Solo travel · Shanghai · China
Solo travel in Shanghai
How to enjoy Shanghai at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0
_-_07.jpg){kind=link}
Quick answer
Shanghai is easy to navigate alone: the Metro is clear and bilingual, eating solo at noodle and dumpling counters is normal, and areas such as the French Concession are lively into the evening. Many solo travellers base themselves in Former French Concession.
Key facts
- Base
- Former French Concession
- Getting around
- Metro
- Emergency number
- 110 police, 120 ambulance, 119 fire
- Language
- Mandarin Chinese and Shanghainese
Solo travel tips
- Set up an eSIM or roaming plan before you arrive; many apps and maps you rely on may not work on hotel Wi-Fi.
- Install a translation app and DiDi, and save your hotel's address in Chinese characters.
- Hostels and boutique hotels near People's Square and in the French Concession are well placed for solo travellers.
- Walking tours of the Bund and the French Concession are a good way to meet other travellers.
- Decline invitations from overly friendly strangers to tea houses or art shows near tourist streets.
Where to stay
$$$ · Best for couples, food lovers, nightlife, solo travellers and culture
Former French Concession
The former French Concession stretches west from Xintiandi along Huaihai Road, Fuxing Road, Anfu Road and Wukang Road, where 1920s villas and Art Deco apartment blocks such as the Wukang Mansion line shaded streets. It is the best area for walking, coffee, cocktail bars and restaurants, and Metro lines 1, 7, 10 and 11 run through it.
- Good
- The city's most pleasant streets to walk; Huge choice of cafés and restaurants; Boutique hotels in old villas
- Watch out
- Few big-ticket sights; Some lanes are a long walk from a Metro station
- Nearby
- Wukang Road, Fuxing Park, Tianzifang, Xintiandi
Great on your own
Waterfront · The Bund and People's Square
The Bund
Come twice: at sunrise, when locals practise tai chi on the promenade, and after dark for the lit-up skyline.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Views
- After dark
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- Couples
Garden · Old City (Yuyuan)
Yu Garden
Arrive at opening on a weekday; by late morning tour groups fill the narrow paths.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
.jpg){kind=link}
Viewpoint · Lujiazui (Pudong)
Shanghai Tower
Check the air quality and cloud base before buying; on hazy days the view from the Bund is better than from the top.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Iconic
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Landmark · Lujiazui (Pudong)
Oriental Pearl Tower
Combine it with the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium next door for a family morning in Lujiazui.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- After dark
Experience · The Bund and People's Square
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.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- After dark
- Views
- Couples
- Kids
- Iconic
Museum · The Bund and People's Square
Shanghai Museum
Start with the bronze gallery on the ground floor, then take the lift to the ceramics and furniture rooms before the crowds build.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Art
- Free
- Rainy day
Meeting people
- Four heavenly kings breakfast — Join locals at a breakfast stall for the classic set of dabing flatbread, youtiao dough sticks, cifantuan rice rolls and warm soy milk. Stalls are busiest before 9am and many sell out by mid-morning.
- Huanghe Road and Yunnan Road eating — Huanghe Road just north of People's Square is lined with dumpling and shengjian shops, and Yunnan South Road nearby is a long-standing food street; both make an easy evening crawl from the Bund area.
- The Bund — Rooftop bars and terrace restaurants in the heritage buildings, with skyline views and dress codes to match.
- Former French Concession — Cocktail bars, wine bars and craft-beer spots around Yongkang Road, Fumin Road and Julu Road.
Sensible precautions
Shanghai is generally safe for visitors, but tea-house and bar overcharging scams target tourists around Nanjing Road East and the Bund. Watch for pickpockets in crowds during holidays, and cross roads carefully, as electric scooters often ride silently on pavements and through red lights.
- Emergency number
- 110 police, 120 ambulance, 119 fire
- Staying connected
- Many international apps and websites are blocked in mainland China; travellers often use an international roaming plan or eSIM. Free Wi-Fi in cafés usually needs a Chinese phone number.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Shanghai good for solo travellers?
Shanghai is easy to navigate alone: the Metro is clear and bilingual, eating solo at noodle and dumpling counters is normal, and areas such as the French Concession are lively into the evening.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Shanghai?
Former French Concession: Plane-tree streets, lane houses, cafés and boutiques in Xuhui and Huangpu.