Shanghai does not do subtle. The Bund at night looks like a film set that forgot it's a real place. The metro runs 20 lines through 26 million people with a precision that borders on unsettling.
For families, Shanghai is ambitious. The language gap is real. The digital infrastructure requires setup before arrival. But families who do the groundwork come back with a trip that's hard to match.
There is nowhere else on earth quite like it. That's worth the preparation.
Interactive City Map
Quick Facts
China. CST (UTC+8). No daylight saving.
Chinese Yuan (CNY/RMB). Mobile payments (WeChat Pay, Alipay) dominate. Foreign visitors can link bank cards. Carry some cash backup.
Mandarin Chinese. English signage in metro/airports. Translation apps essential outside hotels and tourist sites.
March–May (spring) or September–November (autumn). Both significantly better than the alternatives.
July–August (hot, humid, typhoons). December–February (cold, grey, raw). Neither is ideal for families.
$200–$350 USD per day for a family of four. Excellent budget and premium options both available.
Type A, C, and I. North American travellers need a universal adapter.
China blocks Google, WhatsApp, Instagram. Download a reputable VPN before you leave home. Without it, your standard toolkit stops working.
First 60 Minutes
Pudong International (PVG) — main international hub, 30km east. You're almost certainly landing here.
Set Up Payments Before You Land
The single most important prep item. WeChat Pay and Alipay are how the city runs. Foreign visitors can link international Visa/Mastercard. Do this at home. Takes 20 minutes and removes significant friction from every transaction.
Take the Maglev
Pudong airport to Longyang Road Metro station. 30km in 7 minutes at up to 431 km/h. For kids interested in trains, speed, or engineering — non-negotiable first move. 50 RMB/adult. Transfer to Metro Line 2 into the city.
Or: Metro Line 2 Direct
Runs from Pudong airport through city centre. No transfer. ~60–70 min. 7–9 RMB. More manageable with heavy luggage and young children than Maglev + transfer. Taxis: 150–200 RMB. Didi (China's Uber) works reliably.
Getting Around
Shanghai's metro is one of the largest and best-run in the world. 20 lines, 500+ stations.
🚇 The Metro
20 lines, 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Shanghai Public Transport Card or WeChat/Alipay scan-to-ride at turnstiles. Apple Maps works without VPN for navigation.
🚕 Didi
China's dominant rideshare. Download before arrival, register with foreign number, add international card. English version works. Fares very reasonable.
🚖 Taxis
Metered, abundant, honest. Have destination in Chinese characters — hotel card or translation app. Most drivers speak minimal English.
🚶 Walking
Within neighbourhoods — the Bund, French Concession, Tianzifang — walking is correct. Between neighbourhoods, Metro is faster. Shanghai is large.
🔒 VPN Reality
Google Maps works with VPN. Apple Maps works without one. Download offline maps before departure. When VPN drops, offline maps and Apple Maps keep you navigating.
💳 Payments
WeChat Pay / Alipay for everything. Shanghai Public Transport Card at any station for metro/buses as reliable backup.
Etiquette That Matters
Shanghai is China's most internationally experienced city. The etiquette load is lighter here than in smaller Chinese cities.
Learn a few words. Ni hao, xie xie, duo shao qian. The English-Chinese gap is the widest on this list. Any effort is noticed and appreciated.
Queuing is more fluid than Tokyo or London. Hold your ground at metro doors and busy attractions. Different convention, not rudeness.
Point at menu items. Most local restaurants have picture menus. Translation app handles the rest. Staff in local places often don't speak English.
Bargaining expected at markets — Yu Garden, Tianzifang stalls. Start at 40–50% of asking price. Fixed-price at shops and restaurants.
Children are warmly received. Chinese culture values children highly. Foreign children attract friendly attention. Photos may be taken — meant warmly, decline politely if preferred.
Where to Stay
The Bund / Huangpu
Best for the ExperienceThe most iconic view. Premium hotels, walking distance to Old City and Yu Garden. More expensive but earns it for a first visit.
French Concession
Best for FamiliesTree-lined streets, independent restaurants, boutique hotels. Calmer pace, safer evenings, better restaurants per block. Metro Lines 1 and 10.
Jing'an
The Practical CentreCentral, well-connected, excellent Metro access. Good mix of international and local options. Less character, more convenience.
Pudong
The Modern OptionFuturistic skyline side. Modern towers, international hotels. Impressive to look at, less interesting to live in. Great view back to the Bund.
72-Hour Plan
The Bund
Before 8 a.m. Walk the full length. Colonial buildings behind you, sci-fi towers ahead. The contrast is the point. Best light, smallest crowds.
Yu Garden & Old City
400-year-old classical garden — rockeries, pavilions, koi ponds. Xiao long bao at Nanxiang Mantou Dian — famous dumpling house, the queue moves.
Tianzifang & French Concession
Lane houses converted to shops, cafes, galleries. Right scale for kids to wander. Dinner in the French Concession: hong shao rou, sheng jian bao, yellow croaker.
Ferry + Shanghai Tower
Cross to Pudong by ferry — 2 RMB, 5 min, best moving view of the Bund. Shanghai Tower: 632m, second tallest in the world. Floor 118 viewing deck — book online.
Shanghai Museum
People's Square. Free, well-curated. Ancient bronze collection and Chinese furniture galleries are standouts. Two hours is right for families.
The Bund at Night
When the Pudong lights come on. Different experience from the morning. Both are worth doing.
Wukang Road & French Concession
The most photographed street in Shanghai. Fuxing Road, Yongkang Road. Breakfast at a local cafe. The neighbourhood rewards slow walking. Wukang Mansion — 1924 bow-fronted building, photogenic and free.
Xintiandi & Tea Shopping
Restored Shikumen lane houses, pedestrian plaza, restaurants. More upscale than Tianzifang. Pick up Dragon Well or Bi Luo Chun from a proper tea shop — travels well, fraction of home price.
Dad-Tested Picks for Shanghai
A Working VPN
Non-negotiable. Install before departure. ExpressVPN, NordVPN both China-tested. Without it, Google Maps, Gmail, WhatsApp don't function.
WeChat Pay / Alipay
Set up with foreign bank card before arriving. This is how Shanghai operates. 20 minutes at home removes friction from every transaction.
Transport Card
Shanghai Public Transport Card at any Metro station. Covers all 20 lines and buses. More reliable than phone scanning.
Apple Maps Offline
Works in China without VPN. Download offline maps before departure. Your navigation backup when VPN drops.
Xiao Long Bao
Nanxiang Mantou Dian at Yu Garden. Din Tai Fung at Xintiandi if queue's too long. Both are real. Avoid tourist stalls with A-frame photo signs.
The Maglev
7 minutes at 430 km/h. If your children care about speed, physics, or trains — ride it at least once. Not reproducible anywhere else.
FAQ + Safety
Read Next
Shanghai asks more of you than most cities on this list. The VPN, the payment setup, the language gap. It's more work before you go.
Do the work. There's nothing else like it. That's worth the preparation.
📍 Part of: Business Travel City Guides.