SHANGHAI
A city of contrasts, lights and unforgettable flavours.
Quick facts
China
Shanghai
4 Nights
5 days
Dumplings
Everywhere
New Year
2024-2025
Highlight
Skyline
Currency ¥
Chinese Yuan
Shanghai, on China’s eastern coast, is a vibrant city known for its impressive skyline, lively neighbourhoods and food scene. We spent five days here around New Year, exploring districts, walking along the Huangpu River and discovering food spots. From the illuminated skyline at night to the dumpling restaurants we kept coming back to, Shanghai was a memorable stop on our journey.
Shanghai was a completely different experience from the places we had visited before in China. After the freezing temperatures of Harbin, we were happy to arrive somewhere with sunshine and milder weather. We spent our days exploring different neighbourhoods, from residential streets and local food spots to leafy areas filled with cafés and restaurants.
The city surprised us with its contrasts. One moment we were discovering small dumpling restaurants and wandering through quiet streets, and the next we were standing by the river, surrounded by illuminated skyscrapers and impressive historic buildings. We also spent New Year’s Eve in Shanghai, welcoming the new year together before continuing our journey south to Vietnam.
One thing we quickly realised was that Shanghai is a huge city, and where you choose to stay can make a real difference to your experience. We started in a more residential area near the airport, before spending most of our time exploring the central neighbourhoods.
Our days in Shanghai
Where we stayed
During our five days in Shanghai, we split our stay between two different hotels. This gave us the chance to experience two quite different areas of the city, although we had a clear favourite when it came to accommodation and location.
Shanghai Dicheng Hotel
28–30 December
2 nights
Beicai area
Closer to the airport
41.90 AUD in total
(~21 AUD per night)
✓ Larger room
✓ More comfortable
✓ Good value
The hotel itself was a pleasant surprise. The room was spacious and very comfortable. The neighbourhood felt quite residential and local.
Puhua Hotel (普华宾馆)
30 December–1 January
2 nights
Huangpu District
Better located
80.92 AUD total
(~40 AUD per night)
✓ Better location
✓ Greate for exploring
✓ Easy transport access
We preferred this neighbourhood, as it was better located for exploring and getting around. However, the room was noticeably smaller and the overall comfort wasn’t quite as good.
Our takeaway
Both hotels worked well for different reasons: Shanghai Dicheng Hotel for a more spacious and comfortable room, and Puhua Hotel for its more convenient location. For a short visit, we’d prioritise staying somewhere that makes it easier to explore the areas you’re interested in.
Booking accommodation in China
A quick reminder: we recommend using Trip.com when booking hotels in China. Not all hotels listed on Booking.com accept international guests, as we experienced ourselves. On Trip.com, you can check that the accommodation accepts foreign visitors before making your reservation. It’s worth checking this carefully to avoid any surprises when you arrive!
Welcome to Shanghai
OUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The neighbourhood & dumplings
We arrived in the Beicai area, not far from the airport. It was quite far from the main city centre and felt much more residential, with a local, working-neighbourhood atmosphere. Although we wouldn’t particularly recommend this area as a base for exploring Shanghai, our hotel room was incredible.
After checking in, we went out to explore the surroundings. The sun was shining, and after the cold we had experienced in Harbin, we wanted to make the most of being able to walk around comfortably again. And, of course, our first meal in Shanghai had to be dumplings! We found a local place nearby and tried a few different kinds – every single one was delicious.
EXPLORING THE CITY
The famous skyline
The following day, we started by walking around the Laoximen residential area, where we came across another dumpling restaurant. Later, we took a bus towards the city centre and spent the afternoon and evening exploring on foot.
We made our way towards the river and the Zhapu Road area, where the city really came to life after dark. Across the water, the skyline was illuminated, with the Oriental Pearl Tower and the impressive skyscrapers of Pudong lighting up the night. We also saw the bridge and the red monument by the river, before continuing past some of Shanghai’s beautiful historic buildings.
Later, we headed to Wang Xilou Market to try some different street food. One of the things I tried was fried squid on a stick! There was plenty to look at and taste, making it a fun way to finish our evening in the city.
The riverfront and skyline
This was one of our favourite parts of Shanghai. Walking around the river after dark, with the historic buildings on one side and Pudong’s illuminated skyline across the water, gave us a completely different impression of the city.
FRENCH CONCESSION
A Neighbourhood Full of Charm
For the last day of the year, we explored a different side of Shanghai. We spent time around the former French Concession, Tianzifang, Xuhui and Changning. This part of the city felt quite different from the busy waterfront, with tree-lined streets, little cafés, restaurants and lovely buildings. It was winter, so most of the trees had lost their leaves, but we still found the neighbourhood beautiful.
We also came across a small art space connected to Art Labor Gallery and Art Plus Gallery, part of a cultural project involving A Bulto Cultura in Asturias, Spain, and the Instituto Cervantes in Shanghai. Later, we stopped at Alimentari, an Italian restaurant that I absolutely loved. It reminded me of home, with Mediterranean-inspired food and photographs of the Mediterranean around the restaurant.
NEW YEAR’S EVE
The Bund
We headed towards the Bund to welcome the new year, expecting a big celebration. But when we arrived at around 11:30 pm, there were no fireworks or official countdown where we were. The streets were packed with people and police, though, and everyone seemed to be doing their own countdown. We later discovered that the drone show was taking place somewhere else in the city!
It wasn’t quite the celebration we had imagined, but it ended up being a lovely way to welcome the new year together.
A little New Year’s Eve detail
We later found out that a drone and fireworks show had taken place at Wusongkou International Cruise Port, in Baoshan District, as part of the 2026 New Year celebrations. It was a separate event from the city-centre celebrations, and we hadn’t realised it was happening there.
Getting around
Shanghai is a huge city, but getting around is surprisingly easy once you know how to use its public transport system. We combined walking with buses and other forms of public transport to explore different neighbourhoods.
Discovering Shanghai on foot
One of our favourite ways to explore Shanghai was simply walking around. The city centre and several neighbourhoods are lovely to discover on foot, with plenty of interesting streets, cafés, shops and little places to stop along the way.
GURUWALK TOUR
We also joined a GuruWalk walking tour on our last morning. These tours are tip-based rather than having a fixed price, so you decide how much to pay depending on your experience. It was a great way to discover more of the city, learn about local customs and see places we might otherwise have missed.
Public transport: affordable and convenient
Shanghai has an extensive public transport network, including buses and the metro, making it easy to move between neighbourhoods without spending much. We used local buses during our stay and found public transport incredibly affordable. You can pay using Alipay, which makes getting around much more convenient, without having to worry about buying individual tickets or carrying cash.
If you’re travelling to China, make sure you read our China travel guide before arriving. We explain how to set up Alipay and other useful apps to make your trip easier.
Our Cost
*4 nights · 5 days · 2 people
| Category | Total (2 People) | Per Day (2 People) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🛏 Accommodation | 123 AUD | 31 AUD* | Hotel accommodation |
| 🚌 Transport | 10 AUD | 2 AUD | Local buses and city transport |
| 🍽 Restaurants and cafes | 131 AUD | 26 AUD | Local food |
| 🎟 Attractions | 34 AUD | 7 AUD | Tours and others |
| 🧺 Extras | 12 AUD | 2 AUD | Extra fees |
| Total | 310 AUD | 62 AUD | – |
* Accommodation is calculated per night, while the other categories are calculated per day. All prices are approximate.
Gallery
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Would we recommend Shanghai?
Yes! Shanghai was one of the most interesting stops on our journey through China. We loved the contrast between its different neighbourhoods, from the quieter residential streets and leafy areas to the impressive waterfront and illuminated skyline. There was always something new to discover, and the food was another highlight – especially all those dumplings!
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