Plan your trip

Arriving at Pudong or Hongqiao: immigration, the arrival card, SIM, cash and your first ride

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

Your first hour in Shanghai in order: the arrival card, immigration, a SIM, some cash, and the cheapest or quickest way from Pudong or Hongqiao into town.

Benbang cuisine: the classic Shanghainese dishes and what goes into them

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

What benbang (Shanghai home-style) cooking is, the dishes to order, and the hidden ingredients in each: sugar, soy, rice wine, pork stock and lard.

Booking Shanghai museums and sights with a passport

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

Bring your passport. Some Shanghai sights take it for tickets, and Shanghai Museum's main building now needs a ticket. Rules differ, so check each venue.

Common scams in Shanghai and how to spot them

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

Strangers who invite you for tea, drinks or art, unlicensed cars, phone calls from 'police': how each works, the red flags, and what to do if it happens.

Day trips from Shanghai by train: Suzhou, Hangzhou and the water towns

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

Book Suzhou and Hangzhou trains on 12306 with your passport, up to 15 days ahead, check the station name, and use the metro or a bus for the water towns.

Eating in Shanghai when you can't read the menu: QR ordering, 'not spicy' and dietary cards in Chinese

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

Order by QR code, picture menu or camera translation, ask for no chilli, and show Chinese cards for vegetarian, vegan, halal and allergies.

Food allergies in Shanghai: hidden allergens, labels, medicine and a card in Chinese

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

Where peanut, sesame, shellfish, wheat, egg and soy hide in Shanghai food, what packaged-food labels tell you, bringing adrenaline, and calling 120.

Getting around Shanghai: metro, taxis, ride-hailing and walking

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

Metro for anything over a couple of kilometres, feet for the historic districts, taxi or DiDi late at night, and the fastest ways in from both airports.

Hairy crab in Shanghai: when the season is, how to eat it, and what to watch

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

Hairy crab season runs through autumn. When females and males are best, how to eat a whole crab, how to check a Yangcheng Lake tag, and safety tips.

Halal, kosher, Hindu, Jain and Buddhist food in Shanghai: a practical guide

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

Finding halal food in Shanghai, which local dishes hide pork or alcohol, and eating kosher, Hindu, Jain or Buddhist vegetarian, with cards in Chinese.

Hotel check-in with a passport: registration, and what to do if a hotel says no

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

Hotels register foreign guests with the police at check-in and may not refuse you for lacking special qualifications. In a home? Register within 24 hours.

How to pay in Shanghai as a foreign visitor: Alipay, WeChat Pay, cards and cash

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with your own Visa, Mastercard or Amex before you land, carry some cash, and know where foreign cards work.

Is Shanghai easy for first-timers? What's easier and harder than you think

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

Shanghai is easy once your phone, payments and entry paperwork are set up, and harder if you land without them. What to do before you fly and on day one.

Paying with a foreign card in Shanghai: linked cards, card terminals, DCC and ATMs

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

Most Shanghai shops have no card terminal. Link your card to Alipay or WeChat Pay, tap it at metro gates, and always pay in yuan, never your home currency.

Phone and internet in Shanghai: eSIM, local SIM or roaming, and what fails without a Chinese number

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

Roaming, travel eSIM or a Chinese SIM bought with your passport: what each gives you, which foreign apps fail, and what to do if you lose your phone.

Seeing a doctor in Shanghai as a visitor: emergencies, registration, payment and insurance

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

Call 120 in an emergency, bring your passport, expect to pay before treatment, and keep every receipt for your insurer. General information only.

Shanghai breakfast: dabing, youtiao, cifantuan and soy milk explained

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

The 'four heavenly kings' of a Shanghai street breakfast: what each one is, what's in it, how to order, and what to watch with allergies or diets.

Shanghai in 1, 2 or 3 days: an itinerary for history lovers

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

Day one: the old city and the Bund. Day two: the former French Concession. Day three: Pudong, Hongkou or a water town. Planned around closing days.

Shanghai on a layover: what fits in 8, 12 or 24 hours

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

Can you leave the airport on a Shanghai layover? Entry rules, Pudong luggage storage, travel times into town and time-boxed plans for 8, 12 or 24 hours.

Shanghai's shopping districts: which one to go to

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

Short on time? East Nanjing Road for the old stores, West Nanjing Road for luxury malls, Huaihai Road for fashion, Yuyuan for gifts.

Small things that catch visitors out: toilets, water, power banks, passports

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

Carry your passport, drink bottled or boiled water, check your power bank for a 3C mark before domestic flights, and bring a plug adaptor.

Tax refunds for visitors in Shanghai: how much you get back, and how to claim it

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

Spend 200 yuan in one tax-free store in one day and you can claim back about 9% (or 6%) of the price when you leave China. Here is how, step by step.

The Bund: a visitor's guide

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

The Bund is free to walk. Go late afternoon, see the buildings from the pavement and the row from the river, stay for the lights. What you can go inside.

The former French Concession: a visitor's guide

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

Pick a half: the Wukang Road side or the Fuxing Park side, about 3 km each. Go on a weekday morning, visit the house museums, leave homes alone.

Tracing a family address in old Shanghai

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

How to turn a pre-1949 address such as Avenue Joffre into a modern street: name changes, maps, directories, archives, and what to expect on the ground.

Vegetarian and vegan in Shanghai: what to order and what to ask

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

How to eat vegetarian or vegan in Shanghai: dishes that are usually meat-free, the hidden lard, stock and shrimp to ask about, and a Chinese card.

Visa-free entry to Shanghai: the 30-day policy and the 240-hour transit, explained

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

Who can enter Shanghai without a visa in 2026: the 30-day policy for 50 countries, the 240-hour transit for 57, and the rules that catch people out.

What to eat in Shanghai: 25 local dishes and what's in them

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

The Shanghai dishes worth ordering, in Chinese and pinyin, with what each contains: pork, seafood, egg, wheat, alcohol. Useful for allergies and diets.

When to visit Shanghai: weather, holidays and crowds

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

Spring and autumn are the best seasons. Avoid the plum-rain weeks, late-summer typhoons and multi-day public holidays if you can.

Where to stay in Shanghai: which neighbourhood suits your trip

Last checked on 22 October 2026.

First visit: stay on or behind the Bund. Old buildings and slow walks: the former French Concession. Skyline and a quick airport run: Lujiazui.

Xiaolongbao, shengjian and wontons: Shanghai's dumplings and what's inside

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

How xiaolongbao, shengjian and wontons differ, what is in each, how to eat them without burning your mouth, and how to order by the liang.