2 days in Shanghai

Day by day

1. Day 1: The Bund and Nanjing Road

   The Bund, Nanjing Road, Shanghai Museum and Yu Garden, then Oriental Pearl Tower in the evening.

   1. Morning

      The Bund

      Across the Huangpu, the Lujiazui towers form the classic skyline, which is lit up every evening.

   2. Late morning

      Nanjing Road

      West of People's Square, Nanjing Road West becomes a row of luxury malls in Jing'an.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Soup dumplings

      Old dumpling houses around Yu Garden and People's Square, and the dumpling shops along Huanghe Road; queues signal turnover and freshness.

   4. Afternoon

      Shanghai Museum

      A second branch, Shanghai Museum East, opened in Pudong in 2024.

   5. Late afternoon

      Yu Garden

      Outside, the zigzag Nine-Turn Bridge leads to the Huxinting teahouse, surrounded by the City God Temple bazaar.

   6. Evening

      Oriental Pearl Tower

      Combine it with the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium next door for a family morning in Lujiazui.

2. Day 2: Shanghai Tower and Shanghai Ocean Aquarium

   Shanghai Tower, Shanghai Ocean Aquarium, Shanghai Disneyland and Former French Concession walk, then Huangpu River cruise in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Shanghai Tower

      Its observation deck on the 118th floor, reached by some of the fastest lifts in the world, looks down on the Jin Mao Tower and the Oriental Pearl Tower and, on clear days, far up the Huangpu.

   2. Late morning

      Shanghai Ocean Aquarium

      Next to the Oriental Pearl Tower, the aquarium follows the waters of different continents and includes a long underwater tunnel with sharks and rays and a section on Yangtze River species.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Pan-fried pork buns

      Specialist shengjian chains and corner shops across the city, especially at breakfast and lunch.

   4. Afternoon

      Shanghai Disneyland

      It sits at the end of Metro line 11, about an hour from People's Square.

   5. Late afternoon

      Former French Concession walk

      Cafés, bakeries and small boutiques fill the ground floors.

   6. Evening

      Huangpu River cruise

      For a cheap version, take the public ferry between the Bund side and Lujiazui; it crosses in a few minutes for a couple of yuan.

Before you go

• Shanghai Disneyland: Tickets are date-specific and priced by demand; buy ahead for weekends and holidays.
• Shanghai Museum: Entry is free but usually requires a timed reservation with your passport number; book a few days ahead for weekends.

If it rains

• Swap in Jade Buddha Temple (Jing'an): Have a bowl of vegetarian noodles at the temple's restaurant after your visit.
• Swap in Shanghai Natural History Museum (Jing'an): Book a weekday visit; school-holiday weekends are very busy.
• Swap in Power Station of Art (Huangpu riverside): Check the programme before you go; the building is worth seeing, but the shows change completely between exhibitions.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 21–27 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 10.1 hours in December to 14.2 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Metro. The Metro is the fastest way across the city; lines 2 and 10 link the Bund area, Jing'an and Hongqiao, and line 2 crosses the river to Lujiazui and Pudong Airport.

More or fewer days

• One day in Shanghai
• 3 days in Shanghai
• 5 days in Shanghai

Questions travellers ask