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Headed to Shanghai for a week or so in November. This will be my first trip ever to Asia, very excited! I'm a single 30 year old guy, and my purpose for going is to attend a UFC event there to watch my favorite fighter in what is possibly his swan song (Anderson Silva of course).
Just curious if anyone has any recommendations for any of the following -
Hotel
Nightlife spots
Restaurants
Cultural attractions
Day trips out of the city
As a solo traveler, I won't really be encumbered with an itinerary but it would be nice to have a handful of things on a list to want to check out. Budget isn't too much of a concern, but when it comes to hotels the very fancy/expensive end of the spectrum isn't usually too appealing to me. Location is my primary concern - easy to get around and able to walk (ideally) to at least some places of interest. If this was ten years ago I'd be doing the hostel route all the way, but at this age staying in a dorm with random people is not as attractive as it once was. Otherwise I'm a patient, low-fuss traveler and am looking to have a fun time in China.
Hotel - It depends on your budget. Shanghai has some of the best hotels in the world. Peninsula, Four Seasons,Mandarin Oriental Ritz Carlton...if your budget is big enough, I think it's a good idea to stay 1 - 2 nights on the Bund(Peninsula, Westin), 3 - 4 nights in French concession(Four seasons, Ritz Carlton, etc), 1 - 2 nights in Pudong(not my favorite area, but there are a ton of luxury hotels).
In general, I find SPG hotels to be pretty good in China. You can't go wrong with hotels like Westin. Hilton in Jingan is okay and reasonably priced, but it's a very old property.
Nightlife - I don't know.
Restaurants - Plenty of tasty food, but which kind do you like? I frequented mid-range restaurants in Shanghai.
Cultural attractions - None of them is worth recommending.
Day trips out of the city - You should spend a night in Hangzhou as a side trip. Wuxi and Suzhou can be done in separate day trips. Mount Mogan is quite unique, but it's a 4 hours drive from the city.
Summary; Shanghai has a lot of luxury hotels, a ton of great restaurants, probably quite a few good spots for nightlife. But there's virtually no cultural attraction or any attraction that worth traveling from the other end of the universe to see. Make sure you take advantage of your side trips.
$100 can get you a decent room in shanghai, $150 can get you a really nice room. The price is more reasonable than major cities in the U.S.
Jing an temple is probably the most convenient location I can think of. But keep in mind Shanghai is massive, you may want to switch hotels a couple of times to stay close to your event/desired attractions.
Hotel - I recommend staying around the Nanjing/Bund area because you have the pedestrian street right there, the bund to the east, Old City to the south, and the park and some cool museams to the west. All walkable. You can take the ferry across to Pudong also the Pearl Tower and some other sites. You can get as expensive as you want in this area, some of the fanciest hotels in the world are here. There is a reasonable Ramada on Nanjing that I've stayed at before however, I think like $100 US a night.
SCAM WARNING: Shanghai is the scamming capital in the world it seems, and the center of activity seems to be Nanjing Road. You will be pestered every 10 feet by someone trying to sell you stuff or "invite you to tea". Basically if a Chinese talks to you at all, he is trying to scam you. Also, the working girls are very aggressive - if that's your thing go to Judy's referenced below.
Nightlife - Shanghai is full of bars and nightclubs, some very exclusive, particularly around the bund. I usually go over to Xintiandi where they have a bunch of bars, some for expats, some with live music. A 30 year old American guy won't have any trouble finding some female company, just be aware that many are working girls. If you want to cut to the chase go on over to Judy's in the Jing'an district. They should have a rock band that is actually pretty good, reasonable priced beer, beautiful women, and all the lovely ladies are for hire for the evening.
Cultural Attractions - Old City just south of Nanjing Rd., and within walking distance. People's Square area has an amazing museam of Chinese history. Jing'an has a cool temple.
Day Trips - take a high speed train to Suzhou and walk around the old walled city and the canals, worth a day.
bund， jade Buddha temple, Yuyuan Garden. skycrappers r not amazing at al.
in fact, in China, Shanghai is famous for its western characteristic. if u r interested in Chinese culture, maybe u d better to take high speed railway to visit tourism oriented cities nearby like Suzhou Hangzhou and so on which represent lots of Chinese Wuyue culture.
by the way, if u try to taste Chinese authentic food. Shanghai maybe is the best place for u to enjoy different Chinese cuisine.u can eat sichuan cuisine even Tibetan food in Shanghai.
eg i neve. have a scam experience in Shanghai.
I, too, am traveling to Shanghai in a couple of weeks. I plan on taking the bullet train, perhaps to Suzhou. I suggest you go to TripAdviser.com if you want the 411 on places to stay and things to do. I use it everywhere I travel, even in my home city. There really is much to do in Shanghai itself but a week is long enough to do more things outside of city as well, with the bullet trains. Traveling to China is like traveling anywhere else. Just use common sense and you'll be fine. (careful about what you DO do. In Hong Kong I was pulled off the train because I was accidentally riding in a first class train car with a general ticket. Completely by accident as I got into China late the night before and was really out of it. Luckily, I was able to talk myself out of a ticket.) That being said, whatever you do have fun and enjoy your trip.
Advice- bring your own forks and a spoon or two. Plastic will do. Trust me. You might accidentally leave your fork in a restaurant, so bring more than one. Western style teaspoons are very useful too. Take them just in case. Trust me. I came back from a four week stay in five Chinese cities (not Shanghai or Beijing) this (2017) June and July.
Also, it might go without saying, but do not get behind the wheel and drive. Let someone else drive or take taxis or a bus. You will avoid legal issues if there is any kind of an accident.
Bund and East Nanjing Road sound fancy, but they are not upscale. Tourists love to stop by and take a few photos, and that's it. Many neighborhoods near Bund are actually run down.
The western part of the city is way better. West Nanjing Road, Jingan temple, most of French Concession.
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