Shanghai.
A wonderful mix of east and west with beautiful traditional buildings, gardens and street-food combined with sky high drinks. Big fan.
- The Bund.
Walking along the Bund is epic both day and night showing off Shanghai’s very impressive skyline.
Hyatt on the Bund. An absolutely stunning nighttime view over the Bund from the 32nd floor of the Hyatt. For RMB110 (£12.40) you get a drink token and that wonderful view – I’d much rather get a drink with a view than pay for a viewing deck! FYI. On Thursdays it’s ‘ladies night’ so ladies get 2 drink tokens instead of one (sorry lads!).
2. The French Concession.
Beautiful treelined streets and European architecture, the French concession is a delight to walk around. It feels like it’s own little city (filled with expats!).
There were loads of super cool places on Anfu road, our favourites:
Rac coffee. At the end of the street the place was absolutely buzzing. Delicious coffee and nice to branch out from our dumpling lunches!
Mi Thai. Has a Michelin bib for its Thai food and the cocktails are delicious (I’m talking ginger, lemongrass, lime and coriander).
Baker & Spice. Another one for coffee, and pastries.
Another road to wonder is Xiangyang road.
Our best find was Kartel which had incredible views of the surrounding high-rises and the added benefit of Happy Hour drinks (6–8pm) for RMB30 (£3.38).
We walked through Xiang Yang Gong Yuan Park and saw families playing and people dancing in the park.
3. Yu Garden.
Yu Garden is a Chinese botanical garden with ponds and lovely traditional buildings in the Old Town of Shanghai.
The surrounding area (Yuyuan Old Street) was pretty hectic when we went with lots and lots (and lots) of people.
4. Tianzifang.
Maze-like alleyways made up of traditional residential homes which have been renovated and are now gift shops, cafes and restaurants. We went around in a circle numerous times turning down random alleyways to see what’s down the next street. It’s little bit of a tourist trap but retains its charm so is worth a visit!
On route we went to People’s Park and Fuxing Park which are both worth wondering around. On weekends People’s Park has a ‘Marriage Market’ where single peoples credentials are pinned up on a board to match-make, it’s all in Chinese but fascinating to see!
5. Finance district (Pudong).
It’s worth wondering around just to stare up at how madly tall all the buildings are. The whole area is slightly sterile, pristine and with zero seating anywhere – it reminds me a little of Canary Wharf.
We had a bowl of delicious traditional wonton noodle soup at Tasty Congee & Noodle Wonton Shop in IFC mall (it got a Michelin bib for it!). The rooftop of the IFC mall is the middle of all the high rises and is a lovely place to chill!
6. Nanjing West Road.
Gleaming high-rise buildings, designer shopping malls and impressive hotels like the Ritz-Carlton and the Four Seasons, the area felt brand new and spotless. When we walked around Tom said ‘This is what I expected Shanghai to be like.’
My highlight was getting our Xiao Long Bao fix at Din Tai Fung, which has fast become our go to in Asia (you’ll be happy to know there are loads in Shanghai!).
7. Yang’s Dumplings 小杨生煎.
Sheng Jian Bao (生煎包) are scrumptious dumplings filled with soupy goodness, pan-fried to get a delicious crispy bottom. Kind of like a Xiao long bao on steroids. Yes, I managed to get soup all down my jeans the first time I bit into one (and burnt my mouth) but it was totally worth it, which proves how god damn good (and messy!) they are.
I appreciate you can get Sheng jian bao everywhere in Shanghai, but Yangs was consistently delicious and at RMB8 (£0.90) for four, a pretty cheap lunch!
We visited Shanghai in November 2018.
