City guide · China

Shanghai

Shanghai's municipality covers 6,341 km² across sixteen districts and held 24,874,500 people in 2023, but the part a visitor uses is one river bend. The Huangpu bisects downtown into Puxi on the west bank and Pudong on the east, and the two banks are a hundred years apart by design. The Bund is a row of early twentieth-century buildings running from the neoclassical HSBC Building to the Art Deco Sassoon House, put up when the International Settlement, formed in 1863, and the French concession beside it ran their own affairs. Pudong facing it is the skyline built since. Behind both, the Port of Shanghai is the busiest container port in the world.

Practical information

Language spoken: Standard Chinese; regional languages are widely used; National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code: +86 mainland · +852 Hong Kong · +853 Macao; International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency: Renminbi (CNY); HKD and MOP in the SARs; Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number: 110 police · 120 medical on the mainland; Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type: Type A, C and I · 220 V; Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water: Not recorded; No single verified statement covers mainland China and both SARs

Turn this list into a plan

Set your days, your pace and the hours you actually want to be out. The planner works around closing days and travel time, and leaves room to eat.

Plan Shanghai

Planning a visit

Suggested stay: Not recorded
Getting around: Walking, metro, bus and ferry

January: viable with meaningful trade-offs
February: viable with meaningful trade-offs
March: good time to visit
April: best time to visit
May: best time to visit
June: good time to visit
July: viable with meaningful trade-offs
August: viable with meaningful trade-offs
September: good time to visit — current month
October: best time to visit
November: best time to visit
December: good time to visit

Best time
Good time
Viable with trade-offs
Difficult conditions

Sources

worldweather.wmo.int Checked 2026-08-28

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

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How the city is laid out

Not recorded No editorial orientation text has been written for this city yet. It will appear here once the city guide is reviewed.

Getting around

Not recorded No transit lines, fares or ticket types are ingested yet. This section will populate once a public-transport data source is added.

Common questions

How many days should I spend in Shanghai?

A fixed stay length is not recorded. Build the visit around the Bund, People’s Square, Lujiazui and the former French Concession, then add water towns and suburban districts only when the available time supports a separate journey.

What is the best way to organise sightseeing in Shanghai?

Group places by district instead of crossing the city repeatedly. Start with the Bund, People’s Square, Lujiazui and the former French Concession; treat water towns and suburban districts as separate routes with their own travel allowance.

How do I get around Shanghai?

Use Walking, metro, bus and ferry. Walk within compact clusters and consult the linked official transport information before making longer transfers or relying on a particular route.

Can I explore Shanghai mainly on foot?

Only within individual neighbourhood clusters. The main visitor areas are separated by distances, waterways, major roads or regional approaches, so longer links normally need public transport or a licensed vehicle.

Which Shanghai sights need separate transport planning?

Plan water towns and suburban districts separately from the Bund, People’s Square, Lujiazui and the former French Concession. Check the current route, return connection and any access requirements on the official source before departure.

🇨🇳Shanghai