandi area and then makes one final stop in Yu Gardens before terminating at the Bund.
By Rail
Shanghai has a few major train stations including:
- Shanghai Railway Station 100 Moling Road 31.2503, 121.4509 three stops north from People's square on line 1}} - Shanghai train station Shanghai Railway Station (20151004102936) - Shanghai's largest and oldest, located in Zhabei District. Practically all trains used to terminate here, but many southbound services have been shifted out to the South Station and high-speed services to the new Hongqiao Station.
- Hongqiao Railway Station|2|10|17 alt=上海虹桥站 - 31.196027, 121.316099 - west side in Minhang District - A huge new station located in the same building complex as #Hongqiao Airport|Hongqiao Airport. The connecting metro stop shares the same name, Hongqiao Railway Station, and is one stop beyond the Hongqiao airport stop. High-speed trains to Beijing, Tianjin, Jinan, Qingdao, Zhengzhou, Kunshan, Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Zhenjiang, Nanjing, Hefei, Wuhan, Jiaxing, Hangzhou, Hefei and other smaller stations use this station.
- Shanghai South Railway Station|1|3 alt=上海南站 - 31.154425, 121.424161 - Shanghai South Railway Station SHNout - in Xuhui District. Provides service towards the South, except for high-speed trains on the Shanghai–Hangzhou high-speed line which now use the new Hongqiao station, and services to Hong Kong (due to lack of immigration and customs facilities).
- Shanghai West Railway Station (上海西站) / Nanxiang North Railway Station (南翔北站) / Anting North Railway Station (安亭北站): Some high-speed trains to Nanjing direction stop at these smaller stations. In addition there are a few trains to and from Shanghai Station for connections to other trains. Shanghai West Station is on metro line 11}}.
- Shanghai East Railway Station. Plans to build the station, which will be based in Pudong's Chuansha neighborhood, were announced in 2012.
Self-serve automated ticket booths are prevalent and can be used for checking train times in the English mode, but you can only buy tickets from them if you have a Chinese ID card. Tickets are also conveniently booked in advance at one of the many travel service agencies, or the ticket office of any train station. See the China#Train tickets|train tickets section of the China article. Note that Hong Kong tickets go on sale 60 days in advance, and the Hong Kong–Shanghai segment sells out quickly.
- Beijing (北京) — Beginning in March 2022, an all-new express line service from Beijing started, with the quickest travel duration option ringing in at 4 hours and 18 minutes (G17/G22). Additionally and there are a number of fast night sleeper trains running daily. These trains have D-prefix codes, take just over 10 hours from Shanghai to Beijing. Fare is around ¥1230 for a soft sleeper lower berth or ¥1155 for upper berth; the trains are very clean and the four-person cabins are quite comfortable. Two-person rooms are also available on some of these trains and the price is about ¥2470 for a lower berth or ¥2300 for an upper. Two-person rooms on D trains do not have private baths. In the same new train, normal second-class seat are available for around ¥1227. For a regular normal sleeper in a standard train, which takes 13 hours from Shanghai to Beijing, expect to pay ¥1206 to ¥1227 for a hard sleeper or around ¥1178 to ¥1199 for a soft one. Two-person sleeper is available on one of the T-series trains, with private bath and a sofa, price is ¥1481 for upper berth or ¥1121 for a lower. But tickets for these cheaper normal sleepers are usually very tight.
- Hong Kong (香港) — The T99/T100 train to and from Hong Kong runs every other day (alternating between Shanghai→Hong Kong and Hong Kong→Shanghai) from Shanghai Railway Station (T99 leaves here at 18:20, T100 arrives here at 10:00), arriving at Hung Hom station in Kowloon (T99 arrives here around 13:00, T100 leaves here at 15:15). If traveling alone, expect to pay ¥1400 each way for the soft sleeper, but discounts are given for group purchases (¥1264 each way per person in a soft sleeper if purchased in a group of 4, for instance). Unless you are on a very tight budget, try to get the 'Deluxe Soft Sleeper' which has compartments of 2 beds and a private mainland-style mains socket (but with the introduction of new train cars and the regular soft sleeper also has a private mains socket for each room as well as one in the corridor of each car). Spaces are limited, so book well in advance. Keep in mind that you will still have to go through customs and thus need a new visa for re-entry into mainland China (unless you have a multiple-entry visa). However, going through customs at the train station is much quicker than customs at the airport. Alternatively take a fast CRH train to Guangzhou and then another to Shenzhen on the border with Hong Kong (Total time is around twelve hours and costs ¥1100).
- Lhasa (拉萨) — The train to and from Lhasa, Tibet runs every day from Shanghai Railway Station. It takes just under 50 hours to arrive at Lhasa. A hard seat costs ¥1106 and a hard sleeper priced around ¥1100, soft sleeper costs around ¥2300. Oxygen is available for each passenger in the Golmud–Lhasa section. A Tibet travel permit is required for non-Chinese citizens.
The new fast (200+ km/h) CRH trains from Shanghai go southwest to Nanchang and Changsha, or north to Beijing, Zhengzhou and Qingdao. These are very comfortable and convenient. Train route codes being with D in this instance. High-speed trains (300+ km/h) to Nanjing and Hangzhou have a G prefix.
By car
Good modern highways link Shanghai to nearby cities in East China, including Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Ningbo. Other highways, many of them as good, go to more distant cities anywhere in the nation. It only takes about an hour to reach Shanghai from Suzhou, 2 hours from Hangzhou or 2.5 hours from Ningbo and the latter via the 36 km long Hangzhou Bay Bridge and the world's longest sea-crossing bridge.
Travel on a Bus
There are several long-distance bus stations in Shanghai. You should try to get the tickets as early as feasible.
- Beiqu Long-distance Passenger Station 80 Gongxing Lu
- Hengfeng Road Express Passenger Station - 恒丰路客运站 | 270 Hengfeng Lu This is one of the largest and is just north of the main train station. It serves most destinations in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces as some more remote cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou. It's well organized but can be a little hard to find — particularly with the major rebuilding of the North Station Plaza. From Shanghai Railway Station (North) metro station (Lines 3 & 4) take exit No. 1. You'll come out in the middle of a construction site. Head left and keep walking straight and eventually (after an unpleasant 10-minutes walk) you'll find it. Motorcycle-taxis will loiter around the station exit and will take you there for around ¥12 if you bargain hard — however they can be pushy and aggressive.
- Zhongshan Beilu Long-distance Passenger Transport Station 1015 Zhongshan Bei Lu
- Xujiahui Passenger Station 211 Hongqiao Lu
- Pudong Tangqiao Long-distance Passenger Station 3842 Pudong Nan Lu
By Boat
There are ferry services from Kobe and Osaka (Japan) weekly and from Hong Kong.
- Shanghai Ferry Company | @rry.co.jp ¥2,300-6,500 Once a week service from Shanghai to Osaka and vice versa. Takes two nights.
- Japan-China International Ferry Company | 18th Floor, Jinan No.908 Dong Da Ming Road ☎ +86 21 63257642 +86 021-65957818Alternates each week with Osaka and Kobe as the Japanese departure/arrival city.
Get Around
Shanghai has an excellent public transport network with an extensive metro (subway and elevated train) system as its backbone and buses that go more-or-less everywhere. Taxis are plentiful, and affordable by international standards, and getting around on foot is often practical. Metro, taxi and walking will be the main means of transport for most travellers. The city is huge (24 million), though, and all transport methods sometimes have problems with congestion.
Metro cards
If you intend to stay in Shanghai for more than a few days, a metro card — also called a Shanghai Jiaotong Card (上海公共交通卡) or Shanghai Public Transportation Card — is a must. You can get these cards at any metro station, as well as some convenience stores like Alldays and KeDi Marts.
You can load the card with money and use it in buses and the metro and even taxis, saving the hassle of buying tickets (sometimes with long queues) and keeping change for buses and taxis. Also and the card allows you to change lines at some stations where without the card you would need to get another ticket, and gives a ¥2 discount for each bus↔bus or metro↔bus transfer.
These cards do not require contact with the card reader to work. It is quite common to see someone just pass a purse, wallet or shoulder bag over the reader without taking the card out, and this almost always works. The card can be used once after it runs out of money; up to a ¥14 "overdraft" is allowed.
Cards come in several sizes — regular (credit card size), mini, and "strap" (for hanging on mobile phones) — and special editions with interesting pictures are available for each. New machines that can load money to any size of card are replacing older machines, but they do not take cash, generally only accepting Alipay or UnionPay/Discover cards. Service counters in metro stations will recharge any type of card in multiples of ¥20, but a few stations are no longer staffing their service counters, so it is advised to make sure sufficient funds are available for your return trip if you are going to a less populated part of town.
There is a ¥20 deposit for the card; regular-sized cards can be returned for a deposit refund, but mini or strap sizes cannot. For any card type and the balance on the card can be immediately returned if it is less than ¥20. If the balance is between ¥20 and ¥2,000, an invoice should be taken to ask for the return of money; however, a 5% handling fee will be charged. Some metro stations have special offices for returning the cards. These stations include:
- Line 1 - Hanzhong Road, Hengshan Road, Jinjiang Park;
- Line 2 - Jiangsu Road, E Nanjing Road, Century Park, Songhong Rd;
- Line 3 - Dongbaoxing Road, Zhenping Road, Caoxi Road, North Jiangyang Rd;
- Line 4 - Yangshupu Rd.
You can also use the Shanghai Public Transportation Card Service Center, No 609, Jiujiang Road, Monday to Friday 9:30AM–6:30PM, Saturday Sunday 9:30AM–4:30PM.
By metro
The Shanghai Metro network is great — fast, affordable (¥12-10 depending on distance), air-conditioned, and fairly user-friendly with signs and station arrival announcements in both Mandarin and English. The drawbacks are that trains can get really packed during rush hour, trains do not run late at night (the latest you will see a train run is around midnight on Friday and Saturday nights), and the network does not go everywhere yet, though it is continually being expanded.
In central areas most lines (but not line 3 and 4) run underground. Out in the suburbs, most are above ground and many on elevated tracks. Shanghai Metro is the longest subway system in the world and the second busiest in the world (after Beijing's). There are over 500 km (250 miles) of line and over 250 stations. Usage averages about 6 million rides a day.
Metro lines
Each metro line has a particular colour on all maps and signs, and often in station decor. As of mid-2018 lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17 and pujiang are in service.
Three of the most important lines are line 1 north-south, line 2 east-west, and line 4 which encircles all of the downtown.
Many metro lines (1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) run through downtown.
- Line 1 - Line 1, Shanghai Metro SHM Line 1 icon.svg The main north-south line through downtown. Parts of it run through the French Concession, under French_Concession#Huaihai_Road|Huaihai Road and French_Concession#Hengshan_Road|Hengshan Road and then north to People's Park and Shanghai Train station. Beyond there it goes north to Baoshan and an extension to Chongming Island is in the planning stage, as of 2025. Its south end goes into Minhang and connects to Line 5 for journeys further south.
- Line 2 - Line 2 (Shanghai Metro) Shanghai Metrp line2 Map in 2010 The most important east-west line of the city. Downtown it runs under Nanjing Road. Its western end goes to Hongqiao Airport and beyond. To the east, it runs through downtown Pudong and terminates at Pudong Airport.
- Lines 1 and 2 meet at People's Plaza in Huangpu District, and Line 8 also goes there. This is one of the busiest metro stations on Earth and is often considered the center of Shanghai.
- Line 3 - Line 3, Shanghai Metro Runs in an arc around the west side of downtown, next to Line 4 for much of the route. In the south it ends at Shanghai South Railway Station; in the north it goes to Shanghai Railway Station and beyond, through Hongkou and into Baoshan.
- Line 4 - Line 4, Shanghai Metro Runs on a circular route around central Shanghai, mostly on the Puxi side but it also goes into Pudong. For roughly the western third of the route it runs next to Line 3.
- Line 7 - Line 7, Shanghai Metro Runs from Jiading in the north, goes to Jing'an Temple and through the French Concession and then east into Pudong.
- Line 8 - Line 8, Shanghai Metro Runs from Yangpu in the north through part of Hongkou, to People's Plaza Station in Huangpu, east into Pudong, and finally into the part of Minhang that lies east of the river.
- Line 9 - Line 9, Shanghai Metro Comes from Pudong across southern parts of downtown, to Xujiahui and then west out to Songjiang.
- Line 10 - Line 10, Shanghai Metro From Hongqiao Railway Station in the west, through the French Concession, to Yuyuan Gardens in the Old City, intersecting Line 2 at Nanjing Road East in Huangpu, to the huge Shanghai#Clothing|Qipu Road clothing market, and north into Hongkou and Yangpu.
- Line 11 - Line 11, Shanghai Metro Starts at the Disney resort in Nanhui on the Pudong side, crosses the river and goes across southern parts of the French Concession to Xujiahui and then swings north into Changning, Putuo and Jiading. At or north of Xujiahui it intersects most of the major lines downtown, It continues northwest out of Shanghai Municipality; as of mid-2024 it reaches to Kunshan, and plans call for it to eventually connect to the metro systems of Suzhou and Wuxi.
- Line 12 - Line 12, Shanghai Metro Starts in Minhang south of downtown, runs through the French Concession and Jing'an with stops including South Shaanxi Road Station on Huaihai Road and [[Shanghai/Jing'an|West Nanjing Road]], through Hongkou and Yangpu, and across the river to the northern part of Pudong.
- Line 13 Line 13, Shanghai Metro Starts in Jiading, crosses Putuo, makes several stops downtown including [[Shanghai/Jing'an|West Nanjing Road]] and Xintiandi and then crosses the river into southern Pudong. As of late 2017 there is only one stop on the Pudong side, but an extension is planned.
Lines that do not come downtown are line 5 which serves the southern suburb Minhang, line 17 which runs from Hongqiao Railway Station to the western suburb Qingpu, and lines 6, 16 and pujiang whose routes are across the river in Pudong New Area.
Metro stations
Important metro stations include:
- People's Plaza - People's Park - 31.234361, 121.471 - People's Plaza Station Interchange for lines 1, 2 and 8. One of the world's busiest metro stops at around 700,000 passengers a day. Has a large shopping area attached, mostly clothing and tourist goods.
- Shanghai Railway Station - Shanghai Railway Station (Metro) - Lines 1, 3 and 4. There are actually two metro stops here, one for Line 1 and another for Lines 3 and 4, and it is a long walk between them.
- Zhongshan Park 31.2197, 121.411 - Zhongshan Park Station (Shanghai) Lines 2, 3 and 4. Has the huge Cloud Nine mall attached. The park that the station is named after is nearby.
- Xujiahui 39.19454, 121.43790 - Xujiahui Station AA major interchange with Lines 1, 9 and 11. There are several huge malls nearby; see French Concession for details.
How to use
The most convenient way to pay is with a metro card; see previous section. There are also one-day cards available which can be purchased for ¥28, good for 24 hours after their first use. Automatic ticket vending machines take notes and ¥2 or ¥0.5 coins, have instructions in English, and can give change. Most stations on lines 1, 2, 3 will also have staff selling single-use ticket cards, but on the newly-completed lines 6, 8, and 9 ticket purchasing is all done by machine, with staff there only to assist in adding credit to cards or if something goes wrong. With the single-use cards, you select your destination and pay by distance and then swipe before boarding and insert the ticket into a machine when you exit.
If there are seats available and then be prepared for a literal mad dash as passengers shove and wrestle for the available seats. You can try and do the same, but bear in mind that everyone else will have a lot more experience than you! Also, be mindful of pickpockets who may use this rush to their advantage.
Transfers between lines can involve a very long walk in some stations. In most places you can transfer between lines freely with a single ticket. But there are exceptions, where two or more lines have stations with the same name, but the stations are separate so you need a second ticket for the second train (unless you have a metro card).
The separate stations with the same name are:
- Shanghai Railway Station - lines 3 /4 and line 1 are separate stations
- West Nanjing Road Station - lines 2, 12 and 13 are in separate stations a few minutes apart from each other.
- Pudian Road (Pudian Lu) - lines 4 and 6 ; these stops are on the same street but are not close to each other. Use the free transfer one stop in either direction (Century Ave or Lancun Road) instead
Most stations include some retail facilities; in many these are limited to a few snack vendors, but some (e.g. Xujiahui and People's Park) have substantial food courts and shopping areas right in the station. From many stations — including Xujiahui, South Shaanxi Road, Nanjing Road East and Zhongshan Park — you can walk directly into large department stores or malls without going outdoors. For stations with souvenirs and affordable clothing, see #Clothing below.
By bus
The bus system is cheaper and much more extensive than the metro, and some routes operate after the closing time of the metro (route numbers beginning with 3 are the night buses that run past 11PM). It is however slower in general, and all route information at bus stops is in Chinese, but here is a handy list of bus routes and stops in English. Once inside the bus and there are English announcements.
Some buses have a conductor; get on, sit down and he or (more often) she will come around; pay him or her and you'll get a paper ticket and change, if any. Fares depend on distance and conductors rarely speak any English, so you must either know your destination and be able to pronounce it in Chinese, or have it written down in Chinese characters.
Other buses do not have a conductor, only the driver; there is a fixed price for the route, usually ¥2 if the buses are air-conditioned and ¥2.5 on increasingly rare routes running on old buses without. Check the bus itself as some routes the fare is different from bus to bus; typically there is a sign showing the fare on the outside next to the door and/or on the fare box. Exact fare is required unless you have a metro pass; prepare exact change beforehand and drop it into the box next to the driver.
If you change buses with a metro card, you get a ¥2 discount on your second bus fare and all subsequent transfers. There is a 90-minutes window to do this. So if you're not spending too much time at the destination and the discount will apply to the start of your return journey too.
There are several different companies offering sightseeing buses with various routes and packages covering the main sights such as the Shanghai Zoo, Oriental Pearl Tower, and Baoyang Road Harbor. Many of these leave from the Shanghai Stadium's east bus station. You can also pick one up downtown on Nanjing Road near the park between People's Park and Nanjing Road West metro stops or at the Shanghai History Museum. The buses usually have audio guide in the major world languages. The company that has the lowest tariff, offers a one-day ticket for ¥110, that covers the main attractions in Downtown Shanghai and Lujiazui (AKA Central Pudong).
By taxi
Taxi ("出租车" chūzūchē or choo-tzoo-chuh) is a good choice for transportation in the city, especially during off-peak hours. It is affordable — ¥24 for the first 3 km during the day, ¥28 after 11PM, ¥2.4/km up to 10 km, and ¥12.5/km after; when wheels aren't rolling, time is also tracked and billed but first 5 min. are free; a ¥2 fuel surcharge is also applied. Going from the centre out to Pudong Airport will be around ¥200.
Rise of the taxi apps|Shanghai has very recently experienced an explosion in the use of mobile apps to hail taxis. The main and dominating app is Didi Chuxing. These apps allow you to hail a taxi. However, you may see that some drivers will be unlikely to answer your request because they think your destination is too short, or inconvenient for them, or during peak hours. The international Uber app no longer works in China, but since late 2017 Didi has become available fully in English. It's not good at recognising addresses in English, but you can get around this by placing the Didi order through Apple Maps (not blocked in China).
Taxi drivers typically do not speak any English, so unless you speak Mandarin or Shanghainese, be sure to have your destination written in Chinese characters to show the driver. Get a business card for your hotel or any restaurant or shop you like; that makes it easy to return there. As Shanghai is a huge city, try to get the nearest intersection to your destination as well since even addresses in Chinese are often useless. If you have a mobile phone, you can also use the phone number displayed in the back of the taxi. Dial the number and tell the agent in English where you want to go. Hand the phone to the driver and the agent will tell him in Chinese where you wish to go. The agent will even find out the address of cafes and other spots for you if required.
Try to avoid using ¥200 notes to pay for short journeys; either use a #Metro cards|metro card or have change available; taxi drivers are not keen on giving away their change. Also and the ¥120 note is a favourite of counterfeiters and a foreigner unfamiliar with the money is an obvious person to foist a bad one on, so you should try to avoid getting a fifty in your change. Additionally, one trick used by unscrupulous drivers is to claim you passed them a bad ¥200, when you in fact gave them a good ¥200 and they swapped it out for a bad one.
Taxis are very hard to come by during peak hours and when it's raining, so be prepared to wait for a while or walk to a busy pick-up location. Foreign visitors might be surprised at the almost compete lack of courtesy or lines while waiting for a taxi, so don't be afraid to "jump in" and get one — it's first come, first served. There are some taxi stops where attendants maintain a well-ordered line; this may be the quickest way to get a taxi in a busy part of town, but there are not very many of them, so expect to walk a ways to get to one.
Drivers, while generally honest, are sometimes genuinely clueless and occasionally out to take you for a ride. The drivers are very good about using the meter but in case they forget, remind them. It's also the law to provide a receipt for the rider, so if your fare seems out of line, be sure to obtain one as it's necessary to receive any compensation. If you feel you have been cheated or mistreated by the driver, you (or a Chinese-speaking friend) can use the information on the printed receipt to raise a complaint to the taxi company about that particular driver. The driver will be required to pay 3x the fare if ordered by the taxi company, so normally they're very good about taking the appropriate route. The printed receipt is also useful to contact the driver in case you have forgotten something in the taxi and need to get it back.
If you come across a row of parked taxis and have a choice of which one to get in to, you may wish to check the driver's taxi ID card, posted near the meter on the dashboard. The higher the number and the newer the driver, so there may be more chance that the driver will not know where he or she is going. Those with numbers between 10XXXX and 12XXXX are the most experienced drivers; a number above 27XXXX indicates a new driver who may get you lost somewhere. Another way is to check the number of stars the driver has; these are displayed below the driver's photograph on the dashboard. The number of stars indicates the length of time the driver has been in the taxi business and the level of positive feedback received from clients, and range from zero stars to five. Drivers with one star or more should know all major locations in Shanghai, and those with three stars should be able to recognize even lesser-known addresses. Remember that it takes time to build up these stars, and so don't panic if you find yourself with a driver who doesn't have any — just have them assure you that they know where they are going and you should be fine.
If you need to cross from one side of the Huangpu River to the other by taxi, especially from Pudong to Puxi, you may want to make sure your driver will make the trip, and knows where he or she is going; some drivers only know their side of the town and may become lost once they cross the river. Taxis are notoriously difficult to get on rainy days and during peak traffic hours, so plan your journeys accordingly. As the crossings between Pudong and Puxi are often jammed with traffic, taking a taxi may be more expensive and slower than the metro. It may be better to take the metro across the river and then catch a taxi.
Taxi colors in Shanghai are strictly controlled and indicate the company the taxi belongs to. Turquoise taxis operated by Dazhong (大众) and the largest group, are often judged the best of the bunch. Another good taxi company, Qiangsheng (强生), uses gold-colored taxis. There are other companies like Jinjiang (锦江), which uses white taxis. Watch out for dark red/maroon taxis, since this is the 'default' color of small taxi companies and includes more than its fair share of bad apples. There are also privately owned taxis (easily recognized as they have an 'X' in their number plate and may not be the standard Volkswagen Santana used by most taxi companies). The dark red/maroon taxis will also go "off the meter" at times and charge rates 4x-5x the normal rate — especially around the tourist areas of the Yuyuan Gardens.
Bright red taxis and blue taxis, on the other hand, are unionized and quite OK, furthermore there are more 3-star and above taxi drivers working for these companies. The bright orange taxis cover suburban areas only and are not allowed within the "city" area, but their meters start at ¥21 and count at ¥2.4/km no matter how long the journey, so they're somewhat cheaper if you're not trying to get downtown (rule of thumb — if you're trying to go somewhere within the Outer Ring highway, don't get one, but if your journey ends just within it you may be able to find a driver willing to bend the rules). Also of note are the "Expo taxis" — the Volkswagen Tourans and Buick Lacrosses. Those are the only taxis allowed to travel to the Expo area. Nowadays it's a gamble whether you get one or not; most companies don't have a way to separately ask for one when making a phone booking, so don't rely on having one. Additionally and they now have a higher starting fare (¥26) and meter rate (¥2.50/km for first 10km) than the regular taxis.
Using the Smart Shanghai app (about £2.00 from App Store) or the Smart Shanghai website will help you take taxis. Find the sight, restaurant, hotel or bar you are looking for on the app or website and click on the 'Taxi Directions' button for the address written in Chinese.Just show this to the driver and you'll be on your way!
Tours in Shanghai
Shanghai is a good city for walking, especially in the older parts of the city such as the Bund, but be aware this city is incredibly dynamic and pavements can be obstructed or unpleasant to walk through when near construction areas. If there is a metro entry at a busy street and the station can usually be used as a pedestrian underpass to another metro exit across the way.
Some distances in Shanghai are huge, so you will need to use other means of transportation at some point. However, quite a few people navigate well with just a #Metro_cards|metro pass plus their feet and perhaps the occasional taxi.
See #Do below for some suggested walks that combine shopping and sightseeing.
The Bund "sightseeing tunnel" is very strange, and doesn't actually show you any sites of the city at all. It is an unusual (albeit pricey) way to get across the river however. See Shanghai/Huangpu#Do for details.
As with all of China, right-of-way is effectively proportional to weight: vehicles trump motorbikes, which trump pedestrians. Motorbikes and bicycles rarely use headlights and can come from any direction. They are the main users of curb-cuts for sidewalks, so don't stand at these. Avoid unpredictable movements while walking and crossing streets: the drivers see you and predict your future location from your speed. See Driving in China for further discussion.
By ferry
A useful ferry runs between the Bund (from a ferry pier a few blocks south of Nanjing Road next to the KFC restaurant) and Lujiazui financial neighborhood in Pudong (the terminal is about 10 minutes south of the Pearl TV Tower and Lujiazui metro station) and is the best way of crossing the river at ¥2 per person. The ferry is air-conditioned and allows foot-passengers only (bikes are not allowed except for folding models). Buy a token from the ticket kiosk and then insert it into the turnstile to enter the waiting room — the boats run every 10 minutes and take just over 5 minutes to cross the river. This is a great (and much cheaper) alternative to using the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. However the ferry stations are not directly connected to public transport so you need to walk a bit.
By car
Driving is definitely not recommended in Shanghai for a variety of reasons, even for those with driving experience in the nation. Drivers have to cope not only with a very complex road system and seemingly perpetual traffic jams, but also with Chinese driving habits and ongoing construction. In addition, parking spaces are rare and almost imfeasible to find. Bicycles, scooters and pedestrians are also all over the place — it is not unheard of for cyclists, motorcyclists or pedestrians to suddenly dash in front of a vehicle without any warning. In short, do not drive if you can help it and make use of Shanghai's excellent public transportation network instead.
By motorcycle and scooter
While motorcycle rental is practically non-existent, for long-term visitors e-bikes and scooters are a cheap, fast, practical way of getting around. E-bikes don't require a driving license and are affordableer, but only have a short battery range (about 50 km) and a low top speed, and are a frequent target of thieves. A affordable e-bike can be picked up from any major supermarket — expect to pay around ¥2500-2500 for a new model. Small shops also sell converted e-bikes (motor scooters converted to run on electricity) which are more expensive but are faster, more comfortable and have longer battery ranges. 50cc motorcycles require registration but don't require a drivers license, whilst anything bigger will require a driving license. Motorcycles can be purchased from used-bike dealers mostly located in residential working-class neighbourhoods — a used 50cc moped will be about ¥2000 whilst a 125cc will cost a lot more depending on condition and mileage. If you plan on riding a motorcycle, stick to automatic transmission scooters as they are much easier to ride in dense traffic than a manually-geared bike.
Motorcycles are expected to use the bicycle lane and cross intersections via pedestrian traffic lights, which is often quicker when vehicle traffic reaches a standstill. Be careful, particularly at night, of people riding with their headlights off or riding on the wrong side of the road — remember that e-bikes don't require any driving license and therefore drivers often flout traffic laws and take creative but dangerous paths through traffic. Parking is easy — most sidewalks serve as bike-parking, although in quiet streets you may risk getting your bike stolen so make sure you have a couple of good locks. At busy places there are attended bike parks that charge around ¥0.5-1 per day.
Vintage motorbikes with sidecars are used by mainly by expats and tourists. Most expatriates and Shanghainese are too embarrassed to use what many consider a particularly "uncool" form of transport.
Changjiang sidecars were used by the Chinese army until 1997. There are a few sidecar owners club in Shanghai (Black Bats, People's Riders Club), shops (Yiqi, Cao, Fan, Jack, Jonson, Leo) and a tour operator ( Shanghai Sideways]) which are worth checking out. See also Driving_in_China#Sidecar rigs|Driving in China — Sidecar rigs.
Local Languages
Non-Chinese speakers
As English is compulsory in Chinese schools, an increasing number of people know at least basic English. You will probably find that most people in the tourist industry have a rather good command of it, and so do many in service positions, i.e. in shops, gastronomy and even sales clerks at metro stations. English is probably better understood than spoken by many, and the Chinese are notoriously afraid of shaming themselves in public, so make sure your questions are clear and can be easily answered.
Two traits of Shanghai residents are of assistance - one is the traditional Chinese hospitality, with most people genuinely wanting to help when asked, and the Shanghainese robustness. When necessary, do not be afraid to approach even the unlikely elderly person with an arsenal of well-thought-through and clear hand gestures, notes in Chinese, maps or photos. In the worst case, look for a younger person and/or somebody in a senior position, as both are more probable to have better English knowledge and will feel more confident when dealing with a foreigner.
Everyday spoken Chinese is a rather simple language, so most people will not be offended if you dispose of pleasantries in your English as well and focus on the most important parts of your message, e.g. "Where is subway station?" will probably work better than "Would you be so kind and direct me to the nearest subway station if you will?".
For bargaining in stores, calculators are often used to "discuss" prices. Savvy shop owners in tourist-frequented areas equip their personnel with them, but do not be afraid to pull up one (or a calculator app on your phone) for the purpose if the other party doesn't. Remember that "4" is an unlucky number and prices containing it should be avoided, which you can use to your advantage (e.g. proposing "39" instead of 40-whatever).
Do note that taxi and Uber drivers are often either elderly or recruit from the working class or migrant populations, and thus, as a group, have lower than average English knowledge. Therefore it is recommended to have your destinations and hotel address written in Chinese for them. Some hotels even provide small brochures with both the hotel name and address and those of the key monuments written in both English and Simplified Chinese for the purpose.
Chinese speakers
The native language of most local residents, Shanghainese or Wu phrasebook|Wu dialect, is not mutually intelligible with Mandarin, Cantonese, Minnan (Taiwanese/Hokkien) or any other forms of Chinese. The use of Shanghainese as the de facto 'first' language of the city has been discouraged by the government and its use is decreasing both due to the effect of the use of Mandarin in mass media and because Shanghai has many migrant workers from other parts of China who do not speak Shanghainese. As with elsewhere in China, Mandarin is the lingua franca. As Shanghai has been China's main commercial centre since the 1920s, all local residents who can speak Shanghainese can also speak Mandarin, so you will have no problems speaking Mandarin to local residents. Nevertheless, attempts to speak Shanghainese are appreciated, and can help endear you to local people.
Wu speakers have a particular accent when speaking Mandarin. Mandarin is heavily tone-based and speakers from Beijing can easily be understood (most textbooks are based on their accent or an approximation). Shanghainese speakers have appropriated some of the features of Wu onto their Mandarin. While in other languages this would not be a problem, given the phonemic and tonal nature inherent to Mandarin and the slightest shift in pronunciation can make it much more difficult to understand. The best thing to do is say "说慢一点" (shuō màn yī diǎn) which means "speak a little slower".
What to See
Where to go in Shanghai depends largely on available time and your interests. For the areas with most of the main tourist attractions see the Downtown and Pudong sections above and the neighborhood articles they link to.
Many of Shanghai's main tourist sights are in Huangpu District:
- The Old City (老城厢; Lao Chengxiang, commonly called 南市, Nanshi) is the original Chinese city going back about 1000 years, now a major tourist area. The center of that area is Yuyuan Gardens.
- The International Settlement was built North and West of the Old City, starting in the 1840s. In colonial-period Western books, "Shanghai" means that settlement.
- The Bund - 外滩 Wàitān | The riverside avenue that was the center of 19th century Shanghai and is now a major tourist attraction.
- People's Plaza - Renmin Gongyuan - What was once the horse racing track on the edge of the British neighborhood is now a large and busy downtown park. The old track's clubhouse now houses a museum and a fine restaurant. Under the square at the edge of the park is a metro station that is one of the hubs of the Shanghai system and one of the busiest subway stations on Earth; lines 1, 2 and 8 meet there. Nearby are several large high-end malls and department stores.
Nanjing Road was the main street of the old British Concession; today it is a major upmarket shopping street. Line 2 runs under it for some distance and has four stations along it; listed east-west they are Nanjing Road East, People's Plaza, Nanjing Road West and jing'an Temple. The road extends across two neighborhoods.
- Nanjing Road East in Huangpu District extends from the Bund to People's Park, and most of it is a very busy pedestrians-only strip.
- Nanjing Road West is the continuation into Jing'an District. Part of it runs along the north side of People's Park. A landmark beyond the park is Jing'an Temple, a beautiful ancient building with a metro station named after it.
For a taste of 1920s Shanghai, with much classic Asian-style architecture, head for the stately old buildings of the Bund and nearby parts of Huangpu; this is still a major shopping area as well. If your taste runs more to very modern architecture, remarkably tall buildings and enormous shopping malls and the prime neighborhoods for skyscrapers are Pudong and Jing'an. See the linked articles for details.
Other major sights are in the former French Concession. This has always been a fashionable area—even in the colonial period, many famous Chinese lived there—and it remains so today with much of Shanghai's best entertainment and shopping. Wednesday treat it as a single neighborhood and give it its own article. Within it are:
Site of the First National Congress of the Party of China - Shikumen buildings
- Xujiahui and the center of Xuhui District, with a metro interchange (lines 1, 9 and 11), major roads, huge malls including many electronics stores, and high-end residential and office buildings.
- Huaihai Road, an upmarket shopping street which many Shanghai people prefer over Nanjing Road.
- Hengshan Road, which runs from Huaihai Road to Xujiahui, has Shanghai's largest cluster of restaurants.
- Xintiandi, an area of old shikumen ("stone gate", a unique Shanghai style) houses, redeveloped with shopping malls, trendy restaurants, and a lot of tourism.
- Tianzifang, another area of shikumen housing that has been redeveloped. It is newer than Xintiandi and emphasizes arts, crafts and boutique shopping where Xintiandi stresses brand-name goods and entertainment.
Overall and the French Concession is Shanghai's best area for boutique shopping, small galleries and craft shops, and interesting restaurants.
Museums
- Huangpu has the Shanghai Museum and the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum, on opposite sides of People's Plaza, and the Bund Historical Museum, in a park at the north end of the Bund.
- The Shanghai Railway Museum is near Shanghai Railway Station in Zhabei.
- The Chinese Martial Arts Museum is on the campus of Shanghai Institute of Physical Education; see the Yangpu District Travel Guide for details.
- There is a Yuan-Dynasty Water Sluice Museum in Putuo District, an interesting example of medieval engineering.
- The Shanghai Municipal History Museum is across the river, below the Pearl Tower in Pudong.
Art galleries
The gallery areas are rather scattered, many of them away from the center and in former industrial buildings that have been renovated and re-purposed.
- M50 art neighborhood is Shanghai's main center for contemporary Chinese art, with dozens of studios and galleries. It is in a former factory in Putuo District.
- 1933 Shanghai is in a former abattoir; it has a theatre, shops and cafes as well as studios. See Hongkou for details.
- The Power Station of Art is on the Huangpu River, in an old power plant converted first to a pavilion for Expo 2010, and then the first state-run contemporary art museum in China. It is in Huangpu.
- The Shanghai Propaganda Poster and Art Centre is on the west side of the French Concession. A fine collection of Mao-era posters and other memorabilia, a bit hard to find but worth the effort.
- The Shanghai Gallery of Art is a commercial gallery in a shopping center called 3 on the Bund]].
- The French_Concession#Tianzifang|Tianzifang area in the French Concession has many galleries and studios.
Temples
Shanghai has a large number of temples, churches and masjids
- Jing'an Temple is a large Buddhist temple in Jing'an District, next to the metro stop (Lines 2 and 7) named after it.
- Longhua Temple is a Zen Buddhist temple down on the southern edge of the French Concession.
- The old town has both the Taoist Temple of the Town God (Chenghung Miao) and the Shanghai Confucian Temple (Wen Miao).
- St. Ignatius Gothic Church is a major Catholic church built by the French near Xujiahui.
- Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican cathedral on the east side of People's Plaza in the old British neighborhood.
- Jade Buddha Temple is in Putuo, a small Buddhist temple with some fine statues.
- Xiaotaoyuan Mosque is Shanghai's largest mosque, with a separate women's mosque next door. It is in Huangpu.
Of course there are many smaller religious buildings—Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, Muslim and Christian—scattered around the city.
Water towns
There are water towns in the Western suburbs, popular with both Shanghai residents and visitors. They are quite scenic with canals as the main method of transport and many traditional-style bridges and buildings.
- Zhujiajiao is right out at the Western edge of the municipality in Qingpu neighborhood, and can be visited on Line 17 from Hongqiao Railway Station, or by bus. It is quite popular with Shanghai residents, both Chinese and expatriates. There are some cafes run by expats.
- Qibao is closer to downtown in Minhang neighborhood, and can be visited by metro line 9, Qibao station and then walk a block south). It is smaller than Zhujiajiao and gets a higher proportion of visitors.
- Fengjing in Jinshan neighborhood has many artists, even its own fairly well-known "Jinshan local" style of painting. Metro line 22 will get you to Jinshan, but you will need a local bus or a taxi to reach Fengjing.
This type of town is found East_China#Other_destinations| all over the Yangtze Delta area. In particular and there are several in the Suzhou and Hangzhou regions as well as in Shanghai.
Things to Do
The municipal government runs the Shanghai Cultural Information website which has good listings of current events (special exhibits at museums and galleries; shows such as acrobatics at the circus, touring musicians, and plays; sporting events).
Shopping in Shanghai
If you like shopping or window shopping, a walk along either of Shanghai's major commercial streets takes an hour or two (or up to several days if you look in lots of stores and explore side streets) and can be quite interesting:
A walk along either of Shanghai's major commercial streets takes an hour or two (or up to several days if you look in lots of stores and explore side streets) and can be quite interesting:
- Nanjing Road, starting from the Bund (Nanjing Road East metro station, line 2 or 10) and heading west toward People's Park, Jing'an Temple and perhaps beyond
- Huaihai Road in the French Concession, starting at South Huangpi Road metro station on Line 1 and heading west. At the cross street just past the Changshu Road station, turn left (past the Starbucks (Please do not support Starbucks as Starbucks supports Israel. Shun this Coffee and go for alternative brands and if possible for a Muslim owned brand.)) to reach a whole neighborhood of restaurants along Hengshan Road to end your journey in comfort.
See #Buy below for more on these streets and nearby areas.
Parks
Almost every neighborhood in Shanghai has some parks. Some of the major ones are:
- People's Park, very central and with a major metro interchange below it
- Jing'an Park, across the street from the temple and metro station
- Fuxing Park in the French Concession
- Lu Xun Park in Hongkou is named for a famous writer. It has kids' rides and a lake with boats for rent.
- Gongqing Forest Park in Yangpu also has rides and boats.
- Zhongshan Park in Changning
- Daning-Lingshi Park, north of the train station in Zhabei
- Shanghai Expo Park is in two parts and the larger in Pudong and the smaller in Puxi, toward the south of Huangpu. The Power Station of Art (listed under #Art galleries) is in the Puxi part of the park.
- Jinjiang Action Park, an amusement park in the southern part of the French Concession. Has a large ferris wheel with a good view over much of the city. Metro Line 1 to Jinjiang Park Station.
Other
- Drink at a tea house. Visit one of Shanghai's many tea houses. Be careful not to order amazingly expensive teas or too much food.
- Take a boat on the river. There are many companies that run river tours. Look for one of the cheaper ones. This is a great way to see the striking Shanghai skyline and river banks and shoot some good photos. Some of the boat companies offer sightseeing tours that last several hours and cover quite a bit of the river and/or Suzhou Creek. A cheaper but less scenic alternative is to take one of the many ferries that cross the river for a couple yuan.
- There are double-decker buses that run through much of downtown and can be boarded anywhere on their route.
- China Odyssey Tours - ☎ +86-773-5854000 - Tours of the city, for couples and families.
Study in Shanghai
Muslim Friendly Universities in Shanghai
Shanghai has at least a dozen universities, many with several campuses. Most employ foreign English teachers and many have foreign students.
Two are part of the C9 League, a group prestigious universities, roughly the Chinese equivalent of the "Ivy League" in the US.
- Fudan University is among China's top general universities. The main campus is in Yangpu.
- Shanghai Jiatong University (Jiaoda) is among the best for technical subjects. It has five campuses in different neighborhoods, and has over 40,000 students including about 24,000 graduate students. The new main campus is in Minhang. The original campus in the French Concession is now used mostly for continuing education; it has an MBA program and Chinese language courses. Metro line 10 has a Jiaotong University Station, at the original campus.
There are also many non-C9 universities:
- East China Normal University (ECNU) also has its main campus in Minhang, next to Jiaoda.
- New York University in Shanghai is a joint venture between the American school and ECNU, with its campus in Pudong.
- Zhabei has the main campus of Shanghai University
- Baoshan has another Shanghai University campus
- Yangpu has four universities: Fudan, Tongji, Finance & Economics, and Physical Education; the last has a martial arts museum
- Fengxian has Shanghai Business School
- Sonjiang has an entire University town with many universities
- Nanhui has eight campuses with around 100,000 students
- Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in Pudong has a Fudan campus and the new (opened in 2022) Shanghai Tech University.
Most of these have substantial contingents of Studying abroad|foreign students, and some employ foreigners as Teaching English|English teachers or in other faculty roles. All of them have nearby areas with good quality food, bars and retail outlets that cater to a student market; these can be among the best places in Shanghai to look for low costs and lively nightlife with a young crowd.
Some universities have metro stops named for them, Jiao Tong University and Tonji University stations on line 10, Shanghai University on line 7, and Sonjiang University Town on line 9.
Other classes
There are also schools for various Chinese arts or crafts including cooking, martial arts and painting. Many are in the French Concession, though other neighborhoods have some.
There are also schools offering training in the Chinese language. Several of the universities provide such courses and there are other possibilities:
- Mandarin House - 美和汉语 | Established 2004; the Shanghai campus is in People's Plaza.
- LTL Mandarin School Shanghai - @shanghai.com In the French Concession.
- Meizhi Mandarin - 31.19995 , 121.43129 two locations: Xujiahui next to Jiaotong University, and Hongqiao-Gubei ☎ +862152300140 | Opening Hours: 9AM Monday - 9PM Courses in written and spoken Mandarin Chinese, including business and conversational courses, and test preparation. There are short-term intensive classes (group or individual) and longer-term programs, and customized courses can be provided. The school is an official test centre for the HSK Chinese proficiency test and for TCSL (Teaching Chinese as a Second Language).
- Hutong School Shanghai offers a range of Chinese courses including intensive, HSK preparation courses, business Chinese and Chinese classes for children. Group and private classes are available with experienced native teachers. (+86) 21 3428 0099
Shopping
Much of the shopping in Shanghai is either downtown or (mostly for big malls) across the river in Pudong. Many clothing shops are downtown, but others are scattered all around the city; see #Clothing for details. There are also many shopping opportunities in the big malls of Pudong, and all the suburban areas have malls as well.
With those exceptions, most of the shopping is downtown. Two of the largest malls are:
- Cloud Nine shopping center 31.2207, 121.4122 Zhongshan Park Station, lines 2 and 3, Exit 1 - In Changning. Nine flours above ground (hence the name) and two below. Metro line 2 has an exit on one of the underground floors.
- Wanda Plaza - Wujiaochang | line 10, Wujiaochang In Yangpu
[[File:Crowded Nanjing Road in Shanghai.jpeg|1280px|Crowded Nanjing Road in Shanghai]]
- Nanjing Road - 南京路 Nánjīnglù - 31.234722, 121.474444 - Nanjing Road Shanghai - Nanjing Road.jpeg Is certainly Shanghai's best-known shopping street, and probably China's. At around a million shoppers a day, it is also one of the world's busiest. It has been busy for generations; Amy Tan's novel The Kitchen God's Wife mentions a figure of 100,000 visitors a day in the 1940s. Nanjing Road starts on the river side at The Bund and goes about kilometers 6 West from there to Jing'an Temple. It continues beyond the temple, gradually changing from intensively commercial to more office and residential use.
The park divides Nanjing Road into two parts:
Nanjing Road East (Nanjing Dong lu) in Huangpu District, mostly pedestrians-only and a major shopping area since the mid-19th century. It runs along the North side of People's Park (人民广场), which is often considered the center of Shanghai.
It is a 1-km long pedestrian boulevard running inland from the Bund lined with busy shops. The wide boulevard is often packed with people on weekends and holidays. The shops are often targeted to domestic tourists, so the prices are surprisingly reasonable. The Nanjing Road East station (lines 2 and 10) is near the center of that pedestrian area. The People's Park station (lines 1, 2 and 8) is at the inland end, furthest from the Bund.
For high end international brands, go to Nanjing Road West (南京西路 Nanjing xi lu) near Jing'an Temple station (line 2 or 7). Several large shopping malls (Plaza 66 aka Henglong Plaza, Citic Plaza, Meilongzhen Plaza, and others being built) house boutiques bearing the most famous names in fashion.
The French Concession is another major shopping area. Huaihai Road is a busy boulevard with upscale stores; well-off local residents tend to shop there in preference to the more tourist Nanjing Road. For boutique shopping, head to the smaller streets just off it — Xinle Lu (新乐路), Changle Lu (长乐路) and Anfu Lu (安福路) — starting from east of Shaanxi Lu (陕西路); the nearest Metro station is South Shanxi Road on Line 1. This area of low rise buildings and tree-lined streets bustles with small boutiques of clothing and accessories, where young Shanghainese looking for the latest fashions shop. A renovated but still picturesque older area called Tian Zi Fang also has boutique clothing, plus a lot of arts and crafts.
The Bund is mainly office buildings but does have some hotels, restaurants, and a few multi-storey high-end shopping centers. No. 3 on the Bund has, among other things, Giorgio Armani's flagship store in China. No. 18 has many stores including an art gallery.
Yuyuan Bazaar in the old town is well provided with Chinese crafts and jewellery. See Shanghai#Clothing for other tourist shopping areas.
Antiques
There are a number of markets in the city selling antiques, jade and Mao-era China memorabilia: China porcelain - Porcelain at Dongtai Road Market
- Dongtai Road Antique Market - GPS: 31.2233, 121.4760 The largest antique market in the city, and the cheapest provided you bargain hard. Metro line 8 or 10 to Laoximen station and then walk a long block north looking for the market on side streets to your left.
- Yuyuan Gardens is another good option for antiques and all manner of cheaply made and priced souvenirs (teapots, paintings, "silk" bags, etc.) Walk a few hundred meters East from Dongtai Road.
- There are more upmarket antique markets between Fuzhou Road and the pedestrian part of Nanjing Road.
As with any market in China, don't be afraid to negotiate; it is usually the only way to get a fair price.
Exporting anything made before 1911 is now illegal. See the China#Shopping|China eHalal Travel Guide for discussion.
Electronics
Shanghai offers the opportunity to buy electronic products, and you may be able to find exotic gadgets and phones that are only available in China. Foreign electronics are expensive with a high sales tax. It can be helpful to buy online with clear cheaper prices and with delivery often feasible the same day with payment in cash on delivery. Games consoles are expensive and import restrictions extensive.
Xujiahui is the place to go if you're after computer accessories and other electronics, but the mobile phone selection is a bit lacking. Try to go during the week; it gets awfully hectic on weekends.
- Bu Ye Cheng Communications Market - 不夜城 - Shanghai Railway Station, exit 4 from line 1 side, turn left and it's the large Gold building Opening Hours: 10AM Monday - 6PM This is the one of the best-known open-style markets for mobile phones in Shanghai. 1F/2F for new phones (two-way radios too), 3F for second hand including various collectibles. Any reputable vendor that sets up shop here will allow you to try before you buy—if they don't then leave. Best way to get a good or unusual phone at low cost. The selection is a mixed bag; you'll find Chinese off-brands mixed with reliable big-name brands as well as cutting-edge Japanese phones. If you live in North or South America be careful about buying the off-brand phones as most do not support the necessary frequencies for use there. Also, in the secondhand section of the market some of the phones are of dubious origin; CDMA phones may have their ESNs blacklisted in their home countries, but for GSM/3G phones the only issue is an ethical one.
There is a giant electronics mart at the Baoshan Road line 3/4 station, which offers a huge range of miscellaneous electronics and mobile phones, however some are fake. Be sure to bargain hard. If you want to buy a mobile phone here, make sure you have a SIM card before you purchase, and test the SIM card in the phone by making a call, perhaps to the vendor, since some of the phones are non-functional but still turn on. It's best to negotiate as low as feasible first, and then try out your SIM card.
Photo equipment
Shanghai is rather an odd market for photo equipment. As in any major city, more-or-less everything is available somewhere, including high-end items of interest mainly to professionals and unusual things that only a collector might want. China was relatively isolated for decades, from the Japanese invasion in 1937 until the "reform and opening up" of 1978, so imported items from that period are not common. However Shanghai was a very prosperous and cosmopolitan city in the 1920s and early 30s so some collectors' items are in good supply.
As a general rule, prices on photo equipment in Shanghai are roughly comparable to US prices and a bit higher than Hong Kong, but there are various exceptions including some real bargains and some seriously overpriced items. Check prices abroad before making any major purchases.
For consumer products such as point-and-shoot cameras or low-end interchangeable lens devices, French_Concession#Xujiahui|Xujiahui is a shopper's paradise. Any of the large consumer electronics stores scattered around the city, and many of the general department stores, will have these as well, but selection and price are usually better at Xujiahui.
For more specialised needs and there are two large buildings full of camera stores in Shanghai. Both have plenty of consumer products, usually at good prices. However they also have lots of products for the enthusiast and professional markets, services such as printing or camera repair, and a large selection of used equipment from cheap-and-usable to collectors' items.
- One is Huanlong Photographic Equipment City (环龙照相器材) on the 2nd through 5th floor of a building near the Shanghai train station in Zhabei District. Come out of the station into the South Plaza, and the building is diagonally left. Fast food on ground floor. Second floor and above is mostly camera shops. The higher you go and the more used equipment you see.
- An even larger clump of shops is Xing Guang Photographic Equipment City (星光摄影器材城) 300 Luban Lu, corner of Xietu Lu. Metro Line 4 to Luban Road South, go out exit 1, turn left onto Luban Lu, and you are walking North. Xietu Lu is the first cross street. The camera center is on the Northwest corner. It has 7 floors. The top one is offices, bottom two mostly new cameras. One floor is mostly studio equipment—lights, reflectors and so on—and includes some unusual cameras such as 4x5 inch view cameras and 6x17 cm Chinese-made panoramic cameras. Another is mostly wedding studios, wedding clothes rental, etc. Used equipment anywhere from 2nd to 6th, and dominating a couple of floors. One camera repair shop, a few accessories shops—memory, bags, tripods, etc.
- There are two newer buildings next to the main one. In the main building and the bottom two floors are nearly all shops selling new cameras, with much specialisation by brand. At least one shop with nothing but Canon, some only Sony, one only Nikon & Manfrotto. Two mainly Pentax. Olympus & Panasonic fairly common, but no shops selling only those. Voigtlander visible here and there. The Leica specialists are on higher floors.
These two groups of shops are on Line 4 so it is easy to visit both in a day. However, Line 4 is roughly circular and they are on opposite edges (Railway Station on North, Luban Lu on South) so it is a fairly long ride between them.
Clothing
Shanghai has a number of markets which combine affordable clothing (including lots of knock-offs of famous brands) with tourist stuff like souvenir T-shirts and higher-grade Chinese stuff like silk scarves and robes. Nearly all of these also have a few stores selling luggage, and many have some consumer electronics as well. In any of them there are quite a few agents; just walking in to the buildings can bring a horde of people upon you trying to sell you bags, watches, DVDs and all sorts of goods. You also need to negotiate to get good prices in any of them. Dodging agents and haggling can be fun, but those sensitive to the pressure might want to steer clear.
Rather than pursuing knock-offs of Western brands, one of the more interesting things to do in Shanghai is to check out the small boutiques in the French Concession area. Some of these are run by individual designers of clothing, jewellery, etc. so the items on sale can truly be said to be unique, and the area is generally free of agents. Both prices and quality are generally higher than in the markets described below.
Many visitors from overseas encounter problems finding larger sizes in China. Also the sizes may be different; one Canadian reports that he takes XL at home but needs XXXL in China. This will be less of a problem in tourist areas, and the many fine tailors can make garments to fit anyone, often at attractive prices.
The horrendously crowded Qipu Lu clothing market (Tiantong Road metro station on line 10 one stop North of Nanjing Road East, and line 12) is the main place where Shanghai people look for affordable clothing. It is a mass of shops — including a huge number of small ones, many about 18 m2 (200 ft2) — jammed into several multi-storey warehouse-sized buildings; exploring even one would take the casual stroller most of a day. You can walk into the basement of one building from inside the subway stop. You'll find the cheapest clothes in the city here, but even the trendiest styles are clearly Chinese. Bargaining|Bargain hard, in Chinese if you can, and make friends with the shop owners. Many of them have secret stashes of knock-offs in hidden rooms behind the stall "walls." Avoid this place on weekends at all costs.
While Qipu Lu is best known for affordable clothing, and that is indeed the market most shops target, it also has some rather fine upmarket shops. For example and the top floor of the building by the subway has a women's clothing place specialising in silk dresses and tops, including many with good embroidery. Prices start around ¥1200, high but not outrageous by Chinese standards. Compared to prices in GCC countries they are a real bargain.
Another large market is next to the Shanghai Science & Technology Museum (上海科技馆) metro station on line 2 in Pudong; there are actually two markets, one on each side of the station. The place has more foreigner clients than Qipu Lu, and the asking prices for clothes are higher. However there is a wider selection here of other products: software, games, electronics, etc. This market also has a number of tailor shops for made-to-order clothing.
A smaller but more accessible market with similar stuff (but no tailors) is attached to the largest and most central metro station in town, People's Park. This is less hectic than either Qipu Lu or the Science & Tech Museum, and probably has enough variety for most travellers.
It is fairly common for Muslim travellers to stop at either the Science & Tech or the People's Park market to pick up gifts just before flying out of Shanghai, since both are on line 2 which goes to both airports, and both are all on one level so it is moderately convenient to wander about with luggage in tow. Prices may not be the best in town but they are generally much better than airport shops and selection is good.
The area around Yuyuan Gardens in the old town has similar stuff, with more emphasis on souvenirs and handicrafts rather than clothing, and often with somewhat higher asking prices.
Another option is the Pearl Plaza located on Yan'an Xi Lu and Hongmei Lu (line 10, get off at Longxi Road stop, go south on Hongmei Lu out of the station past Yan'an elevated road). See Minhang for more on that area. Another, more for day-to-day clothing than anything fancy or tourist, is near Shanghai Ikea; take line 3 to Cao Xi Road, walk toward Ikea and it will be on your left.
The largest group of tailor shops is at Shanghai South Bund Material Market: 399 Lujiabang Road (陆家浜路), open 10AM Monday - 6PM. Three floors of tailors and their materials including silk, cashmere, and merino wool. Have items measured, fitted and finished within two days or bring examples, samples or pictures. Prices here or in the smaller cluster of such shops at Science & Tech are often better than at standalone shops in town because the competition for clients is fairly intense, but you should bargain for the best price.
You can take bus #802 or #64 from the Shanghai Railroad Station and stop at the final stop: Nanpu Bridge Terminal or you can take metro line 4 to the Nanpu Bridge (南浦大桥) Station (exit from gate #1, make a left from the exit and then left again on the light. You will see it to your right after walking about 200 to 250 m.
For high-end clothing that is (mostly) not Chinese knock-offs, generally at somewhat higher prices than outside China and the main areas to look are Nanjing Road right downtown and Huaihai Road in the French Concession. Both have many stores with trendy styles and major international brands. See the China article for discussion of difficulties buying China#Brand-name_goods|brand-name goods in the nation, but note that the high-end Shanghai shops are probably less risky than anywhere else.
Groceries
Major supermarket chains such as Carrefour, Auchan, and Tesco and Walmart are scattered around the city and have affordable groceries and household products, and are generally crowded at weekends. The most centrally located 'big chain' supermarket is Carrefour located in floors B1 and B2 of Cloud 9 shopping mall (metro: Zhongshan Park Lines 2, 3 and 4). and Tesco has a store in Zhabei neighborhood close to the main train station there is a huge Lotus supermarket in Top Brands mall in Liujiazui (Metro: Liujiazui, Line 2). There is also a large supermarket with much imported food at Xujiahui (lines 1 and 9); leave the station via at exit 12, which puts you in the basement of a major mall and then walk all the way across the open space at that level.
Whilst there are many stores around the city selling imported products at fairly high prices, Metro Cash'n'Carry is by far the cheapest place to buy imported goods. There are two stores:
- The Pudong store is at Longyang Lu, Lines 2, 7, 16 and Maglev.
- The Puxi store is at the intersection of Zhenbei Road and Meichuan Road, reachable by bus #827 from Line 2 Beixinjing station, Line 10 Shuicheng Road station, and Line 10 Jiaotong University station or bus #947 from Line 2 Zhongshan Park station and Line 3/4 Jinshajiang Road station. Alternately, it is a five-minutes walk from Jinjiang Park station on line 1.
As Metro caters primarily to businesses, you will either need a Metro membership card or take a temporary guest pass from reception when entering the store (Puxi store offers no guest passes but most members are willing to lend their membership card at the check-out line). Some items are available only in large packages or are much cheaper bought that way; for example, kilogram (2.2 pound) packs of New Zealand cream Cheese or five-kg (11 pound) blocks of Irish cheddar are about half the cost per gram of small quantities.
City Shop has a number of locations around Shanghai, plus an online store]. Prices are mostly noticeably higher than Metro, but their selection is good and locations are often convenient.
Ubiquitous FamilyMart 24-hour convenience stores can be found around the main central neighborhoods and inside major metro stations — these stores sell magazines, Snacks, drinks and Japanese-style hot bento-boxes although prices are high by Chinese standards. Chinese chains such as KeDi and C-Store can be found in residential neighborhoods and are marginally cheaper and also stock cigarettes. 7-Eleven and Lawson convenience stores are less common but can be found around the Nanjing Road area.
Shanghai, a dynamic metropolis blending rich traditions with modern advancements, is home to a diverse religious landscape, including a significant number of mosques that serve the city’s Muslim community. Here is an overview of some of the most notable mosques in Shanghai, each contributing uniquely to the city's cultural fabric.
Mosques in Shanghai
Huxi Mosque
Address: 常德路1328弄3号
Rating: 4.6/5 (126 reviews)
Huxi Mosque, situated in the bustling area of Changde Road, is one of the most well-known mosques in Shanghai. It was established in the early 20th century and has since been an essential center for Islamic worship and community activities. The mosque is known for its elegant architectural design, combining traditional Islamic elements with a touch of modernity. It regularly hosts prayers, educational programs, and community gatherings.
Songjiang Mosque
Address: 75 Gangbeng Ln
Rating: 4.7/5 (42 reviews)
Located in the Songjiang District, the Songjiang Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Shanghai, dating back several centuries. It stands as a testament to the long history of Islam in the region. The mosque’s architecture showcases classic Islamic design features, including domes and intricately carved details. Despite its historic nature, it continues to be an active place for worship and holds significant importance for both local and visiting Muslims.
Fuyou Road Mosque
Address: 福佑路378号
Rating: 4.7/5 (103 reviews)
The Fuyou Road Mosque is one of Shanghai's most prominent mosques, strategically located near the old city. It attracts both worshippers and tourists who are intrigued by its traditional Chinese architectural style merged with Islamic features. The mosque serves as an active center for religious prayers and offers educational programs, fostering a deeper understanding of Islamic culture and teachings among its visitors.
Pudong Mosque
Address: 上海浦东清真寺
Rating: 5.0/5 (27 reviews)
The Pudong Mosque is a smaller yet vital part of Shanghai’s Islamic community. With a perfect rating from visitors, this mosque stands out for its welcoming atmosphere and serene environment. Situated in the rapidly developing Pudong district, the mosque serves the spiritual needs of Muslims living and working in the area. It’s particularly known for its clean and well-maintained facilities, making it a favorite spot for many worshippers.
Xiaotaoyuan Mosque
Address: 小桃园街52号
Rating: 4.7/5 (73 reviews)
The Xiaotaoyuan Mosque is a stately 20th-century complex located in the heart of Shanghai’s old city. Known for its spacious prayer halls and beautiful garden, the mosque offers a peaceful place for worshippers and tourists alike. It is celebrated for its architectural blend of traditional Chinese and Islamic styles, with a minaret and prayer halls that exude serenity. The mosque remains a hub for community events and religious education.
These mosques not only serve as places of worship but also as cultural landmarks that enrich Shanghai’s historical and modern identity.
Halal Food & Restaurants
For Muslim residents and travelers, finding authentic Halal-certified restaurants can be a top priority. Fortunately, Shanghai is home to many outstanding Halal establishments that cater to a variety of tastes. Below, we highlight some of the best Halal dining options in the city.
Qingmeiju Muslim Restaurant
Rating: 4.8/5 (72 reviews)
Location: 凤阳路313号
Hours: Open until 10 PM
Qingmeiju Muslim Restaurant is well-loved for its authentic Chinese dishes prepared in strict accordance with Halal standards. Known for its vibrant atmosphere and rich flavors, this restaurant is perfect for those who want to enjoy traditional Chinese cuisine without compromise. Both dine-in and takeaway options are available, making it a convenient choice for all.
Xinjiang Pamir Restaurant
Rating: 4.5/5 (51 reviews)
Location: 浙江中路205号
Hours: Open until 10 PM
For a taste of Western China, Xinjiang Pamir Restaurant delivers the rich, aromatic flavors of Xinjiang's unique cuisine, which blends Chinese and Central Asian influences. The restaurant is known for hearty dishes that feature fragrant spices and tender meats. It's a great place for those seeking an authentic and flavorful Halal dining experience.
Muslim Jincheng Miandian
Rating: 4.2/5 (102 reviews)
Location: 670 Sichuan Rd (M)
Hours: Open until 10 PM
Muslim Jincheng Miandian is a go-to spot for lovers of noodles and traditional Chinese dishes. Known for its hand-pulled noodles and savory recipes, this restaurant is a staple in the Halal food scene of Shanghai. With options for dine-in, takeaway, and no-contact delivery, it caters to a variety of dining preferences.
Aladdin Muslim Restaurant
Rating: 3.8/5 (87 reviews)
Location: Jiaotong Rd (W), 21号-1
Hours: Open until 10 PM
Aladdin Muslim Restaurant offers a blend of Chinese and Middle Eastern cuisine. Guests can enjoy a selection of Halal dishes in a cozy setting. While it may not have the highest rating compared to other options, it remains a reliable choice for those looking to explore different flavors within the Halal dining landscape.
Efes Restaurant
Rating: 4.7/5 (276 reviews)
Location: Shangcheng Rd, 665号1885文化广场B座
Hours: Open until 10:30 PM
Efes Restaurant stands out for those who crave Turkish cuisine. With its extensive menu of Halal dishes and a reputation for excellent service, Efes provides an authentic taste of Turkey in Shanghai. It’s an ideal choice for family dinners or gatherings with friends, offering both dine-in and takeaway options.
Makan Arabic Restaurant
Rating: 4.2/5 (43 reviews)
Location: 漕溪北路45号
Hours: Open until 10:30 PM
Makan Arabic Restaurant is a hidden gem that serves up delicious Middle Eastern dishes. From kebabs to rich stews, this restaurant is highly recommended for those looking for a Halal option that extends beyond Chinese cuisine. The warm and inviting atmosphere makes it a must-visit spot.
A Thousand and One Nights Restaurant
Rating: 4.2/5 (50 reviews)
Location: 衡山路10号
Hours: Open until 10:30 PM
As one of the premier Halal establishments in Shanghai, A Thousand and One Nights Restaurant boasts a variety of dishes inspired by Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. It has earned a reputation for quality and is often touted as one of the best Halal dining spots in town.
Hongchangxing
Rating: 4.2/5 (44 reviews)
Location: 云南南路1号
Hours: Open until 10:30 PM
Hongchangxing is a traditional Chinese restaurant that is fully Halal-certified. While known to be on the pricier side, it provides a premium dining experience with expertly prepared dishes that stay true to the roots of Chinese Muslim cuisine.
Muslim Friendly Hotels
Accommodation in Shanghai can be rivaled by few cities in China, in terms of both variety and services. There are establishments for all types of travelers, from backpacker options for the weary to top of the line hotels and serviced apartments for those wishing to be spoiled. Puxi has both new and old hotels with class architectural styles and charm, some of them described in stories when Shanghai may have been the only place in China known to much of the rest of the world, while modern amenities commonly found in Pudong rival many hotels in Asia and beyond.
* @Gallery Suites Shanghai
* Ambassador Hotel Shanghai
* An Ting Villa Shanghai
* Andaz Shanghai Hotel
* Anderson Culture Hotel Shanghai
* Aquaspace Serviced Apartment Shanghai
* Argyle International Airport Hotel Hongqiao
* Argyle Ryden International Hotel Shanghai
* Ascott Huai Hai Road Shanghai
* Asset Hotel Shanghai
* Astor House Hotel Shanghai
* Baolong Homelike Hotel Jing An Shanghai
* Belgravia Serviced Residence Shanghai
* Best Western Pudong Sunshine Hotel Shanghai
* Blue Horizon International Hotel Shanghai
* Blue Palace Hotel Shanghai
* Casa Serena Boutique Hotel Shanghai
* Central Hotel Shanghai
* Central View Suites Shanghai
* Charms Hotel Shanghai
* Citadines Shanghai Biyun
* City Hotel Shanghai
* City View Hotel Shanghai
* Courtyard by Marriott Shanghai Hotel
* Courtyard Shanghai Jiading
* Courtyard Shanghai Puxi Hotel
* Courtyard Shanghai Xujiahui Hotel
* Crowne Plaza Hotel Century Park Shanghai
* Crowne Plaza Hotel Lake Malaren Shanghai
* Crowne Plaza Hotel Shanghai Pudong
* Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts Shanghai Harbour City
* Crowne Plaza Shanghai Anting Golf Hotel
* Crowne Plaza Shanghai Fudan Hotel
* Crowne Plaza Shanghai Hotel
* Crowne Plaza Shanghai Xiayang Lake Hotel
* Cypress Hotel Shanghai
* Days Hotel Insun Shanghai
* Days Hotel Tongji Shanghai
* Diamond Court Shanghai Hotel
* Dijon Hotel Shanghai
* Dingtian Ruili Service Apartment Shanghai
* Donghu Guest House Shanghai
* Donghu Hotel Shanghai
* Dongjiao State Guest Hotel Shanghai
* DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Shanghai - Pudong
* Eaton Luxe Nanqiao, Shanghai Hotel
* Education Hall Hotel Shanghai
* Eiffelton Hotel Shanghai China
* Eversunshine Hotel Shanghai
* Fairmont Peace Hotel Shanghai
* Four Points By Sheraton Daning Hotel Shanghai
* Four Points By Sheraton Shanghai Pudong Hotel
* Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai
* Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai - Pudong
* Fraser Residence Shanghai
* Fx Hotel Shanghai At Expo Exhibition Hall
* FX Hotel Shanghai At Nanjing East Road
* FX Hotel Xujiahui Shanghai
* FX Inn JinShaJiang Road Shanghai
* Fx Inn Shanghai North Bund
* Galaxy Hotel Shanghai
* Garden Avenue Hotel Shanghai
* Gloria Plaza Hotel Kangqiao Shanghai
* Golden Jade Sunshine Hotel Shanghai
* Golden Villa Resort Shanghai
* Grand Hyatt Hotel Shanghai
* Grand Kempinski Shanghai Hotel
* Grand Mercure Baolong Hotel Shanghai
* Grand Mercure Hongqiao Shanghai
* Grand Mercure Shanghai Zhongya Hotel By Accor
* Grand Skylight Gardens Hotel Shanghai
* Green Court Serviced Apartment
* GreenTree Inn Shanghai Changfeng Park Shell Apartment Hotel
* GreenTree Inn Shanghai JingAn Xinzha Road Hotel
* GreenTree Inn Shanghai Nanqiao Middle Renmin Road Express Hotel
* GreenTree Inn Shanghai Pudong Avenue
* GreenTree Inn Shanghai Zhongshan Hutai Hotel
* Gu Cun Park Hotel Shanghai
* Guang Dong Hotel Shanghai
* Guhua Garden Hotel Shanghai
* Guoman Hotel Shanghai
* Hengshan Moller Villa Hotel Shanghai
* Hengshan Picardie Hotel Shanghai
* Hilton Shanghai Hongqiao
* Hilton Shanghai hotel
* Holiday Inn Express Shanghai - Putuo
* Holiday Inn Express Shanghai Jinqiao Central
* Holiday Inn Express Shanghai Meilong
* Holiday Inn Express Shanghai Nanhuizui
* Holiday Inn Express Shanghai New Hongqiao
* Holiday Inn Express Shanghai Sanlin
* Holiday Inn Express Wujiaochang Shanghai
* Holiday Inn Express Zhabei Shanghai
* Holiday Inn Pudong Hotel Shanghai
* Holiday Inn Shanghai Downtown
* Holiday Inn Shanghai Jinxiu
* Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Kangqiao
* Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Nanpu
* Holiday Inn Shanghai Songjiang
* Holiday Inn Shanghai West
* Holiday Inn Vista Hotel Shanghai
* Hollyear Hotel Shanghai
* Hongluyuan Ningjiang Grand Hotel Shanghai
* Hongqiao State Guesthouse Shanghai
* Hotel Equatorial Shanghai
* Hotel Golden Tulip Ashar Suites Shanghai Central
* Hotel Ibis Shanghai Lianyang
* Hotel Ibis Shanghai Waigaoqiao
* Hotel Ibis Shanghai Xujiahui
* Hotel Ibis Shanghai Yu Garden
* Hotel Indigo Shanghai On The Bund
* Hotel Nikko Shanghai
* Howard Johnson All Suites Hotel Shanghai
* Howard Johnson Caida Plaza Shanghai
* Howard Johnson Hong Qiao Airport Hotel Shanghai
* Howard Johnson Hotel Chuansha Shanghai
* Howard Johnson Hotel Zhangjiang Shanghai
* Howard Johnson Huaihai Hotel Shanghai
* Howard Johnson Palm Beach Resort Shanghai
* Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel Shanghai
* Howard Johnson Plaza Lingang Shanghai
* Howard Johnson Plaza Waigaoqiao Shanghai
* Hua Ting Guest House Shanghai
* Hua Ting Hotel & Towers Shanghai
* Hyatt On The Bund Hotel
* ibis Shanghai Jinshajiang
* Intercontinental Hotel Pudong Shanghai
* Intercontinental Hotel Shanghai Expo
* Jia Shanghai Hotel
* Jianguo Hotel Shanghai
* Jin Jiang Hotel Shanghai
* Jin Jiang New Garden Hotel Shanghai
* Jin Jiang Tian Cheng Hotel Shanghai
* Jin Jiang Tower Shanghai
* Jin Li Hua Hotel Shanghai
* Jin Sha Hotel Shanghai
* Jing An Hotel Shanghai
* Jiulong Hotel Shanghai
* Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel Shanghai
* JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai At Tomorrow Square
* Kerry Hotel Pudong Shanghai
* Kingtown Hotel Hongmei Shanghai
* Lakeside Holiday Inn Shanghai
* Lang Ting Hotel Shanghai
* Lansheng Hotel Shanghai
* Lanson Place Jinlin Tiandi Serviced Residences Shanghai
* Le Meridien She Shan Shanghai Hotel
* Le Royal Meridien Shanghai Hotel
* Les Suites Orient Bund Shanghai Hotel
* Lijiada Business Hotel Shanghai
* Magnificent Plaza Hotel Shanghai
* Magnolia Hotel Shanghai
* Majesty Plaza Hotel Shanghai
* Manhattan Business Hotel Shanghai
* Mansion Hotel Shanghai
* Marvel Hotel Shanghai
* Mason Hotel Shanghai
* Mayson Shanghai Pudong Serviced Apartment
* Mayson Shanghai Zhongshan Park Serviced Apartment
* Metropole Hotel Shanghai
* Millennium Hongqiao Hotel Shanghai
* Minya Hotel Shanghai
* Miramar Apartment Shanghai
* Modena Residence Putuo Shanghai
* Nanjing Hotel Shanghai
* New Asia Hotel Shanghai
* New Harbour Service Apartment Shanghai
* New Space-Time Ruili Hotel Shanghai
* New World Shanghai Hotel
* Novotel Atlantis Hotel Shanghai
* Ocean Hotel Shanghai
* Oriental Bund Hotel Shanghai
* Oriental Riverside Hotel Shanghai
* Pacific Hotel Shanghai
* Paradise Hotel Shanghai
* Park Hotel Shanghai
* Park Hyatt Shanghai Hotel
* Parkyard Hotel Shanghai
* Pei Mansion Hotel Shanghai
* Pentahotel Shanghai
* Pine City Hotel Jin Jiang Shanghai
* Portman Ritz Carlton Hotel Shanghai
* Pudong Shangri-La East Shanghai Hotel
* Pullman Shanghai Skyway Hotel
* Puxi New Century Hotel Shanghai
* Radisson Blu Hotel Pudong Century Park
* Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai Hong Quan
* Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World
* Radisson Blu Plaza Xing Guo Hotel Shanghai
* Radius Mei Hua International Hotel Shanghai
* Rainbow Hotel Jin Jiang
* Ramada Plaza Caohejing Hotel Shanghai
* Ramada Plaza Gateway Hotel Shanghai
* Ramada Plaza Peace Hotel Shanghai
* Ramada Plaza Pudong
* Ramada Plaza Pudong South Shanghai Hotel
* Ramada Plaza Sino Bay Shanghai Hotel
* Ramada Pudong Airport Hotel Shanghai
* Ramada Shanghai Hongkou
* Ramada Shanghai Zhabei
* Ramada Wujiaochang Shanghai Hotel
* Rayfont Celebrity Hotel & Apartment Shanghai
* Rayfont Downtown Hotel Shanghai
* Rayfont Hongqiao Hotel & Apartment Shanghai
* Rayfont Hotel South Bund Shanghai
* Regal International East Asia Hotel Shanghai
* Regal Jinfeng Hotel Shanghai
* Regal Plaza Hotel & Residence Shanghai
* Regal Shanghai East Asia Hotel
* Regalia Serviced Residences Shanghai
* Regius Exhibition Hotel Shanghai
* Renaissance Shanghai Caohejing Hotel
* Renaissance Shanghai Pudong Hotel
* Renaissance Shanghai Putuo Hotel
* Renaissance Shanghai Yangtze Hotel
* Renaissance Shanghai Yu Garden Hotel
* Renaissance Shanghai Zhongshan Park Hotel
* Rendezvous Merry Hotel Shanghai
* Rhea Boutique Hotel Railway Station Shanghai
* Rhea Jinqiao Hotel Shanghai
* Riverview Hotel Shanghai
* Royal Court Hotel Shanghai
* Rui Jin Hotel Shanghai
* Salvo Hotel Shanghai
* San Want Hotel Shanghai
* Scenery Service Apartment Shanghai
* Seagull Hotel Bund
* Shanghai Bodi Boutique Hotel
* Shanghai Comfort Service Apartments
* Shanghai Hotel Jin Jiang
* Shanghai Hundred Centuries Hotel
* Shanghai JC Mandarin Hotel Limited Managed by Interstate China Hotels& Resorts
* Shanghai Marriott Hotel Changfeng Park
* Shanghai Marriott Hotel City Centre
* Shanghai Marriott Hotel Hongqiao
* Shanghai Marriott Hotel Luwan
* Sheraton Shanghai Hongkou Hotel
* Sheraton Shanghai Hongqiao Hotel
* Sheraton Shanghai Pudong Hotel & Residences
* Sheraton Shanghai Waigaoqiao Hotel
* Sky Fortune Boutique Hotel Shanghai
* Sofitel Huanghe Sheshan Resort Shanghai
* Sofitel Shanghai Hyland Hotel
* Somerset Xu Hui Shanghai
* Songjiang New Century Grand Hotel Shanghai
* Swissotel Grand Shanghai
* The Bridge Hotel Ru Shan Shanghai
* The Bund Riverside Hotel Shanghai
* The Eton Hotel Shanghai
* The Hongta Hotel Shanghai
* The Langham Xintiandi Shanghai
* The Longemont Shanghai Hotel
* The Peninsula Shanghai Hotel
* The Puli Hotel & Spa Shanghai
* The Qube Hotel Pudong
* The Ritz Carlton Shanghai Pudong
* The Westin Bund Center Shanghai
* The Yangtze Boutique Shanghai
* Tomorrow Square Shanghai - Marriott Executive Apartments
* Tong Mao Hotel Shanghai
* Union Square Shanghai Pudong Marriott Executive Apartments
* Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund
* Wellsinn Business Hotel Shanghai
* White Mansion Hotel Shanghai
* Wyndham Bund East Shanghai Hotel
* Wyndham Grand Plaza Royale Oriental Hotel Shanghai
* Xuhui International Executive Suites Shanghai
* Xujiahui Park Hotel Shanghai
* Yalong International Hotel Shanghai
* Yue Shanghai Hotel
* Yun's Paradise Hotel Shanghai
* Yuns Paradise Waltz Boutique Hotel Shanghai
Telecommunications in Shanghai
Shanghai's area code for landlines is 21, adding a "0" at the beginning if calling from outside of the city. For international calls add 86 and the nation code for China.
Shanghai seems to have far fewer Internet cafes than other Chinese cities, but there are some; see the #Districts|neighborhood eHalal Guide's for details. Most of the bars that cater to the expatriate community and many of the foreign-based fast food chains — Starbucks (Please do not support Starbucks as Starbucks supports Israel. Shun this Coffee and go for alternative brands and if possible for a Muslim owned brand.), KFC. Duncan Donuts and likely others — offer free WiFi. Many hotels also provide WiFi service at prices from free to exorbitant; it is moderately common to find free service in one part of a hotel, such as a Coffee shop, but substantial charges elsewhere, such as from the rooms.
Cope
Operator assistance
An amazingly helpful resource for visitors and expats alike is the Shanghai Call Center. Established prior to the Expo and maintained as a public service and the call center is a free-of-charge phone number that provides information regarding bus, metro, and taxi directions, business hours, attractions, and can even be utilized as a free translation service. If you are having trouble communicating with your taxi driver or a vendor, don't hesitate to call the number and pass the phone back and forth, having the operator translate.
The so-called "Magic Number" can be visited at 962288 from Shanghai cell phones. Chinese cell phones from other cities should dial 021 962288, and international phones should dial +86 021 962288. A short message in Mandarin will greet you, followed by a set of English instructions. Service is available in several European languages such as English and Spanish.
The service itself is free of charge, but you pay the cost of the phone call.
Consulates in Shanghai
Most consulates can be found in the Jing'an area of Shanghai.
Brazil - 巴西驻上海总领事馆 | Jiangning Road 188, ASA Building, 7/F -703 200041 ☎ +86 21 6437-0110 +86 21 6437-0160 Opening Hours: 9:30-13:00
India | 1008, Shanghai International Trade Centre, 2201 Yan'an Xi Lu ☎ +86 21 62758882 - 8885 - 8886 +86 021 62758881
Indonesia | Shanghai Mart Building (Office Tower) 16/F Room 1611, Yan'an Road West No. 2299, Changning District ☎ +86 21 5240-2321 +86 21 3251-6022
Ireland - Ste 700A West Tower Shanghai Centre, 1376 Nanjing Road West ☎ +86 21 62798729 +86 021 62798739 Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9:30AM Monday - 12:30PM, 2PM Monday - 5:30PM
Jamaica | 989 Dong Fang Lu, Zhong Da Plaza, 16F ☎ +86 21 58313553 +86 021 68763299
Malaysia | Room 1101, CITIC Plaza,1168 Nanjing Xi Road ☎ +86 52925424{{flag|New Zealand
Pakistan - Ste 0, 7F Hongqiao Business Center, 2272 Hongqiao Road ☎ +86 21 62377000 +86 021 62377066 Opening Hours: 8:30AM Monday - 5:30PM
Peru | Room 2705,Kerry Center, 1515 Nanjing Xi Road - ☎ +86 52985900
Philippines | Ste 301 Metrobank Centre, 1160 West Yan'An Road ☎ +86 21 62798337 +86 021 62798332
Singapore 89 Wan Shan Road ☎ +86 21 62785566 +86 021 62956038 Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30AM Monday - noon, 1PM Monday - 5PM
South Africa | 27F, Rm 2705/5, 222 Yan'an Road E ☎ +86 21 53594977 +86 021-63352980
News & References
Travel Next
Several other major cities are near Shanghai and conveniently reachable on the new CRH high speed (over 300 km/h) trains. These are comfortable and reasonably priced and, except at holidays, are not too crowded since other trains are affordableer. Look for the separate ticket windows with "CRH" on the signs.
- Hangzhou — 45 minutes away by high-speed train, is one of China's top domestic tourist destinations, featuring the famous West Lake, a fine silk market, and Buddhist caves. The popular times of year to go are Spring and Fall. There is an information booth at the train platform exit that provides a useful booklet with maps.
- Suzhou — a historic town half an hour away from Shanghai by high-speed train, is also a major tourist destination for Chinese tourists, traditionally a city of scholars and poets with many fine classical Chinese gardens and enough canals that it has been called the "Venice of the East". It has also become a major center of hi-tech manufacturing.
There is a Chinese saying along the lines The sky has heaven; the Earth has Suzhou and Hangzhou.
- Nanjing — about 1.5 hours away by high-speed train, is a great place to get a Chinese history lesson. Nanjing was the former capital of China under several dynasties, and of the Nationalist government in the early 20th century. From the city walls to the Presidential Palace, it's a walkable, friendly place with a variety of hotels for all budgets. Well worth the effort. It is also home to the tombs of three prominent figures in Chinese history.
- Ningbo — is two and a half to three hours away from Shanghai, across the 36 km-long Hangzhou Bay Bridge. The train, via Hangzhou, is faster.
Two places serve as the main somewhat rural escapes for Shanghai residents. Both are near cities mentioned above, and probably neither would seem at all rural to someone from a less densely populated country.
- Lake Tai, a large lake with some temples and nature preserves, near Suzhou.
- Mount Putuo, a very scenic island with an important Buddhist temple, near Ningbo.
See East China for other cities and attractions in the area around Shanghai.
Copyright 2015 - 2025. All Rights reserved by eHalal Group Co., Ltd.
To Advertise or sponsor this Travel Guide, please visit our Media Kit.