Shanghai Destinations
This is a quick guide to some must-see destinations in Shanghai!
When I was planning my Shanghai trip in December 2023, I wanted to make sure I wasn't forgetting any key destinations. Here's a run-down of some of the most notable places I visited, to help anyone else planning to see Shanghai!
The Bund
Probably the image that comes to mind when you think of Shanghai! The Bund is iconic and a perfect destination for tourist photos. Would definitely recommend setting aside time to stroll along the waterfront!
Malls
A culture shock I experienced is that malls are EVERYWHERE in Shanghai (and most major Chinese cities, I hear). Many of these malls are extremely bougie and decked out, with 30+ floors of almost exclusively luxury department stores. Most also have delicious food courts in the basement level 😋! One of the malls even had a multi-floor rock-climbing wall and an ice skating rink inside!
Honestly, I will have to write another blog just about the malls in Shanghai since we spent a significant portion of our time exploring them.
Nanjing Road
Nanjing Road is like the central part of Shanghai. It's divided into East and West Nanjing Road, with the East side having more small shops and eateries and the West side having more large malls and department stores. The small shops are a perfect place to pick up snacks or gifts to bring back home!
Qibao
Similar to Nanjing Road, Qibao is a shopping district with lots of small shops and eateries. However, it has more of an old-China vibe, and it's not as central to the "downtown" area. This is another must-visit place for delicious eats and souvenirs!
If you're looking for snack inspiration, I got these incredible nuts in Qibao that are known to be local to Shanghai, called 小核桃仁. They're similar to small walnuts, but sweeter and fresher. You can also get these in the U.S. or order them online, but apparently they'll be less fresh and not taste as good.
I will say, be careful of getting scammed with the prices if you don't speak Chinese fluently. If you can go shopping with a local, that's preferable!
Yuyuan Temple
Yuyuan is another iconic Shanghai strip of shops and eateries. Highly recommend going at night, when all the lights are on! There's also the Yuyuan temple, which is a great photo destination.
Jing'an Temple
Jing'an Temple is another photo op destination! I think you can pay to go inside, but to be honest not sure if that's super worth it. More memorable for me is the fact that the temple is right next to my favorite mall in Shanghai, Jiu Guang Mall! It was just such a decked-out mall (and randomly, had incredible bathrooms, which can be hard to come by in China...). Stay tuned for my Shanghai mall blog post...
The temple also happens to be located next to the first Michelin Star restaurant Matt and I tried, called RenHeGuan! Stay tuned for that blog post too!
Costco!
Kinda joking, but not really! It was actually really interesting to visit Costco in Shanghai and compare it to American Costcos. Overall, it was pretty similar but felt MUCH more crowded. Some of the food court options were also unique, like a beef bulgogi bake instead of the American chicken bake, and a red bean pie.
Side note, the fried chicken at the Shanghai Costco food court tasted INCREDIBLE – so much more buttery and juicy than fried chicken I have had in the U.S.
